The China Program’s Strategy, Planning & Management (SPM) team is recruiting a Senior Strategy Officer (SSO). This is a senior-level position requiring strategic thought leadership, initiative, ability to learn technical sectors quickly, excellent ability to structure information, identify and drive decisions, and excellent relationship building skills.
This role supports strategic and operational aspects of an integrated program area including oversight of strategic planning and, portfolio management, measurement and evaluation, business analysis and the coordination of business strategies across the foundation. Focus will range from portfolio resource analysis; coordination of programmatic work and processes; team investment strategy development and ongoing strategic alignment and outcomes design of the investment portfolio.
We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things.
Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management
- Partner with Senior Operations Manager to develop accurate investment forecasts and insure rhythm of the business supports strategy decision-making
- Leverage deep relationships across the organization with key peers and deep knowledge of the foundation’s operating model to insure results and identify and develop solutions to critical barriers to results
- Facilitate decision making among the leadership team to clarify priorities, resolve conflicts, and make clear trade-offs.
- Collaborate with leadership and key stakeholders to develop measurements against and assess business performance
- Provide critical support to program leadership in translating strategy goals into coherent portfolio level theory of action, investments and resource allocations.
- Drive management strategy and resource allocation decision-making
Strategy Development and Refinement
- Support the DDSPM to lead the annual strategy process including shaping key strategic learning and pivots and leading the process to develop and deliver materials
- Stay informed on strategic progress and external and internal context and to identify and frame opportunities to strengthen our strategy to enhance strategic success and decision-making
- Manage large and/or complex projects in support of strategy development, resource allocation (both financial and human), investment management, and business performance management.
- Do desk research and collect, analyze, and interpret information and construct frameworks for evaluating information and making decisions
- Facilitate debate, criticism, and alignment and act as a thought partner for the DDSPM and other Deputy Directors on the China team
This role will manage people, act as a leader for the SPM team and be a member of the senior leadership cohort in the China Country Office. This person will be responsible for developing and cultivating the team members and culture needed to insure success including prioritizing collective success, showing respect, offering trust and creating transparency.
Core Knowledge and Skills
- Management of complex strategy development, execution planning and business process redesign projects.
- A preference for rigor, purpose driven measurement and cost-effective use of resources.
- Ability to create structures and develop frameworks to increase clarity and transparency of decisions, trade-offs and impact on financial and organizational resources.
- Ability to facilitate challenging trade-off discussions that lead to concrete outcomes aligned with strategy
- Ability to effectively alternate between thinking strategically and executing at high quality.
- Ability to act autonomously to choose methods and procedures on assignments
- Financial acumen plus budget development, financial analysis and operational management skills.
Education and Experience
- A minimum of 5 years work experience in program management and/or strategy consulting
- Excellent strategic/critical thinking AND program management/ implementation skills.
- Depth of knowledge in an area of healthcare R&D, development financing or international development preferred
- Experience working in both China and US organizational contexts
- Intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for understanding the complex challenges of working in China and sub-Saharan Africa
- Exceptional relationship builder with the ability to develop collaborative, trusting relationships within and outside the organization
- Excellent leadership skills in working internally with a team of diverse background in a matrix team environment.
- Ability to influence without formal authority and openness to ambiguity
- Exceptional results orientation combined with creative and open-minded approach to all aspects of work; Ability to maintain professional, upbeat attitude and sense of humor under tight deadlines.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, in positions requiring communication with an executive level audience
- Fluent in English and Chinese