The Director of Strategy, Planning, and Management and Chief of Staff (Dir SPM/CoS), United States Program (USP) will serve as an extension of the USP President within USP and across the foundation to provide critical support to the President across a range of work – including internal management and alignment of leadership to USP goals and priorities, strategy development, oversight of strategy performance and allocation of financial & human resources, implementation of cross-cutting change & project management and division-wide business processes; oversight of USP special initiatives investments and scholarships portfolio, communications and external relations. The Dir SPM/CoS will work, where appropriate, in partnership with the division’s key business partners (Director- Legal, HR Business Partner, Program CFO), the Programmatic Directors, and the Executive Assistant – as well as across the foundation with other Global Program leaders, other operational leaders, the CEO’s office, and the offices of the Co-Chairs. The Dir SPM/CoS will report directly to the President and will be an integral part of the President’s leadership team. The Dir SPM/CoS will support the US Program (USP) President in follow-through on management, operational, and leadership development priorities, represent programmatic point of view to inform the development and implementation of foundation-wide business processes and initiatives, and effectively lead and manage the USP Office of the President to achieve goals of providing value-added supports to the USP strategy teams to bolster capacity, and drive the implementation of cross-cutting programmatic & operational priorities. The Dir SPM/CoS has a deep commitment to the overall mission of the foundation, with a background in and commitment to improving U.S. education, and an approach consistent with the foundation’s guiding principles. The Dir SPM/CoS is committed to delivering results against the mission and holds self to the highest ethical standards.
Serve as Key Strategic Advisor and Thought Partner to USP President
- Act as representative internally and externally on his behalf as requested/needed on programmatic matters
- Lead strategic programmatic projects for which the President is taking direct ownership/co-ownership; lead & orchestrate initiatives & projects; contribute strategic content and where appropriate, oversee the appropriate analysis & decision support
- Understand and maintain knowledge of USP Strategies, theories of change, and key hypotheses
- Support oversight of portfolio management, annual planning, and collaborative strategy engagement to support our impact
- Working in collaboration with USP leadership team, support USP President in the articulation of a cross-USP strategic agenda. Facilitate the development of that agenda by managing USP strategy meetings
- Key thought partner and leader — where applicable — on the organizational health and culture of USP to ensure diversity, equity and inclusive practices and norms
- Work with the President to manage critical grantee and partner relationships
- Support the workload of the President and prioritization of time by managing information flow, resolving issues, providing analysis and advice on key issues
Manage USP Office of the President Team
- Manage and oversee 15-person team, including Deputy Director of OoP, Program Managers, Data & Program Officers who are collectively responsible for:
- Leading and managing the USP Office of the President team providing value-added cross-cutting programmatic and business supports to program teams to – including:
- e Program learning, strategic meeting management, business process and, and change management
- Strategic/opportunistic grants and investments including the scholarships portfolio and other special initiatives
- Cross-cutting/P-16 thought partnership, project management and support
- Data analytics and research in collaboration with program strategy teams
- Measurement and evaluation support of identified cross program work
- Manage and/or oversee other critical functions, that could include senior fellow, and other roles essential for the President’s Office
Leadership, Culture and Management Functions
Servers as a model of strong management and leadership practices that include:
- Fosters diverse, equitable and inclusive practices to create a work environment where everyone can do their best work in contributing towards our impact. Seeks input from and values the uniqueness of people of different groups and cultures. Challenges practices or policies that may be exclusionary
- Support USP President in implementation, communication, and change management related to USP's management, leadership and operational priorities - working as needed with USP business partners and foundation communications
- Primary direct report to USP President focused on improving USP leadership and overall management of US Program - oversee design & planning of key internal meetings to include monthly strategy meeting discussions and Leadership Team Retreats,
- Serve as a key advisor to USP leadership on challenges and opportunities facing their respective areas including strategy, implementation, culture, leadership, and management
Leadership and Relationship Management
- Able to effectively and accurately represent the President to a variety of audiences
- Knowledge and skills in all aspects of people management: hiring talent, onboarding, communicating performance expectations, creating goal alignment, integrating project and change management, giving and seeking feedback, providing coaching, measuring progress and holding people accountable, supporting employee development, and recognizing achievement and lessons learned
- Demonstrated ability to build strong partnerships internally and externally. Ability to influence leaders within program and outside of program without direct authority to make change
- Leadership skills to shape the culture of a multi-team organization
- Ability to advance work with minimal direction from managing executive
- Knowledge and experience running a complex organization as part of a management team including direct knowledge of how organizations are structured and managed
Experience and Excellent Judgement
- Ability to use quantitative and qualitative data to present options for decision-making, highlight tradeoffs, and propose recommendations
- Ability to “work in white space,” create new ideas, strategize with passionate commitment to a successful outcome
- Skilled in strategic thinking, planning and execution, change management and system-thinking – with knowledge of strategy development and implementation, performance management systems of goals, targets and monitoring process
- Ability and adaptability to engage with program teams to understand critical issues and facilitate President’s consistent engagement
- The highest personal and professional integrity along with an optimistic outlook and a solid sense of humor
Organization, Communication, & Execution
- Outstanding interpersonal skills including: engaging verbal and written communication and ability to influence a wide range of individuals from different backgrounds and at different levels.
- Fluency (not expertise) across key operational areas such as financial analysis, HR, IT, legal and ability to navigate a wide range of operational issues with a solid understanding of these core business/organizational disciplines
- Experience in a role requiring advanced collaboration skills, as well as a demonstrated ability to work with efficiency and diplomacy, particularly as part of a team effort
- Effective decision-making skills and ability to juggle multiple and competing demands and establish priorities in a highly dynamic environment, while providing continual attention to detail.
- Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a complex team effort
- Exceptional ability to ensure high-quality interactions and clear and consistent communications with both internal partners and grantees and partners in the field
Education and Experience
- Minimum 15 years of successful people leadership/management experience
- Experience in US education (K-12 and/or higher education) preferred
- Prior experience as a Chief of Staff, Advisor, Special Assistant, or Deputy Director Strategy, Planning and Management (DDSPM) preferred