Serve as a foundation leader on the North America Team, which is charged with developing and executing policy, advocacy, communications and government relations strategies to build political support and advance domestic and global programmatic priorities that are funded by, or executed within, the United States, Canada, and the United Nations. The Director, U.S. Program Policy and Communications manages a team that works with program strategy teams (PSTs) to develop policy and engage externally on prioritized issues across the P-16 spectrum and beyond within the United States. Contribute to the advancement of the foundation’s mission and impact by creating an environment of optimism, collaboration, rigor and innovation.
- Collaborate with U.S. Program (USP) PST Leadership and teams to strategically align on priorities and develop strategies to provide critical access and political leverage to advance program priorities.
- Under the leadership of the Director, develops and implements USP policy and communications strategies, and sets policy and advocacy priorities across USP issues, including identifying government relations components of these strategies.
- Manages work focused on policy, finance and communications in support the foundations domestic priorities, including US education and mobility from poverty.
- Under the leadership of the North America Director, collaborations with the Government Relations Director to develop, resource and implement advocacy and government relations strategies that advance the foundations US Program priorities in key geographies.
- Allocates funding across sub teams, drives accountability for meeting funding expectations, and reports progress against investment goals to North America Team Director.
- This role may lead people and may be responsible for hiring the talent needed to achieve our goals, ensuring successful onboarding, communication performance expectations, building goal alignment, integrating project and change management, giving and seeking feedback, providing mentorship, measuring progress and holding people accountable, supporting employee development, and recognizing achievements and lessons learned.
- Be a critical thought partner, provide functional expertise to program teams on investments.
- Develop and maintain positive relationships with senior leadership to ensure overall success of the vision.
We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things.
Core Knowledge and Skills
- Ability to effectively inspire and direct staff (including cross-functional teams): professional development, recruitment, termination, time management and portfolio management.
- Strategy development and execution: guide implementation, delivery, and impact measurement of approved strategic objectives. Lead execution of strategy, annual updates and future strategy development.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in positions requiring communication with a broad audience representing diverse cultures.
- Knowledge of U.S. Education and Pathways to Employment policy, landscape, principles and processes, with ability to navigate complex environments.
- Demonstrate excellent leadership, intellectual quickness, creativity, curiosity, discipline and resourcefulness.