Senior Program Strategy Manager, Political Engagement

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Founded by Melinda French Gates, Pivotal is a group of organizations working to accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people in the U.S. and around the world.

Inspired by our founder, we reach across communities and sectors to bring together innovative thinkers who can scale up proven ideas and catalyze new ones. We learn from their experiences, amplify their resources, and support them as they lead.

Pivotal includes Pivotal Philanthropies, focused on charitable grantmaking and impact investing; Pivotal Initiatives Fund, focused on policy and advocacy work; and Pivotal Ventures, focused on direct investments and partnerships.


ROLE DESCRIPTION

The Senior Program Strategy Manager, Political Engagement, delivers key workstreams across the Program Strategy team as part of the Advocacy and Public Affairs team to support efforts to increase women's political power in the U.S., support democracy and election protection, and enhance cross-cutting political efforts that advance Pivotal's goals. This role performs work on behalf of Pivotal Initiatives Fund as well as Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation and related 501(c)(3) entities ("Pivotal Philanthropies"). This individual partners closely with other Program Strategy teams and works internally and externally to advance political and programmatic objectives. This position leads existing grantmaking initiatives, supports the development and curation of new grantmaking strategies, and tracks the political landscape as it relates to furthering team objectives. This individual is a strategic thinker, handles bodies of work, and tracks high-priority deliverables on the Program Strategy team.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy Execution

• Partner with Director, Program Strategy, Political Engagement ("Director") to execute on approved strategies and/or strategic initiatives, expanding team capacity and serving as a proxy in meetings and events as needed.
• Lead on implementation specific strategies-which include components such as state and federal electoral politics, donor engagement, or capacity building-while developing partnerships and leading investments that advance strategic outcomes.
• Work closely across teams to advise on political matters, ensure knowledge sharing, and assess the impact of partnerships and grants in the context of overall strategy goals.
• Actively engage in the women's political community and democracy field to stay current on key takeaways, developments, and players.
• Develop strong internal partnerships to support programmatic work, routinely communicating with partners and making connections and recommendations to advance the work.
• Manage a diverse portfolio of grants and strategic initiatives, maintaining flexibility as organizational needs evolve.
• Support overall strategy management by evaluating progress to date, managing key advisors and consultants, working with colleagues and other partners to gather evidence/insights.

Grants & Grantee Management

• Deploy capital, using a variety of philanthropic, political, and advocacy approaches in partnership with the Director.
• Manage a portfolio of grants, coordinating resource movement to aligned partners.
• Follow internal procedures for grant and strategy development and deployment, coordinating closely with internal partners.
• Maintain regular check-ins with grantee partners, sharing updates and gathering inputs across the strategy portfolio.
• Support the tracking of progress of grants individually and at the portfolio level, evaluating impact and course correcting where needed.
• Adapt to different grantmaking styles and modalities, applying standards to fit context.
• Follow internal procedures for investment and strategy development and deployment, coordinating closely with internal partners.
• Seek opportunities to align other Program Strategy teams to advance Pivotal's policy priorities.

Ecosystem Engagement

• Find opportunities for partner and ecosystem collaboration and make connections to improve efficiency and outcomes.
• Track, synthesize, and share developments and news within the political, democracy, and women's leadership ecosystems, including key players, donors, gaps, and opportunities.
• Actively engage in the relevant communities, building relationships and staying ahead of relevant trends.
• Represent Pivotal interests and priorities with external audiences, as needed.
• Engage existing and new donors to cultivate champions, increase resources going toward strategic priorities, and expand Pivotal's network.

Internal Coordination

• Report on the funding portfolios, strategy initiatives, political ecosystem trends, and/or other work related to Pivotal Initiatives Fund across the larger Program Strategy team, the company, as needed.
• Draft materials and updates for internal knowledge sharing across the organization and for the Principal's benefit.
• Continuously track progress and impact using measurement and evaluation frameworks.
• Make consistent, effective, and strategic use of organizational systems of record (e.g. Salesforce) to maintain actionable data, streamline processes, and promote knowledge sharing.
• Track data and information, particularly about impact, through company platforms (such as Salesforce), ensuring high standards of data quality and completeness within assigned portfolio(s).
• Coordinate with Communications teams to amplify programmatic work and its impact.
• Partner with the Director and the Vice President, Program Strategy, Advocacy & Public Affairs on budget planning and delivering grants according to annual payout schedules.

Teamwide Influence & Strategic Partnership

• Provide flex capacity, juggling multiple priorities as programmatic needs evolve over time.
• Communicate in a clear and timely manner with team members to enable the team to extend its reach while staying tightly coordinated.
• Collaborate closely across teams at Pivotal Initiatives Fund and Pivotal Philanthropies, engaging key partners in work as needed.
• Offer timely, humble feedback to others, contributing to a culture of transparency and shared accountability.
• Model intellectual rigor and mission focus, bringing perspective to the unique opportunity Pivotal Initiatives Fund and Pivotal Philanthropies have to advance social change in the United States.

Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

CORE COMPETENCIES

To perform this role successfully, individuals must demonstrate the skills and behaviors aligned with our Pivotal Principles that define what success looks like across all roles. These competencies reflect the expectations for how we work together, lead, grow, and deliver impact for all employees regardless of function or level.

Build and Maintain Trust

Act with integrity and foster an inclusive and collaborative work environment.

• Is Inclusive - Advance a culture of equity and belonging.
• Act with Integrity - Tell the truth, take responsibility for your actions, meet your commitments, and act ethically.
• Collaborate - Build trusting relationships and treat people with dignity and respect.

Drive Impact

Deliver high-quality work that is aligned with Pivotal Strategic Initiatives.

• Solve Problems - Identify issues and seek diverse perspectives to develop potential solutions.
• Propel Work Forward - Take initiative, prioritize work appropriately, and complete work on time.
• Center Stewardship - Use resources responsibly, consider and manage risk, and follow Pivotal policies and procedures.

Learn and Grow

Demonstrate a commitment to continuous individual and organizational development.

• Contribute Constructively - Participate in advancing individual, team, and organization-wide well-being and resilience.
• Occupy Growth-Mindset - Embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and focus on improvement.
• Share Knowledge - Document work appropriately, assess outcomes, and share explicit and tacit learning.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 10-12 years of experience in philanthropic, political, government, non-profit sectors, and/or grantmaking strategy, or an equivalent combination of advanced training and experience.
• Expertise in philanthropy and strategy development including long-term planning against identified goals using a variety of assets, including philanthropic capital, voice, networks, etc.
• Strong skills in partnership development and management with ability to carry out work with discretion.
• Experience and familiarity with current initiatives and network connections to leaders and organizations working to advance social progress in the U.S. and globally across a range of related programmatic portfolios.
• Familiarity with measurement and evaluation approaches in philanthropy, as well as knowledge of grantmaking best practices.
• Experience navigating political, business and/or coalition environments successfully.
• Knowledge of current diversity and inclusion initiatives in the U.S. philanthropy and non-profit sectors.
• Proven track record of designing effective strategies and strategic initiatives to advance impact goals.
• Ability to synthesize complex information and lead a project from conception to completion, engaging relevant partners throughout.
• Ability to remain objective and serve as an honest broker when synthesizing and presenting information, avoiding bias or over-interpretation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including executive communications, content tailored to varied audiences and formats, negotiation experience , and track record of producing memos, strategy documents and presentations.
• Experience working with and on behalf of a senior leader.
• Experience managing consultants.
• Proficiency using Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and SharePoint).
• Fluency in use of systems necessary to role (e.g., Salesforce, Workday).
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently and extensively within the United States.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong working knowledge of multi-entity political organizations.
• Ability to work in cross-partisan political environment.

EMPLOYMENT DETAILS

The Salary range for this position is $233,800 -,$242,500. This is a full-time position based in Pivotal's Seattle, WA or Washington DC office. Remote may be considered for exceptionally qualified US-based candidates in certain geographic locations who are willing to travel.

Benefits for full-time employees currently include medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and long-term care insurance, fertility benefit, caregiving support, 144 hours of vacation, 96 hours of sick leave, 401k, HSA, FSA, an opportunity to earn a discretionary annual target performance bonus and more. Eligibility for and the amount of benefits provided are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents.


To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, in Pivotal's discretion, with or without notice.

Pivotal values diversity and is strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and all applicants seeking employment. All employment decisions at Pivotal are based on the candidate's or employee's capabilities and qualifications without regard to race (including traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles such as afros, braids, locks, and twists), color, creed, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, caste, veteran or military status, marital, parental, or familial status, disability (including sensory, physical, or mental disability), medical condition, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, political ideology, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law.

Pivotal complies with federal, state, and local equal opportunity and disability laws and makes reasonable accommodation consistent with those laws for applicants and employees with disabilities. Please contact View email address on click.appcast.io for assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process.

Applications may be submitted via the Pivotal Careers page.