Deputy Director, Strategic Planning & Management

The Foundation We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we're committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally. The Team The U.S. Program (USP) is pursuing Ambition 2045-an enterprise-wide effort to accelerate progress toward equitable upward mobility through educational attainment. Delivering on this ambition requires a step-change in how the division aligns strategy, prioritizes investments, allocates resources, and drives coherence across a complex, interdependent portfolio. The Office of the President (OOP) plays a central role in enabling the U.S. Leadership Team (USLT) to operate as a cohesive, high-functioning decision body. Within OOP, the Strategic Planning & Management (SPM) function serves as a critical enterprise capability that enables division-wide strategy integration, planning, governance, and organizational coherence. The function ensures that strategic priorities are translated into actionable plans, decision forums, and operating rhythms that support high-quality, timely, and accountable leadership decisions across the division. Posting Close Date: Sunday, June 14th at 11:59pm PDT Your Role As Deputy Director, Strategic Planning & Management (DDSPM) within OOP, you will lead division-wide strategy integration and execution by translating Ambition 2045 into actionable priorities, planning processes, governance mechanisms, and enterprise decision frameworks. You will be accountable for strengthening strategic coherence across portfolios by enabling integrated planning, surfacing tradeoffs and interdependencies, and ensuring leadership decisions are operationalized through clear accountability, sequencing, and execution pathways. You will help design and steward the management systems, operating rhythms, and cross-functional coordination mechanisms that enable the division to operate as one integrated enterprise while preserving portfolio ownership and context-specific flexibility. You will work across all priority pillars and strategies to: Drive division-wide strategy development and ongoing refinement in partnership with OOP leadership and the USLT Structure annual and multi-year planning, budgeting, and prioritization processes across portfolios Design and facilitate leadership governance forums and decision-making processes that enable timely, high-quality, and actionable decisions Surface cross-portfolio tradeoffs, resource implications, sequencing considerations, and operational interdependencies Translate strategic priorities into clear division-wide guardrails, standards, and execution expectations Strengthen organizational alignment and coherence through shared planning norms, communication mechanisms, and cross-functional coordination Build and support a division-wide community of practice across SPM leaders to reinforce strategic integration, operational excellence, and shared accountability Partner closely with OOP Measurement, Learning & Evaluation (MLE) leadership to ensure evidence and insights are integrated into prioritization, planning, and resource allocation decisions You will serve as a key enterprise integrator and strategic partner to the Director, SPM/Chief of Staff, helping enable effective leadership decision-making and division-wide execution against Ambition 2045. What You'll Do Division-wide Strategy Integration & Planning Lead the design and stewardship of division-wide strategic planning processes aligned to Ambition 2045 Structure and facilitate annual and multi-year planning, prioritization, and budgeting processes across the division Translate division strategy into actionable operational guardrails, sequencing frameworks, and execution expectations for PSTs/FSTs Develop division-wide approaches for evaluating tradeoffs, prioritization decisions, and resource allocation options Ensure planning and governance systems enable alignment across strategies, portfolios, and leadership priorities Support integration between division-level goals and portfolio-level Bodies of Work (BoWs) Governance, Decision Support & Operating Rhythms Design and facilitate leadership forums, governance structures, and operating rhythms that enable effective decision-making Structure division-wide decision-making processes that clarify ownership, escalation pathways, accountability, and follow-through Surface cross-portfolio implications, operational dependencies, and risks to inform leadership decisions Partner with finance, talent, and operational teams to align planning, resourcing, and execution processes Develop standards and expectations for core division-level planning and management deliverables, including dashboards, planning materials, and review processes Ensure leadership decisions are translated into actionable next steps, sequencing plans, and operational coordination mechanisms Organizational Alignment & Cross-Division Coherence Strengthen division-wide coherence through integrated planning, communication, and coordination mechanisms Facilitate cross-portfolio collaboration forums that surface interdependencies, enable alignment, and support shared problem-solving Reinforce operating norms that prioritize enterprise thinking, transparency, early escalation, and shared accountability Support organizational change efforts by aligning management systems, communication rhythms, and stakeholder engagement approaches Embed Targeted Universalism principles into strategy integration, planning, governance, and operational decision-making processes Foster strong partnerships across OOP, PSTs/FSTs, HR, FP&A, and other operational teams to support division effectiveness Leadership & Community Stewardship Build and support a community of practice across SPM leaders within the division to strengthen strategic planning, governance, and management capabilities across the division Identify opportunities to improve planning systems, operational coordination, and enterprise management practices Support capability-building efforts related to strategic planning, prioritization, governance, and organizational effectiveness Influence talent development, role clarity, and performance expectations related to planning and management capabilities Model and reinforce a one-division mindset while balancing enterprise coherence with portfolio autonomy and context Operate effectively in a highly matrixed environment, influencing without direct authority across distributed teams Your Experience We seek a strategic and collaborative leader who brings strong enterprise planning, organizational leadership, and operational execution capabilities, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across complex, matrixed environments. Required Qualifications & Experience Advanced degree in public policy, business, organizational leadership, education, management, or a related field, or equivalent experience Significant leadership experience (typically 12+ years) in strategy, planning, operations, management consulting, organizational effectiveness, or related functions Demonstrated success leading enterprise-wide strategic planning, governance, operational integration, and prioritization efforts in complex organizations Proven ability to translate strategy into actionable plans, management systems, and decision-making processes while navigating ambiguity and organizational complexity Strong track record influencing senior leaders, facilitating cross-functional collaboration, and driving alignment across diverse stakeholder groups Experience leading high-performing teams and fostering collaborative, inclusive cultures Preferred Experience Experience in philanthropy, education, economic mobility, the public sector, or related mission-driven fields Experience supporting executive leadership teams, organizational transformation, or enterprise operating models Familiarity working across strategy, operations, finance, talent, and learning functions within multi-portfolio organizations Knowledge, Skills & Leadership Characteristics Enterprise mindset with strong systems thinking, strategic judgment, and operational problem-solving capabilities Excellent facilitation, communication, and executive storytelling skills Ability to build trust, influence without direct authority, and balance strategic rigor with practical execution Demonstrates intellectual curiosity, humility, integrity, and a commitment to collaboration, equity, and inclusion Comfortable operating at both strategic and operational levels, with a passion for improving outcomes in education and upward mobility *Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.). The salary range for this role is $238,400 to $369,400 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $262,200 to $406,400 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate's job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process. Hiring Requirements As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Candidate Accommodations We're committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you have a disability or medical condition and need an accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process-such as an ASL interpreter, alternative interview format, or physical accessibility support-we're happy to help. Please contact View email address on click.appcast.io with the position number and a brief description of your accommodation needs. Requests will be handled confidentially. Inclusion Statement We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion - of voices, ideas, and approaches - and we support this diversity through all our employment practices. All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.