Senior Director, US Programs

Senior Director, US Programs Remote – New York or California Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we ensure every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential Background The new position of Senior Director, US Programs sits within Helen Keller’s Growth and Branding team holding direct management and leadership accountability for US Programs. The role operates at the supervisory and strategic level as a member of the leadership team within Growth and Branding, ensuring success and growth for our US Vision Program. Purpose / Scope of work The Senior Director, US Programs is a new leadership role for a pivotal stage of growth at Helen Keller Intl. This is an ambitious leader with a vision for enabling children and youth to access one of the simplest of tools - a pair of eyeglasses - that can transform struggle into sight, learning, friendship, and a life full of potential. The Senior Director will take a respected, community-rooted US vision program with strong foundations and lead it through a deliberately sequenced journey: strengthening and standardizing the model, testing scaling ideas where return on investment and replicability can be assessed, demonstrating what works, and then scaling more fully. The successful candidate will bring both operational judgment and external-relations leadership. The Senior Director will provide strategic and operational leadership for the organization’s US programs portfolio, translating aspiration into a roadmap for growth, strengthening the operational foundation required to deliver at scale, and leading execution in close partnership with organizational leadership and key external stakeholders. This leader will create and oversee a plan for program expansion; build the systems, capabilities, and partnerships needed for high-quality delivery and, build a fundraising model and pipeline of public and private donors. The role will lift Helen Keller’s visibility with, and cultivate trusted relationships across, Title I and community schools and other parts of the public and private education system, government agencies, corporations, nonprofit partners, and donors, so that, together, they enable Helen Keller to reach children for whom a simple pair of eyeglasses is the difference between thriving and being left behind. Key Responsibilities Shape a loose outline for scalability into a full scaling strategy - goals, priorities, milestones, budgets, staffing plans, and measures of success - sequenced to strengthen and prove the model before scaling more fully. Lead a plan to strengthen the foundation and replicability of the model, standardizing core elements while preserving the flexibility that local operating and funding environments require. Develop and lead a fundraising strategy that will deliver greater sustainability and position Helen Keller for growth in new markets while delivering stability in current markets. Prioritize where to deepen and where to expand - concentrating near‑term growth in the strongest current markets and entering high‑potential new geographies as readiness is built. Test scaling ideas at a scale where return on investment and replicability can be assessed and use that evidence to guide fuller scaling. Present the strategy and build feedback loops with the Executive Leadership Team, Board, and other key stakeholders, creating a virtuous circle of leadership‑level support. Establish a disciplined approach to goal setting, learning, evaluation, and continuous improvement, using data to guide decisions. Assess current operations and strengthen the systems, processes, and infrastructure needed to scale – including standardizing the core delivery model for consistent, replicable quality while retaining flexibility for local contexts. Oversee delivery across the US portfolio, setting direction, standards, and priorities so programs are delivered with consistent, high‑quality, and efficient - and so current programming continues uninterrupted through the transition. Build a reliable optometrist and clinical‑provider pipeline to enable growth. Establish data systems and cross‑site performance measurements, including a clear view of cost per child and the relative effectiveness of sites, to guide decisions. Establish clear governance, decision‑making, risk‑management, compliance, and accountability practices for a growing program. Recruit, develop, and lead a high‑performing team, and build the specialist capabilities the scale‑up requires - from public‑funding and Medicaid expertise to fundraising. Develop a staffing model for growth that also puts the delivery workforce on a more sustainable footing, consistent with Helen Keller’s values. Sustainable Funding and Financial Stewardship In partnership with Individual Giving, the Center for Strategic Partnerships, and finance teams, develop and execute a diversified fundraising plan. Lead key donor and funder relationships for public funding at federal, state, and municipal levels, with philanthropists, foundations, and corporations, both for in‑kind/pro bono and cash support. Build the capability to access Medicaid reimbursement and to open new federal, state, and municipal public revenue, complementing and expanding existing funding. Shape a compelling case for support and cultivate program, corporate, and public funders, in coordination with the colleagues who lead individual and family giving. Lead the development of investment cases, proposals, budgets, forecasts, and reporting. Ensure responsible donor and financial stewardship with clear, transparent reporting and inspirational storytelling. Partnerships and External Leadership Develop a clear advocacy and visibility agenda that positions Helen Keller with government partners and funders, philanthropists, sister organizations and policymakers, lifting the organization’s visibility purposefully to support relationship‑development. Build strong, durable relationships with school systems, individual schools, and local, state and federal government agencies that partner in program delivery. Pursue the partnership routes central to the scaling strategy - school and community‑school systems, youth‑serving organizations, corporate partners (including in‑kind optometry, eyewear, and lab support), and peer vision organizations, up to and including deeper strategic partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions. Represent the organization expansively and credibly with public officials, funders, community leaders, partners, and other external audiences. Working with the organization’s advocacy function, engage state and local policy and funding relationships that enable delivery, and contribute to relevant coalitions, networks, and field‑building efforts. Team Leadership and Collaboration Engage the Executive Leadership Team, Board of Directors, and relevant Board committees for support, assistance, celebration, and shared ownership. Build, lead, and mentor a high‑performing team, attracting top talent and developing future leaders. Set a clear, compelling vision and align colleagues around priorities and measurable outcomes. Foster a culture of accountability, agility, creativity, and continuous learning. Serve as a change champion by modeling adaptive leadership and mentoring direct reports to lead through complexity and ambiguity. Other Duties This job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor. Skills & Experience Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree required; master’s preferred. At least 12 to 15 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in program scaling, operations, external relationship‑building, program mergers, or transformational leadership, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Strategic and Technical Experience Demonstrated track record of scaling program impact, with expertise in developing and managing external stakeholder relationships with donors, advocacy targets, press, and partners. Strategic leader with proven external‑relations gravitas - building revenue, trust, lasting relationships, and credibility with philanthropic donors, corporate partners, advocacy targets, and government funders. Demonstrated success developing strategy and leading programs or operations through significant growth, transformation, or scaling - ideally on a deliberately sequenced, evidence‑first basis. Deep representational experience, including in various media channels and conversations with public officials as well as philanthropists. Track record of developing sustainable revenue, including securing and managing public funding (Medicaid or comparable) alongside private philanthropy. Experience building and integrating partnerships - and, ideally, strategic mergers or acquisitions - as a route to scale. Additional Operational experience in the US with multi‑state presence, preferably in vision‑related fields or with youth and school systems. Comfort establishing and leading with data - performance measurement, cost analysis, and evidence for decisions. Sound financial acumen, including budgets, forecasting, resource allocation, and performance management. Clear, persuasive communication, including the ability to convey technical or analytic concepts to technical and non‑technical audiences. Strong change‑leadership skills - designing operating models, guiding adoption, and strengthening organizational readiness - and the ability to align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision. Strong coaching, management, hiring, and talent‑development capabilities. Deep commitment to the organization’s mission. Working Conditions / Travel About 20% US travel, with occasional international travel. Compensation and Benefits Helen Keller offers a comprehensive benefits package. The full‑time annualized salary range for this position is $132,000 to $224,000, with the midpoint of the salary range at $178,000. Fairness, Belonging and Zero Tolerance to Abuse As a member of the Helen Keller Family, each employee is expected to: Help to develop and maintain an environment that welcomes and develops a multi‑cultural workforce with varied lived experiences and identities. Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included. Support employees’ evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and performance. Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Helen Keller family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we serve. Follow Helen Keller Code of Conduct helping to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons. Adhere to the Organizational Core Values, which include courage, compassion, integrity and rigor. In the spirit of the extraordinary ability and vision of our founder, Helen Keller Intl fosters an environment of fairness and belonging for our workforce. Equal Opportunity Employer Helen Keller Intl is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment Locations where Helen Keller is a registered employer: Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Madagascar.Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and United States: (California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia (DC),Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia Washington, and Wisconsin). #J-18808-Ljbffr Helen Keller International