Senior Director

Founded in 2015 by Melinda French Gates, Pivotal expands opportunity and equality for all people through high-impact investments, philanthropy, partnerships, and advocacy. We accelerate social progress by removing barriers that hold people back.

We strive to be creative and innovative in our work and flexible in the approach we take to solving problems. To date, we have invested in over 150 organizations, including nonprofits, private sector companies, venture funds, and advocacy groups that are on the frontlines of the issues we work on. Some areas we currently focus on: women in technology and innovation; women in public office; women and girls of color; adolescent mental health; paid family and medical leave; and caregiving.  

Inspired by our founder, we reach across communities and sectors to bring together changemakers who can scale up proven ideas and catalyze new ones. We learn from their experiences, amplify their resources, then step back so they can lead.

Our impatience with the status quo is fueled by an optimism that progress is always possible.  

Role description

Reporting to the Vice President of Program Strategy, the Senior Director of Program Strategy, Planning & Management, is responsible for leading the Program Team’s Planning & Management team, which leads the Program Team’s infrastructure, processes, and continuous improvement in order to amplify our impact. This team provides comprehensive and integrated support to Program Team strategies and functions in order to expand our impact. This Senior Director leads and runs the Planning and Management team and will serve as a people manager, coach, and thought partner. They will be accountable for the development and performance of three focus areas – planning and business processes, Program Team operations, and measurement, learning, and evaluation. This role will also serve as a member of Pivotal’s Program Leadership team, helping shape the vision, operating model, and performance of Pivotal’s programmatic work.

Role responsibilities

Lead, handle, and hold oversight for the Planning and Management team.

• Leadership and management of Planning & Management team, including people management and coaching related to development and implementation of their day-to-day work, their professional development, and cross-team collaboration
• Strategic partner to the VP of Program Strategy as it relates to Program Team priorities and cross-cutting initiatives
• Develop and maintain a positive team culture of respect, collaboration, accountability, learning, and equity where individual strengths are recognized and used effectively, and everyone feels clear on how their work drives toward impact; role model strong management capabilities
• Support Planning & Management team to address Program Team needs and develop right-sized resources and tools in order to increase impact and optimize for efficiency

Hold oversight and accountability for planning and business processes:

• Lead the Program Team’s annual planning process, including setting deadlines, setting guidance for teams, collecting inputs, headcount planning, and developing team-wide strategy documents, in close collaboration with the VP of Program Strategy.
• Handle the Program Team budget and reporting related to the budget, including tracking, providing updates, and overseeing and communicating expenditure guidelines for the team
• Oversee and hold accountability for Program Team on-boarding for new team members, and performance management processes, in collaboration with People & Culture.
• Oversee and hold accountability for developing clear operating models and sharing guidance around how the Program Team collaborates as a team and with People & Culture, Communications, Investments, Finance, and IT, ensuring that processes are right-sized, user-friendly, and accessible.
• Look across the Program Team and organization for opportunities for collaboration and connecting dots to advance our impact and efficiency.
• Oversee and hold accountability for continuous improvement efforts to streamline processes and triage inbound requests to preserve Program Team capacity and enhance impact.

Hold oversight and accountability for operations:

• Provide oversight and accountability for Program Team operations, including the Program Team rhythm of the business, ways of working, information management, and systems.
• Provide oversight and accountability for Program Team culture building, such as Program Team offsites, in partnership with the VP of Program Strategy.
• Oversee and hold accountability for the Program Team’s relationship with the Office of the General Counsel, as well as the Program Teams’ grantmaking and contracting processes
• Oversee the Program Team’s contracting process and process improvement efforts.
• Represent Program Team on cross-org working groups and ensure that org-wide initiatives and integrated into the Program Team as relevant.

Hold oversight and accountability for Measurement, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) and support Program team MLE implementation:

• Provide oversight and accountability for the development and management of the Program Team’s measurement, evaluation, and learning program and infrastructure.
• Develop the Program Team’s MLE program with the goal of landing a common approach to MLE that provides consistency and flexibility, given the diversity of our strategies/functions. This includes:
• Setting and socializing norms around MLE, goal setting, and qualitative and quantitative impact measurement
• Creating frameworks for strategies and functions to use as they develop and implement their MLE approaches
• Developing standardized tools to help monitor and evaluate performance and capture lessons
• Design and oversee the execution of the Program Team learning agenda on programmatic approaches, grantmaking, equity, standard processes, using internal lessons learned, cross-strategy priorities, etc.
• Monitor philanthropy standard methodologies and incorporate into the Program Team learning agenda.
• Oversee the design and development of new initiatives related to fundraising and donor engagement across strategies, standard methodologies in grantmaking and strategy, and partner support (e.g., capacity building).
• Set a strategic and consistent approach for communicating the Program Team’s impact in close collaboration with internal partners, including:
• Setting norms around how the Program Team communicates its impact qualitatively and quantitatively
• In partnership with partners across Pivotal developing materials and results that effectively communicate progress and status of programmatic efforts and strategy/function impact
• Supervising the development of Program Team dashboards that increase visibility and provide portfolio-wide insights
• Supervising the Program Team’s input into organization-wide dashboards
• Being responsible for the tracking of Program Team impact wins and stories on an on-going basis
• Hold oversight and accountability for the Program Team’s analytics and forecasting, including impact tracking, budget tracking, etc.
• Support teams as they determine what to measure and how to track impact against their goals.
• Stay up to date on MLE standard methodologies and incorporate findings into Pivotal’s MLE approaches and learning agenda.

Member of Program Strategy Leadership Team: The Program Leadership Team’s (PLT) purpose is to help advance the overall performance of the Program Strategy Team.

• As a member, actively participate in both shaping and exhibiting the qualities that engender team success and a productive, positive team culture.
• With Leadership Team colleagues, share information within the team and across Pivotal (on cross-team intersections), provide strategic counsel on the Program Team, identify and lead on opportunities for collaboration with the Program Team and across the organization, and share accountability to topline goals of the Program Team.
• Alongside PLT colleagues, help set and advance the strategic direction and goals of the team, provide input on high priority Program Team projects, and serve as a Pivotal-wide leader ensuring the work of the Program Team is visible and understood by the organization.
• Work with PLT, Planning & Management team, Program Team, and internal teams across the organization to successfully implement points of view and standard methodologies and continuously improve systems and processes.
• Apply a racial and gender equity lens to across all work, including supporting Planning & Management team in incorporating racial and gender equity into their work and ensuring equity is considered in process improvement efforts.

Skills and Competencies

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or behavior required to be successful in this role.

• Expert people leadership skills, including coaching and people development, ability to successfully lead multiple and complex teams with diverse priorities and needs, and “clear brush” or remove barriers in order for the team to advance its work
• Strong experience and expertise in philanthropy
• A can-do attitude with experience conceiving, developing and implementing various projects from inception to completion, especially pertaining to programs and planning.
• An analytical and strategic thinker and problem solver with ability to parse and distill complex information, seeing a project through to its conclusion, bringing relevant partners along.
• Ability to be objective when absorbing and presenting information. Able to be an honest broker of all ideas and information without bias or overinterpretation; brings a data backed point of view
• Experience overseeing measurement, evaluation, and learning in the context of programmatic, philanthropic, and/or private investment strategy with a focus on qualitative and quantitative measurement, tracking progress against identified goals, and tracking impact across multiple types of assets (e.g., investment, philanthropic, c4)
• Expertise in supporting partners through fundraising, capacity building, and implementing standard processes in grantmaking
• Expertise in team operations, planning, and process improvements within a programmatic context
• Strong writing ability with experience writing for multiple audiences; clear and coherent writing style
• Ability to work informally, as well as formally to collaborate with others to achieve results; present information coherently; ability to remain credible and objective while maintaining a personable and favorable disposition
• An ability to conduct work with discretion and confidentiality.
• An ease with ambiguity, white space and grace under pressure.
• Learning posture and humble disposition with an ability to acknowledge own limitations and expertise with resolve.
• Sense of humor essential.

Qualifications

• 15+ years demonstrated ability in philanthropy (working in private or family foundation).
• 8+ years proven experience managing teams and consultants/ external partners.
• Success in inspiring and developing a flexible and self-directed team of colleagues; an accessible, supportive management style that inspires trust; motivates staff to work hard and well together and provides a clear sense of direction.
• Experience leading team operations and planning, overseeing and holding accountability for large budgets, and managing cross-org relationships
• Experience overseeing and implementing an MLE infrastructure and maximising qualitative and quantitative data to communicate impact. Ability to draw connections across disparate data points.
• Knowledge and direct experience with strategy development, grant-making and management, monitoring and evaluation, communications, and relationship/partnership management.
• Deep experience working in and on social progress and familiarity with current equity initiatives in non-profits, and philanthropy in the US.
• Experience working with and on behalf of senior leadership.
• Ability to successfully manage sophisticated internal and external partner engagement with humility and humor.
• Deep knowledge of and deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion standard methodologies and issues and willingness to continuously learn and grow in this area.
• Track record of incorporating a gender and racial equity lens in work.

Preferred qualifications:

• Expertise in grantmaking, funding different types of entities (e.g., non-profit, c4) and developing and managing partnerships; carrying out work with discretion and strong commitment to integrity and follow through
• Experience working on complex problems and collaboratively crafting solutions that have the potential for transformational change in the lives of people around the world

Base annual compensation range for this role is from $287,100 - $300,400.

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, long-term disability and long-term care insurance, fertility benefit, backup caregiving solution, 144 hours of vacation, 96 hours of sick leave, 401k, HSA, FSA, discretionary annual target performance bonus and more.

This is a full-time position based in Seattle, WA. Remote may be considered for exceptionally qualified US-based candidates in certain geographic locations who are willing to travel.

APPLICATION

To apply, send submit your application via the Pivotal Ventures Careers page.

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 with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran, military, or marital status, sensory, physical, or mental disability, genetic information or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please contact peopleandculture@pivotalventures.org.

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