Senior Program Strategy Manager, Political Engagement

Pivotal • Washington, DC

23h • Hybrid

About The Position

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.
The Senior Program Strategy Manager, Political Engagement, l and 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.

Requirements

• 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.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed