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.
SUMMARY
Reporting to the Vice President of Program Strategy, the Senior Director, Strategic Philanthropy & Platforms (SPP) is responsible for developing and leading the Strategic Philanthropy & Platforms function, a center of excellence and hub for innovative philanthropy and impact. This leader will guide Pivotal’s innovation and best practices in philanthropy. They will catalyze new norms and models in philanthropy and be a driving force in a growing, dynamic impact ecosystem.
A key part of this role is strengthening the field and shaping the future of women’s power and health by developing shared frameworks, mobilizing diverse actors, and creating space for collaboration and learning. This leader will build a broad tent of diverse and sustainable organizations and leaders, supporting a robust ecosystem that drives progress on Pivotal’s mission. They will also activate strategic platforms with funders and institutions to grow resourcing and support for Pivotal’s strategic areas and the field.
The Senior Director, SPP is a visionary leader and future-focused problem solver who is responsible for shaping and overseeing the all-up vision and strategy for this work. They will design and implement next-generation philanthropic strategies, anticipate future trends in social impact (both domestically and globally) and champion agile, experimental approaches to problem solving to inform strategy and investment decisions. In developing strategy for the SPP function, the Senior Director should approach the work with curiosity, foster a culture of learning and adaptability, and balance multiple ideological/political perspectives and approaches to design robust and sustainable solutions.
The Senior Director, SPP is also responsible for leading a team of strategists on the Program Team, who are focused on developing, implementing, analyzing and managing strategies, relationships, and grants aligned with Pivotal and SPP’s impact goals. The Senior Director is accountable for the performance of the work their team oversees, and will serve as a people manager, coach, strategic advisor, and thought partner. The Senior Director’s direct reports will look to the Senior Director for problem solving, knowledge sharing, brush clearing, and connecting the dots across the portfolios, as well as providing guardrails and resources for the team. A key aspect of this role is looking across the portfolio to find opportunities for synergies, learning, and collaboration, as well as suitable cross-team integration so that the impact is more than the sum of its parts.
ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Oversight
- Design and implement future-oriented philanthropic strategies and approaches to advance Pivotal’s mission, using best-in-class philanthropic practices and multiple perspectives.
- Engage across the philanthropic ecosystem in the areas that Pivotal works in, including emerging trends and insights, funder priorities, opportunities for impact, and infrastructure gaps, while exploring how pluralism can strengthen the field.
- Foster and sustain a deep set of relationships and strategic alliances across a broad tent of actors and non-traditional partners to accelerate systemic change and shape how this function can best contribute to the infrastructure for the field.
- Oversight for developing and scaling platform-based approaches and innovative funding vehicles that enable partnerships, co-investment and collective action to strengthen Pivotal’s goals.
- Crowd in additional resources for Pivotal’s strategies and goals by building networks and ecosystems that amplify impact.
- Oversee existing and future SPP strategies and initiatives, including implementing strategies, advising on grantmaking, providing oversight on funding decisions, and measuring progress against strategy goals to drive towards intended impact.
- Continuously monitor and interpret the changing external landscape to inform strategy and anticipate risks and opportunities.
- Support cross-team collaboration, champion experimentation, agile methodologies and problem solving to foster a culture of adaptability, including opportunities for shared learning.
- Adapt leadership, operating model, and approaches to internal ways of working based on organizational needs and guidance.
- Drive thought leadership by articulating bold visions for the future of philanthropy and influencing the broader ecosystem.
- Track progress across the portfolio to evaluate impact and course correct where needed.
- Adapt to different ways of grantmaking and leverage grantmaking standards.
Internal Coordination
- Coordinate cross-functionally to set and maintain clear operating models across teams, run point and interface to advance cross-cutting work, and ensure work is legally compliant.
- Model and promote the strategic use of organizational data systems (e.g., Salesforce) to ensure accurate, timely, and actionable grantmaking data while fostering a culture of data-informed decision-making, continuous improvement, and cross-team learning.
- Advise and collaborate with Communications colleagues to set and drive strategies for program strategy communications objectives.
- Align with Legal to ensure tax compliance, process adherence, and risk mitigation.
- Support teamwide internal coordination, including cross-org collaboration and Principal and executive leadership engagement (e.g., giving input on and editing briefs, developing materials, and running briefing sessions).
Budget & Resource Planning
- Support the Pivotal Philanthropies annual budget planning, including forecasting and alignment to impact goals.
- Oversee grant execution aligned with annual payout schedules, ensuring strategic and financial rigor.
Team Leadership & Management
- Lead, train, and mentor direct report(s), providing direction through clear expectations and regularly conducting check-ins and providing performance feedback while supporting individual development.
- Foster a positive and high-performing team culture that emphasizes equity, belonging, collaboration, and continuous learning, consistent with organizational values and legal requirements.
- Model agility, adaptability, and care for team members.
- Bring curiosity and equity lens to strategy, grantmaking and relationships.
Organizational Leadership & Strategic Influence
- Share information across teams, provide strategic counsel on cross-collaboration, modeling accountability to Program Strategy team goals.
- Set and advance the strategic direction and goals of the team, determining high-priority team projects, and representing the Program Strategy team across the organization.
- Adapt leadership and team structures to evolving organizational needs and priorities.
- Provide flex capacity, juggling multiple priorities as programmatic needs evolve over time.
- Support implementation of best practices, working with Program Strategy Directors and cross-functional teams to continuously improve systems and processes.
- Apply and model equitable and fair practices across all workstreams, supporting others in integrating these principles into strategies and team processes, consistent with organizational values and legal requirements.
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 15 years of experience as a leader in domestic and global philanthropy and/or social impact fields, or an equivalent combination of advanced training and experience.
- Minimum 8 years leading and managing others, with demonstrated commitment to staff development and experience fostering equity and belonging within a team.
- Consistent track record of innovation in philanthropy and demonstrated ability to design and scale new models.
- Expertise in end-to-end programmatic and philanthropic strategy development with a focus on long-term planning and implementation against identified goals and strategies that deploy capital at scale and use innovative approaches.
- Experience in resource mobilization and ecosystem building, including crowding in financial resources.
- Strong partnership development skills, with success in engaging non-traditional actors towards a shared vision.
- Experience conceiving, developing and delivering various projects from inception to completion, particularly pertaining to investments, campaigns and/or programs.
- 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 overinterpretation.
- Ability to build and manage complex stakeholder relationships, including with other funders and philanthropists, at both the staff and leadership levels.
- Familiarity with the gender equity field or the ability to apply philanthropic and strategic experience to this field.
- Proficiency using Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and SharePoint).
- Fluency in use of systems necessary to role (e.g., Salesforce, Workday).
- 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.
The salary range for this position is $315,800 - $333,300 and it is based in Pivotal's Seattle, WA or Washington, D.C. 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 PandC@pivotal.com for assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process.
This position was originally posted by Pivotal Ventures and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link on the side. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.
