Assistant Director, Strategic Operations

Position: Assistant Director, Strategic Operations

Location: Hybrid in the New York and Washington, D.C. Metropolitan areas.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary: The estimated salary range for this role is $81,850 - $106,400. This represents UUSA's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to organizational budgets, qualifications, experience, specialized skills, and training.

Position Description

The Assistant Director, Strategic Operations plays a key role in supporting several strategic organization wide initiatives, including ongoing strategic planning development and implementation. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer and working in close partnership with the Managing Director of Strategy and Planning, this position works to ensure solid analytics, project management and facilitation to successfully implement org-wide strategic initiatives and develop and implement the strategic and operating plans.

Position Responsibilities

Strategic Operations (70%)

• Lead the development and implementation of the organization’s annual operating plan
  • Manage and support a team of operational Divisional leads, ensuring alignment, accountability, and effective execution of strategic and operating plan.
  • Solicit, aggregate and sequence key inputs -- including KPIs and performance measurement for the annual operating plan.
  • Oversee the development and execution of comprehensive, sequenced planning processes that support organizational goals, drive efficiency, and enable long-term sustainability.
  • Ensure consistent and clear internal communication around plan-related priorities, timelines, roles, and progress to keep teams informed and engaged.
  • Support the rollout of new planning related processes, systems, and initiatives, ensuring staff readiness, buy-in, and successful adoption.
  • Identify operational risks and gaps related to the implementation of the UUSA Strategic Plan, proactively develop solutions and adjust plans to respond to evolving needs or constraints.
  • Enable conversations on cross-cutting prioritization and resourcing.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and results-orientation through strong coordination across teams and effective facilitation of prioritization, governance and decision-making.
• Lead the development of clear, user-friendly strategic planning resources and visuals to effectively communicate our narrative to internal and external audiences in collaboration with Marketing and Communications.
• Track organization performance against Strategic and Operating Plans, analyze internal data, and surface key insights in performance trends. This includes the maintenance of the enterprise performance dashboard (dashboard administration, data governance and socialization) and support for quarterly reporting to management and Board of Directors.
  • Collaborate with internal data leads to identify internal insights and trends; recommend best approach to ensure delivery of insights to key internal audiences.
• Ensure information flow and connectivity between operating plans and financial model assumptions.
• Manage Strategy Team operations including the management of comprehensive planning calendar, collaborative development of team meetings agendas and drafting of internal communications to support alignment. Role may include the management of team budget.

Strategic Advisory Services (30%)

• In partnership with Managing Director of Strategy and Planning, support project management, facilitation, research, communication and content development as needed of key Strategy/Operating plan priorities that require cross-divisional facilitation and activation.
• Provide input for a structured model for Strategic Activation Planning services – providing guidance on KPIs, measurement frameworks, RACI roles, stakeholder mapping and milestone sequencing to drive operational excellence.
  • Support or lead select strategic activation planning projects.
• Co-lead the creation and ongoing management of a self-service Strategy Resource Hub—curating scalable tools, templates, and best practices to support independent implementation, prioritization, and data-driven decision-making across teams.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience required, Master's Degree preferred
• Minimum of 6 years of experience, experience in the non-profit or humanitarian sector preferred 
• Minimum of 2 years of management experience preferred, in an operations related role
• Strong project management and critical thinking skills, with high level of ownership, ability to work independently, and strong judgment, and accountability
• Proven ability to aggregate and translate complex ideas into operational outcomes 
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills are essential, as is the ability to be flexible and adaptable
• Ability to understand business functions and facilitate conversations across org for successful implementation.
• Must be a collaborative team player, self-starter, possess a strong customer service orientation, and be a consultative problem solver
• Excellent quantitative skills – knowledge of Excel, PPT, and data mapping required
• Exceptional attention to detail

Must possess current and valid US Work Authorization and be eligible to work for any US employer without sponsorship.

Don’t meet every single requirement? That’s okay. UNICEF USA values diverse experiences and we’re always looking for people who will add to our culture and further our mission. If you are excited about this role and unsure about whether your past experience aligns with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

Must possess current and valid US Work Authorization and be eligible to work for any US employer without sponsorship.

Due to the high volume of applications received, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. UNICEF USA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. UUSA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at peopleandculture@unicefusa.org.