Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning & Management, People Team

Position description

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve.We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities.As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

The People team is a strategic partner in shaping a thriving, inclusive, and high-performing organization. We steward the employee experience across the full talent lifecycle—from attracting and developing exceptional talent to strengthening culture, supporting well-being as well as impact, and aligning people strategies with our mission.

The Office of the Chief People Officer (OCPO) houses key enterprise functions—Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Partnerships for Impact (P4I), and Strategy, Planning & Management (SPM)—that collectively enable organizational effectiveness, operational excellence, and the integration of people-centered strategies across the function and foundation.

This position reports to the Director, Strategy, Planning and Management and Chief of Staff (DSPM/CoS)

Application Deadline: Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Your Role

As Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning & Management (DDSPM), People Team, you will help ensure that the division operates as a strategically aligned, high-performing, and well-coordinated function, including within the Business Operations division.

In this role, you will partner closely with the DSPM/CoS and the People Leadership Team (PLT) to drive strategy planning, portfolio management, operational excellence, and rhythm of business activities. You will also play a key role in enabling strategic communications, progress reporting, and supporting engagements with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), the Board, and other cross-foundation forums. Given that multiple functions within the People team serve the broader foundation, this role requires a strong enterprise mindset and the ability to connect priorities, progress, and narratives across internal audiences. You will lead a team of professionals who support planning, strategy execution, portfolio management, operational enablement, and communications and change management.

Together, you’ll ensure that People Team priorities are clear, visible, and well understood and well communicated; both within the division and across the foundation to foster collaboration, alignment, and impact.

What You’ll Do

Strategy, Planning & Portfolio Management

• Partner with the DSPM/CoS to translate strategic priorities into actionable plans, frameworks, and measurable outcomes.
• Lead and coordinate yearly and multi-year planning processes for the People Team, in collaboration with the Business Operations Division.
• Manage and refine the People Team’s portfolio, ensuring grants and initiatives align with strategy, drive impact, and are well communicated.
• Develop systems and tools that make the function’s priorities visible, accessible, and actionable, enabling integration and shared ownership across teams.
• Architect and facilitate mechanisms for cross-functional collaboration such as shared workstreams and ideation labs that bring together colleagues and team members to advance priorities and enable innovation.
• Collaborate across PLT, DEI, P4I, and SPM functions to integrate shared objectives and learning into planning and measurement frameworks.
• Produce and maintain dashboards and performance metrics to inform decision-making, track progress, guide resourcing, and support leadership reporting and engagement.

Operational Excellence & Rhythm of Business

• Partner with the DSPM/CoS to manage the People Team’s Rhythm of Business (RoB), ensuring effective preparation, follow-through, and accountability for leadership meetings and enterprise deliverables.
• Drive process and systems improvements that enhance efficiency, clarity, and collaboration across the division.
• Oversee operational systems related to budgeting, headcount, and portfolio tracking, ensuring timely, accurate, and integrated management.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, Legal, Business Operations, Foundation Strategy Office and other functional partners to ensure smooth execution of planning and reporting cycles.
• Support the design and implementation of change management and process simplification initiatives that strengthen organizational effectiveness.

Team Leadership & Enablement

• Lead and develop a team within the OCPO, fostering a culture of inclusion, accountability, and learning while ensuring clear roles, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Oversee knowledge management and internal communications systems to support transparency, coordination, and information sharing across the OCPO and the People team.
• Contribute to designing and facilitating People team meetings, retreats, and learning opportunities.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with cross-ops/EOAG to ensure strong alignment on operational, strategic, and organizational aspects that connect with the People Team.
• Actively participate in the foundation-wide DDSPM community and the Business Operations DDSPM community, contributing insights, sharing practices, and supporting continuous improvement efforts.
• Advise the DSPM/CoS on operational risks and opportunities, providing recommendations and follow-up actions to strengthen team performance.

Your Experience

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience with 10+ years of progressive experience in strategy, planning, operations, or organizational effectiveness.
• Demonstrated success leading strategy planning, business operations, or performance management in a complex or global organization.
• Experience leading a team with a proven track record of developing talent and fostering inclusive, high-performing cultures.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills—able to synthesize complexity into clear, actionable plans and frameworks.
• Skilled in project management, prioritization, and change enablement, adept at balance multiple initiatives.
• Proven ability to navigate matrixed environments with diplomacy, discretion, and strong relationship management skills.
• Understanding of People/HR functions (e.g., workforce planning, DEI, organizational design, culture building), as well as experience in philanthropy, global NGOs, or other mission-driven organizations, is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information into evidence-based storytelling that informs decisions, influences collaborators, and connects data to impact.
• Commitment to actively listening to our partners and the communities they serve, elevating our partners’ voices and ideas, creating a workplace culture that recognizes and values all backgrounds, voices, and contributions, building a workforce enriched by a wide array of skills, experiences and perspectives, and holding our leaders accountable for skill-based hiring, promotion, and development.
• Comfortable operating across cultural and geographic contexts; global experience preferred.
• Willingness to travel up to 10–15%, both domestic and international.

Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

The salary range for this role is $233,600 to $362,200 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $254,700 to $394,700 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Application instructions

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