New York, NY

Associate Director, Policy, Partnerships, and Communication, The Rockefeller Foundation

The Organization

The Rockefeller Foundation pioneered the frontier of global philanthropy and continues to foster solutions to many of the world’s most intractable challenges. Today, the Foundation helps ensure that globalization’s benefits are accessible to more people, more fully, in more places, affirming its mission, unchanged since 1913, to “promote the well-being”​ of humanity throughout the world. The Foundation supports a portfolio of interconnected, mutually reinforcing initiatives. These include efforts to bolster resilience to the global climate crisis, assure access to affordable and high-quality health systems in developing countries, mobilize an agricultural revolution in sub-Saharan Africa, strengthen economic security for American workers, and inform more equitable, sustainable transportation policies in the United States.

Position Overview

The Associate Director, PPC works with the Vice President, Policy, Partnerships, & Communication and the PPC leadership team to add capacity to the Office of the PPC by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the entire team and department, taking the lead on various activities.  The Associate Director supports and advises the VP, PPC and helps ensure collaboration and cooperation across the PPC team. The AD partners with key people across the Foundation to ensure key strategic and programmatic coordination of the Vice President’s internal and external engagements, messaging, and key PPC goals, objectives and priorities. Manages key internal and external relationships for the Vice President, PPC and ensures that their time is managed effectively and strategically and will staff them as needed and requested. Will work with the VP, PPC and leadership team to create an ongoing way to cohere and optimize the entire PPC team and assist the VP and key members of the PPC in monitoring progress against goals and objectives of the team and keep the work of the team moving forward effectively and collaboratively. Is an important internal and external ambassador and liaison for the VP, PPC, the PPC team and for the Foundation.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Partners with the VP, PPC, the PPC team leads; and the wider Foundation, to deliver on key strategic and initiative objectives in pursuance of the Foundation’s vision, mission and key priorities.
  • Establishes a formal management system within the PPC team and initiative teams to review progress, resolve issues, and support their needs, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the PPC team.
  • Serves as a confidential assistant and thought partner to the VP on important strategic and organizational projects, issues and questions, managing the flow of communications, from the Office of the PPC to the team, the Foundation and external parties as directed by the VP, PPC.
  • Supports the VP in the management of the PPC budget and forecasts, the BPR process and all operational aspects of the department.
  • Provides oversight of the Business Plan Review (BPR) work related to the PPC Office and works with the VP, Policy, Partnerships & Communication and PPC Team Leads to ensure progress on all of the established goals and objectives.
  • Serves as a go-to for staff when the VP is unavailable or inaccessible and helps manage ad hoc and emergent needs that are “off plan”, either by exercising judgment in handling independently and/or re-arranging the VP’s time as needed.
  • On behalf of the VP, prepares briefs for meetings and coordinates follow-up with relevant external and internal PPC staff.
  • In partnership and in support of the VP and the Office of the PPC, manages the activity of the PPC office, sets meeting agendas for key meeting within the PPC team and continuously works closely with the entire PPC team.
  • They will supervise and oversee the work of all of the administrative staff members on the PPC team.
  • Confidently and confidentially manages key relationships of the VP and facilitates regular communication within the PPC team, the Foundation as well as with key external parties.
  • Represents the PPC Office at external events and meetings and is seen as an important ambassador and liaison for both the VP, the Office of the PPC and the entire team and the Foundation.
  • Manages special projects as designated by the VP, Policy, Partnerships & Communication.
  • Ensures that there is always proper back up for all of the administrative duties for the PPC team and may also be asked to provide back up support for the PPC Office team whenever it is needed.

Supervision Received:

The Associate Director reports to the Vice President, PPC and while they will need to work independently they will also be required to exercise sound judgement in the overall functioning of the Office of the PPC and the entire PPC team.

Supervision Exercised:

Supervises the PPC administrative staff and will oversee the overall functioning of the administrative activity that supports the entire PPC team.

Qualifications & Skills:

Communication: Has excellent interpersonal abilities including strong listening, writing and verbal skills; demonstrates assertiveness and effectiveness in presenting their ideas to a variety of internal and external audiences and for multiple and diverse purposes.

Decision-Making:  Has the ability to evaluate risks and opportunities; uses analytical and problem-solving skills; takes initiative and drives for results; is able to prioritize their own work and the work of others and understands how their work fits into the PPC team and the overall work of the Foundation.

Execution: Has strong project management skills; manages their own time well and provides the necessary guidance and direction to others that allows them to successfully meet deadlines; has a sense of urgency and takes responsibility for their work and how this impacts the rest of the PPC team; is able to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously; is able to multi-task and works well under pressure; employs attention to detail with their work and has high standards for accomplishing their work.

Integration: Accesses functional and substantive expertise organizationally, and accomplishes their work with inclusiveness and collaboration.

Leadership: Thinks innovatively and creatively about their work, the VP and the Office of the PPC and the work of the P, PPC team in general; has strong negotiation skills which enable them to work effectively and efficiently across a large amount of work, people and all internal and external constituencies and demonstrates accountability for their work.

Partnership and Relationship Building: Has strong professional presence and can be seen as a key representative of the Foundation and the Policy, Partnerships & Communication Office; has intercultural knowledge and appreciation; and possesses strong strategic partnership building skills.

Strategic Ability: Anticipates future opportunities and consequences, demonstrates an innovative and flexible approach to work, and has the ability to organize chaos into a coherent plan and implement it well.
People Management: Has the skills to manage a team of administrative staff and approaches managing people as one that employs teambuilding, skill building and overall staff development and engagement.

Preferred Education and Experience:

  • A four-year undergraduate degree is preferred as is previous experience in a non-profit organization or Foundation or equally dynamic goal oriented global enterprise.
  • Has a minimum of 8 to 10 years of relevant professional experience supporting an Executive, an administrative team and a large complex function of a dynamic organization on all matters related to their internal and external strategic objectives.
  • Ability to manage people and teams to conceive, research, analyze, develop and implement projects, new ideas and strategies to successful completion. Sets agendas and timelines for their own work and for that of others to meet the demands of a complex dynamic function and Executive.
  • Has a track record of effectively managing their own work and the work of others under significant time pressures and to high quality standards.
  • Ability to travel occasionally both domestically and internationally
  • Computer proficiency in MS Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet search skills and ability to learn new applications quickly.

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and to compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.  To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status or liability for service in the United States Armed Forces.

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer

How To Apply

To submit your candidacy for Associate Director, PPC please click here.

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