Associate Director, Strategic Engagement and Support

Role Title:Associate Director, Strategic Engagement and Support

Contract Type: Regular

Workstyle Arrangement: Hybrid 

Reporting To:Director, Integration and Institutional Effectiveness

Department: Office of the COO

Location:Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dakar, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota

Team Name: Office of the COO

Role Purpose 

The Associate Director, Strategic Engagement and Support serves as a senior strategic resource to the COO and a partner to the Operations leadership team. The role strengthens executive engagement, strategic insight, and narrative coherence across the Operations portfolio through research and analysis, high-quality briefings and talking points, engagement planning, and clear, consistent materials that articulate operational priorities, choices, and impact.

Working in partnership with functional leaders and relevant institutional teams, the role ensures that the distinct perspectives and contribution

of the Operations functions are accurately reflected within a coherent portfolio-level narrative. It also supports the internal and external visibility of the COO and the Operations portfolio, including their digital presence, in ways that advance organizational understanding and stakeholder confidence.

Key responsibilities

• Provide the COO with timely research, analysis, and synthesis on operational, institutional, sectoral, and external developments relevant to the Operations portfolio.
• Identify emerging themes, stakeholder considerations, opportunities, and sensitivities that may affect the COO’s engagements or the positioning of Operations priorities.
• Develop concise options, recommendations, and lines of inquiry that support informed executive judgment and decision-making.
• Maintain an informed view of the Operations functions and connect relevant developments to portfolio-wide priorities, without displacing functional ownership and in collaboration with Institutional Integration and Effectiveness.
• Plan and support high-priority internal and external engagements involving the COO, including meetings, leadership forums, town halls, visits, conferences, and selected stakeholder interactions.
• Prepare executive briefing packs, background notes, stakeholder profiles, talking points, speeches, presentations, questions, and anticipated issues for the COO.
• Work with functional leaders and subject-matter experts to ensure briefings are accurate, balanced, useful for decision-making, and reflective of the relevant function’s expertise and perspective.
• Capture significant commitments, insights, and follow-up actions from strategic engagements and route them to the appropriate owner, without assuming responsibility for office-wide action tracking or governance.
• Develop and steward a clear portfolio-level narrative that explains the purpose, priorities, choices, achievements, and contribution of Operations to the institution’s mission and effectiveness.
• Review portfolio-level materials to identify inconsistencies, gaps, or opportunities for greater clarity, while respecting the voice, accountability, and technical content of individual functions.
• Translate complex operational issues into accessible, audience-appropriate narratives for leadership, staff, Board members, partners, and external audiences.
• Develop core messages, narrative frameworks, presentation materials, and reusable content that enable the COO and Operations leaders to communicate clearly and consistently.
• Partner with Operations functional leaders to understand their priorities, surface their perspectives, and prepare materials that represent both functional contributions and the collective value of the portfolio.
• Support selected Operations leadership engagements by shaping agendas, framing issues, and preparing discussion materials where strong narrative and stakeholder preparation are required.
• Develop thought leadership content with the COO and relevant colleagues, including articles, remarks, internal reflections, executive updates, and other strategic materials.
• Curate credible examples, evidence, and stories that demonstrate the contribution of Operations to organizational effectiveness and mission delivery.
• Support a purposeful digital profile for the COO and Operations portfolio across appropriate internal and external channels, in partnership with Communications and in line with institutional standards and approvals.
• Maintain a forward-looking content and engagement plan that links upcoming moments to strategic priorities and avoids fragmented or reactive messaging.
• Build trusted working relationships across Operations so that the role is experienced as a shared portfolio resource, not solely as support to the COO.
• Work closely with Communications on institutional messaging, channels, brand, media, and publication processes, while retaining responsibility for operational substance, executive preparation, and portfolio narrative development.
• Collaborate with the Director,  Integration and Institutional Effectiveness when engagement or narrative work supports wider institutional effectiveness, while avoiding duplication of that role’s mandate for integration, governance, the operating model, and organizational performance.
• Coordinate inputs from multiple stakeholders, exercise sound editorial judgment, and ensure final products are accurate, concise, appropriately sensitive, and delivered to a high standard under tight timelines.
• Handle confidential and politically sensitive information with discretion, sound judgment, and integrity.
• Exercise substantial judgment in determining the research, framing, evidence, and level of preparation required for executive engagements and strategic materials.
• Recommend narrative approaches, engagement priorities, and positioning options to the COO, with final decisions resting with the COO or relevant accountable leader.
• Influence across functions through trusted relationships, credibility, and the quality of advice rather than formal authority over functional teams.
• Lead defined strategic engagement or narrative projects and coordinate temporary working groups, without owning portfolio governance, corporate communications, or the cross-functional integration agenda.
• Oversee the COO’s schedule and logistics through line management of the Executive Assistant.

People Responsibilities (Total Team / Direct Reports)

• Executive Assistant

Key Metrics

• The COO and Operations leaders are consistently well prepared for priority engagements, with concise, accurate, and decision-useful materials.
• Operations priorities and contributions are articulated clearly and consistently while preserving the expertise and voice of individual functions.
• Internal and external stakeholders demonstrate a stronger understanding of the role and value of the Operations portfolio.
• Strategic content and digital engagement are purposeful, timely, credible, and aligned with institutional standards.
• Functional leaders experience the role as collaborative, inclusive, and additive, with clear boundaries from Communications and Integration and Institutional Effectiveness.
• Output is delivered with strong judgment, discretion, responsiveness, and consistently high quality.

Key Internal Relationships

Office of the President, Office of COO, Office of VP of Programs, Offices of Operations Functional Leads and Director, Strategy and Impact ; Communications

The ideal candidate

• Degree-level education or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Substantial experience providing strategic advisory, research, briefing, engagement, or thought leadership support to senior executives or leadership teams in a complex, globally distribute organization.
• Proven experience working across programmatic and operational functions in the nonprofit, philanthropy, international development, civil society, multilateral, or another mission-driven sector.
• Demonstrated experience producing high-quality executive materials, including briefings, talking points, speeches, presentations, analytical papers, and stakeholder correspondence.
• Experience working effectively across functions, geographies, and professional disciplines, including gathering and reconciling diverse inputs while preserving accountable ownership.
• Proven ability to research unfamiliar or complex topics quickly, identify what matters, and convert analysis into concise, practical executive advice.
• Experience planning and supporting high-profile or strategically important engagements with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience developing strategic narratives or thought leadership and supporting digital content or executive profile-building in partnership with Communications.

 Languages and Travel Requirements

• Excellent written and spoken English is essential; proficiency in other languages is an asset.
• Periodic international travel and flexibility across time zones may be required.

What we offer

• Exceptional opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact; from a generous annual professional development allowance for every employee to onsite training and learning conversations with visiting experts. 
• Excellent benefits andperks to promote well-being and a healthy work-life balance, including: 
• Generous time off and flexible work arrangements. 
• Employer-paid health insuranceand dental plans for individuals and families (no employee contribution required).
• Exceptional retirement savings plan (non-contributory for employees) and life insurance. 
• Progressive paid parental leave,reproductive and family planning support, and much more. 
• A commitment to nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, so you can bring your whole self to work and make a positive impact. 

Who we are 

Open Society Foundations aim toestablish vibrant and inclusive democracies where governments are accountable to their citizens. Our operating model organizesgrantmaking around specific, time-limited projects, developed alongside support for established partners, enabling us to respond swiftly toemerging needs. We are committed to promoting human dignity, equality, and rights; reimagining democratic ideals and practice; and advancing equity in governance systems. 

 Guided by our founder’s values and the belief in the art of the possible, we engage directly with global entities, individuals, and policymakers through grants, advocacy, impact investing, and strategic human rights litigation to drive positive change. At the heart of our mission is a deep commitment to rights, equity, and justice, inspiring every action we take. 

Competitive rates of pay apply.

Open Society Foundations is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and to building a diverse staff that reflects the movements, issues and communities that our mission serves. Candidates from all underrepresented backgrounds, identities and communities are encouraged to apply.   

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.