Interim Senior Lead, Program Strategy, Planning & Management

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.

Description

ROLE DESCRIPTION

The Interim Senior Lead, Program Strategy, Planning & Management plays a key role on the Program Strategy team. This individual creates team cohesion by optimizing information flow, integration, impact, and sustainability across multiple entities.

This position supports the implementation of the team’s budget, finance, and strategic planning functions and works closely with team members within Planning & Management, across the Program Strategy team and broader organization, as well as with external partners.

This role is expected to have a duration of 12 months. Applications will be accepted through 9/12/26. Pivotal reserves the right to begin interviews and make a hiring decision before that date.

Role Responsibilities

Integrated Program Team Operations

• Create a productive working environment through optimizing team operations and supporting strategic alignment and integration across different entities and structures.
• Support the Senior Manager, Program Strategy, Planning & Management with day-to-day oversight of team operations across entities.
• Support the Senior Director, Program Strategy, Planning & Management with key meetings by prioritizing agenda items, developing materials, and tracking follow-up.
• Support contract development and logistics, collaborating closely with the Contracts team.
• Support the scheduling and planning of grant maker trainings, as directed by the Senior Director, Program Strategy, Planning & Management and in alignment with the Legal team and other stakeholders.
• Make consistent, effective, and strategic use of organizational systems of record (e.g. Salesforce) to maintain actionable data, streamline processes, and promote knowledge sharing and a team culture of data quality and transparency.
• Liaise with People & Culture team on talent processes and onboarding to ensure new Program Strategy team members are integrated effectively and understand company policies, culture, and expectations.

Strategic Planning & Delivery

• Provide operational support for the annual strategic planning and budgeting process in partnership with the Senior Director, Program Strategy, Planning & Management and the Senior Manager, Program Strategy, Planning & Management.
• Lead individual workstreams on operations and planning/delivery in partnership with the Senior Manager, Program Strategy, Planning & Management.

Rhythm of Business Support

• Support the development, coordination, and rollout of Program Strategy team bi-weekly meeting agendas, learning sessions and retreat planning.
• Maintain and enhance the team’s rhythm of the business calendar, ensuring team members are actively providing necessary contributions in a timely manner and encouraging good practices of team-wide tools such as the Weekly Look Ahead.
• Manage key stakeholder relationships within the team and across PIF and Pivotal Philanthropies through timely data collection and entry into the CRM.
• Prepare materials at the request of the Senior Director, Program Strategy, Planning & Management and the Senior Manager, Program Strategy, Planning & Management to maximize information sharing and collaboration.
• Assist with the workflow coordination of key projects by ensuring effective communication, consistent implementation of team processes, and efficient organization of documents.
• Identify areas for process improvement—including administrative standards, policies, and practices for the programmatic team— and make recommendations and implement changes as appropriate to ensure efficiency and effectiveness amongst the team.
• Align with Internal Communications on the evolving engagement model with the Program Strategy team.
• Work on special projects such as conducting research and analysis of data to respond to requests.

Team Culture

• Serve as culture shaper and ambassador within the Program Strategy team and across PIF and Pivotal Philanthropies through modeling, leadership, and support.
• Help shape and strengthen the Program Strategy team culture through outreach and support, mentoring/role-modeling, setting positive boundaries, and promoting equity and belonging, consistent with organizational values and legal requirements.
• Set the expectation for positive creative practices by serving as a resource on how to integrate agile ways of working and iterative creativity into team operations.
• Identify areas of misalignment between team operations, team strategy, and team culture.

Program Associate Program Coordination

• Lead recruitment, candidate sourcing, vetting, interviewing, selection, and onboarding of Program Associates for the Program Strategy team, ensuring a smooth transition and integration into their respective teams and connection with their home institutions.
• Create a positive work environment to support the success of each cohort of Program Associates, in collaboration with their manager.
• Manage Program Associate priorities and engagement based on capacity, capabilities, and team needs, in alignment with the Program Leadership Team.
• Facilitate feedback loops between managers and Program Associates to clarify expectations and support growth, providing updates and progress reports to them and senior leadership.

Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

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 of 5-7 years of experience providing administrative and/or project coordination support with increasing levels of complexity, or an equivalent combination of advanced training and experience.
• Experience working across organizations and collaborating with other teams, vendors, partners, and key stakeholders.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships and networks, collaborate closely, and influence others to achieve consensus.
• Proficiency using Salesforce or similar data systems.
• Proficiency using Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and SharePoint).
• Fluency in use of systems necessary to role (e.g., Salesforce, Workday).

EMPLOYMENT DETAILS

This position is based in Pivotal's Seattle, WA or Washington DC office. Annual compensation range for this role is $122.900-$138,000. Benefits will be provided by your employer of record and 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, and more.

Eligibility for and the amount of benefits provided are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents.

This role is expected to have a duration of 12 months. This means that, absent some change, the position will end within that timeframe as defined in the offer letter. The limited duration of the position does not alter the at-will nature of the position or work at Pivotal Initiatives Fund.

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.

Applications may be submitted via the Pivotal Careers page.