Senior Strategic Advisor

Job Title

Organizational Consultant 5

The UCOP Strategy and Program Management Office (SPMO) provides high‑quality in‑house advisory and consulting services to advance the mission of the University of California system. The SPMO develops and implements multi‑year strategic planning, executes strategies to address pressing business and policy challenges, applies portfolio management methodologies, and manages systemwide strategic initiatives, programs, and projects.

The SPMO Senior Strategic Advisor will independently use wide‑ranging management consulting experience and proficiency to lead and facilitate highly complex, strategic engagements involving multiple organizations and stakeholders. The Advisor will advise University executives and senior leaders, design and implement goal‑achieving solutions, develop methodologies that drive organizational effectiveness, conduct rigorous analysis with available data, and apply evaluation criteria for developing solutions and achieving results.

Senior Strategic Advisors are recognized as thought leaders and project leaders throughout the organization and provide leadership internally to the SPMO unit in developing capabilities, mentoring staff, and forging internal and external relationships.

• 40% Lead large‑scale initiatives by assessing complex situations and developing unique and innovative solutions, mobilize and manage cross‑functional project teams, and perform advanced analyses of high quantity and sometimes contradictory information.
• 25% Lead and facilitate strategic planning with executives and their leadership team to develop mid and long‑term strategic goals, identify and assess market trends, collect and analyze input from relevant stakeholders, and develop implementation plans.
• 25% Advise executive and senior leaders across the University to address issues, develop recommendations, and implement solutions in alignment with strategic goals and objectives.
• 10% Create repeatable frameworks, build relationships to enhance the visibility and impact of the SPMO, advise and mentor less experienced staff, develop internal team capabilities, and support a collaborative and inclusive team culture.

Required Qualifications:

Minimum 10 years of experience leading and advising strategic initiatives, programs, and/or projects with senior leaders.

• Knowledge of the consulting process related to strategy and operations to lead high‑impact engagements from inception to conclusion.
• Knowledge of the organizational environment of higher education and large research universities.
• Superior analytical, problem‑solving, project planning, and implementation skills.
• Ability to translate quantitative data into actionable insights.
• Ability to handle multiple constituencies, agendas, engagements, and tasks with tight deadlines and manage ambiguity and conflict.
• Advanced skills in developing long‑range, enterprise‑level strategies, considering governance, policy, financial, operational, and political implications across a complex, decentralized organization.
• Superior written, verbal, and presentation skills for influencing and facilitating sustained change.
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly, reason, synthesize, and generalize based on information obtained; sound judgment; unbiased conclusions.
• Ability to focus on priorities, strategies, and vision while managing multiple assignments.
• Ability to facilitate and influence people at all levels and work effectively with diverse constituencies.
• Ability to persuade through logic and positive motivations.
• Interpersonal skills and client service orientation to establish and maintain positive collaborative working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders.

• Experience in strategy and/or operations consulting leading high‑profile engagements.
• Experience connecting strategy to institutional priorities in a higher education environment.
• Experience leading strategic planning.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience or training.

Preferred Qualifications:

Advanced degree preferred.