Senior Director, Executive Strategy & Initiatives

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.

The Senior Director, Executive Strategy & Initiatives works across multiple entities within the Pivotal ecosystem. This position is responsible for the network function, advances key initiatives that create opportunities for external collaboration and impact on behalf of the Principal, and leads and operationalizes the Principal’s Leadership, Influence, and Voice (LIV) strategy. This role develops the LIV strategy and manages large‑scale, high‑priority, and cross‑organizational projects to ensure effective decision‑making, cross‑team collaboration, and successful implementation to drive the Principal’s impact.

This individual builds and mentors a high‑performing team — including external partners and consultants — and aligns work across multiple entities to ensure the Principal’s leadership and influence are amplified and sustained. This position cultivates a strong, direct, and trusted consultative relationship with the Principal, advising on the LIV strategy.

• Guide the strategic direction for the Principal’s Leadership, Influence, and Voice strategy.
• Develop and implement frameworks and processes that enable the Principal to use their platform effectively for impact.
• Lead strategic planning, issue and network management in support of the Principal’s priorities.
• Cultivate trusted relationships with key stakeholders, partners, and advisors to amplify the Principal’s leadership and influence.
• Responsible for cross‑cutting workstream management, including:
  • Managing workflow, meetings, and strategic planning, including quarterly deliverables and coordination across teams.
  • Conducting research on key issues, barriers, messaging, and opportunities.
  • Engaging external experts through exploratory conversations (inbound and proactive).
  • Synthesizing insights into actionable recommendations for multiple audiences.
• Serve as a trusted senior advisor to the Principal

• Drive high‑impact initiatives and cross‑functional projects that advance the Principal’s LIV vision.
• Proactively surface, design, and operationalize new opportunities that empower others to drive change aligned to the Principal’s goals and deliver measurable value.
• Build partnerships, foster collaboration, and create spaces for collective action on key issues.
• Integrate network strategy into broader organizational priorities through cross‑functional collaboration.
• Maintain strong network systems and collaboration infrastructure to support sustained connection and knowledge sharing.

• Lead, train, and mentor direct report(s), providing direction through clear expectations and regularly conducting check‑ins and providing performance feedback while supporting individual development.
• Interview, hire, and onboard new team members.
• Oversee team operations, budget, and resourcing to deliver outcomes and impact aligned with evolving priorities.
• Foster a collaborative and accountable team culture that supports innovation in advancing the Principal’s work.
• Evaluate and triage inbound requests from the Principal, Executive Leadership Team (ELT), and other key internal and external partners, either responding directly or routing appropriately.
• Resolve critical team challenges with strategic and values‑aligned approaches.
• Foster equity and belonging are embedded in team values and practices, consistent with organizational values and legal requirements.
• Position the…