Chief of Strategic Initiatives

The Chief of Strategic Initiatives plays a critical leadership role at LIFT, guiding internal strategy as a thought-partner to the CEO and managing some senior organizational leaders. Working closely with the CEO, Leadership Team and regional Executive Directors, the Chief of Strategic Initiatives is responsible for helping LIFT scale its impact and achieve its strategic objectives. The Chief of Strategic Initiatives will be key in developing processes and practices to promote integration, alignment and strong communication across teams; creating and executing annual and ongoing goal setting, performance measurement, and communication systems; integrating Race, Equity and Inclusion practices throughout the internal systems; and leading strategic initiatives determined by the CEO to be central to LIFT's long-term success.

This person will lead the operationalization of LIFT's current strategic plan with the goal of expanding LIFT's services and impact in LIFT's regional hubs, and manage senior organizational leaders, providing mentorship and coaching to ensure everyone is able to execute against their goals accordingly.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Organizational Development and Leadership

• In partnership with the CEO and Leadership Team, lead the implementation of LIFT's strategic plan, ensuring annual metrics, project management, team structure, and Race, Equity and Inclusion practices are designed to support staff to do their most impactful work
• Manage annual and ongoing organizational planning, performance measurement, and internal communications within and across teams, with direct oversight and responsibility for ensuring strategic coherence across departments
• Support the CEO to increase transparency and collaboration across the LIFT Board of Directors, local regional Executive Directors, and Advisory Boards and ensure they are appropriately engaged and have line of sight required to advance its work
• Serve as a cross-functional leader and connective tissue between teams and regional Executive Directors, ensuring ongoing communication and collaboration, while leading the implementation and refinement of LIFT's strategic plan
• Work alongside the National REI Advisor to develop and integrate LIFT's REI values and principles into all aspects of the work and culture, leveraging insights from the team to set new goals and metrics
• Lead strategic initiatives on behalf of the CEO, Board of Directors, and/or organization

Team Management and Influence

• In close collaboration with the CEO and Talent team, develop a vision for advancing the mission and values of LIFT through team structures, individual roles and responsibilities, and organizational culture
• Manage, coach, and collaborate with senior organizational leaders, providing accountability metrics and support where needed to advance organizational effectiveness
• Provide leadership and support during team transitions to ensure a smooth changeover
• Design processes and hold space to meaningfully engage, collecting input from leaders and staff members on major decisions and sharing back out learnings for transparency and accountability
• Garner buy-in and trust from team members across all levels to advance organizational goals collaboratively and efficiently
• Understands effective workflows and is capable of creating detailed project management plans in alignment with LIFT's strategic objectives that defines roles, metrics, and expectations clearly and transparently
• Supervise, mentor, and support the Senior Executive Office Manager in ensuring the CEO's time and efforts are maximized

Who You'll Work With

• You will report to the CEO.
• You will supervise the Senior Executive Office Manager and a team of senior leaders. Official management of the team of senior leaders will commence ~6-months into the new Chief of Strategic Initiatives' tenure. This delay allows time for onboarding and acclimation to the organizational development responsibilities.
• You will frequently collaborate with department heads across the organization. This is a high-touch role that interacts with team members throughout the organization.

Required Skills and Experience

• A minimum of 12 years of organizational leadership experience in a complex fast-paced role; has experience promoting and integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion within an organization; experience working in direct service, policy, and/or technical assistance is a plus; direct lived experience of the issues we work on is a plus
• Brings experience managing senior leaders through coaching, strategic thought partnership, and providing accountability metrics
• Brings a balanced combination of collaboration and independence, is a self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit who enjoys crafting and implementing new insights while deeply listening to others
• Strong project management skills with a high detail-orientation and a demonstrable track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a variety of initiatives concurrently
• Ability to synthesize data, identify trends, and make balanced, objective recommendations in a proactive manner
• Exceptional relationship building skills, a strong awareness of the motivations of others, and has the flexibility to build and maintain collaborative relationships
• High energy, maturity, and leadership that serves as a unifying force to position people and culture discussions at both the strategic and tactical levels
• Diligent listener and effective communicator with outstanding written and verbal skills and the ability to adapt approach among diverse audiences; demonstrates an ability to influence collaborators in the interest of meeting organizational goals and values
• Leans into creative thinking, brings a solutions orientation to problem-solving, and has the ability to brainstorm multiple solutions while weighing differing priorities

Don't think you have everything for this role but are still interested? Please don't hesitate to apply. We'd love to hear from you! LIFT believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. LIFT's goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization.

Location

LIFT has offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC, and would prefer candidates located in any of these locations with a strong preference for Los Angeles (where the CEO is based) but the role is open to candidates based anywhere in the U.S. Typically LIFT has a hybrid culture with an expectation to work in the office about 2 days per week. Folks not based in cities with LIFT offices may have to travel more to meet role expectations.

Compensation

$175,000-$200,000. LIFT's compensation philosophy is to pay competitively for the non-profit sector and ensure equity across the organization. Compensation for the role will depend on several factors including qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. 

To Learn More About Benefits

LIFT provides an attractive benefits package that includes employer-paid health care coverage (100% for employees, 75% for dependents), a 403(b) retirement plan including an employer match contribution (up to 5% after year 1), 12 weeks paid parental leave, partial cell phone coverage, and pre-tax accounts for transit, health, and dependent care benefits. LIFT also provides a generous paid-time-off policy, including one-week company-wide vacation over the winter holidays and a one-week company-wide vacation over the summer fiscal year transition. Please see here for a more in-depth overview of LIFT's Benefits and Culture.