Program Strategy Manager, Women’s Political Power – Pivotal Venturesso

Pivotal Ventures (“Pivotal”) is an investment and incubation company created by Melinda French Gates. We partner, invest, and advocate to remove barriers that hold people back, concentrating on areas where progress and opportunity have stalled for millions of Americans. The pursuit of a more equal and equitable United States—not just for some of us, but for everyone—is what drives us forward. It’s the why behind every problem we tackle.

We approach partnership with big ambitions and open minds, embracing what’s already working and innovating beyond traditional philanthropy. Some areas we focus on: women in technology and innovation; Women in public office; women and girls of color; adolescent mental health; paid family and medical leave; and caregiving.

Inspired by our founder, we reach across communities and sectors to bring together changemakers who can scale up proven ideas and catalyze new ones. We learn from their experiences, amplify their resources, then step back so they can lead.

Our impatience with the status quo is fueled by an optimism that progress is always possible.

The Program Strategy Manager will serve as a critical member of the Women’s Political Power (WPP) team, a part of Pivotal’s Program Strategy Team. This role will support the implementation of a new five-year strategy to expand women’s political power in the U.S. The Program Strategy Manager, in partnership with the Program Strategy Lead, is responsible for supporting the execution of this ambitious strategy, serving a critical role on a small, fast moving team. As part of this support, the Program Strategy Manager will track the political landscape, engage with stakeholders in the political ecosystem, execute programmatic investments, and provide programmatic support to ensure that the assets of the Pivotal Ventures WPP team are being strategically deployed to achieve the aims of the strategy. The Program Strategy Manager will be part of the lean, efficient, and outcomes oriented WPP team, and demonstrate hands on support for the team in whatever is needed to drive towards the ultimate goal of building political power for women in the U.S.

Role Responsibilities

Strategy Execution

• Engage in specific Women’s Political Power investment strategies that may include democracy, state electoral politics, donor engagement, or capacity building. This work entails developing partnerships and managing investments that advance our strategic outcomes.
• Track, synthesize, and apply trends, research, and news that are relevant to the WPP strategy.
• Work with WPP team members and external experts to measure the impact of the partnerships and investments to ladder up to the overall strategy goals.
• Be an active member of the women’s political community to keep abreast of key learnings, developments, and players.
• Support overall strategy management by evaluating progress to date, managing key advisors and consultants, working with Pivotal and other partners to gather evidence/insights.
• Represent Pivotal’s interests and WPP priorities in external meetings, discussions, and at events.

Investment & Grantee Management

• Identify, make, and manage a portfolio of philanthropic investments that are aligned with one or more of the overall strategy pillars/levers.
• Follow internal procedures for investment development and deployment; coordinate closely with internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with existing and new partners and cultivate or implement investment opportunities to support programmatic goals.
• Regularly check in with partners to share information and gather updates across the investment portfolio.
• Identify opportunities for partner collaboration, make connections to maximize efficiency and impact, and convene partners when appropriate.
• Track progress of individual investments, as well as across the portfolio, to evaluate impact and course correct where needed.

Internal Coordination & Reporting

• Work closely with WPP Program Strategy Lead to help align investments and identify opportunities for collaboration across the portfolio.
• Engage as an active member of the Program Strategy Team Advocacy team, offering relevant updates and information and identifying opportunities for collaboration.
• Report about the WPP portfolio and/or other interesting or topical trends across the larger Program Strategy Team and/or company, as needed.
• Draft materials and updates supporting knowledge sharing across the organization and for the principal’s benefit.
• Track data and information through company platforms (such as Salesforce).
• Coordinate with Pivotal’s communications teams in support of amplifying the WPP strategy and its impact.
• Develop/inform talking points and other messaging on related to policies and research from the field.

Skills And Competencies

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or behavior required to be successful in this role.
• A can-do, collaborative attitude with experience executing complex projects or campaigns. Project management skills are a requirement.
• Ability to weave in and out of a project, connecting dots and identifying areas of collaboration.
• An analytical thinker with an ability to parse and distill complex information.
• Team player who actively seeks opportunities for collaboration and partnership and communicates proactively with colleagues and managers.
• Strong writing ability with experience writing for multiple audiences; clear and coherent writing style.
• An ability to conduct work with discretion and confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8-10 years of experience. Relevant experience in philanthropic, political, and/or non-profit sectors important.
• Familiarity with strategy development including long-term planning against identified goals utilizing a variety of assets including private investment, philanthropic capital, voice, networks, etc.
• Experience and comfort working in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience building and maintaining relationships with a diverse set of organizations.
• Must be able to pass Background Investigation including Criminal, Public Records and Credit Checks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience and familiarity with women candidates or elected officials, state politics, democracy, fundraising, or donor engagement preferred.
• Experience with grant making or direct investing in both non-profit as well as for profit organizations with an intersectional lens.

Base annual compensation range for this role is from $170,500 – $177,500.

APPLICATION

To apply, send submit your application via the Pivotal Ventures Careers page.

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 with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran, military, or marital status, sensory, physical, or mental disability, genetic information or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please contact humanresources@pivotalventures.org.

Pivotal requires employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to entering any of Pivotal offices or conducting any in-person work. This vaccination requirement is subject to potential accommodations if there are concerns related to an employee’s disability or sincerely held religious beliefs that prevent an employee from becoming fully vaccinated or boosted. please contact humanresources@pivotalventures.org.