Description

The Director of Strategic Initiatives & Planning is a senior operational leadership role responsible for driving the coordination, execution, and implementation infrastructure behind the agency’s highest-priority strategic initiatives, including local tax initiatives. Working closely with Executive Leadership, the Director leads the systems, processes, and cross-divisional practices that translate executive priorities into organized, accountable, and effective action across the organization. The Director oversees the Strategic Initiatives & Planning team and plays a central role in strengthening organizational effectiveness by building clear implementation structures, improving coordination and communication practices, and supporting complex work across multiple divisions, public governance bodies, and external partners. This role requires a highly experienced leader who can bring structure, sequencing, and operational discipline to dynamic public systems environments marked by ambiguity, organizational change, and competing stakeholder priorities. This role requires a leader comfortable operating from vision to execution in dynamic public systems environments. 
  
This is not a traditional or transactional project management role; it is an enterprise-scale operational leadership role that requires maturity, political acuity, sound judgment, and experience working within complex public systems environments with competing priorities.  

Strategic Initiative Execution & Coordination: Lead execution of agency-wide strategic initiatives by translating executive priorities into coordinated implementation plans, aligning work across divisions, and addressing operational barriers to support equity-centered systems building and effective implementation of major cross-agency initiatives, including local tax initiatives  
Organizational Effectiveness & Operating Model Design: Design and implement scalable systems, governance structures, and operational processes that strengthen organizational effectiveness, improve cross-divisional coordination, and support increasingly complex strategic work  
Communication Infrastructure & Leadership Coordination: Strengthen agency-wide communication, accountability, and alignment practices by improving leadership coordination, organizational clarity, implementation follow-through, and development of executive briefings and strategic communications  
Operational Role Clarity & Accountability: Establish clear operational ownership, accountability structures, governance tools, and decision-making processes that reduce ambiguity, clarify cross-divisional responsibilities, and support effective implementation  
Cross-Divisional Planning & Sequencing: Coordinate planning and implementation activities across divisions by aligning workflows, timelines, operational needs, and execution practices to support consistent and effective initiative delivery  
Organizational Change Management: Lead organizational change efforts that strengthen cross-functional ways of working, reinforce implementation accountability, and support sustainable operational transformation. 
Project & Portfolio Oversight: Oversee project and portfolio management systems, implementation tracking, workplans, reporting processes, and planning staff to support consistent execution and informed leadership decision-making  
Stakeholder & Leadership Coordination: Coordinate with internal teams and Executive Leadership to support aligned implementation, facilitate cross-functional working groups, and prepare operational updates and decision-support materials for leadership bodies  
Fiscal & Resource Strategy: Partner with leadership, Finance, and policy staff to align strategic initiatives with fiscal priorities, support long-range planning, and sustain implementation through coordinated resource strategies 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications 

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. Additional experience and/or education can be substituted to meet typical qualifications. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be: 

Seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in strategic initiatives, organizational operations, project management, or cross-functional coordination; A bachelor’s degree* in Public Administration, Public Policy, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Public Health, or related field (*or equivalent professional experience – a bachelor’s degree is not required).  

Preferred Qualifications  

Demonstrated track record of leading complex public policy initiatives across multiple stakeholders and operational environments  
Experience overseeing complex teams and cross-functional implementation structures  
Experience designing organizational coordination systems, governance structures, or operational workflows  
Demonstrated initiative, adaptability, and ability to lead through ambiguity and organizational change  
Experience facilitating executive-level coordination and decision-making processes  
Experience working within complex public systems, government, or cross-sector environments  
Experience supporting enterprise-scale organizational coordination or systems-building efforts  
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, organizational change, and competing stakeholder priorities  
 

Knowledge of: 

Public policy development and implementation practices  
Fiscal policy and resource alignment strategies  
Equity-centered systems-building approaches   
Strategic planning and implementation practices  
Organizational systems, governance, and operating models  
Project and portfolio management methodologies  
Organizational change management principles  
Cross-functional coordination and facilitation techniques  
Performance measurement and continuous improvement practices 
 

Ability to: 

Translate strategic vision and policy priorities into coordinated operational execution  
Lead and develop program design, implementation structures, and cross-functional operating models  
Lead cross-functional teams and complex initiatives within politically and operationally complex public systems  
Hold accountability while fostering strong collaboration, alignment, and trust across teams and leadership structures  
Demonstrate strategic anticipation and proactively respond to evolving organizational and community needs  
Communicate clearly through oral communication, facilitation, policy writing, executive briefings, and operational guidance materials  
Operate effectively from vision to execution in dynamic and evolving environments  
Strengthen organizational effectiveness through improved systems and processes  
Build alignment across divisions with differing operational needs and perspectives 
Clarify accountability structures and decision-making pathways  
Design repeatable coordination and communication practices  
Facilitate collaboration and problem-solving across teams  
Communicate clearly and influence without relying solely on formal authority  
Navigate politically and operationally complex environments with maturity and sound judgment  
Bring clarity, structure, and alignment to evolving organizational priorities and systems  
Build trust and credibility across divisions, leadership teams, and external stakeholders