Associate Director, Innovation Strategy and Execution

Clinton Health Access Initiative•,

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Associate Director will work directly with CHAI’s Vice President, Innovation, as a trusted extension of their team. The role leads important portfolio projects, supports the effective operation and growth of a fast-expanding portfolio, contributes to strategy, and strengthens how the team works. The position requires broad ownership and the ability to act independently with full context, including on confidential and pre-decisional matters. The role spans special projects, fundraising, program growth, strategic analysis, and portfolio coordination. The Associate Director will work closely with Innovation program leads and members of the AI team, using AI tools to increase individual and team effectiveness. The position offers exposure to how global health programs are designed, funded, and scaled, and is suited to someone who wants to learn quickly and grow into senior leadership. The role reports to the Vice President, Innovation. It is remote, ideally based on the US East Coast, though other locations will be considered. Regular in-person working days in Boston and occasional international travel are expected.

Requirements

At least 8 years of professional experience, with progressively senior and trusted responsibility.
A track record of taking ambiguous problems, structuring them, and delivering results with full ownership.
Hands-on operating experience inside an organization, such as leading a function, launching a program, or running part of a business.
Exceptional structured thinking and problem-solving skills, including the ability to turn a vague brief into a workable plan quickly.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distill complex material for senior audiences.
An entrepreneurial, self-directed approach, high output and standards, and comfort with limited structure and shifting priorities.
Confidence to hold and express an independent view, including disagreement with senior leaders, alongside sound judgment about when a decision is not theirs to make.
Political awareness and the ability to work across teams and levels without formal authority.
Confident, advanced use of modern AI productivity tools, such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Codex, with daily use to think faster, write better, and get more done.
Discretion and judgment when handling confidential personnel, funder, and board-sensitive material.

Nice To Haves

An MBA or equivalent graduate degree.
Experience in global health, international development, or philanthropy.
Experience in a chief of staff, strategy, or special projects role supporting a senior executive.
Founding or early-stage experience building a product, program, or business from scratch.
Experience supporting a program, team, or business through a period of rapid growth.

Responsibilities

Lead high-stakes special projects across the portfolio from scoping the problem and building a plan through execution and delivery.
Coordinate Innovation’s contributions to major fundraising efforts for priority programs, including working-level management of relationships with established and emerging philanthropists.
Work alongside program leads during periods of rapid growth to strengthen plans, team structures, and senior hiring, and add capacity where critical workstreams need it.
Complete hands-on work that advances projects, including drafting memos and slide decks and locating information or people needed for decisions.
Work through strategy, prioritization, and organizational questions with the Vice President, providing independent analysis and clear recommendations.
Identify portfolio-wide risks, connections, opportunities, and potential synergies across teams.
Maintain a current view of portfolio priorities, deadlines, and dependencies, and plan for funder deadlines, reporting cycles, and leadership reviews.
Triage incoming requests and route them to the appropriate owner so decisions are made at the right level and work does not stall.
Prepare Innovation leadership for key meetings and manage follow-through so commitments to funders and partners are met.
Prepare portfolio materials for CHAI’s CEO, board, and senior leadership, communicating program progress and decisions needed.