Senior Director, Business Strategy

Year Up • Boston, MA

284d • $140,000 - $175,000

About The Position

Grads of Life (GOL), the advisory arm of Year Up United (YUU), is a team of consultants that partner with leading employers to create skills-first talent strategies that deliver both business benefits and social impact. Our aim is to build an employer movement to close the Opportunity Divide and create a future where all people have access to quality jobs, financial stability and economic mobility. As Grads of Life continues to increase its impact with employers of influence to create and support inclusive hiring practices, the Senior Director, Business Strategy will build processes and infrastructure to support the growth and operational excellence of Grads of Life in conjunction with Talent Networks (TN) and YUU overall. The potential to grow Grads of Life's service offerings is extensive but requires the right leader with the ability to effectively structure and enable our client services work and the broadening and execution of our “go to market” strategy. The person in this position will help us leverage our positioning to ultimately close the Opportunity Divide in our country.

Requirements

• Minimum of 12 years of experience to include support of business strategy, product sales, market expansion, and direct client delivery.
• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, Public Policy, Political Science or a related discipline preferred.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret market trends and operational data.
• Demonstrated ability to drive strategy and execution across multiple functions.
• Strong ability to build relationships, foster collaboration, and influence others without direct authority.
• Exceptional skills in strategic storytelling, presentation development, and stakeholder engagement.
• Strategic thinker with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Ability to conceptualize, plan, and manage major complex projects and multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Self-starter, comfortable shaping priorities and agenda with broadly set parameters.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills, with experience overseeing cross-functional teams.
• Ability to facilitate difficult conversations and resolve issues.
• Results-oriented and highly organized.
• Adaptable and innovative, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially PowerPoint, Excel, and Word) and familiarity with tools like Salesforce.
• Passion for the mission of Year Up United and demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Managing Partner to ensure the success and achievement of the GOL Go-to-Market Strategy.
• Develop and execute strategies to enhance product sales for learning and advisory services.
• Take ownership of assigned strategic components and drive the execution and completion of activities required to successfully accomplish those strategic components.
• Contribute to reporting efforts via status updates on strategy progress and performance.
• Deepen the organization's understanding of the skills-first employer market by analyzing trends, competitor outlooks, risks, and mitigations.
• Explore and implement strategies to improve employer talent management practices.
• Identify opportunities to establish and expand coalition support; design and develop coalition support SOWs, playbooks, and arcs of topics.
• Strengthen efforts in business development by focusing on client recapture, upselling, and identifying strategies to expand advisory offerings.
• Collaborate with the YUU Devo team to identify and pursue grant and research opportunities.
• Provide support for exploratory lines of business, leveraging market research and stakeholder feedback.
• Collaborate with the YUU Corporate Engagement (CE) Team to identify opportunities for bundling services with existing offerings.
• Provide strategic oversight for the development and implementation of scalable, productized offerings.
• Conduct ad-hoc analyses and business-related initiatives as requested by the Managing Partner.
• Lead the design and implementation of operational frameworks to forecast pipeline and upcoming delivery.
• Set the vision for the creation and maintenance of robust reporting structures to track performance metrics.
• In partnership with TN, strengthen internal operational practices to support scalability and efficiency.
• Work with the team to deliver high-quality support to clients, ensuring consistent alignment with organizational goals.
• Act as a thought leader and subject matter expert on employer trends.
• Directly supervise individuals; support their day-to-day priorities, career development, and belonging.
• Invest time in supporting direct reports through ongoing organizational changes.

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare options and dental coverage.
• 401(k) match for eligible participants.
• Earn three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year.
• Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives ($2,500 per year).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Social Assistance
• Education Level: Master's degree