Senior Manager, Portfolio Planning & Team Operations
About The Position
The Senior Manager, Portfolio Planning & Team Operations provides strategic leadership for business and team operations for the Exemplars in Global Health (EGH) team within the Global Development Division. The role partners with the Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning and Management to develop and monitor portfolio allocation strategy and assess results against resources spent. It owns core business processes, including research project pipeline management, investment oversight, and the EGH annual planning process. EGH equips decision-makers with evidence, insights, and practical knowledge to accelerate and scale interventions that improve health for vulnerable populations. It studies countries and regions that have achieved exceptional health progress, emerging practices with global learning value, and supports internal advisory services and external partnerships. The Senior Manager helps translate strategy into coherent portfolio plans, aligns staff time and investments with strategic goals, monitors research and investment pipelines, and develops systems that improve operational efficiency and decision-making. The position also manages and develops Program Coordinator and Program Assistant teams and fosters an inclusive, effective team culture.
Requirements
- Advanced degree or equivalent demonstrated experience, preferably in public health or a related field.
- At least 10 years of progressive experience in strategic business operations and/or research portfolio management, including management of a research project pipeline.
- At least 5 years of experience driving leadership team decision-making through strategic framing, analytics, and clear presentations.
- Strong business judgment, ability to manage ambiguity, and clear, proactive communication.
- Ability to generate second-order insights to guide portfolio management and provide substantive constructive feedback to improve bodies of work over time.
- Advanced financial acumen and skills in budget development, financial analysis, and operational management.
- Sophisticated project management skills and a successful track record leading or running multiple projects simultaneously.
- Ability to use diverse tools and knowledge to identify, diagnose, and address strategy, team, and execution challenges.
- At least 5 years of experience managing diverse functional teams.
- Ability to bring structure and resolution to unstructured and ambiguous situations.
- Excellent organizational, facilitation, oral, and written communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively and sensitively across language, cultural, and geographic barriers, with strong listening skills and compassion.
- Ability to work flexibly, efficiently, diplomatically, and enthusiastically in a fast-paced integrated team.
- Unrestricted work authorization in the country where the position is located; the Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship.
Nice To Haves
- Knowledge of low- and middle-income country governments and/or global health and development institutions and partners, such as WHO, the Global Fund, Gavi, UNICEF, and multilateral development banks.
- Experience living and working in low- and middle-income countries.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership of business and team operations for the EGH team.
- Own the team's operating rhythm, including budget planning, resourcing, and portfolio-wide tracking against goals.
- Develop a rigorous approach to research project pipeline management and execution.
- Lead processes for team investments of dollars and staff time, including investment development, annual planning, budget management, and forecasting.
- Manage and develop the Program Coordinator and Program Assistant teams, setting priorities and ensuring high-quality operational support across EGH.
- Advise EGH leadership on organizational design, workflow, and resource allocation.
- Develop and monitor portfolio allocation strategy and execution.
- Build systems and processes to improve efficiency, consistency, and decision-making across the research and investment portfolio.
- Develop analyses and second-order insights to assess portfolio progress and guide resource allocation decisions.
- Support program leadership in translating strategy goals into portfolio-level theories of action and plans that align staff time and investments with strategic goals.
- Monitor the research project pipeline and investment portfolio to support management decisions and ensure resource use is strategically aligned with clearly articulated outcomes.
- Monitor research, grant, and contract pipelines; produce accurate forecasts, budget reporting, and performance reporting against deliverables and outcomes.
- Identify strategic and portfolio execution risks and develop or support implementation of risk mitigation.
- Lead team operations to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and employee experience.
- Shape people processes and team dynamics to support a culture and incentives that enable program goals, in partnership with program leadership, SPA, and the Culture Working Group.
- Collaborate with SPA to develop and run the team's rhythm of business.
- Foster conditions that help talent thrive and promote accountability for an inclusive team culture.
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums.
- Generous paid time off.
- Paid family leave.
- Foundation-paid retirement contribution.
- Regional holidays.
- Opportunities to engage in employee communities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
