Senior Strategist

Stand Together • Arlington, VA

2d

About The Position

Stand Together is a philanthropic community that supports changemakers working to address major social problems by providing resources such as funding, thought leadership, peer networks, and a playbook for applying proven principles. The Senior Strategist joins the Strategic Analysis team and serves as a trusted advisor to Priority Initiative teams on difficult strategic questions. The role is embedded with an initiative team and contributes from early strategy development through finished materials, drawing on research, internal knowledge, and organizational experts to develop clear points of view and strategies that staff and stakeholders can act on. The issue leader remains accountable for the strategy.

This is a senior individual-contributor role for someone who can work calmly amid ambiguity, distill extensive information into a clear point of view, and help other teams turn strategy into impact. The Senior Strategist advises initiative leaders, directs research, applies and improves strategic frameworks, upholds written-work standards, influences across organizational lines, and helps build reusable standards, tools, and frameworks.

Stand Together describes its culture as rooted in Principle Based Management®, emphasizing dignity, openness, bottom-up empowerment, entrepreneurship, innovation, and transformation. It values diversity and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The organization may use AI tools to assist parts of the hiring process, but final hiring decisions are made by humans.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of experience in strategy, consulting, policy analysis, research, or a similar advisory role.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize large amounts of qualitative and quantitative information into strategic recommendations.
• Strong writing and speaking skills, including the ability to distill complex analysis into a clear point of view for senior leaders.
• Curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to understand complex social and organizational challenges as systems.
• Fluency in the social change, policy, and political landscape, with the ability to learn a new issue quickly.
• Comfort as a senior individual contributor who leads through influence, including with senior leaders outside the reporting line.
• Collaborative mindset, supporting the team accountable for strategy and exercising sound judgment about when to challenge it.
• High standards of professionalism, integrity, and discretion.
• Ability to produce polished decks, documents, and other materials with strong clarity and visual quality.
• Ability to drive projects independently, set goals and milestones, stay organized across multiple workstreams, and communicate progress clearly.
• Enthusiasm for Stand Together’s vision and principled approach to solving problems, and commitment to stewarding its culture.

Nice To Haves

• Consulting experience, ideally embedded with a client team that retained ownership of its strategy.
• Track record of turning complex ideas into frameworks or tools that other teams can use.

Responsibilities

• Partner with a Priority Initiative leader from initial point of view through strategy, resource planning, performance checks, and materials for partners and stakeholders, serving as a trusted thought partner.
• Direct research drawing on internal knowledge, external data, and experts to ground strategy in facts.
• Apply and refine strategic models, including audience engagement strategy, point-of-view development, and marginal analysis, to produce clear recommendations.
• Maintain shared standards for written materials and bring lessons from across Priority Initiatives into the work.
• Build trust with leaders outside the reporting line and maintain a well-reasoned independent perspective when there is pressure to align.
• Help develop standards, tools, and frameworks that teams can use to plan and assess their work.
• Set project goals and milestones, manage multiple threads, and communicate progress to stakeholders.

Benefits

• 6% 401(k) match with immediate vesting.
• Flexible time off.
• Comprehensive health and dental plans.
• Wellness and mental health support through Peloton and Talkspace.
• Potential additional bonus earnings that may represent a meaningful portion of total compensation.
• A non-hierarchical environment that supports employee growth and the discovery, development, and application of individual talents.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed