Vice President of Strategy & Operations

Commonwealth Corporation • Boston, MA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Commonwealth Corporation is seeking a Vice President of Strategy and Operations to serve as a key member of the leadership team and a close strategic partner to the President and CEO. The Vice President will help translate CommCorp’s priorities into action, strengthen organizational effectiveness, and ensure that important cross-functional initiatives move forward with clarity, accountability, and follow-through. This is a highly collaborative, hands-on role for an experienced leader who enjoys solving complex organizational problems and making things happen. The Vice President will lead CommCorp’s internal strategic planning and performance management processes, coordinate major cross-functional initiatives, support the effectiveness of the executive and leadership teams, and directly manage a team of at least five staff leaders across a portfolio of agency-wide functions, which may include Human Resources, Marketing, Community Engagement, Research, Data and Evaluation, Information Technology, and Innovation. The role will also contribute to business development, Board engagement, and external stakeholder relationships. The ideal candidate is a strong generalist and experienced people leader who can move comfortably between strategy and execution: someone who can analyze a complicated problem, develop a practical approach, bring the right people together, establish clear accountability, and stay engaged until the work is done. The Vice President will report directly to the President and CEO and will work closely with leaders across CommCorp to advance organizational priorities. This position offers an opportunity to have broad impact on a mission-driven organization at an important moment in its evolution, helping build the systems, processes, and organizational capabilities that will enable CommCorp to deliver greater impact for Massachusetts workers and employers.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressively responsible professional experience, including experience leading teams and managing complex, cross-functional initiatives
• Experience managing and developing staff, including responsibility for setting priorities, providing feedback, and supporting performance
• Experience in strategy, operations, management consulting, organizational effectiveness, or a similarly complex, cross-functional environment
• Strong interest in public service and a demonstrated commitment to advancing economic mobility, equity, and opportunity for Massachusetts residents
• Intellectually curious, highly organized, comfortable with ambiguity, and energized by solving complex problems and turning ideas into action
• Strategic thinking and judgment: Ability to understand complex organizational issues, identify the most important questions and priorities, and develop practical recommendations. Exercises sound judgment and knows when to seek input, make a decision, or escalate an issue
• Execution and follow-through: Exceptional ability to turn priorities and decisions into action. Establishes clear owners, milestones, and deadlines; anticipates barriers; and persistently follows through to completion
• Project leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and dependencies, from initial problem definition through implementation
• Analytical problem-solving: Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills and the ability to synthesize information from multiple sources, identify patterns and implications, and communicate clear conclusions and recommendations
• Organizational effectiveness and collaboration: Strong understanding of how organizations, teams, processes, and systems work together. Builds trust across teams, navigates differing perspectives, creates alignment, and identifies opportunities to improve efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness
• Communication and external presence: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex issues into clear, compelling messages and represent CommCorp with credibility and professionalism to executives, Board members, government leaders, funders, employers, and other stakeholders
• People leadership and adaptability: Demonstrated ability to manage, develop, and motivate a team of leaders while setting clear expectations, providing candid feedback, and fostering accountability and high performance. Thrives in a dynamic environment, moves comfortably between strategic and tactical work, and remains effective when priorities evolve or information is incomplete
• CORI background checks

Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to define, advance, and monitor CommCorp’s strategic priorities
• Lead the agency’s internal strategic planning process, including development of the strategic plan on an 18–24 month cycle and ongoing tracking of progress
• Establish clear systems for tracking major organizational priorities, decisions, commitments, owners, and deadlines, ensuring that important decisions translate into action
• Help lead effective executive, leadership, and internal operations meeting cadences, ensuring that meetings support decision-making, accountability, and execution
• Coordinate complex cross-functional initiatives that require collaboration across programs and corporate functions
• Provide the CEO and executive team with analysis, recommendations, and decision support on organizational priorities and emerging issues
• Directly manage at least five staff leaders and provide clear direction, coaching, performance management, and professional development to support a high-performing team
• Provide leadership and oversight for a portfolio of agency-wide functions, which could include Human Resources; Marketing; Community Engagement; Research, Data and Evaluation; Information Technology; and/or Innovation
• Work with functional leaders to establish priorities, align resources, address challenges, and ensure that their teams are effectively supporting CommCorp’s strategic and operational goals
• Foster strong coordination across corporate functions and between corporate and program teams, breaking down silos and ensuring that the organization operates as an integrated whole
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational processes, systems, and ways of working, and lead high-priority improvement initiatives from diagnosis through implementation
• Lead enterprise-wide projects such as strengthening professional development and performance management processes, improving people-related processes, evaluating systems enhancements, and expanding automation and use of data
• Establish project plans, decision points, milestones, and accountability structures for major initiatives
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, clear ownership, accountability, and follow-through across the organization
• Partner with the CEO and senior leadership to develop and execute CommCorp’s business development strategy, including identifying opportunities with government, philanthropic, and other partners
• Coordinate CommCorp’s responses to strategic federal and philanthropic funding opportunities, working with program and corporate teams to develop strong proposals
• Help hold programs and departments accountable for business development goals and execution
• Develop relationships with prospective funders, partners, and other stakeholders and represent CommCorp in external meetings when appropriate
• Support the CEO in responding to inquiries from organizations and individuals seeking to understand or partner with CommCorp
• Support the CEO in preparing for and engaging with CommCorp’s Board of Directors and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, including meeting preparation, materials, follow-up, and execution of Board priorities
• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO, bringing independent judgment, candor, analytical rigor, and a strong bias toward action
• Take on additional strategic and operational priorities as needed, particularly where senior-level coordination and follow-through can accelerate organizational progress

Benefits

• medical insurance
• HRA (Health Reimbursement Account) (Employer pays first 75% of participant deductible expenses)
• dental insurance (80% employer / 20% employee)
• vision insurance
• 13 paid holidays plus 1 floating holiday
• 4 weeks accrued paid vacation per year
• generous paid sick time
• Short-Term Disability
• Long-Term Disability and AD&D Insurance
• life insurance up to $250K
• pre-tax parking and commuter benefits (debit card)
• Health Flexible Spending Account (debit card)
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

What This Job Offers

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