Vice President, Strategy and Planning

Oakland Zoo•Oakland, CA

3d•$156,410 - $181,500•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President, Strategy and Planning is a strategic business partner to Oakland Zoo’s CEO and leadership team, responsible for aligning the Zoo’s Organizational Strategy, Conservation Strategic Plan, developing Welfare Strategy, Measure Y strategy, and long-range planning into a coherent direction. The role translates long-term commitments into annual organizational and departmental goals, supports timely and informed leadership decisions, and maintains visibility into progress for the CEO, leadership team, and Board. The Vice President supervises the Project Manager, Strategy & Planning, and brings leaders and stakeholders together to advance the Zoo’s priorities. The position leads workstreams for the Zoo-wide Organizational Strategy, Measure Y planning and implementation, and long-range planning, including campus planning and the related long-range financial outlook. It also designs and runs the annual goal-planning cycle, coordinates with Finance and People & Culture on alignment among goals, budgets, and staffing, and facilitates leadership and board processes and follow-up. The position combines office-based work with occasional presence at construction sites, outdoor areas, and guest-facing spaces throughout the Zoo. Work may involve varied weather and uneven terrain. The schedule is standard business hours with some flexibility; limited remote work may be available after an evaluation period, subject to ongoing performance assessments. Occasional weekend and holiday work may be needed.

Requirements

At least 12 years of professional experience, including at least 8 years leading organization-wide strategy, planning, or cross-functional initiatives of moderate to high complexity.
Deep expertise in strategic planning and working knowledge of organizational operations, long-range planning, and change management.
Demonstrated experience integrating multiple plans or strategies into a coherent direction with goals, metrics, and progress tracking.
Proven ability to advise and influence senior executive teams and lead through influence without direct authority.
Strong facilitation and communication skills, including experience leading executive meetings, strategic planning processes, and Board engagements.
Experience designing and running organizational and departmental goal-setting processes.
Experience supervising and developing staff.
Experience in a nonprofit, public, or mission-driven organization, including work with a governing board.
Ability to work occasional weekends and holidays when needed.
Ability to move through Zoo grounds and perform sustained computer-based administrative and analytical work using standard or assistive technology for extended periods.
Ability to bend and twist, lift and carry objects weighing up to 35 pounds, and stand, kneel, sit, walk, bend, and stoop occasionally during an eight-hour shift.
Analytical and conceptual aptitude for organizational strategy and planning, with awareness of equity, inclusion, accessibility, and cultural relevance.
Ability to communicate respectfully and effectively, verbally and in writing, with stakeholders across identities.
Ability to collect and interpret clean data and detect patterns.
Ability to adapt to evolving priorities and urgent needs and handle intervals of high pressure.
Ability to foster mutual respect, transparency, collaboration, and belonging.
Inclusive facilitation skills, including balancing inclusion and timing and adjusting or pivoting when needed.
Ability to mentor, advise, and develop people across identities, with cultural responsiveness, self-awareness about implicit bias, and understanding of organizational power dynamics.
Strong attention to detail and ability to build or maintain efficient systems.
Ability to represent and model Oakland Zoo’s mission and PRIDE values.
Ability to prioritize and advance multiple high-profile, complex projects while adapting to changing organizational needs.
Ability to build and maintain trusting relationships and mutually beneficial partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
Self-motivation, attention to detail, and ability to manage simultaneous tasks and deadlines without regular supervision.
Open-minded, strengths-based, solution-oriented approach to complex challenges.
Commitment to Oakland Zoo’s mission and values and to developing sustainable practices.
Understanding of the Zoo’s animal conservation and welfare mission, with willingness to reflect it in work and continue learning how to take action for wildlife.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s or advanced degree in business administration, public administration, organizational development, or a related field.
Experience with public funding frameworks, such as voter-approved tax measures, or with grant management or accreditation processes.
Experience with campus, facilities, or capital master planning.
Experience in a zoo, aquarium, museum, or conservation organization.
Experience leading system implementations or large-scale internal initiatives.

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic thought partner to the CEO and leadership team, supporting alignment and follow-through on key priorities.
Frame issues, options, and tradeoffs to support timely, well-informed leadership decisions.
Build cross-functional collaboration and foster clear communication between leadership and staff about strategy, priorities, and progress.
Integrate the Organizational Strategy, Conservation Strategic Plan, and Welfare Strategy so their goals, timelines, and resource needs align.
Assess other strategic efforts for alignment; identify overlaps, gaps, and conflicts between plans and bring them to the appropriate leaders for resolution.
Support development of the Welfare Strategy and maintain an integrated view of strategic commitments, owners, and milestones.
Lead implementation of the Zoo-wide Organizational Strategy, including progress tracking, accountability, and alignment with institutional goals.
Develop and manage performance metrics for strategic initiatives, report progress to the CEO, leadership team, and Board, and drive follow-through with initiative owners.
Facilitate periodic reviews and refreshes of the Organizational Strategy as the Zoo’s needs and strategic efforts change.
Design and run the annual organizational and departmental goal-planning cycle, including its calendar, guidance, and tools.
Coach department leaders in setting annual goals connected to current and developing strategies while department leaders retain ownership of their goals.
Coordinate with Finance and People & Culture so goals, budgets, and staffing plans inform one another; facilitate regular progress reviews and keep goals visible throughout the year.
Lead Measure Y planning and implementation, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and financial accountability.
Convene Finance and department leaders to develop multi-year priorities for Measure Y funds and facilitate recommendations to the CEO.
Partner with Finance to track Measure Y fund use against plan and support reporting to the Board, City of Oakland, and community.
Lead long-range planning, including campus planning and the supporting long-range financial outlook; convene participants and keep the process on schedule.
Ensure campus planning reflects the Zoo’s strategies and available funding, including Measure Y, and integrate long-range planning into annual goals.
Plan and facilitate leadership team meetings and coordinate Board meeting preparation with the CEO, including agendas, materials, and coordination with necessary parties.
Track and drive follow-up actions from leadership and Board meetings; support communication and change management that help staff adapt to strategic shifts.
Hire, supervise, develop, and oversee performance management of the Project Manager, Strategy & Planning.
Perform other related duties as required and assigned.