Director, Strategy

Job Title: Director, Strategy

Team: Strategy

Location: In-Person in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Newark (NJ), or New York City (NYC) 

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Start Date: ASAP

About Braven

Braven is a career-accelerating program that prepares promising young people—many of whom are people of color, from low income backgrounds, and the first in their families to attend college—to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation. 

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students followed by support that lasts through graduation.  

Together, we are helping to open up access to the American Promise, empowering a generation of leaders who mirror the diversity of our country.

To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Impact Report and Jobs Report.

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Director, Strategy who will work closely with the CEO and senior management team to set overall strategic direction for the organization and lead initiatives important to our short-term and long-term financial, operational and scale goals.

You will design and deliver the strategic building blocks of transformational and sustainable growth and manage a portfolio of strategic projects that drives tangible impact. You will lead cross-functional team members and manage outside consultants and provide leadership to execute on high priority initiatives.

This role is on the Strategy team and reports directly to the Chief Strategy Officer.

What You’ll Do 

Strategy (40%)

• Lead the development, communication, and execution of the organization's short-term and long-term strategic plans, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
• Conduct thorough market research and competitive analysis to identify trends, opportunities, and potential threats and provide insights and recommendations to inform strategic decision-making.
• Collaborate with the executive team to identify and evaluate new business opportunities and partnerships that align with the company's strategic goals.

Execution (40%)

• Facilitate working groups that drive our strategic plan to execution, codifying decisions and next steps, reporting progress to the Braven’s leadership and making recommendations for how to unlock. 
• Identify and assess potential risks and challenges associated with strategic initiatives. Develop mitigation plans to address and minimize risks.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the success of strategic initiatives.

Leadership and mentoring (20%)

• Build relationships with organization stewards to understand their priorities and context while investing them in our vision for cross-functional collaboration.
• Build and lead a high-performing strategy team providing mentorship and guidance to team members, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• At least five (5) years of relevant experience in transformation, strategy, and project management/delivery
• Professional experience leading strategy engagements and teams
• Proven track record of data driven decision making and successful completion of engagements

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or business degree
• Highly entrepreneurial and curious with the ability to take initiative and think holistically and strategically
• Capacity to build trusted and credible relationships with multiple stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to influence and motivate others.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and work in cross functional team structures.
• Effectively mentor/coach team members and help them develop professionally.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and have prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in person in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Newark (NJ), or New York City (NYC) at least 3 days per week
• Ability to travel out-of-town 3-6 times/year for quarterly team meetings and other gatherings 

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of such by the date of hire. Individuals may claim exemption from the vaccine requirement for medical or religious reasons.

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Performance Task & Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position, which depends on prior work experience and our assessment of your demonstrated fit for the role, will likely be between $95,500-$119,300 in Atlanta, $100,400-$125,500 in Chicago, and $110,500-$138,100 in New York/Newark. Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking. You will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the application process.

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: 

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Location

We gather in the office at least 3 days per week (on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) and often work remotely 2 days per week (although certain commitments might adjust that from time to time). Therefore, we require teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Atlanta, Chicago, Newark, or New York City. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

At Braven, we are committed to attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining a diverse team. Braven operates in the context of our American culture, against the backdrop of systemic racism and oppression of marginalized people since our country’s founding. We are committed to assembling leaders at our organization who have emerged from everywhere, with a particular emphasis on those who share the racial and income backgrounds of our Fellows, and creating an inclusive culture that allows all teammates, of all experiences and identities, to thrive.  

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.  We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.