Senior Manager, Strategy & Office of the President
Description
Helen Keller Intl
Job Announcement
Senior Manager, Strategy & Office of the President
Location: Flex position based within a country where Helen Keller is a registered employer.
Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we ensure every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their potential.
Helen Keller Intl is seeking a Senior Manager, Strategy & Office of the President, to lead the activity of the President’s Office. Reporting directly to the CEO, this new position oversees a suite of services for the organization grounded in Helen Keller’s strategic planning and organizational performance management. They will focus on strategic planning and execution, governance, and management of key operational activities. This role requires someone who can not only manage individual tasks but can also influence and drive major changes across a complex, global organization. They need to work well with senior leadership and across teams, helping lead cultural and operational shifts.
Functional Relationships
The position will report to the CEO. This person will work closely with members of the Board of Trustees and Executive Leadership Team (ELT). They will also collaborate with global and country teams, especially Managing Directors overseeing country office portfolios, People & Culture (HR), and the units under the Chief Financial and Operating Officer to ensure strategy, performance and risk management are fully integrated across Helen Keller. This position also holds key relationships with Trustees, supporting effective agenda setting, performance monitoring, and board management.
Specific Responsibilities
Strategic Planning and Execution
- Lead the strategic planning process and oversee execution of an organizational Balanced Scorecard.
- Ensure organizational priorities are clearly defined and monitored, overseeing the development and monitoring of organizational performance metrics and reporting frameworks to track progress and ensure accountability.
- Facilitate quarterly reviews of strategic priorities with the ELT, Board of Trustees,
and organizational leaders synthesizing insights and identifying course-corrections
where needed.
- Coach leaders to translate high-level strategic initiatives into actionable operational
plans, roadmaps, and change initiatives, fostering alignment across global, regional,
and country teams.
- Lead change management efforts to support strategic shifts, ensuring staff
engagement, understanding, and adoption.
- Prepare clear, compelling communications and presentations to facilitate executive
decision-making and governance discussions.
- Oversee the integration of enterprise risk management processes into strategic
planning, enabling risk-informed decision-making at leadership and governance
levels.
- Support and lead internal communications efforts of the organization through
excellent storytelling about our organizational strategy and performance.
Analytics and Decision Support
- Leverage data, analytics, and performance tracking frameworks to drive evidencebased
decision-making and continuous improvement.
- Synthesize complex data into clear, actionable narratives for senior leadership and
Board reporting.
- Lead cross-functional learning that enables Helen Keller to reflect on evidence,
adapt plans in real time, and continuously improve results. Promote behaviors and
tools that empower teams at all levels to use data, reflect on progress, and iterate
strategy in alignment with organizational goals.
- Support business units across the organization to use information in decision making
through self-service strategies (e.g., dashboards, meeting guides, SharePoint sites)
- Lead or support special projects and operational improvement initiatives tied to the
strategic plan or ELT priorities.
Financial Modeling, Annual Planning, Budgeting
- Facilitate and continuously improve an integrated annual planning and budgeting
process in partnership with the Chief Financial and Operating Officer and
department leaders.
- Develop and oversee implementation of organizational planning guidance,
templates, and timelines to support coherence and accountability across all units.
- Provide training, coaching and support to colleagues to ensure uptake and use of
annual plans and budgets linked to global strategic priorities.
- In collaboration with the Chief Financial and Operating Officer, support building and
evolving internal capabilities for financial modeling, scenario planning, and multi-year
financial forecasting to strengthen strategic decision-making.
Strategic Council and Decision Support
- In partnership with the CEO, develop and maintain an agenda for executive level
discussions. This includes preparation and facilitation of materials.
- Partner with the Executive Leadership Team, internal audit and other leaders to
ensure alignment of risk appetite and response strategies.
- Oversee the support provided to the Board of Trustees including onboarding Board
members and coordinating and managing Board and Committee meetings, agendas,
and materials
- Coordinate and manage executive leadership meetings and agendas in
collaboration with other members of the President’s Offices to ensure meetings are
purposeful, well-structured, and outcome-driven engagement, timely decisionmaking,
and clear documentation of next steps and ownership.
- Oversee Office of the President’s project management support and coordination for
cross-functional strategic initiatives.
- Facilitate regular risk reviews with the Executive Leadership Team and other
leadership groups, supporting a strong risk culture and enabling timely mitigation
actions.
Organizational Leadership and Representation
- Build strong cross-functional relationships, demonstrating patience, responsiveness,
and a stakeholder-centric approach.
- Execute regular quality checks to ensure continuous improvement in efficiency and
effectiveness of the Office of the President.
- Instill an organizational focus on strong project management skills, starting with the
President’s Office.
- Promote innovation, professional growth, and alignment with Helen Keller’s values,
mission and strategic vision among colleagues
- Exercise sound judgment and decision-making skills, balancing strategic vision with
operational realities.
- Create and manage budgets with fiscal discipline.
- Network with other actors in the international development space to bring business
model innovations, effective organizational performance management practices, and
strong strategic planning to Helen Keller.
Other Duties
This job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of
activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may
change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any
additional tasks assigned by the supervisor.
Qualifications
For our team to be a great fit for you, the following qualifications should resonate with
you:
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Public
Policy, International Development, Organizational Development or a related field
preferred.
- Professional certifications related to enterprise risk management (e.g., CRM, CRMP,
CERA) or strategy (e.g., Balanced Scorecard Professional) are desirable.
- At least 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic planning,
organizational performance management, risk management, and/or business
transformation in nonprofit or international development settings. Management
consulting experience a plus.
- Demonstrated experience leading organizational strategic planning processes,
cross-functional initiatives, risk management, and change management efforts at
scale.
- Successful track record in guiding executive level decision making and presentation
of results to a Board of Trustees
- Strong ability to synthesize complex data into clear insights; experience with
dashboards and evidence-based planning to shape strategy and drive organizational
learning.
- Familiarity with budgeting, scenario planning, and financial modeling in collaboration
with finance teams.
- Experience supporting executive leadership and boards, managing cross-functional
initiatives, and coordinating high-level meetings and communications.
- Proven ability to influence across a matrixed, multicultural organization without direct
authority.
- Experience facilitating cross-functional annual planning and budgeting processes.
Ability to design user-centered tools (guidance, templates) to support planning,
budgeting, and accountability.
- Strong coaching and training skills to support plan adoption across departments and
countries.
- Expertise in strategy frameworks and change management methodologies.
- Demonstrated ability to design, manage, and continuously improve data-driven
systems for strategic planning, performance measurement, and decision support.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to interpret quantitative
and qualitative data to shape strategy and drive organizational learning.
- Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to translate complex
information into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.
- Demonstrated success building high-performing teams and fostering professional
growth.
- Highly proficient with MS Office Suite (especially PowerPoint and Excel); experience
with dashboard or data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) a plus.
- Excellent written and spoken English required; proficiency in French is highly
desirable.
- Ability and willingness to:
ο flex working hours to accommodate multiple time zones, as needed.
ο Travel to US- based offices occasionally
Compensation
The full-time annualized midpoint of the salary range for this position is $121,000. Helen
Keller offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health coverage, paid leave,
retirement savings with employer match, and professional development. Specific
offerings may vary by country in accordance with local laws.
Fairness, Belonging and Zero Tolerance to Abuse
As a member of the Helen Keller Family, each employee is expected to:
- Help to develop and maintain an environment that welcomes and develops a
multi-cultural workforce with varied lived experiences and identities.
- Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.
- Support employees’ evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and
performance.
- Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Helen
Keller family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we
serve.
- Follow Helen Keller Code of Conduct to prevent any type of abuse including
workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
- Adhere to Organizational Core Values.
To Apply
Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to
hki.recruitment@hki.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
In the spirit of the extraordinary ability and vision of our founder, Helen Keller Intl fosters
an environment of fairness and belonging for our workforce.
Helen Keller Intl is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to the principles
of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.