COMPANY OVERVIEW

Our client is an independent philanthropy with a singular purpose: advancing the discovery and sharing of scientific knowledge to benefit humanity. Founded in 1953 and recognized worldwide as a foremost biomedical research organization, the institute invests in people rather than projects, empowering exceptionally talented researchers, educators, and students to pursue transformative breakthroughs. Its culture is defined by six core values, excellence, collaboration, innovation, integrity, inclusion, and accountability, and its commitment to an open and equitable future for science has earned it a 2023 FAIME Award for workplace inclusion alongside ongoing recognition as a leading destination for mission-driven professionals. With more than 30 current or former supported scientists having earned Nobel Prizes, the institute’s impact on human health and scientific understanding is unmatched. As the organization continues to evolve and scale its operational infrastructure, it is seeking a Strategic Initiatives Lead to help translate its highest priorities into sustained, measurable results.

POSITION OVERVIEW

This is a rare opportunity to sit at the intersection of strategy and execution for one of the world’s most respected scientific institutions. As the Strategic Initiatives Lead, you will serve as a trusted operational partner to the President, Chief Operating Officer, and senior leadership team, owning the institute’s most complex, cross-functional initiatives from concept through stabilization. The role carries exceptional visibility: you will be in the room when institutional priorities are set, shape how leadership frames critical decisions, and build the coalitions that translate direction into action across every major department. For a high-impact strategist ready to move beyond traditional project management, this role offers a career-defining platform. The breadth of the work spans enterprise systems transformation, people strategy, communications campaigns, and operational redesign, meaning no two quarters look alike and your portfolio grows with the institution. Finally, as a practitioner and advocate within the institute’s EverydayAI initiative, you will be at the forefront of how AI-assisted tools are reshaping organizational excellence, positioning you as a leader in both institutional strategy and modern delivery.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Initiative Leadership

• Lead end-to-end delivery of complex, cross-functional initiatives spanning people strategy, enterprise systems, operational redesign, and institution-wide engagement, from initial scoping through implementation and long-term stabilization.

• Translate broad strategic objectives into clear scope, timelines, deliverables, and measurable success criteria, applying systems thinking to anticipate and manage cross-functional impacts.

• Identify and address risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs proactively, developing mitigation strategies and escalating issues before they become blockers.

• Drive disciplined scope management while maintaining the flexibility required in dynamic environments where priorities shift as institutional needs evolve.

Senior Leadership Support

• Serve as an operational partner to the COO and senior leaders on the institution’s most complex initiatives, providing analytical support, strategic framing, and execution management for work that directly advances institutional priorities.

• Prepare briefing documents, options analyses, and executive-ready presentation materials for Cabinet and other senior forums, enabling well-informed leadership decision-making.

• Anticipate leadership needs and take initiative between formal touchpoints, reducing the burden on senior leaders to direct day-to-day execution.

Stakeholder Engagement and Reporting

• Build coalitions and create shared accountability across teams that do not share reporting lines, navigating organizational complexity to drive coordinated action across headquarters and research campus.

• Facilitate workshops, working sessions, and decision forums that move initiatives forward, ensuring discussions lead to clear and actionable outcomes.

• Design and maintain reporting cadences that give leadership clear visibility into initiative status, risks, outcomes, and interdependencies, tailored to audiences from working teams to executive dashboards.

Change Adoption and Innovation

• Develop and implement stakeholder engagement and change adoption strategies that account for the unique culture and operating rhythms of a research-focused institution.

• Champion the use of AI-assisted project management tools and digital capabilities to enhance planning, analysis, communication, and decision support across the operational portfolio.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• A demonstrated track record of successfully delivering high-stakes, cross-functional initiatives in matrixed or similarly complex organizations, with measurable outcomes that advanced institutional or business priorities.

• A minimum of five years of progressive experience leading complex initiatives from planning through implementation, including enterprise-wide system implementations or large-scale transformation efforts spanning people, process, and technology.

• Proven experience supporting C-suite or senior executive leaders on high-priority strategic and operational work, including preparing materials, framing decisions, and managing execution on their behalf.

• Demonstrated experience in strategy execution, operational transformation, process redesign, or organizational change management.

• Strong knowledge of Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid project management methodologies, with the ability to design audience-appropriate executive and portfolio reporting.

• High comfort operating in ambiguous environments, shaping emerging concepts into executable plans, and influencing teams without direct authority.

Preferred

• Experience implementing ERP systems such as Workday, SAP, Oracle, or comparable enterprise platforms.

• Background in higher education, research, nonprofit, or mission-driven institutions.

• PMP, PgMP, or equivalent project management certification.

• Curiosity about and working familiarity with generative AI tools and their application to project planning, analysis, and communication.

APPLY NOW

If you are ready to make a meaningful impact and take your career to the next level, we would love to hear from you. Apply now and a member of Talentfoot’s recruitment team will be in touch should your track record of success, experience, skills, and qualifications match our client’s requirements.

ABOUT TALENTFOOT

Talentfoot Executive Search specializes in future proofing organizations by securing forward-thinking leaders across sales, marketing, eCommerce, product, data, operations, finance, and technology with a track record of accelerating growth, innovation and profitability. Since 2010, we have partnered with more than 2,500 companies and lead the industry with a 98% client success rate. Learn more at Talentfoot.com