Managing Director, Strategy & Operations

Managing Director, Strategy & OperationsAbout the CompanyThriving private research universityIndustryHigher EducationTypeEducational InstitutionFounded1900Employees5001-10,000CategoriesEducationCarnegie Mellon UniversityHigher EducationUniversitiesSpecialtieshigher educationresearchroboticsartsbusinessengineeringsciencehumanitiescomputer sciencepublic policyinformation systemsartificial intelligenceaiand healthAbout the RoleThe Company is seeking a Managing Director for Strategy and Operations to play a pivotal role in the organization's growth and impact. This senior leadership position is responsible for translating the company's bold vision into coordinated execution, ensuring strategic alignment, and driving organizational planning. The successful candidate will oversee major program and platform operations, manage relationships with funders and institutional partners, and lead a team to achieve meaningful, scalable outcomes. Key responsibilities include fostering a collaborative and inclusive organizational culture, leading multi-year strategic and operational planning, and maintaining strong systems for planning, workflow, and decision-making. The role also involves financial and resource management, partnership and stakeholder engagement, and leading organization-wide risk management. The ideal candidate will be an inspiring and execution-oriented leader with a strong background in program strategy, operations, or executive management, particularly in higher education, research, start-up, or nonprofit environments. They should have an advanced degree in a relevant field and at least 10 years of experience, with a proven track record in leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives. The role requires exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship management skills, as well as experience with grant-funding, financial, and contractual management. A commitment to equity, learning, and innovation in education is essential, as is the ability to listen, learn, and respond to feedback. High levels of technology fluency and familiarity with the shared governance model in higher education are strong assets.Hiring Manager TitleExecutive DirectorTravel PercentLess than 10%FunctionsStrategyBusiness DevelopmentGeneral Management