Fast Facts

StriveTogether is seeking a Senior Director of Programs and Strategy to lead the Pathways Impact Fund, focused on creating high-quality pathways for student success. This role involves strategic leadership and grantmaking to enhance equitable career pathways among grantees across the nation.

Responsibilities: Oversee the design and implementation of national grant strategies, coordinate technical assistance for grantees, and manage relationships with external partners to further the Fund's goals.

Skills: Strong project management and collaboration skills, deep understanding of career pathways, and exceptional communication abilities are crucial.

Qualifications: 10-15 years of experience leading national programs, with a focus on education, economic mobility, or cross-sector initiatives is preferred.

Location: Fully remote (US based) or hybrid (3 days per week) in downtown Cincinnati, with up to 30% travel required.

Compensation: $133000 - $180000 / Annually

Senior Director, Programs and Strategy - Pathways Impact Fund

About StriveTogether

StriveTogether is a national network of community partnerships that bring together neighbors, including youth and families, nonprofits, businesses, schools and more, to work toward a future where youth can thrive in their communities. Cradle to Career Network members change the way their communities work together by building connections, sharing resources and using data to put more young people on a path to economic mobility. Our work helps young people meet seven key life milestones so that they have the opportunities they need to reach their goals, and, ultimately, thrive.

StriveTogether team members are community supporters, difference makers and compassionate leaders. We are champions for every child and committed to personal and professional growth. We thrive by working entrepreneurially — embracing innovation, risk-taking and adaptability — in service of our bold mission. We pursue new opportunities while remaining responsive to a diverse and evolving group of stakeholders, including our network members, national partners and funders. Our team is energized by a dynamic, fluid environment and is committed to courage, progress and results as we work to improve life outcomes for all youth.

About you

You are a strategic and equity-driven leader with deep expertise in career pathways and a strong track record of designing and implementing impactful national programs, cross-sector partnerships and grantmaking strategies. You bring a sharp analytical mindset, exceptional project management skills, and the ability to translate vision into action.

You thrive in collaborative environments, building strong relationships with diverse partners—from funders and policymakers to local intermediaries and national networks. You’re passionate about advancing high-quality, equitable pathways for students and are energized by the opportunity to shape a new national initiative.

You’re also comfortable working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, where you can influence strategy, lead cross-functional initiatives, and build infrastructure from the ground up. You bring deep knowledge of high-quality career pathways and understand how to leverage data, learning infrastructures, and strategic grantmaking to deliver equitable outcomes.

You are a clear, persuasive communicator who can inspire action, build alignment, and drive results. Experience with fundraising, policy alignment, and technical assistance delivery are strong assets, as is familiarity with place-based work or the StriveTogether network.

About the position

The Pathways Impact Fund is a new fund that aims to drive student success by investing in regional intermediaries that are scaling high-quality pathways (with a focus on high school transition). With a commitment to supporting these intermediaries, the Fund plans to invest in communities, strengthen the coherence of national pathways activity and build field engagement around a clear definition of pathways and shared resources.

This position will be a senior leader, and the first hire to support the newly hired Executive Director to launch the Fund in 2025 and support the investment and grant distribution in place-based organizations. In the long term, the Senior Director of Programs and Strategy will build the support structures for the Pathways Impact Fund Network Grantees to achieve their goals, build their capacity, and develop a field-building network for the intermediaries and beyond.

The Director of Programs and Strategy will be responsible for co-designing, implementing, and overseeing the fund’s grantmaking strategy, technical assistance approach, and learning infrastructure. This leader will bring deep content expertise in career pathways, exceptional project management skills, and a strategic mindset to advance a more equitable, coherent national field. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Director will work closely with partners, grantees, and stakeholders to build the conditions for high-quality pathways and career outcomes for students. 

Responsibilities and Duties

Program Strategy and Implementation (35%)

• Lead the design and execution of PIF’s national grantmaking implementation strategy, aligned with the Pathways Commission’s vision and quality framework and ensuring grants to regional intermediaries advance high-quality, equitable career pathways. 
• Lead project planning, implementation timelines, and progress tracking across key program teams and initiatives aligned with Pathways Impact Fund and StriveTogether priorities
• Design and oversee a multi-year technical assistance (TA) strategy for grantees, including coordination of coaching, convenings, and communities of practice that is responsive to grantee needs and adaptive to evolving needs and Commission priorities
• Contribute to strategic planning cycles, organizational learning, and refinement of PIF’s theory of action for grantee capacity building and impact
• Manage relationships with external vendors, consultants, and partner organizations to identify SMEs, relevant research, resources and support structures
• Collaborate with policy/advocacy partners to align program strategy with emerging federal and state policy opportunities. 
• Provide strategic support and insights to the ongoing development and execution of PIF’s national grantmaking strategy based on grantee and network learnings
• Serve as a key liaison to Pathways Impact Funders on project progress and milestones, effectively involving in the process as needed
• Ensure programmatic operations are well-documented, efficient, and aligned to strategic goals. 

Field & Network Building (35%)

• Conceptualize and lead alongside the Executive Director the vision and strategy for the greater Pathways network 
• Design and oversee a multi-year technical assistance (TA) strategy for network members, including coordination of coaching, convenings, and communities of practice that is responsive to network member needs and adaptive to evolving needs and Commission priorities
• Contribute to strategic planning cycles, organizational learning, and refinement of PIF’s theory of action for network member capacity building and impact
• Manage relationships with external vendors, consultants, and partner organizations to identify SMEs, relevant research, resources and support structures
• Collaborate with policy/advocacy partners to align program strategy with emerging federal and state policy opportunities. 
• Ensure programmatic operations are well-documented, efficient, and aligned to strategic goals
• Represent PIF in national conversations about pathways quality, equity, and field-building
• Serve as a thought partner to regional grantees, national intermediaries, and public/private funders
• Support the Executive Director in donor cultivation and proposal development as needed

Evaluation & Data (25%)

• Partner with research and data vendors to establish shared metrics and quality standards for credentials, work-based learning, advising, and other pathway elements
• Use disaggregated data and learning insights to establish cycles of improvement, guide decision-making, inform stakeholders, and surface effective strategies
• Build and support a national learning infrastructure that curates, disseminates, and elevates best practices across the field
• Partner with research and data analytics vendors to track and elevate national pathways progress, policies and impact
• Develop and lead a strategy to solicit, track, evaluate, and report grantee and field-level outcomes alongside StriveTogether program team members (i.e. grants, data analytics, etc.)

StriveTogether Organizational Responsibilities (5%)

• Adhere to company policies and procedures
• Devise plans and assist in execution of emerging strategic initiatives that require timely and complex action
• Participate in staff meetings, organizational trainings, cross-functional teams and interview processes
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications and Skills

Required Qualifications

• Proven success leading, designing and supporting multi-year national programs, cross-sector collaboratives, grants, initiatives or systems change strategies in the education, workforce, or economic mobility fields 
• Strong project management, facilitation, and cross-functional collaboration skills in a fast-faced and scaling organization, with a key focus on effective stakeholder learning, alignment building, project plan development, communication, and management of others (funders, staff, vendors, consultants, partners) 
• Able to take a vision and execute it with limited direction by identifying the steps, the cross-functional context, and influence and manage relevant stakeholders to achieve time-bound goals; exceptional coordinator and collaborator in cross-functional environments 
• Understanding of the intersection of grantmaking, field strategy, and learning infrastructure
• Deep knowledge of the components of high-quality career pathways (e.g., dual enrollment, work-based learning, advising)
• Experience using data and evaluation to track progress, evaluate programs, drive learning, continuous improvement, and equitable outcomes. 
• Results driven, and effective problem solver who brings a solution-oriented mindset; operates with a curious and reflective approach
• Inspiring and clear communicator, both written and verbal, that can inspire and influence grantees, funders, internal Stakeholders and the broader ecosystem

Preferred Qualifications

• 10 – 15+ years of relevant experience, ideally leading multi-stakeholder initiatives that lead to systemic outcomes 
• Experience building programs and grant processes from the ground level and working directly with organizational funders 
• Experience working in collective impact, field-building or place-based work, or within the StriveTogether organization or network and/or experience in buildingtechnical assistance frameworks, includingcoaching, convenings, andcommunities of practice
• Prior fundraising experience ideally in portfolio management and investor relations
• Prior policy experience to align grantmaking and field support with federal or state initiatives

Location and Work Requirements

• Ability to effectively use remote work technology, including Slack, Zoom and other technology
• This role can be fully remote (US based) or hybrid (3 days per week) based out of StriveTogether’s downtown Cincinnati headquarters
• Up to 30% travel required for StriveTogether team meetings, convenings, grantee visits, and national engagements

Compensation and Benefits

This is an exempt role. StriveTogether’s salary structure includes a geographic differential based on a candidate's location. To give candidates a sense to potential total compensation, we offer the following guidance.

• For candidates living in locations approximating the national average for cost of labor, which is similar to that of Cincinnati where we are headquartered, the base salary range for this role is $133-150k. 
• For candidates living in locations with moderately higher cost of labor relative to the national average, which include cities such as Chicago and Dallas, a candidate can example total compensation to be in the range of $147-165k. 
• For candidates living in very high cost of labor markets, such as Washington DC and Los Angeles, candidates can expect total compensation to be in the range is $160-180k. 
• For candidates offered an initial interview with our team, we can answer questions about the cost of labor at that time. 

StriveTogether is committed to fair compensation practices. To ensure consistency, salaries are determined based on the readiness for the position, market competitiveness and fair pay structures across the team. As a matter of policy, StriveTogether makes a best and final offer and does not negotiate.

StriveTogether also provides competitive benefits and professional development opportunities including:

• 15 days paid time off with an additional four personal days, eleven holidays and a five-day break at the end of the year. PTO increases to twenty days after five years and staff members can apply for sabbatical in their seventh year of employment.
• Competitive health and dental benefits with up to $2,500 contribution from the organization for HSA for HDHP participants.
• Automatic 3% employer contribution to retirement plan and up to another 1% based on a total of 5% employee contribution.
• Options for professional development internally and externally including webinars, conferences and trainings.
• Paid parental leave.
• 100% paid vision, short-term and long-term disability, basic life insurance and access to Employee Assistance Program.
• Cell phone, internet and $250 yearly home office stipend 

Application and Interview Process

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a target start date in Fall 2025. Please include a cover letter with your application. The process below is reflective of the typical process but may adjust slightly based on need and timing.

• Submit online application with cover letter 
• Phone screen
• Hiring manager interview
• Performance task (time compensated by StriveTogether)
• Panel interview
• Reference checks

We encourage candidates to apply by August 11 for their application to be considered.

If you need assistance completing your application or require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the interview process due to a disability or another reason protected by law, we are committed to ensuring an inclusive process and are here to help. Please contact us at px@strivetogether.org.

StriveTogether seeks to bring in a talented and engaged workforce from a range of backgrounds. We recognize that you may not have an exact match with every qualification for this role, and that's okay — we encourage you to apply. We value unique experiences and perspectives, and we welcome your application.

Equal Opportunity Employer

StriveTogether provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, domestic partnership status, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

StriveTogether participates in the E-Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Learn more about your rights and responsibilities under E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov