Sr. Director, Strategic People Initiatives

At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to eliminate the back row in education – and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class digital education at scale. As the parent company of edX, the world’s leading online learning platform, 2U powers more than 4,000 online higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with more than 230 colleges, universities, and corporate partners, we are helping to unlock human potential.

What We’re Looking For:

2U is seeking a Senior Director, Strategic People Initiatives. The individual will provide direct support to our Chief People Officer (CPO) as part of the People leadership team. The role will be responsible for project management, operational support, and planning in support of the CPO’s priorities and initiatives and will have a high level of exposure across the team and with executive leadership, including the CEO, CFO, and Chief Legal Officer.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

Project Management/Operations

• Manage and coordinate a variety of priorities and projects on time and on budget, as assigned by the CPO. 
• Support and partner on projects led by others on the People team, including the People SLT, to ensure they remain in line with the CPO’s priorities, broader team goals and are delivered on time and on budget. Examples of projects include systems/reporting alignment with Finance and continued evolution of the HR organization structure allowing for excellent service delivery by COEs and Business Partners.
• Identify initiatives or projects that need additional support or are not tracking as they should be and proactively problem solve.
• Proactively identify strategic opportunities to add value, solve problems and address the needs of the business and propose and deliver tangible solutions.
• Coordinate across HR to execute annual planning, projects and budget. 
• Work closely with the CPO to ensure consistent and clear communication to team members and to set agendas for leadership and all-hands meetings.
• Collaborate with a diverse set of leaders and stakeholders throughout the business to deliver upon the CPO/people team’s goals. 
• Manage the hiring approval process for the team.

Communications

• Support development of communications and presentations on behalf of the CPO, often in partnership with the corporate communications team. Types of content or presentations include decks for team-wide meetings, content for exec and leadership calls, materials for quarterly board of directors updates and committee meetings, etc.
• Ensure the CPO’s priorities are effectively communicated to the appropriate stakeholders.

Budget 

• Lead the annual budget process by coordinating across the People Team to ensure that business needs are accounted for and that the People Team budget aligns to the company’s financial goals
• Manage the monthly and yearly budget process including accruals, budget management, resource allocation and planning.

Executive Briefings/Follow-Up 

• In partnership with the CPO’s executive assistant, ensure the CPO is briefed and well-prepared for all events, projects and meetings and the appropriate expectations are set.
• Identify any action items or outstanding issues from meetings or events and ensure a plan is in place for their completion.

Things That Should Be In Your Background:

• 7-10 years work experience 
• Experience working in fast-moving, global matrix organization
• Experience in project management, communications, and/or change management
• Ability to work in both team and individual contributor settings
• Ability to handle multiple responsibilities and tasks concurrently
• Ability to independently communicate and report initiative, and project status to corporate executives
• Strong problem solving skills
• Strong work ethic with a “can do” positive attitude
• Authentic focus on the importance of people and culture
• Solid organizational skills with a laser-focused eye for detail
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Flexible and able to multitask, switch priorities as needed within a collaborative environment
• A desire to remain and grow in this role for at least two years

We are looking for candidates who live in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area and who are available to come into our Headquarters in Lanham, MD two days a week.

Benefits & Culture

Our global employee base is a diverse collection of innovators, dreamers, and doers working together to transform lives through higher education. We believe that every employee can adv