At The Obama Foundation, our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world.  We seek to build an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play. Right here on the South Side of Chicago, we’re building a home for this vision, a global center for change with a range of opportunities - coordinated programming, community outreach events, educational moments, and more - that invite visitors from down the block or across the globe to turn hope into action.

Achieving our ambitious goals starts with an exceptional team built on our Hope to Action Values - Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope. A Framework that anyone, anywhere, can use to build trust, activate participation, and expand opportunity in their community.

Purpose of the Role

The Deputy Director for Global Leadership Programs, Asia-Pacific Lead reports to the Director, Leaders Program and plays an integral role in leading the design and implementation of the Leaders Asia-Pacific program in service of the Obama Foundation��s mission to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Program Management: Design, implement, and manage Leaders Asia-Pacific programming, both virtual and in-person. Collaborate with Global Leadership Programs and Strategic Learning team members to refine a shared values-driven leadership development curriculum that incorporates equity in the design process and is customized for regional audiences and contexts. Align program content and design elements across all Obama Leaders programs, sharing best practices and resources for virtual, hybrid, and in-person programming. Provide rationale for appropriate regional differentiations. 

• Participant Selection: Implement the application and selection process for the Leaders Asia-Pacific program. Lead the review and selection of an inclusive, diverse, highly skilled cohort of emerging leaders. Refine the process after each application cycle. 

• Global Leadership Programs Collaboration: Work closely with the Impact and Insights Team to evaluate program impact. Actively bring ideas for operational improvements and provide feedback to the Program Operations team. Serve as an active member of the Managers sub-team, working collaboratively across program verticals to learn from each other and identify operational efficiencies.

• Obama Presidential Center (OPC) Partnership: Identify opportunities for collaboration with newly opened Obama Presidential Center, that includes bringing in key linkages with campus to curriculum on the Leaders Asia-Pacific program, and an ability to bring in learning from campus-based assets to both virtual, hybrid programming in region, and in person programming on campus for global audiences. 

• Cross-Team Collaboration: Actively seek early input from and partnership with Foundation departments (e.g., Marketing and Communications, Product + Tech, Legal, Obama Presidential Center, broader Program team). Contribute to communications materials for donors, the board, the general public, and other stakeholders. Support Development through programming opportunities and conversations with donors and prospects. Work with Finance, Legal, Procurement, and other infrastructure teams early and often on operational changes and/or challenges in a spirit of partnership.

• External Partnerships: Build and maintain partnerships with a broad set of organizations, institutions, and individuals, both inside and outside of the region, to build networks that support the execution of shared strategies and programming. Serve as regional representative and internal liaison regarding issues and relationships in Asia-Pacific.

• Vendor Management: Research and identify program speakers, facilitators, consultants, and other partners (with an emphasis on thought leaders from the region). Facilitate the timely and successful completion of delegated activities and deliverables by vendors. Ensure that contracts are accurate and adhere to the guidelines and requirements established by Legal, Procurement, and other relevant departments.

• Alumni Engagement: Contribute to the design and implementation of the alumni engagement strategy in collaboration with the Obama Leadership Network team. Support the integration of program alumni into related activities. Assist with alumni relationship management efforts and programming. When possible, support