Manager, Strategic Operations, Common Ground USA

Team Summary
Common Ground USA (CG-USA) supports collaboration across differences to address our most significant challenges and to build an America where we can all belong and thrive. As an initiative of Search for Common Ground, we have 40 years’ experience in conflict settings worldwide, and know that disagreement is an opportunity to transform conflict into cooperation. It is how we can solve our most challenging problems. We know that most Americans want to overcome the divisions we face in our society. We know it takes courage – and that everyone has a role to play.
Position Summary
The Manager, Strategic Operations serves as a trusted advisor to the Executive Director, ensuring operational excellence, strategic alignment, and seamless coordination across teams. This role combines high-level administrative and strategic and operational support to the Executive Director, ensuring efficiency in daily operations and advancing organizational goals through hands-on execution. The ideal candidate is a proactive problem solver and strategic thinker who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

Key Responsibilities

Administrative Support
• Manages the Executive Director’s inbox, prioritizing communications, drafting responses, and directing emails as needed.
• Organizes and manages calendars, schedules, and appointments, ensuring seamless coordination and preparation.
• Coordinates travel arrangements and logistics for in-person and virtual meetings.
• Prepares and reconciles expense reports with accuracy and timeliness.
• Organizes and supports meetings, including scheduling, preparing materials, note-taking, and follow-ups.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Drafts and edits correspondence for key stakeholders, including funders and board members.
• Manages office tasks, maintains records, and liaises with vendors to ensure smooth operations.
• Supports the adoption and integration of operational systems to improve team productivity.
• Prepares presentations, briefing materials, and summaries for the Executive Director.
• Organizes all files in the CG-USA share drive.

Strategic Support
• Advises the Executive Director on key priorities and ensures alignment across teams.
• Oversees and drives strategic initiatives, cross-functional projects, and process improvements.
• Monitors organizational performance and optimize workflows for efficiency.
• Leads internal communication, ensuring priorities are conveyed and executed.
• Conducts research and draft reports, briefings, and presentations to support decision-making and strategic initiatives.

Stakeholder Engagement
• Manages and strengthens relationships with funders, and external partners, ensuring seamless communication and engagement.
• Leads meeting preparations, including agenda development, briefing materials, and follow-ups.
• Represents CG-USA in key external meetings and engagements as needed.

Fundraising Support 
• Contributes to managing fundraising workflows, ensuring timely execution of donor outreach, grant applications, and funding proposals.
• Collaborates with the development and business development teams to track funding opportunities, deadlines, and reporting requirements.
• Ensures alignment between programmatic priorities and fundraising strategies.
• Tracks grant opportunities on the fundraising dashboard.
• Works closely with Directors to coordinate grant logistics for programming.

Additional Responsibilities
• Provides administrative support to senior staff as needed.
• Completes required timesheets and adhere to organizational policies.
• Performs other duties consistent with the role as assigned.

Contributions

• Tracks news events, media, and social media relevant to the team’s priorities.
• Attends events and briefings and synthesizes information for sharing.
• Provides logistical and administrative support for CG-USA programming and events.
• Supports briefings, written products, and strategy development through desk research, copy editing, coordinating sign-ons, scheduling working group meetings, and sharing materials.
• Gathers monitoring and evaluation data, as assigned.
• Ensures information and knowledge are captured in trackers and systems.
• Provides record-keeping support for budget tracking.
• Responds to questions and policy and outreach-relevant requests in a timely and customer-service-oriented fashion.
• Supports the development and execution of organizational initiatives and strategies, including participating in voluntary committees and discussions.