Managing Director, Convenings

Job Description

Department: Connection
Reports to: Vice President of Partnership and Community Engagement – (Interim: Chief Communications & Partnership Officer)
Employment Status: Full-time, Exempt
Location: Palo Alto, CA | U.S. Remote consideration

Position Summary

This position will lead the strategic vision and execution of the Skoll Foundation’s convening programs, inclusive of both virtual and in-person events. The Managing Director (MD) reports to the Vice President of Partnership and Community Engagement while working in close collaboration with peers across Skoll staff and the executive team to advance the Connect and Champion work of the Foundation. This role is a Connect and Champion team lead.

The MD will drive and manage all components of our convenings including the flagship annual Skoll World Forum. The MD will also connect the Skoll Foundation’s convening strategy to execution; envisioning, planning, and implementing new ways to convene and connect our network of social innovators working in more than 130 countries.

To be successful, the MD must have a robust awareness and understanding of complex global issues and experience identifying diverse leaders to connect and engage in dialog to drive impact. This person should be skilled in complex project management, executive-level communications, and partner cultivation and management. This person will be intellectually curious, thoughtful, creative, humble, and highly organized, with top-notch communications and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

Oversee convening curation, design, and production for all online and in-person events and activations:

• Team management and leadership, with direct reports, including the Director of Event Production, and Program Manager, Connections & Convenings
• Budget oversight and management
• Oversee all research, development, and execution of plenaries and sessions (panels, workshops, etc.) across a wide variety of topics for the Skoll World Forum (virtual and in person) and other Skoll-hosted events
• Monitor relevant global news, emergent issues, solutions, experts’ and practitioners’ work, and keep a finger on the pulse of trends
• Prioritize diversity, equity, and lived experience in the selection of prospective speakers, Delegates, attendees and contributors to convenings
• Seek creative ways to connect and activate the Skoll network toward action and impact throughout the year

Partner collaborations:

• Collaborate with the Funder Alliances, Network and Partnerships, and Community teams to identify activation and connection opportunities for the broader Skoll network
• Collaborate with the Public Engagement, Communications, and Creative Services (PECCS) to develop and deploy communications, engagement, and distribution strategies for convenings
• Manage convening partnerships throughout the year
• Advise external and partner conveners on voices to amplify from the Skoll network through their events and other channels

Qualifications and Experience

Experience should include:

• 10+ years of leadership experience with a track record of substantial event and convenings oversight and production
• A track record for innovatively translating strategic thinking into action plans and output, with a reputation for inspiring creative thinking and fostering problem-solving
• Experience in building, developing, coaching, and mentoring teams
• An entrepreneurial spirit, with the ability to embrace opportunity and overcome challenges
• Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills and the ability to effectively partner with senior leadership and staff
• A collaborative, flexible, and collegial orientation, combined with institutional savvy and executive presence
• Proven ability to motivate staff, grantees and other business partners; high degree of integrity and honesty
• Strong ethical leadership and commitment to the core values of the organization
• Commitment to lifelong learning and appreciation of the need for adaptation as a catalyst for growth

The MD should have firsthand experience with social entrepreneurship and innovations challenges. Direct experience with grassroots social change, investigative journalism, convening, policy advocacy, or entrepreneurial organizational development and capacity building is strongly preferred.

Your Health

The Foundation requires all staff, vendors, and visitors be fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and to test regularly when accessing the office.

About the Skoll Foundation

The Skoll Foundation seeks to catalyze transformational social change by investing in, connecting, and championing social entrepreneurs and other social innovators who together advance bold and equitable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

Jeff Skoll, the first employee and first President of eBay, created the Skoll Foundation in 1999 to pursue his vision of a sustainable world of peace and prosperity for all. The Foundation is part of the Jeff Skoll Group, which also includes Participant (formerly known as Participant Media) and the Capricorn Investment Group.

The Foundation aspires to fundamentally shift the trajectory on urgent global problems including pandemics and global health systems, racial justice, climate change, effective governance, and inclusive economies. The Foundation does this by connecting social innovators around the world, investing in their solutions, and championing their work. The Foundation is committed to finding new ways to streamline its operations and support the organization as it drives transformational social change globally. Learn more about the Skoll Foundation at www.skoll.org.

Applicants
The Skoll Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Click the “Apply” button to submit your resume and cover letter. In your cover letter indicate your passion for the mission and your fit for the role. We will contact qualified applicants.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the ADA and related state laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in how things are normally done, ensuring an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on the company. Please contact hr@skoll.org if you need assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Skoll, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Note: This position is open until filled.