Senior Manager, Strategy & Office of the President

Job Description

Helen Keller Intl

Job Announcement

Senior Manager, Strategy & Office of the President

Location: Flex position based within a country where Helen Keller is a registered employer.

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we ensure every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their potential.

Helen Keller Intl is seeking a Senior Manager, Strategy & Office of the President, to lead the activity of the President’s Office. Reporting directly to the CEO, this new position oversees a suite of services for the organization grounded in Helen Keller’s strategic planning and organizational performance management. They will focus on strategic planning and execution, governance, and management of key operational activities. This role requires someone who can not only manage individual tasks but can also influence and drive major changes across a complex, global organization. They need to work well with senior leadership and across teams, helping lead cultural and operational shifts.

Functional Relationships

The position will report to the CEO. This person will work closely with members of the Board of Trustees and Executive Leadership Team (ELT). They will also collaborate with global and country teams, especially Managing Directors overseeing country office portfolios, People & Culture (HR), and the units under the Chief Financial and Operating Officer to ensure strategy, performance and risk management are fully integrated across Helen Keller. This position also holds key relationships with Trustees, supporting effective agenda setting, performance monitoring, and board management.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Execution

• Lead the strategic planning process and oversee execution of an organizational Balanced Scorecard.
• Ensure organizational priorities are clearly defined and monitored, overseeing the development and monitoring of organizational performance metrics and reporting frameworks to track progress and ensure accountability.
• Facilitate quarterly reviews of strategic priorities with the ELT, Board of Trustees,

and organizational leaders synthesizing insights and identifying course-corrections

where needed.

• Coach leaders to translate high-level strategic initiatives into actionable operational

plans, roadmaps, and change initiatives, fostering alignment across global, regional,

and country teams.

• Lead change management efforts to support strategic shifts, ensuring staff

engagement, understanding, and adoption.

• Prepare clear, compelling communications and presentations to facilitate executive

decision-making and governance discussions.

• Oversee the integration of enterprise risk management processes into strategic

planning, enabling risk-informed decision-making at leadership and governance

levels.

• Support and lead internal communications efforts of the organization through

excellent storytelling about our organizational strategy and performance.

Analytics and Decision Support

• Leverage data, analytics, and performance tracking frameworks to drive evidencebased

decision-making and continuous improvement.

• Synthesize complex data into clear, actionable narratives for senior leadership and

Board reporting.

• Lead cross-functional learning that enables Helen Keller to reflect on evidence,

adapt plans in real time, and continuously improve results. Promote behaviors and

tools that empower teams at all levels to use data, reflect on progress, and iterate

strategy in alignment with organizational goals.

• Support business units across the organization to use information in decision making

through self-service strategies (e.g., dashboards, meeting guides, SharePoint sites)

• Lead or support special projects and operational improvement initiatives tied to the

strategic plan or ELT priorities.

Financial Modeling, Annual Planning, Budgeting

• Facilitate and continuously improve an integrated annual planning and budgeting

process in partnership with the Chief Financial and Operating Officer and

department leaders.

• Develop and oversee implementation of organizational planning guidance,

templates, and timelines to support coherence and accountability across all units.

• Provide training, coaching and support to colleagues to ensure uptake and use of

annual plans and budgets linked to global strategic priorities.

• In collaboration with the Chief Financial and Operating Officer, support building and

evolving internal capabilities for financial modeling, scenario planning, and multi-year

financial forecasting to strengthen strategic decision-making.

Strategic Council and Decision Support

• In partnership with the CEO, develop and maintain an agenda for executive level

discussions. This includes preparation and facilitation of materials.

• Partner with the Executive Leadership Team, internal audit and other leaders to

ensure alignment of risk appetite and response strategies.

• Oversee the support provided to the Board of Trustees including onboarding Board

members and coordinating and managing Board and Committee meetings, agendas,

and materials

• Coordinate and manage executive leadership meetings and agendas in

collaboration with other members of the President’s Offices to ensure meetings are

purposeful, well-structured, and outcome-driven engagement, timely decisionmaking,

and clear documentation of next steps and ownership.

• Oversee Office of the President’s project management support and coordination for

cross-functional strategic initiatives.

• Facilitate regular risk reviews with the Executive Leadership Team and other

leadership groups, supporting a strong risk culture and enabling timely mitigation

actions.

Organizational Leadership and Representation

• Build strong cross-functional relationships, demonstrating patience, responsiveness,

and a stakeholder-centric approach.

• Execute regular quality checks to ensure continuous improvement in efficiency and

effectiveness of the Office of the President.

• Instill an organizational focus on strong project management skills, starting with the

President’s Office.

• Promote innovation, professional growth, and alignment with Helen Keller’s values,

mission and strategic vision among colleagues

• Exercise sound judgment and decision-making skills, balancing strategic vision with

operational realities.

• Create and manage budgets with fiscal discipline.
• Network with other actors in the international development space to bring business

model innovations, effective organizational performance management practices, and

strong strategic planning to Helen Keller.

Other Duties

This job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of

activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may

change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any

additional tasks assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications

For our team to be a great fit for you, the following qualifications should resonate with

you:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Public

Policy, International Development, Organizational Development or a related field

preferred.

• Professional certifications related to enterprise risk management (e.g., CRM, CRMP,

CERA) or strategy (e.g., Balanced Scorecard Professional) are desirable.

• At least 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic planning,

organizational performance management, risk management, and/or business

transformation in nonprofit or international development settings. Management

consulting experience a plus.

• Demonstrated experience leading organizational strategic planning processes,

cross-functional initiatives, risk management, and change management efforts at

scale.

• Successful track record in guiding executive level decision making and presentation

of results to a Board of Trustees

• Strong ability to synthesize complex data into clear insights; experience with

dashboards and evidence-based planning to shape strategy and drive organizational

learning.

• Familiarity with budgeting, scenario planning, and financial modeling in collaboration

with finance teams.

• Experience supporting executive leadership and boards, managing cross-functional

initiatives, and coordinating high-level meetings and communications.

• Proven ability to influence across a matrixed, multicultural organization without direct

authority.

• Experience facilitating cross-functional annual planning and budgeting processes.

Ability to design user-centered tools (guidance, templates) to support planning,

budgeting, and accountability.

• Strong coaching and training skills to support plan adoption across departments and

countries.

• Expertise in strategy frameworks and change management methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to design, manage, and continuously improve data-driven

systems for strategic planning, performance measurement, and decision support.

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to interpret quantitative

and qualitative data to shape strategy and drive organizational learning.

• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to translate complex

information into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.

• Demonstrated success building high-performing teams and fostering professional

growth.

• Highly proficient with MS Office Suite (especially PowerPoint and Excel); experience

with dashboard or data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) a plus.

• Excellent written and spoken English required; proficiency in French is highly

desirable.

• Ability and willingness to:

ο flex working hours to accommodate multiple time zones, as needed.

ο Travel to US- based offices occasionally

Compensation

The full-time annualized midpoint of the salary range for this position is $121,000. Helen

Keller offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health coverage, paid leave,

retirement savings with employer match, and professional development. Specific

offerings may vary by country in accordance with local laws.

Fairness, Belonging and Zero Tolerance to Abuse

As a member of the Helen Keller Family, each employee is expected to:

• Help to develop and maintain an environment that welcomes and develops a

multi-cultural workforce with varied lived experiences and identities.

• Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.
• Support employees’ evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and

performance.

• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Helen

Keller family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we

serve.

• Follow Helen Keller Code of Conduct to prevent any type of abuse including

workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.

• Adhere to Organizational Core Values.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to

hki.recruitment@hki.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

In the spirit of the extraordinary ability and vision of our founder, Helen Keller Intl fosters

an environment of fairness and belonging for our workforce.

Helen Keller Intl is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to the principles

of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.

About the Organization

Founded in 1915, Helen Keller International (HKI) is among the oldest international nonprofit organizations devoted to fighting and treating preventable blindness and malnutrition. HKI is headquartered in New York City, and has programs in 22 countries around the world. HKI builds local capacity by establishing sustainable programs, and provides scientific and technical assistance and data to governments and international, regional, national and local organizations around the world. HKI programs combat malnutrition, cataract, trachoma, onchocerciasis (river blindness) and refractive error. The goal of all HKI programs is to reduce suffering of those without access to needed health or vision care and ultimately, to help lift people from poverty.