The client seeks a Managing Director who will serve as the number two leader and operational backbone, connecting programs, operations, finance, HR, and board management. This role provides broad ownership to free the Executive Director to focus on fundraising and external relationships. The ideal candidate is a seasoned manager and systems thinker, comfortable interfacing with legislative offices and handling day-to-day operational problem-solving, while leading with clarity, developing team members, and strengthening organizational infrastructure.
Key responsibilities include primary management of the team’s operations and federal programs, including goal-setting, KPI tracking, performance evaluations, professional development, team retreats and all-staff coordination, and support for hiring, onboarding, and culture as the organization grows. The Managing Director will also oversee the full lifecycle of congressional fellowship programs—partnering on recruitment and selection, orientation and placement, ongoing fellow support, alumni engagement, events and trainings that build cohort cohesion, and maintaining relationships with legislative offices and partner organizations. The role includes serving as Acting Executive Director with full decision-making authority when the Executive Director is unavailable and supporting new program initiatives at both the federal and state level.
The client further expects the Managing Director to bring strategic rigor to budgeting, grant accounting, and financial management, including day-to-day financial operations such as budgeting, monitoring, and reserve planning; developing and maintaining grant budgets and ensuring spending is tracked and coded appropriately across the portfolio; authoring grant reports and proposals; and overseeing the annual audit and tax filing preparation. The role also owns governance and HR infrastructure by drafting and maintaining key policies and documents, leading backfill hiring processes, and applying strategic thinking to compensation, benefits, and HR policy as the organization scales. Finally, the Managing Director will support the board with preparation and follow-through, including delivering finance, operations, and HR updates, managing board materials and logistics, serving as the primary operational point of contact for board members, and ensuring board decisions are executed.