Director, Strategic Operations and External Affairs

This position serves as the operational leader and external ambassador for the Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience. This role is the primary integrator across center staff and strategic communications, managing center operations and brand identity, and enabling the Executive Director to focus on intellectual leadership and capital generation. The role executes the center's overarching budget, cultivates external relationships, directs strategic communications and donor outreach, and ensures all workstreams consistently meet their objectives.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Ability to manage and develop a multi-functional team, including setting expectations, conducting performance reviews, and supporting professional growth.
• Knowledge of budget execution, financial monitoring, and restricted fund compliance within a university or nonprofit environment.
• Ability to serve as a credible, polished external representative of an academic center with cross-disciplinary faculty, university leadership, and community partners.
• Knowledge of Advancement/fundraising processes, donor stewardship practices, and strategic communications in a higher education setting.
• Ability to draft authoritative, professionally rigorous written communications for diverse external audiences, including foundation partners and institutional donors.
• Ability to maintain clear, organized communication across an organization and coordinate effectively across functional areas.
• Strong organizational and systems-thinking skills with comfort building structure in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
• Ability to identify operational challenges proactively and implement solutions while escalating appropriately.
• Ability to work irregular hours for events.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in a relevant field (communications, public administration, nonprofit management, humanities, or related discipline) strongly preferred.
• Minimum five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in higher education administration, nonprofit operations, strategic communications, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing staff, complex multi-workstream operations, and high-level external relationships.
• Demonstrated experience drafting high-stakes external communications, donor stewardship materials, or foundation correspondence
• Any appropriate combination of relevant education, experience and/or certifications may be considered.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Experience supporting or coordinating academic centers, institutes, or scholarly programs.

• Experience with Advancement or fundraising partnerships in a higher education setting.
• Demonstrated track record managing digital brand identity and institutional communications.
• Experience preparing executive briefing materials for high-stakes donor or partner engagements.

Apply through the Tulane University careers site.