Senior Director of Innovation and Programming     

Senior Director of Innovation and Programming 

Position Overview: 

The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) is seeking a dynamic and strategic Senior Director of Innovation and Programming. This critical leadership role will focus on programming, establishing a capacity-building institute, developing advisory services, and leading a community of practitioners. The ideal candidate will drive AEO’s mission to create economic opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs through innovative program development and strategic execution. 

Location: Washington, DC, Hybrid 

Reporting to: President/CEO 

Salary Range: $130,000 – $180,000 

Apply by: July 31, 2024 

Instructions: Please send resume and cover letter along with any other information related to your candidacy to Jackie Hazan at [email protected]. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Establish Vision and Strategy: 

  • Develop strategic initiatives and a portfolio of projects to drive the execution of the organization’s strategy and operating goals. 
  • Create processes and structures to build organizational alignment and drive effective strategic program execution. 
  • Lead both strategic thinking and execution surrounding AEO’s portfolio of projects and solutions for underserved entrepreneurs that are scalable, high-impact, and financially viable. 

Programming and Capacity Building: 

  • Launch, design, and scale programs and initiatives that lead to new partnerships and proof of concepts. 
  • Oversee all aspects of the end-to-end product development lifecycle from opportunity assessment to post-launch evaluation and iteration. 
  • Establish and manage KPIs to measure program success using a data-driven and programmatic approach. 

Development of Advisory Services: 

  • Conduct needs assessments to identify gaps in current advisory services. 
  • Develop a framework for advisory services, including key areas of focus and delivery methods. 
  • Formalize partnerships with industry experts to provide advisory support and build out advisory services to support business-serving organizations and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Innovation Community of Practice: 

  • Develop and launch an innovation community of practice focused on key challenges. 
  • Recruit diverse participants for the community of practice, including practitioners, funders, and industry experts. 
  • Facilitate initial community of practice meetings to define goals and begin collaborative work. 

Foster Innovation and Continuous Growth: 

  • Ensure systems and processes are in place to identify new ideas and solutions and drive continuous improvement. 
  • Create a culture of inspiration, insight, and authority on design and user experience. 
  • Build innovative products, services, and approaches while developing roadmaps that enable market entry, adoption, and revenue generation. 

Drive Change: 

  • Diagnose challenges by considering political and systemic barriers to change. 
  • Use data-based observation, interpretation, and intervention to engage stakeholders in shaping and implementing data-driven solutions. 
  • Maintain a forward-looking view of future trends and develop solutions to capture forthcoming market needs. 

Collaborate Internally and Externally: 

  • Promote processes and structures to facilitate collaboration across departments and with external partners. 
  • Coordinate with data and analytics staff to establish data capture and analytics to measure expected outcomes and customer value. 
  • Provide real-time responses and feedback to internal and external stakeholders’ suggestions and ideas. 

Coach and Develop Talent and Teams: 

  • Leverage talent management processes to develop talent for the department. 
  • Coach and mentor talent with a focus on creating growth opportunities and providing regular, constructive feedback. 
  • Create a team-based, continuous improvement-results-oriented work environment focused on providing excellent customer service to donors and partners. 

Qualifications: 

  • Strong quantitative skills with a data-driven approach to problem-solving. 
  • 10+ years of post-graduate experience, preferably at a top-tier management consulting firm. 
  • Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s Degree preferred in business or advanced analytics. 
  • Experience leading a corporate strategy team with revenue management oversight. 
  • Digital media and technology experience preferred for extensive interactions with product/tech developers. 
  • Team player with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth, entrepreneurial environment. 
  • Excellent communication skills with multiple stakeholders across all levels. 
  • Ability to create compelling presentations that inspire and win hearts and minds. 

Desired Behavioral Skills and Competencies: 

  • Business Driver 
  • Analytical Prowess 
  • Builder, not a Caretaker 
  • Creative Thinker 
  • Influencer 
  • Cross-functional Team Player 
  • Sprinter and Marathon Runner 

About AEO: 

AEO offers a uniquely rewarding experience where employees work together to achieve a much larger mission—creating economic opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs. We strive to live and role model the values of diversity and inclusion, collaboration, teamwork, accountability, and trust. We encourage employee engagement, results, and smart/prudent risk-taking in all we do.