Director, Strategic Operations and External Affairs

Tulane University; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Tulane University in New Orleans, LA seeks a Director, Strategic Operations and External Affairs to serve as operational leader and external ambassador for the Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience. This role integrates center staff, manages operations and brand identity, and supports the Executive Director's priorities.

You will oversee the center's budget, cultivate external relationships, direct strategic communications and donor outreach, and ensure all workstreams meet objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred.
• 5–7 years in higher education or nonprofit operations, with staff leadership.
• Experience managing multi-workstream ops and external relationships.
• Experience drafting high-stakes external communications.
• Any combination of education, experience, or certifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multi-functional team and set performance expectations.
• Oversee budget execution and restricted fund compliance.
• Serve as external representative to faculty, leadership, and partners.
• Direct strategic communications and donor outreach.
• Ensure all workstreams meet objectives and report progress.
• Work irregular hours for events.

Skills

Team management

Budgeting

External relations

Strategic communications

Donor outreach

Written communications

Cross-functional coordination

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Event coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Director, Strategic Operations and External Affairs

New Orleans, LA, United States

Job Description

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.

Responsibilities

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.

Qualifications

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.

About Us

Tulane University is an equal opportunity educator and employer committed to providing an education and employment environment free of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Legally protected demographic classifications (such as a person’s race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, shared ancestry, disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws) are not relied upon as an eligibility, selection or participation criteria for Tulane’s employment or educational programs or activities. Tulane University is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process.