Director, Strategic Operations and External Affairs

Tulane University; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Tulane University’s Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience seeks an operational leader and external ambassador. This role unites center staff, manages operations, and protects brand identity while enabling the Executive Director to focus on intellectual leadership and fundraising.

The role oversees the center's budget, cultivates external relationships, and directs strategic communications and donor outreach to ensure all workstreams achieve objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Advanced degree in a relevant field strongly preferred.
• Experience managing staff and multi-workstream operations.
• Experience drafting external communications and donor materials.
• Experience with fundraising partnerships and institutional communications.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multi-functional team and set expectations, including performance reviews and growth support.
• Oversee budget execution, financial monitoring, and restricted fund compliance.
• Act as a credible external representative to faculty, leadership, and community partners.
• Direct strategic communications and donor outreach across the center.
• Draft high-stakes external communications and stewardship materials.

Skills

Leadership

Budget administration

External relations

Strategic communications

Donor outreach

Cross-functional coordination

Organizational systems thinking

Problem solving

Event coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree in communications, public administration, nonprofit management, humanities or related field

Job description

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

• 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. If you need assistance in completing an application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact the Office of Human Resources by phone at 504-865-4748 or by email at [e-mail].