VP of Strategy, Planning & Alignment

Oakland Zoo; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 182,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Zoo Membership options

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Oakland Zoo seeks a strategic leader to serve as Vice President, Strategy & Planning, partnering with the CEO and leadership to align organizational, conservation, and welfare priorities with measurable outcomes.

In this role you will guide long-range campus and financial planning, oversee goal setting, budget alignment, and board communications, and ensure cross‑functional execution across initiatives that advance the Zoo's mission and Measure Y commitments.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 12 years of professional experience, including leading organization-wide strategy and cross-functional initiatives.
• Deep expertise in strategic planning, operations, long-range planning, and change management.
• Proven ability to influence senior executives and lead through influence without direct authority.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills for executive meetings and board engagements.
• Experience in nonprofit, public, or mission-driven environments is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the CEO and leadership team to align priorities and actions.
• Frame issues and tradeoffs to support timely, well-informed decisions.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration across departments to boost efficiency.
• Maintain an integrated view of organizational strategy, Measure Y, and long-range planning.
• Design and run annual goal-setting with guidance from the CEO and leadership.
• Coordinate with Finance and People & Culture on budgets and staffing.
• Oversee reporting on strategy progress to the Board and external stakeholders.
• Lead supervision of the Project Manager, Strategy & Planning and foster leadership development.

Skills

Strategic planning

Executive leadership

Change management

Board engagement

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in business/public/organizational development

Job description

Oakland Zoo seeks a strategic leader to serve as Vice President, Strategy & Planning, partnering with the CEO and leadership to align organizational, conservation, and welfare priorities with measurable outcomes.

In this role you will guide long-range campus and financial planning, oversee goal setting, budget alignment, and board communications, and ensure cross‑functional execution across initiatives that advance the Zoo's mission and Measure Y commitments.