Director of Strategic Initiatives & Planning

The Director of Strategic Initiatives & Planning is a senior operational leadership role responsible for driving the coordination, execution, and implementation infrastructure behind the agency’s highest-priority strategic initiatives, including local tax initiatives. Working closely with Executive Leadership, the Director leads the systems, processes, and cross-divisional practices that translate executive priorities into organized, accountable, and effective action across the organization. The Director oversees the Strategic Initiatives & Planning team and plays a central role in strengthening organizational effectiveness by building clear implementation structures, improving coordination and communication practices, and supporting complex work across multiple divisions, public governance bodies, and external partners. This role requires a highly experienced leader who can bring structure, sequencing, and operational discipline to dynamic public systems environments marked by ambiguity, organizational change, and competing stakeholder priorities. This role requires a leader comfortable operating from vision to execution in dynamic public systems environments. 
  
This is not a traditional or transactional project management role; it is an enterprise-scale operational leadership role that requires maturity, political acuity, sound judgment, and experience working within complex public systems environments with competing priorities.  

• Strategic Initiative Execution & Coordination: Lead execution of agency-wide strategic initiatives by translating executive priorities into coordinated implementation plans, aligning work across divisions, and addressing operational barriers to support equity-centered systems building and effective implementation of major cross-agency initiatives, including local tax initiatives  
• Organizational Effectiveness & Operating Model Design: Design and implement scalable systems, governance structures, and operational processes that strengthen organizational effectiveness, improve cross-divisional coordination, and support increasingly complex strategic work  
• Communication Infrastructure & Leadership Coordination: Strengthen agency-wide communication, accountability, and alignment practices by improving leadership coordination, organizational clarity, implementation follow-through, and development of executive briefings and strategic communications  
• Operational Role Clarity & Accountability: Establish clear operational ownership, accountability structures, governance tools, and decision-making processes that reduce ambiguity, clarify cross-divisional responsibilities, and support effective implementation  
• Cross-Divisional Planning & Sequencing: Coordinate planning and implementation activities across divisions by aligning workflows, timelines, operational needs, and execution practices to support consistent and effective initiative delivery  
• Organizational Change Management: Lead organizational change efforts that strengthen cross-functional ways of working, reinforce implementation accountability, and support sustainable operational transformation. 
• Project & Portfolio Oversight: Oversee project and portfolio management systems, implementation tracking, workplans, reporting processes, and planning staff to support consistent execution and informed leadership decision-making  
• Stakeholder & Leadership Coordination: Coordinate with internal teams and Executive Leadership to support aligned implementation, facilitate cross-functional working groups, and prepare operational updates and decision-support materials for leadership bodies  
• Fiscal & Resource Strategy: Partner with leadership, Finance, and policy staff to align strategic initiatives with fiscal priorities, support long-range planning, and sustain implementation through coordinated resource strategies 

Minimum Qualifications 

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. Additional experience and/or education can be substituted to meet typical qualifications. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be: 

Seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in strategic initiatives, organizational operations, project management, or cross-functional coordination; A bachelor’s degree* in Public Administration, Public Policy, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Public Health, or related field (*or equivalent professional experience – a bachelor’s degree is not required).  

Preferred Qualifications  

• Demonstrated track record of leading complex public policy initiatives across multiple stakeholders and operational environments  
• Experience overseeing complex teams and cross-functional implementation structures  
• Experience designing organizational coordination systems, governance structures, or operational workflows  
• Demonstrated initiative, adaptability, and ability to lead through ambiguity and organizational change  
• Experience facilitating executive-level coordination and decision-making processes  
• Experience working within complex public systems, government, or cross-sector environments  
• Experience supporting enterprise-scale organizational coordination or systems-building efforts  
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, organizational change, and competing stakeholder priorities  

Knowledge of: 

• Public policy development and implementation practices  
• Fiscal policy and resource alignment strategies  
• Equity-centered systems-building approaches   
• Strategic planning and implementation practices  
• Organizational systems, governance, and operating models  
• Project and portfolio management methodologies  
• Organizational change management principles  
• Cross-functional coordination and facilitation techniques  
• Performance measurement and continuous improvement practices 

Ability to: 

• Translate strategic vision and policy priorities into coordinated operational execution  
• Lead and develop program design, implementation structures, and cross-functional operating models  
• Lead cross-functional teams and complex initiatives within politically and operationally complex public systems  
• Hold accountability while fostering strong collaboration, alignment, and trust across teams and leadership structures  
• Demonstrate strategic anticipation and proactively respond to evolving organizational and community needs  
• Communicate clearly through oral communication, facilitation, policy writing, executive briefings, and operational guidance materials  
• Operate effectively from vision to execution in dynamic and evolving environments  
• Strengthen organizational effectiveness through improved systems and processes  
• Build alignment across divisions with differing operational needs and perspectives 
• Clarify accountability structures and decision-making pathways  
• Design repeatable coordination and communication practices  
• Facilitate collaboration and problem-solving across teams  
• Communicate clearly and influence without relying solely on formal authority  
• Navigate politically and operationally complex environments with maturity and sound judgment  
• Bring clarity, structure, and alignment to evolving organizational priorities and systems  
• Build trust and credibility across divisions, leadership teams, and external stakeholders  

Please note:  

• We are currently working a hybrid 2 day per week in-office schedule and employees also come to the office to attend meetings and as requested.  
• All First 5 employees must live and work in California.  
• The salary range for this position is $139,000 to $201,000 and as an independent government agency, the posted salary is the set salary range for this position. We cannot offer salaries above this posted range.   
• We conduct reference and background checks for all potential employees.  

About First 5 Alameda County  

First 5 Alameda County believes every child in Alameda County should have optimal health, development, and well-being to reach their greatest potential. Through innovative programs and policy advocacy, we help provide children and their families access to resources that support their first five years of development.  

Join our mission-driven team that in partnership with the community, supports a county-wide continuous prevention and early intervention system that promotes optimal health and development, narrows disparities, and improves peak years of child development.  

First 5 Alameda County Benefits  

We offer a comprehensive benefits package with health care options to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. These benefits include but are not limited to Medical, Dental, & Vision Coverage, $1,500 credit per year to spend on benefits, Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Employer Paid & Voluntary Life & AD&D Insurance, Long-Term Disability Insurance, Retirement Plans including the ACERA Pension Plan, Commuter Benefits, Employee Assistance Plan and more.  

We also offer paid vacation, paid time off and sick time. We have 17 paid holidays including the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day as paid time off.