Description:
The Strategy Manager provides strategic and complex project and team management support to the Director of Strategy & Impact in advancing MHM’s mission, vision, goals, and strategic plan. This position serves an important role integrating and managing the work across the department, including (or through) project management, identifying and problem-solving challenges and barriers to progress, strategy development, facilitating decision-making, consensus-building, gathering and presenting background information and data on strategy recommendations, and engaging closely with partners and staff across MHM who are responsible for planning and implementing the strategic plan. Will spend most of their time collaborating with the Director of Strategy and Impact, proactively developing plans for projects and other responsibilities of the department, and managing resources, including team members.
This position requires someone who is detail-oriented, takes the initiative, and is a strategic thinker, who will be tasked with connecting insights to strategy, developing recommendations for action plans, and proactively problem-solving to accomplish projects and duties. They will support efforts to amplify the priorities of the organization’s strategic plan in accordance with MHM’s mission, vision, guiding principles, and values.
Essential Duties:
Strategy Planning and Development
- Applies an equity lens to the work. Seeks and honors diverse inputs, challenges biases and stereotypes, analyzes how power and intersectionality impacts different audience/community segments and what that means for creating culturally relevant, humane, community-centered, and respectful strategic recommendations.
- Develops tools and resources to collaborate with stakeholders across the organization for strategy development.
- Supports and facilitates strategic conversations, planning efforts, and group decision-making processes through critical thinking, teamwork, collaborative problem-solving, and inclusion.
- Collaborate with the Director of Strategy and Impact to communicate the tracking of strategic measures.
- Facilitate scenario planning to advance thriving and health equity in MHM’s service area and develop communications about how our strategy is playing out.
- As needed, manages the strategic alignment processes for new requests, proposals, etc. by reviewing for alignment to strategy, tracking submission and progress, processes letters of inquiry and proposals and working with impacted departments.
- Creation of presentations on topics related to MHM’s strategy and potential opportunities to advance health equity for key internal and external meetings (e.g., board meetings, team strategy sessions, pitch decks, etc.)
- Conduct and oversee asset and environmental scans and ensure the use of an equity lens throughout the process.
- Serve as the lead for developing and tracking strategic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- Through careful analysis of KPIs, including historical data, trends, and other key metrics, acts as a strategist in interpreting data, developing improvement action plans, and aiding in maximizing performance. Identifies and executes ad-hoc analyses based on feedback from Executive review of KPIs through the organization’s Quarterly Performance Review (QPR).
- Performs data collection, analysis, and reporting for VP of Strategy and Partnerships and Director of Strategy and Impact for decision making purposes.
- Integrates traditional principles around strategic planning into an environment where you center community and health equity and challenge status quo.
- Identifies conferences, webinars and committees that serve as opportunities for MHM to participate in or present their work, and as appropriate, participate in developing and providing content support for these opportunities.
- Manage relationships with consultants, partners, and other collaborators.
- Serves as professional representative of the Strategy & Impact department and supports organizational initiatives, goals, and priorities (e.g., Baldrige application)
Strategy Project Management
- Leads the tracking and management of strategy projects and initiatives, including managing the work assignments of strategy team members
- Working in collaboration with departmental leaders, proactively aligns departmental resources towards priority projects and initiatives.
- Develops action plans for major projects, including identifying stakeholders, intended outcomes, resources, risks, and timelines.
- Work with all stakeholders to navigate projects with unclear owners and/or significant cross functional dependencies.
- Development and resource management of runs of show and agendas for internal and external events, activities, and meetings.
- With support from the department’s administrator, provides strategic and tactical leadership to manage in-person and virtual department events, regional visits, meetings, summits, other special events, public speaking, visibility opportunities, etc.
- Facilitates meetings, discussions, and work sessions to ensure engagement of all stakeholders and achievement of intended outcomes and objectives.
- Support the implementation of special projects, departmental projects, initiatives, and priorities, as needed.
- In collaboration with the department’s administrator and leaders, manages departmental administrative duties, including the development of contracts and reporting activities.
- Draft communications to a variety of audiences, including emails, letters, memos, and other correspondence, which may include charts, tables, graphs, and plans as requested.
- Develops documents for internal and external use, including summaries, issue briefs, PowerPoint presentations, reports, plans, and articles.
- Explore ways to continuously improve the collecting, organizing, synthesizing, and sharing of information
Team Management
- Oversee day-to-day duties of team members, with high level guidance from the Director of Strategy and Impact.
- Meet regularly with each team member and hold regular team meetings to provide guidance and coaching to each team member.
- Identify resources and assistance needed by team members to accomplish projects and priorities and work with departmental leaders to address needs.
- Meet regularly with Director of Strategy and Impact to discuss departmental projects and priorities, report on progress of departmental work, and discuss challenges and potential solutions.
- In collaboration with departmental leaders, track and report on departmental and team annual and engagement goals.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s Degree required. Master’s degree preferred. Five (5) years of strategy, public health, health and human services, nonprofit, or philanthropic experience required. The ideal candidate has experience in strategy consulting, strategic planning and development, or a similar domain. Experience with organizational development, strategic planning, writing and reviewing, developing policies and procedures, working with consultants, and developing assessments is highly preferred.
Experience working with underserved or under resourced populations is preferred. Experience with the nonprofit sector and nonprofit business models preferred. This position requires the ability and experience to interact comfortably and professionally with senior level staff of different organizations as well as patients, clients, and grassroots organizations.
Strong initiative-taking, detail-orientation, and organizational skills with the ability to complete projects and handle multiple tasks simultaneously is required. Conceptual, analytical, and organizational skills required. Must be able to think outside the box, receive and address critical feedback, and adapt or evolve.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:
PMP certification and at least 2 years of professional project management experience required, or at least 5 years of professional project management experience required, with the ability to obtain PMP certification within the first year of employment.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Must have three years of supervisory experience. Directly supervises staff, who are subject matter experts in their respected department in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; scheduling and approving leave ; appraising performance; ensuring safety compliance; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Language Skills:
Strong verbal, organizational and written communication skills. Must be able to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or government regulations. Write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to prepare professional presentations and documents that without depending on extensive feedback and editing. Must be able to speak effectively and respond to questions before groups of customers, community members, leaders, or employees (diverse audiences). Must be fluent in English. Ability to read, write, and speak Spanish highly preferred.
Reasoning Ability:
A creative, strategic, and forward thinker with the drive to work independently and in group settings. A negotiator with interpersonal and relational skills, including a demonstrated ability to work in a complex and matrix team environment, with a strong focus on collaboration and innovation. Skilled in project management, setting and meeting deadlines, and time management.
Need to understand processes and work creatively with diverse types of stakeholders to build consensus. Sound judgment and maturity, exemplified by consistent professionalism, with an ability to identify and address organizational needs, develop and justify recommendations, and be responsive and clear in interacting with individuals at all levels, both internally and externally.
Must be able to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Must be able to deal with problems of various complexities and contexts. Can manage diverse stakeholder input and the strategic perspective in real-time. Ability to translate from strategic imperatives to logistical realities.
Computer Skills:
Must be able to demonstrate working knowledge of the Internet, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports.
Other:
- Committed to health equity
- Takes initiative, with limited guidance and coaching
- Ability to understand various contexts of the department’s work, interactions, and communications and act appropriately to address the situation
- Ability to facilitate complex decision-making and discussions
- Passion to create change that leads to better lives and healthier communities
- Capacity to think strategically and analytically about social, economic, cultural, and political issues affecting a community
- Capacity to adapt rapidly to changing priorities, objectives, and situations
- Solid relationship management skills enhancing internal organizational relations and external interactions
- Understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community
- Creative and innovative
- Ability to design and implement effective workflow processes and procedures
- Strong focus on personal growth and development, and a willingness to regularly receive and act on performance feedback in pursuit of continuous professional growth
- Ability to be flexible and work in a changing environment and as part of a team, taking on tasks and requests at all levels
- Must be able to drive and have access to a vehicle; maintain valid driver’s license and auto liability insurance
- Models professionalism in interactions and communications with all stakeholders
Work Environment and Physical Demands:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a team member encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Position necessitates bending, stooping, twisting, turning, walking, climbing step stools, sitting and standing for periods of time. Must be able to lift and maneuver at least 25 pounds.
This position may require travel outside of San Antonio up to 25% of the time, including overnight stays
