Managing Director, Office of the Chief Operating Officer

Position Overview

The Office of the Chief Operating Officer (COO) oversees The Rockefeller Foundation’s operating functions and enterprise infrastructure, ensuring that the people, processes, systems, and resources behind the Foundation’s work are aligned, efficient, and positioned to maximize mission impact.

The Managing Director, Office of the Chief Operating Officer serves as the COO's principal strategic advisor, translating operational priorities into coordinated action, informed decisions, and measurable results across the Foundation. The role leads high-priority cross-functional initiatives, strengthens alignment and accountability across operating functions, and provides strategic oversight of organizational insights, knowledge management, and executive AI integration. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Managing Director leads the operating rhythm of the Office of the COO, serves as the COO's delegate and liaison with executive leadership, and directs designated teams and initiatives to advance institutional priorities.

Work Schedule: This role follows a hybrid schedule and is required to be in the office Monday through Thursday.

Hiring Range: $250,000- $290,000. This represents the present low and high ends of the Foundation’s hiring range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to experience.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to the COO on operational strategy, organizational priorities, and emerging issues, and decisions affecting the Foundation’s operating functions.
• Manage the COO’s strategic agenda, aligning executive attention, decision-making, and follow-through with the Foundation’s highest operational priorities.
• Act as the COO’s delegate on high-priority internal matters, representing the COO in executive discussions, facilitating decisions, and driving resolution of cross-functional issues within delegated authority.
• Develop executive briefings, analyses, presentations, and communications that prepare the COO for Executive Team, Board of Trustees, and committee engagements and support effective decision-making.
• Establish and lead the operating cadence of the Office of the COO, strengthening coordination across the Operations Leadership Team (OLT), clarifying accountability, and ensuring timely decisions and follow-through on operational commitments.
• Coordinate annual planning and goal-setting across operating functions, aligning priorities, monitoring performance, identifying risks, and escalating issues requiring executive attention.
• Lead high-priority cross-functional initiatives, working across the President’s Office, Program Strategy, and operating teams to translate institutional priorities into coordinated plans, execution, and measurable outcomes.
• Manage the Office of the COO budget and provide analysis and recommendations to inform resource allocation decisions across operating functions.
• Lead and develop teams responsible for organizational data and insights, knowledge management, and executive AI integration, establishing priorities, performance expectations, and accountability for results.
• Oversee Foundation-wide performance reporting and dashboards, ensuring leadership has timely, reliable organizational insights to inform strategic and operational decisions.
• Direct enterprise knowledge management and records governance, establishing standards and practices that strengthen information accessibility, institutional continuity, and effective knowledge sharing.
• Coordinate operational risk identification, assessment, and reporting across operating functions in partnership with Legal and other relevant teams.
• Oversee executive AI integration for the President’s Office and Executive Leadership Team, guiding priorities, implementation, and adoption in alignment with enterprise architecture and the CFAO-led AI enablement program.

Experience, Education, and Skills

• Generally expected to have 12+ years of relevant experience in strategy, operations, management consulting, or chief of staff roles, including 5+ years of management or leadership experience.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Proven experience as a trusted advisor to a senior executive, with the judgment to know when to act on the executive’s behalf and when to escalate.
• Track record of leading cross-functional initiatives from strategy through execution, influencing decisions and outcomes across functions without direct authority.
• Broad understanding of core operating functions including finance, human resources, technology, legal, and grants management, and how they interconnect to support organizational effectiveness.
• Experience leading teams or initiatives involving organizational analytics, knowledge management, or technology integration, with the ability to translate complex information into actionable recommendations.
• Background supporting executive planning, organizational performance management, and resource allocation, including establishing priorities, evaluating trade-offs, and monitoring results.
• Experience developing executive-level briefings, presentations, and communications that synthesize complex issues and support informed decision-making.
• Sound judgment and discretion in navigating sensitive organizational matters, complex leadership relationships, and confidential information.
• Experience in philanthropy or a mission-driven organization preferred.

Competencies

• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high-quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Nimble Learning: Learns through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
• Strategic Mindset: Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.
• Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity in food, health, energy, and finance, including through our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.

The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, a generous 401K, parental leave, and various forms of paid time off, all to help our employees feel energized, cared for, and engaged.

As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status.

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.