Sr. Director, Policy Development - ccNSO Relations

At ICANN, we are looking for a Senior Director, Policy Development - ccNSO Relations to join our Brussels office or work remotely.

ICANN’s Policy Development Support Function provides secretariat services to ICANN’s community structures (e.g. Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees (SO-AC)) to support their policy or advice development and other areas of work to serve ICANN’s Mission and maintaining their participation and operations in the ICANN Eco-system.

The Senior Director, ccNSO Relations is the primary relationship manager and strategic lead for ICANN's engagement with the country code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO). In this senior leadership role, the Senior Director leads a small, global team that ensures effective and engaged participation in the ccNSO, coherent policy development, and operational alignment with ICANN's Mission and Bylaws. The role is also responsible for developing and executing complex, cross-functional organizational projects that advance ICANN's Mission and community engagement goals.

Key Responsibilities & Duties:

Relationship & Policy Leadership

• Serve as the chief liaison and primary point of contact between ICANN and the ccNSO, particularly their leadership council and council chair.
• Facilitate the policy agenda setting, strategy, and work plan execution, providing expert advice to support the development of policy, information sharing or best practices.
• Mediate and drive collaborative results among diverse, complex, technical, and political stakeholders to achieve consensus.
• Identify, communicate and work to mitigate risks or issues to prevent adverse impact on the ccNSO and ICANN .
• Engage with ccTLD participants and coordinate across the ICANN organization to maintain and improve relationships and shared value.
• Provide written and verbal executive briefings and strategic advice to the Board of Directors, CEO, and senior management.
• Represent the organization publicly and make presentations to community gatherings.

Strategic & People Management

• Serve on the Policy Department leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, decision-making, and representing the function on cross-functional initiatives.
• Direct and manage a small, global team of staff, providing guidance, direction, and professional development.
• Identify, develop, and supervise resources and programs that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the ccNSO in its work.
• Partner with colleagues across the function to develop and maintain best practices and effective use of resources.
• Lead the development and implementation of significant, complex, cross-functional organizational projects and programs that support ICANN's policy development and/or community engagement efforts.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): (Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions)

• Expert Knowledge: Deep understanding of the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS), and ICANN's policy framework, particularly knowledge of the ecosystem in which the country code top level domain registries operate.
• Diplomacy: Exceptional negotiation, influence, and mediation skills, with a track record of resolving complex, high-stakes challenges across diverse cultural and political backgrounds.
• Team Leadership and Management Experience: Proven success in senior leadership and managerial roles, including guiding, motivating, and developing personnel.
• Portfolio Management: Demonstrated ability to manage and oversee a complex portfolio of projects, activities, and services concurrently, ensuring alignment with strategic goals, producing high quality deliverables, and meeting desired timelines.
• Transparency & Accountability: Commitment to work productively in a highly visible and transparent manner, in an environment where all proceedings are recorded and shared publicly.
• Analytical Reporting: Ability to prepare and deliver reports, presentations, and speeches to internal and external international executive level audiences.
• Strategic Partnership and Organizational Alignment: Ability to build trusted relationships at senior levels internally and externally, and across functions, ensuring high-quality collaboration and prioritizing the overall success of the organization.
• Strategic Agility and Judgment: Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, remain flexible and pragmatic in changing conditions, and demonstrate sound judgment and perseverance when faced with complexity.
• Organizational Compliance: Strong capability in adhering to relevant organizational processes and procedures, and the ability to competently use prescribed management and collaboration tools or software.
• Innovation and Curiosity: Track record of continuous learning, improvement, and thoughtful experimentation of better ways to work. A desire to truly understand.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Experience: Minimum twelve (12) years of relevant experience in national or international policy development, policy implementation, or government relations.
• This must include at least five (5) years of management experience.
• Prior international experience is required.
• Significant exposure to executive management and a board of directors is strongly preferred.
• Education: College degree required; an advanced degree is preferred.
• Language: Fluency (written and spoken) in English is required. Fluency in any other official United Nations languages is strongly preferred.

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements:

• Work is performed in a normal office environment with limited privacy and some exposure to background noise or remote
• International travel is required to support ICANN-related meetings as requested for lengths of 7-10 days for each trip, approximately three times per year, likely on different continents, plus some additional travel.
• Comfort level with an international work environment that requires availability at times outside normal business hours