Operations Lead, American Identity Initiative

Organization

Stand Together

Location

Arlington, VA

Job Description

Stand Together is a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, from education to the economy, broken communities, and toxic division, among dozens of other pressing issues. We provide our partners with access to resources including funding, thought leadership, a network of peers, and a playbook for applying proven principles to transform lives and society. 
The American Identity Initiative (”A250”) is a multi-year initiative aimed at renewing public faith in the nation's founding principles and uniting Americans through a shared narrative of how these principles are brought to life through action. Leading up to July 4, 2026—America’s 250th anniversary—we will create widespread opportunities for individuals to demonstrate these values through contributions in their communities, businesses, and families. This milestone will serve not as a conclusion, but as the launch of a sustained national movement.
 
As Operations Lead, you will lead the execution of key program outcomes in alignment with strategic objectives, in close coordination with Stand Together community organizations. You will work directly with a diverse coalition of world-class partners across philanthropy, film and media, music, entertainment, education, and community sectors—ensuring their contributions are fully integrated and aligned to drive the success of this national movement.
 
The work of A250 will span a national advertising campaign, a digital ecosystem to drive participation across multiple audiences (partners, community leaders, people-at-large), major tentpole investments (a Live Aid-style concert, feature films, user generated content platform), corporate sponsors, major sports leagues, celebrities/influencers, local events and grass roots organizations.  All will come together under the banner of a common brand/message and unified goals to drive participation/contribution. The sheer number of partners, initiatives and work streams makes this operational leadership role absolutely critical for the success of A250.
 
The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience leading complex program/projects and producing strategy-driven outcomes – and a passion for deploying that experience in service to the principles that underpin our American Identity and human progress more generally.

How You Will Contribute

  • Lead the execution of the overall Movement Strategy by building and scaling the operational infrastructure required to achieve A250’s long-term goals.
  • Align program resources, systems, and execution with strategic priorities leading up to, during, and beyond America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.
  • Partner with the Program Operations Leader and program office team to identify and drive timely decisions on critical program milestones.
  • Establish and manage the program’s operational cadence, including oversight of steering committee workflows and key governance objectives.
  • Ensure all programs remain aligned with the Movement’s objectives, stage gates, timelines, and success metrics.
  • Collaborate with Stand Together leadership, the A250 strategy executive, the broader A250 team, and external partners including consultants and strategic advisors.
  • Oversee financial stewardship of A250, ensuring responsible management of operating expenses and strategic investments across the Stand Together community

What You Will Bring

  • Enthusiasm to contribute to Stand Together's vision and principled approach to solving problems, and a commitment to stewarding our culture, which champions values including transformation and innovation, entrepreneurialism, humility, and respect.
  • 10+ years of executive c-suite leadership (leading leaders or teams-of-teams) with a track record of generating successful outcomes
  • Exceptional large project/program leadership experience with operational and budget ownership
  • Extensive cross-functional leadership and decision-making in a matrixed environment
  • Comfort working with and cultivating alignment among peers who possess deep domain expertise and long tenure
  • Strong prioritization skills and ability to identify and focus on critical-path items on complex projects
  • Ability to create clarity for leadership, program team, and supporting staff on how their actions contribute to program success
  • Sense of urgency, ability to operate at speed, and dot-connect across program gaps, needs, and requirements 

Standout Candidates Will Bring

  • Program management toolkit (e.g. tools, processes) and frameworks to support team operations to help drive operational efficiency and success
  • Experience working with mission-driven / social impact organizations
  • Experience in one or more of our program domains (philanthropy, film, media, music, sports, entertainment, education, civics)
  • Growth mindset and belief that fast-moving, constantly-evolving environments are the best places to make an outsized impact

Our Values: Working at Stand Together is different from many other organizations. Our culture is deeply rooted in Principle Based Management® (PBM®), a framework guided by the principles that drive human progress, such as dignity, openness, and bottom-up empowerment. PBM® empowers our employees to be entrepreneurial, to innovate, and to continually drive transformation.   
 
We believe diversity fuels creativity, broadens knowledge, and helps drive success, and that is why we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and strive to treat all employees and applicants with honesty, dignity, respect and sensitivity.