Senior Director of Operations

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 Senior Director of Operations applies the Principle-Based Management™ philosophy to provide strategic leadership for the Program Management and Partnership Development functions across Stand Together Music, Sports & Entertainment (STMSE). This role ensures strategic alignment, optimizes resources, and drives project success in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with internal teams and external partners. Reporting to the Managing Director of Operations, this leader collaborates across the organization to develop talent, enhance partnerships, streamline processes, and drive operational excellence—positioning STMSE as a preferred partner in the Music, Sports, and Entertainment industry.
The Senior Director is collaborative, seeks and shares knowledge, thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, adaptable, and able to shift priorities to meet the evolving needs of our partners and business. We are looking for someone who fosters a collaborative, high-performing team culture and develops talent that can adapt and contribute across lines of business.
While this role is ideally based at our Arlington, VA headquarters, we are open to remote arrangements for exceptional candidates based on fit and organizational needs.

Who You Are:

  • A strategic thinker able to quickly connect the dots between people, priorities, and goals. A proven track record of operationalizing strategy in the real world with real-time flexibility and application of learnings. 
  • A clear, succinct, and timely communicator who conveys complex ideas simply and with great effect. 
  • A leader who does not wait for clarity but drives toward it. You have an unmistakable bias toward action, guided by purpose and strategy, not impulse.  
  • You see people as the path to progress—and know how to bring them together. 
  • Someone with deep growth mindset built on humility and openness. Successful candidates will prioritize learning how to apply their industry knowledge within the context of our management philosophy to drive transformational results. 
  • Someone with willingness to travel as needed, sometimes on short notice, depending on your location and the needs of the business. 
  • Well-versed in music industry norms and behaviors and festival operations. 

How You Will Contribute:

  • Talent Leadership:
  • Lead and professionally develop talent for the long term that is aligned with Stand Together’s vision and Principle Based Management, with an intentional focus on principled entrepreneurialism and team growth opportunities.  
  • Provide leadership with 360-degree view of Program Management capability to meet business needs, prioritization and resource planning in a complex, matrixed operational model.   
  • Oversee planning, execution, monitoring, and control, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards.   
  • Provides coaching and builds capability in partnership management support.  
  • Strategic Planning and Reporting:
  • Serve as the primary strategy liaison between capabilities and departments to ensure effective cross-organization collaboration (e.g.business units, marketing, events, communications, legal, etc.).  
  • Work closely with leadership to align Program Management and operational strategies with the organization's overall vision and objectives.   
  • Ensure that projects and initiatives are prioritized and executed in a manner that supports the achievement of strategic goals.   
  • Oversee resource allocation and capacity planning to optimize project and initiative delivery and address skill gaps.   
  • Utilize data analytics to identify trends, risks to develop and produce strategic reports, dashboards, and performance metrics to aid decision-making and enhance visibility into project status.   
  • Collaboration and Transformation:
  • Proactively develop internal relationships across the Stand Together community to increase knowledge sharing and consistent collaboration. 
  • Collaborate with internal stakeholders to identify inefficiencies and streamline operations to set expectations of excellence for preferred partnership in Music, Sports, and Entertainment.  
  • Seek knowledge from key stakeholders and leadership to continually drive transformation for the capability.  

What You Will Bring

  • 12+ years of experience in program or partnership management, operations, or related roles, with a minimum of 7 years in leadership capacity.   
  • Proven track record of successfully managing complex programs and initiatives.   
  • Strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools. 
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and metrics.   
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, capable of engaging with stakeholders at all levels.   
  • Experience in driving process improvements and operational excellence initiatives.   
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.   
  • Ability to lead and motivate teams.  
  • 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.  

What We Offer

  • Competitive benefits: Enjoy a 6% 401(k) match with immediate vesting, flexible time off, comprehensive health and dental plans, plus wellness and mental health support through Peloton and Talkspace. 
  • A meaningful career: Join a passionate community of over 1,300 employees dedicated to improving lives and driving innovative solutionsto complex social challenges. 
  • Commitment to growth: Thrive in a non-hierarchical environment that empowers employees to discover, develop and apply their unique talents. 
  • Competitive compensation: Our approach rewards the value you create through competitive salaries and bonus opportunities, allowing you to share in the success you help drive. 

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.