Director of Strategic Initiatives

Job Description

Job Description

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

The Director of Strategic Initiatives is a mission-driven leadership role reporting to the Chief Operations Officer. This position is central to advancing Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ commitment to health equity and reproductive healthcare access for all. As a strategic partner to the Senior Leadership Team, the Director leads the design, execution, and evaluation of high-impact initiatives that strengthen organizational performance, financial sustainability, and external engagement. With a focus on cross impact strategic initiatives involving Finance, Clinical Operations, External Affairs, Governance, Development, and volunteer engagement, this role ensures that PPIL’s long-term vision is translated into actionable, measurable outcomes that center equity, community partnership, and innovation. The ideal candidate is a systems thinker, a skilled project manager, and a passionate advocate for reproductive justice who thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Essential functions :

1.       Lead the development and execution of strategic initiatives that advance PPIL’s mission to provide equitable access to reproductive healthcare for all communities, especially those historically underserved.

2.       Facilitate strategic planning processes with the Senior Leadership Team, Department heads, and Boards, to develop goals and ensure alignment with PPIL’s values of access, care, and justice.

3.       Use data-driven insights to identify disparities in healthcare access and outcomes and develop targeted strategies to address them.

4.       Serve as project manager for high-priority, cross-functional initiatives, particularly those impacting Finance, organization wide operations, and External Affairs.

5.       Coordinate efforts across departments to ensure strategic initiatives are implemented effectively, on time, and within budget.

6.       Monitor progress, evaluate impact, and adjust strategies to ensure initiatives deliver measurable improvements in health equity and organizational performance.

7.       Leverage systems, reports, and external sources to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities related to health equity and reproductive healthcare access.

8.       Develop performance metrics and dashboards to track progress toward strategic goals, with a focus on equity and access.

9.       Partner with Executive Leadership Team to support program development and partnership strategies that amplify PPIL’s impact and visibility.

10.   Build and maintain relationships with community organizations, funders, and policy leaders to support strategic initiatives.

11.   Ensure that strategic planning reflects the voices and needs of the communities PPIL serves.

12.   Support the Chief Operations Officer and Executive Leadership Team in aligning strategic priorities across departments.

13.   Facilitate team meetings, planning sessions, and decision-making processes that promote collaboration and accountability.

14.   Lead special projects and strategic assessments that strengthen PPIL’s long-term sustainability and mission impact.

15.   Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to remain informed about PPIL protocols, policies, and procedures.

16.   Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to PPIL core values of access, activism, care, confidentiality, diversity, excellence, integrity, respect, self-determination, and stewardship; practice these values in relations with internal and external customers.

17.   Other duties as assigned.

Physical demands / Work Environment :

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

This role requires the ability to travel throughout the state of Illinois.  This is a hybrid position requiring 2-3 days in person at the Chicago Administrative Office.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear and use the phone. The employee is frequently required to use hands and fingers to key in data, handle, or feel and reach. The employee must occasionally lift and / or move up to 25 pounds.

Supervisor :         Chief Operations Officer

Status :                 Full time, exempt from the overtime provisions of the wage and salary regulations.

Qualifications : Education

• Bachelor’s degree required in Public Health, Public Administration, Business, Health Policy, or a related field.
• Master’s degree (e.g., MPH, MPA, MBA, MPP) strongly preferred, especially with a focus on health equity, nonprofit leadership, or strategic planning.

Experience

Professional Qualities

Planned Parenthood works affirmatively to include diversity among its workforce and does not discriminate in the selection of its staff based on factors including but not limited to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, income, marital status or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law.  We know that BIPOC and women identifying candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every requirement.  Please do not be deterred if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.