Senior Manager, Executive Projects & Initiatives

Description

Senior Manager, Executive Projects & Initiatives

Office of the CEO & SVP of Enterprise Strategy

About Us

The Cleveland Foundation, established in 1914 as the world’s first community foundation, continues to shape the future of place-based philanthropy more than a century later. With $4 billion in assets and a legacy of bold leadership, we are driven by a commitment to improve the lives of everyone who calls Greater Cleveland home, today and for generations to come.

Joining our team means becoming part of a culture that blends history-making impact with forward-looking innovation. Our vision is a vibrant Northeast Ohio where no Clevelander is left behind. Every team member plays a key role in advancing this vision by tackling Cleveland’s most critical issues, championing opportunities for all, and helping unlock the full potential of our region.

Our headquarters in the heart of MidTown places us at the center of a historic neighborhood and growing district, surrounded by partners, community leaders and residents who are reimagining what’s possible for our city. Here, you’ll work in a dynamic, collaborative environment designed to spark creativity, deepen relationships, and accelerate change.

At the Cleveland Foundation, you can be part of building a stronger future for every Clevelander.

About You

You are passionate about making a difference in your community and excited by the opportunity to contribute to meaningful change. You thrive when working collaboratively with diverse groups to solve complex challenges, and you have a proven ability to lead with integrity, foster inclusiveness, and innovate under pressure. You bring a forward-thinking mindset and a commitment to equity to everything you do, always ensuring your work drives social impact and results in tangible, positive outcomes.

Your best results come from thinking strategically while staying grounded in practical, results-oriented action. You analyze business trends and integrate insights to inform decision-making, identifying long-term opportunities and developing plans to seize them. As an excellent communicator and trusted partner, you can listen actively, seek to understand different perspectives, and apply innovative ideas to drive change. You possess a growth mindset, excel in team dynamics, and have a track record of applying entrepreneurial spirit to problem-solving, all while upholding the values of transparency, accountability, and collaboration.

You prefer working in a fast-paced, high-output environment. You are proactive by nature, anticipating needs, flagging issues early, and you don’t wait to be asked. You care more about the results than the credit and are willing to do whatever it takes to help the business succeed. You have a genuine curiosity about how the business works and where it is going.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Executive Projects & Initiatives, is a high-visibility role leading across the Cleveland Foundation and externally on behalf of the CEO and the SVP of Enterprise Strategy. Sitting within the Executive Office, this person serves as a key member of the Executive Office, coordinating executive priorities, supporting strategic initiatives, and ensuring timely follow-through on key commitments and relationships.

This position is designed for an early-to-mid-career professional who combines strong organizational judgment and creativity with genuine intellectual curiosity and a can-do mentality. This leader must be equipped to move fluidly between a high-stakes leadership meeting and developing a detailed project plan.

The right candidate will be comfortable operating with ambiguity, earn trust quickly across all levels of the organization, and find deep satisfaction in enabling others to do their best work. In return, this role offers unparalleled exposure to senior leadership, strategic decision-making, and the full breadth of the Cleveland Foundation and the Community.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Initiative Management

– Own a portfolio of high-priority projects and initiatives on behalf of the CEO and SVP, from initial scoping through execution and close-out

– Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, and accountability frameworks to ensure commitments are tracked and delivered on time

– Develop and maintain executive presentations, briefing materials, and visual communications that support the CEO's internal and external engagements. Requires high level capability to develop the CEO’s PowerPoint and Canva Presentations with high level graphics and storytelling.

– Prepare concise status updates, briefing materials, and decision memos for the CEO and senior leadership team

– Support alignment across stakeholders with competing priorities

CEO and SVP Meeting Support & Coordination

– Ability to communicate with confidence and credibility in an executive-level environment, and in community stakeholder settings. Must be exceptional at public speaking especially to large groups externally.

– Attend meetings, working sessions, and cross-functional discussions where Executive Office representation is valuable and executive schedules do not allow direct participation. Capture key decisions, identify emerging issues, and coordinate appropriate follow-up to support executive priorities

– Prepare concise meeting summaries that highlight key decisions, action items, emerging issues, and recommended next steps to support executive awareness and decision-making.

– Follow up with relevant stakeholders after meetings to confirm next steps are understood and being actioned

– Serve as a trusted proxy in lower-stakes settings, ensuring continuity when the CEO or SVP’s schedule does not allow direct participation

Ad Hoc & Special Projects

– Take on special research, analysis, or project work at the CEO and SVP’s direction, often on short timelines and across a wide range of topics

– Prepare executive briefing materials, talking points, background research, and meeting summaries. Partner with the Communications team on executive messaging and communications when appropriate.

– Handle sensitive information with exceptional discretion and professionalism at all times

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Communications, Public Administration, or a related field.

Experience & Background

– 3–5 years of experience in a fast-paced, high-output environment.

– Track record of managing multiple projects simultaneously without dropping the ball.

– Experience working with or supporting senior executives is required.

– Exceptional Public Speaking ability and Story Telling Experience

– A minimum of 3 years of manager or project manager accountability

– Demonstrated success managing multiple simultaneous cross-functional projects to completion

– Advanced and exceptional graphic design, PowerPoint and Canva skills

– Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Salesforce

– A bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related degree field

Skills & Competencies

– Exceptional written and verbal communication- writes clearly, concisely, and with the right level of detail for the audience.

– Strong organizational instincts - builds systems naturally and keep complex work organized without being asked.

– Sound judgment - knows when to act independently and when to escalate, and you rarely get it wrong.

– High emotional intelligence - reads rooms well, build trust quickly, and navigate sensitive situations with care.

– Comfort with ambiguity - does need a perfect brief to get started, and you figure things out as you go.

– Driver orientation but has analytical abilities ie. can synthesize information quickly, identify the key point, and present it clearly.

– Ability to influence without authority across a matrix organization

– High ownership mindset with bias toward action

Work Environment

This position is a role which is office-based and requires evening and weekend hours for the purposes of in-person support as needed for meetings, events, and other high-stakes activities.