ABOUT PURPOSE

Purpose builds & supports movements to advance the fight for an open, just, & habitable world. We use public mobilization & storytelling to help the leading organizations, businesses, activists, & philanthropies engaged in this fight. We also create campaigning labs & new initiatives that can shift policies & drive change. To do this, Purpose brings together world-class talent from the world of creatives, content development, storytelling, campaigning, grassroots organizing, & political strategy to build new creative campaigning models.

Guided by smart strategy & powered by participation, our work reframes issues, engages new audiences, shifts public discourse, & ultimately drives targeted action & creates lasting impact. Join the team that made all this work!

ABOUT THE ROLE

Purpose is looking for a Managing Director for its North America region. We are seeking an individual committed to our mission to fight for a just, open, & habitable world. In this role, you will join our internationally diverse team & lead our project work, business development, & market-facing reputation in the region.

The Managing Director, North America will be supported by the Senior Director of Operations, North America, who oversees key day-to-day business & people operations that drive effective project & program delivery. The role will also work closely with Purposes global C-suite & partner team as well as other key functional teams including Partnerships; Capabilities; People, Culture & Experience, to continue the growth of our North America business. 

As the senior most person in the region, you will be critical in driving Purposes business strategy, ensuring our offerings & capabilities are matched to the needs of the market, & building a strong reputation within our target client & funder communities. Serving as the principal representative with senior clients, partners, & stakeholders, you will also lead multidisciplinary teams & oversee large complex projects, from inception through delivery, ensuring that the process & deliverables meet clients' high expectations. 

A strong spokesperson, thoughtful leader, & strategic thinker, youll be equally comfortable representing Purpose at events, pitching new projects to funders, solving thorny client issues, & inspiring the team at regular get togethers.

This role is a full-time staff position, offered at the Managing Director tier with a flexible salary range between $185,000 & $200,000, with additional variable compensation against co-determined parameters - along with medical, dental & vision benefits & a generous paid time off policy.

This role reports to the COO with connections to the global leadership team. Candidates based in & around New York are encouraged to apply. We operate a highly flexible, hybrid work policy with our office being based in New York City.  

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Managing Director, North America will be the principal market-facing leader of Purpose in North America, focused on the strategic delivery & further growth of our impact, leading projects, & business development. Specifically, the role entails:

Business Development

• Developing & implementing a business development strategy that will enable the organization to continue its growth over the coming years
• Proactively seeking out new clients & partners from the philanthropic, NGO, multilateral, business, foundations, & government sectors 
• Leading the partnerships & business development function of the North America office, with accountability for financial targets, project profitability & the delivery of successful competitive pitches
• Utilizing prior experience to shape Purposes direction & offerings 
• Working with our parent company, Capgemini, to foster new & shared opportunities for collaboration

Projects

• Acting as the principal across North America-based projects, responsible for high-level client, partner, & stakeholder management
• Building & leading project teams including strategists, campaigners, creatives & impact measurement specialists
• Setting & maintaining the highest standards for internal & external deliverable
• Maintaining & growing strong client relationships at the highest levels of our partners organizations

Organizational

• Participating in strategic decision-making on key questions such as the development of our business model & technology/service offering, our growth strategy, our partnerships & the evolution of the organization
• Working with our global team of partners to develop the North American business strategy in alignment with the global trajectory of the organization
• Collaborating regularly with the Partnerships & Capabilities teams across Purposes international network
• Serving as a leader, both internally & externally, in a specific area and/or issue of expertise
• Researching & staying abreast of best practices in online engagement, corporate social responsibility & social innovation

People:

• Leading an equitable, inclusive & accessible workplace environment that allows all employees at Purpose to have a sense of fulfilment, belonging, impact, growth & development
• Serving as a leader to inspire the teams, partnering with global leaders, people & culture leads to build a cohesive, collaborative,  multidisciplinary culture in North America
• Working in close partnership with the People Experience & Culture Teams to drive learning & development in alignment with our mission & strategic goals.

ABOUT YOU

• Experience in a  senior leadership role in an impact-driven organization, ideally in a client services environment
• Demonstrated experience working across the social impact ecosystem, working with philanthropic foundations, the corporate sector, government, and/or non-profits;
• Extensive experience in developing, executing & leading social & progressive impact projects;
• Solid trajectory leading & executing creative public engagement strategies, with a particular focus on digital; 
• Strong business development experience that has generated funding & revenue;
• Track record managing a small commercial agency & a strong understanding of the commercial dynamics of such a business; 
• Managing & leading diverse teams with a strong equity lens. 
• Strong entrepreneurial sensibility you've had success in building campaigns, projects or organizations that employ new, innovative models to drive social impact or have worked & contributed to such ventures
• Digital fluency, especially with regard to social media tools & their role in public mobilisation
• Adept manager of distributed, multidisciplinary, diverse teams with a passion for people management & experience building & supporting team culture & professional development initiatives
• Sophisticated interpersonal, presentation & communications abilities coupled with mature client/funder relationship management skills
• Networked in the nonprofit, foundation, corporate, government, & multilateral sectors in the US 
• Experience with leading change management within a rapidly growing organization in, with an entrepreneurial spirit, a nimble approach, & comfort in adapting & responding to quickly changing situations
• Share Purpose's progressive, internationalist worldview
• Global sensibility, multicultural awareness, international affairs & policy expertise, and/or global work experience
• Foreign languages a plus.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

We think you will be a successful candidate if you have/are:

• Significant experience building, growing & leading initiatives or client-led projects with a social impact focus, especially within an agency or consultancy environment. 
• A strong reputation in the North American market as a thought leader on social or environmental issues with experience speaking at events & publishing thought leadership content
• Experience & enthusiasm for building & maintaining high-level client or funder relationships
• Ability to lead & manage diverse, cross-functional teams & groups. 
• Sophisticated interpersonal, problem-solving & leadership communication skills. 
• High bar for quality, rigor, & integrity in your own work, as well as your colleagues.
• An ability to work autonomously, diplomatically driving the business forward while obtaining results through ambiguity & conflicting needs.
• Strength in managing cross-functional teams & high-priority projects.
• Expertise with standard business tools, including exceptional presentation development & productivity & communication platforms (Slack, Notion, Google Suite, other).  
• Dedicated to building a diverse, equitable & inclusive work environment

Purpose takes on some of the biggest challenges in the world, which affect people of different identities & backgrounds in different ways. We are stronger & most effective with a diverse team leading the charge & are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, & skills. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome the unique contributions that individuals bring in terms of their education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity & expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veterans status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation & beliefs.