Vice President, Center for Global Leadership (Customized Exchanges)

Title: Vice President, Center for Global Leadership (Customized Exchanges)

Employment Status:  Exempt

Salary: $120,750 - $147,000

Supervisor Title: Executive Vice President

Date Revised:  March 2023

Summary of Position:

The Vice President, Center for Global Leadership (Customized Exchanges) will lead Meridian’s efforts to expand its program reach through partnerships with foundations and the private sector, in addition to the U.S. Government, this position will oversee the design, development and implementation of exchange and training programs for public and private sector clients. The Vice President will lead and manage a team of 20+ program staff and cultivate a supportive, inclusive and equitable team environment. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, the Vice President will lead all business development efforts to strategically grow impact and revenue. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Vice President contributes to organization-wide initiatives and cross-team collaboration.

This position is located in Washington D.C. and Meridian requires MD, DC, or VA residence for all employees. The position may work partially remotely.

Position Responsibilities:

New Business Development

  • Responsible for developing and achieving the department’s annual business plan, a program portfolio of approximately $6M through public and private sector funding
  • Strategically manages the growth and direction of the team
  • Leads and manages all new business development efforts with the team, with a special focus on foundation and private sector funders
  • Identifies, tracks and proposes new foundation and private sector funding by developing new leadership, exchange and training programs to both meet funder objectives and advance Meridian’s mission
  • Proactively develops relationships with potential funders including institutional and corporate foundations; effectively articulates and markets Meridian’s value proposition to potential funders
  • Creatively develops new program concepts that can be pitched to potential funders
  • Oversees the U.S. government grant proposal process and provides leadership in proposal strategy development, partnering, and encouraging innovative approaches

Staff Leadership

  • Leads a team of 20+ program staff, engages and motivates team to meet project and organizational mission and objectives
  • Hires and retains exemplary staff in line with Meridian's focus on ensuring a diverse workforce
  • Provides staff training and development, facilitates diverse and rewarding work opportunities for staff, serves as a mentor
  • Drives improvement in knowledge management and staff capacity building, leading initiatives to develop or refine systems and processes, and mentor colleagues

Budget/Grant Management

  • Prepares and monitors annual budgets for the department, ensures that the department budget target for the year is met or exceeded, and personnel and systems are in place for managing, monitoring, and reporting finances
  • Monitors revenue projections to ensure fiscal targets are achieved
  • Monitors reporting and compliance with USG and private sector award requirements

Program Oversight/Strategy

  • Oversees project intake and delegation of staff responsibilities, including project scheduling and evaluation of individual staff talent and readiness for advancement
  • Coordinates efforts to identify and engage technical consultants and U.S./international partner organizations to advance the organization’s work in priority sectors and topics
  • Ensures regular contact with key clients while building relationships with potential new ones
  • Strengthens client relationships by monitoring, managing, and addressing concerns as they arise
  • Responsible for completing all organizational administrative responsibilities in a timely manner and meeting all organizational administrative deadlines
  • Other duties as assigned

Education/Experience

  • Graduate degree in international relations/development or related field preferred
  • Minimum 10 years of experience managing U.S. government grants and public sector programs, preferably in the international exchange space
  • Analytical, strategic and business development roles dealing with world affairs or international development issues
  • Work experience with the U.S. Department of State, USAID or other U.S. government agencies with international portfolios
  • Proven track record of increasing new business in the areas of private industry and government contracting, including the development of Public Private Partnerships and corporate social responsibility initiatives
  • Or any equivalent combination of training, education, and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the essential functions of the position

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

  • A comprehensive understanding of stakeholder engagement and ways that government, the private sector and civil society interact to promote collaboration and communities of interest on key issues
  • Strong knowledge of U.S. government grant management including procurement, monitoring and evaluation processes
  • Innovative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial work style with exceptional time management skills
  • Team-oriented self-starter, with an ability to manage initiatives for the full-cycle with an emphasis on quality, outstanding performance, and achievement of desired results
  • Experience guiding, setting expectations and advancing professional development for team members
  • Outstanding interpersonal and communication (oral and written) skills
  • Excellent financial acumen and budgeting experience that demonstrates ability to optimize resources
  • Fluency in written and spoken English; proficiency in another language and work experience overseas are highly desirable
  • Strong inter-cultural communication skills; maturity, cultural sensitivity, and tact suitable for working with individuals from around the world

Technical Requirements:

  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams is necessary for this role
  • Experience with Canvas, Zoom and Salesforce is helpful

Employer’s Statement

Meridian is committed to creating a diverse environment. We believe in empowering global leaders and amplifying voices of a wide variety of backgrounds to create pathways for greater understanding, shared value and respect for all cultures as connecting people has been our foundation for over 60 years. If you share our values and enthusiasm to promote non-partisan collaboration to address global challenges and opportunities, you can find a home at Meridian.

As an equal opportunity employer, Meridian promotes equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, personal appearance, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, family responsibilities, marital, veteran or military status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Equal employment opportunity will be offered and maintained to all persons at every stage and condition of employment, including recruiting, hiring, training, upgrading, promotion, transfer, discipline, layoff, recall, and termination.

How to Apply 

Applicants must indicate salary expectations in their cover letter. Qualified candidates should apply here. Only candidates being considered for this position will be contacted. NO PHONE CALLS in reference to this position will be accepted.