Associate Director, Global Operations. Bogota. Posting Date: 05/29/2026. Deadline: 06/11/2026

Role Title: Associate Director, Global

Contract Type: Permanent

Workstyle Arrangement: Hybrid

Reporting To: Director, Global Operations

Department: Global Operations

Location: Mexico City , Johannesburg, Bogota

Team Name: Global Operations

Opportunity or Team description

This is a senior operations leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of people management, project delivery, and cross-functional problem-solving. You will help strengthen how Global Operations coordinates, reports, and delivers priority work across a complex international organisation.

Role Purpose

The Associate Director, Global (“Global AD”), serves as a strategic partner and a leader senior leader in Global Operations, driving cross-functional alignment, project execution, workstream management, people leadership, and organizational efficiency across global operational priorities projects.

This role is pivotal in ensuring that key OSF strategic priorities under the remit of Global Operations are translated into actionable plans and delivered with excellence clear plans, accountable delivery, consistent reporting, and measurable progress and requires a strategic thinker with strong project management capabilities project leadership capability, sound people management judgement, and a passion for operational excellence.

The AD will oversee the project management and governance of key global projects, data reporting across these projects and all Global Operations workstreams, enabling consistent execution, governance, and reporting across all operational programs. The role will also provide leadership across cross-cutting workstreams, including meetings and events, data reporting and analysis, and safety, health, environment and quality, ensuring these areas have clear priorities, progress tracking, and effective support.

Working closely with the Director of Global Operations, regional Associate Directors, and colleagues across One Operations and programmatic teams, the Global AD will help bring structure, clarity, and momentum to complex work that spans offices, functions, and geographies.

Key responsibilities

Strategic Project Leadership and Governance

• Oversee the project management of multi-departmental, global projects under Global Operations’ remit, ensuring consistent methodologies, tools, and reporting standards.
• Drive execution of high-impact, cross-functional projects from initiation to completion.
• Develop and maintain governance frameworks for project execution and decision-making.
• Monitor project health, risks, and dependencies, and escalate issues as needed to ensure timely delivery.
• Management of cross-cutting workstreams
• Manage the meetings and events team, Data Officer, and Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality Officer’s workstreams to ensure that they are incorporated into local operations, with a set of clear, timebound priorities and ongoing tasks established and updated
• Encourage the professional development of direct reports, both in growth of skillsets and relationship building with other OSF stakeholders
• Ensure the high standards of data reporting and analysis across multiple team members to support data-driven and strategic decision-making

Cross-Functional Coordination and Stakeholder Alignment

• Partner with other ADs and their team members to ensure strategic and operational alignment across initiatives and geographies.
• Facilitate alignment across other One Operations teams, including Global Security and Risk, Finance, People & Culture, IT, Office of General Counsel, Communications and Grants Management, as well as programmatic staff members.
• Lead cadence of operational meetings, including leadership reviews, program updates, and strategic offsites.
• Ensure clear communication and documentation of decisions, action items, and follow-ups.

Strategic Performance Insight and Operational Data and Reporting,

• Support the Director of Global Operations to define and execute strategic priorities.
• Facilitate operational planning cycles, including goal setting, KPI tracking, and performance reviews.
• Serve as a thought partner to other ADs and the Director, providing insights and recommendations on strategic priorities, project status, and operational improvements, and operational improvements.

People Leadership and Team Development

• Provide line management, guidance, and support to a team of four direct reports: two Meetings and Events Officers, the Data Officer, and the Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality Officer.
• Set clear priorities, expectations, and delivery rhythms across cross-cutting Global Operations workstreams, ensuring team members understand how their work contributes to wider organisational priorities.
• Support the professional development of direct reports by identifying growth opportunities, strengthening capability, and encouraging effective collaboration with colleagues across OSF.
• Coach and enable team members to manage their respective workstreams with ownership, accountability, and sound judgement, while providing appropriate oversight and escalation support.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team environment that supports trust, clarity, shared accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure regular check-ins, feedback, and progress tracking across direct reports so that workstream risks, delays, dependencies, and resourcing needs are identified and addressed early.
• Model empathetic, practical, and accountable leadership, balancing support for team members with the need to deliver consistent progress across global operational priorities.

The ideal candidate

Essential Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Desirable Education

• Master’s degree

Essential Experience

• Significant experience in operations, strategy, project management, transformation, or business operations within a complex, global, regional, or matrixed organisation.
• Proven experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from planning through execution, including managing risks, dependencies, timelines, and stakeholder alignment.
• Demonstrable people management experience, including managing, coaching, and holding team members accountable across workstreams or locations.
• Strong experience developing project governance, reporting rhythms, dashboards, updates, or senior leadership materials that support decision-making.
• Strong stakeholder management experience, including working with senior leaders and influencing colleagues outside direct reporting lines.
• Ability to operate in ambiguity, bring structure to complex work, and move priorities forward without waiting for perfect conditions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear memos, updates, presentations, and decision documents.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools such as Asana, Smartsheet, MS Project, Microsoft 365, or similar platforms.
• Fluency in English and the local language of the office location.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in an international NGO, foundation, philanthropy, development, public sector, or mission-driven environment.
• PMP, Agile, Lean, Six Sigma, or similar certification.
• Experience overseeing operational data, KPI reporting, business intelligence, or performance reporting.
• Experience supporting health and safety, workplace operations, events, or organisational operations workstreams.
• Experience working across multiple regions, cultures, and time zones.

Language

• Fluency in English and the local language of the office location.

Travel

• Travel is required. Travel frequency depends on the role requirements.

Functional Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the big picture and align initiatives with long-term goals.
• Project Leadership: Proven experience in managing complex, cross-functional global projects.
• Analytical Acumen: Strong ability to interpret data, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions.
• Operational Excellence: Expertise in streamlining processes and implementing best practices.
• Change Management: Ability to lead and manage change in a dynamic, global environment.
• Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with project management and data analysis tools (e.g., Asana, Tableau, Excel).
• People Leadership: Ability to attract, grow and engage talent within direct team.
• Distributed People Leadership: Ability to manage, coach, and support direct reports across workstreams and locations, setting clear expectations, tracking progress, providing feedback, and enabling team members to deliver with ownership and accountability.
• Operational Judgement and Escalation: Ability to assess risks, dependencies, and competing priorities, exercise sound judgement, and escalate issues at the right time with clear recommendations.

Personal Competencies:

• Global Perspective: Demonstrates cultural adaptability and the ability to work effectively across different cultural contexts, respecting diverse perspectives, and adjusting communication and collaboration styles accordingly.
• Leadership and Accountability: Ability to mentor and develop team members, as well as taking accountability for any shortfalls or delays within one’s control and leading by example in fostering a high-performance culture.
• Proactive Communication: Forward-thinking and considerate communications, reflected in the written, verbal, organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills. Includes exercising good listening and communication skills with sensitivity to cultural communication differences
• Humility: Commitment to listening and working with patience; ways of working that are respectful to all people; and that support space and voice for all diverse perspectives in our workplace
• Core Values: Demonstrates commitment to OSF’s core values of humility, commitment, collaboration, respect, inclusivity and integrity.
• Flexibility: Willingness to adjust working hours to include calls and discussions with colleagues and vendors located in various geographic regions.
• Openness: Commitment to continuous learning and growth in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and social justice

What we offer

• Exceptional opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact; from a generous annual professional development allowance for every employee to onsite training and learning conversations with visiting experts.
• Excellent benefits and perks to promote well-being and a healthy work-life balance, including:
• Generous time off and flexible work arrangements.
• Staff are required to work in an Open Society office 50% of working days per month.
• Employer-paid health insurance *and dental plans for individuals and families (no employee contribution required).
• Exceptional retirement savings plan (non-contributory for employees) and life insurance.
• Progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, and much more.
• A commitment to nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, so you can bring your whole self to work and make a positive impact.

Who we are

Open Society Foundations aim to establish vibrant and inclusive democracies where governments are accountable to their citizens. Our operating model organizes grantmaking around specific, time-limited projects, developed alongside support for established partners, enabling us to respond swiftly to emerging needs. We are committed to promoting human dignity, equality, and rights; reimagining democratic ideals and practice; and advancing equity in governance systems.

Guided by our founder’s values and the belief in the art of the possible, we engage directly with global entities, individuals, and policymakers through grants, advocacy, impact investing, and strategic human rights litigation to drive positive change. At the heart of our mission is a deep commitment to rights, equity, and justice, inspiring every action we take.

Competitive rates of pay apply.

Open Society Foundations is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and to building a diverse staff that reflects the movements, issues and communities that our mission serves. Candidates from all underrepresented backgrounds, identities and communities are encouraged to apply.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.