Torchora
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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Deputy Director

💰 $95,000 - $210,000

ExecutiveOperationsManagementStrategy

🎯 Role Definition

The Deputy Director is the second-in-command responsible for operationalizing strategy, managing day-to-day functions, and enabling the Director/CEO to focus on vision and external relationships. This role balances strategic planning, program and project leadership, financial and risk oversight, and cross-functional stakeholder engagement. The Deputy Director often leads multiple departments or large portfolios, drives continuous improvement and performance management, and represents the organization with partners, funders, regulators and community stakeholders.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Program Manager / Director of Programs
  • Chief Operating Officer (in smaller organizations) or Associate Director
  • Division/Department Head in public sector or nonprofit

Advancement To:

  • Executive Director / Director / CEO
  • Chief Operating Officer (COO)
  • Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)

Lateral Moves:

  • Director of Operations
  • Director of Policy & Planning
  • Director of Finance & Administration

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead day-to-day operational management across multiple departments, ensuring alignment with the organization's strategic plan, quarterly objectives, and long-term goals while reporting progress to the Director and Board.
  • Develop, implement and monitor annual and multi-year budgets; provide financial oversight including forecasting, variance analysis, and recommending corrective actions to meet fiscal targets.
  • Oversee program design, implementation and evaluation, ensuring service delivery meets performance targets, contractual obligations and quality standards for internal and external stakeholders.
  • Build and manage high-performing leadership teams by hiring, coaching, mentoring and conducting performance reviews for senior managers; create succession plans and workforce development strategies.
  • Drive strategic planning processes, translate strategic priorities into measurable objectives, and lead cross-functional initiatives to achieve organizational outcomes.
  • Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs), dashboards and program metrics; use data-driven analysis to improve operations, inform decision-making and report impact to funders and leadership.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory, contractual and grant requirements by creating controls, policies and audit-ready documentation; manage internal and external audits and corrective action plans.
  • Lead complex change management and transformation initiatives (systems implementations, reorganization, process redesign) including stakeholder communication, risk mitigation and adoption strategies.
  • Manage risk and business continuity planning by identifying operational vulnerabilities, developing mitigation plans and coordinating emergency response and recovery activities.
  • Oversee procurement, vendor/contract management and service-level agreements; negotiate terms, supervise contract performance and ensure value-for-money procurement practices.
  • Serve as primary liaison with funders, government agencies, community partners and other external stakeholders; cultivate partnerships to expand program reach and resource development.
  • Lead grant management and fundraising coordination, supporting proposal development, budget narratives, compliance reporting and stewardship of funder relationships.
  • Create and maintain policy frameworks and standard operating procedures; draft and revise organizational policies, codes of conduct and governance documents to reflect best practices.
  • Supervise IT, data and information governance efforts in collaboration with technical leads; prioritize digital initiatives, data security and privacy compliance to support operational efficiency.
  • Coordinate cross-departmental project portfolios using formal project management methodologies (Agile, PMBOK), ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery and stakeholder alignment.
  • Represent the organization at public meetings, industry conferences, legislative hearings and community events; prepare briefings, presentations and public statements as required.
  • Lead performance improvement projects using Lean, Six Sigma or continuous improvement methodologies to increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve customer/client satisfaction.
  • Manage human resources functions in collaboration with HR: workforce planning, compensation recommendations, labor relations, employee engagement and organizational culture initiatives.
  • Oversee monitoring & evaluation frameworks to assess program effectiveness; synthesize findings into actionable recommendations and prepare impact reports for executives and funders.
  • Coordinate multi-million dollar capital and operational projects including timelines, budgeting, procurement and stakeholder communication for facility or infrastructure initiatives.
  • Drive diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy across hiring, programming and community engagement to ensure equitable access and outcomes.
  • Prepare and present comprehensive operational reports, budget briefings and strategic updates to executive leadership, boards of directors and external stakeholders.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Provide mentorship and leadership for middle managers and emerging leaders through coaching programs and leadership development workshops.
  • Act as backup decision-maker for the Director during absences; make executive-level decisions and escalate as needed.
  • Troubleshoot escalated program or client issues, deploying resources and corrective actions to protect organizational reputation and service continuity.
  • Coordinate internal communications to ensure transparency of strategic priorities and reinforce organizational culture and values.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Strategic Planning & Execution — demonstrated ability to convert strategy into operational plans, measurable KPIs and execution roadmaps.
  • Budgeting & Financial Management — multi-year budgeting, forecasting, P&L oversight, grant accounting and fiscal controls.
  • Program & Project Management — portfolio management, PM methodologies (Agile/Scrum, PMP/PMBOK), milestones and deliverables tracking.
  • Data Analysis & Performance Measurement — building dashboards, KPI design, beneficiary/outcome measurement, monitoring & evaluation (M&E).
  • Compliance & Regulatory Knowledge — familiarity with relevant regulations, grant compliance, procurement law, audits and reporting.
  • Policy Development & Governance — drafting policy, SOPs, governance frameworks and board reporting.
  • Contract & Vendor Management — RFPs, negotiations, SLAs, vendor performance oversight and cost containment.
  • Risk Management & Business Continuity — enterprise risk assessments, mitigation planning and emergency response coordination.
  • IT/Systems Oversight — experience with ERP/CRM systems, digital transformation, cybersecurity fundamentals and vendor selection.
  • Grant Writing & Fund Development — proposal development, budget narratives, donor reporting and stewardship.
  • Human Resources Fundamentals — organizational design, performance management systems, workforce planning and labor relations.
  • Quality Improvement Methodologies — Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement and process optimization tools.

Soft Skills

  • Executive Leadership — ability to inspire, align leaders and operationalize organizational vision.
  • Strategic Thinking — foresight to anticipate issues, prioritize initiatives and adapt strategy to changing environments.
  • Communication & Presentation — concise, persuasive written and oral communication for diverse audiences including boards, funders and media.
  • Stakeholder Engagement — political acumen, diplomacy and partnership-building across public, private and community sectors.
  • Decision-Making & Problem Solving — data-informed decisions, ethical judgment and sound prioritization under pressure.
  • Coaching & Talent Development — mentoring, feedback delivery and building high-performing teams.
  • Change Management — empathy, resilience and influence to lead organizational change and adoption.
  • Negotiation & Conflict Resolution — resolving disputes, aligning interests and securing workable agreements.
  • Emotional Intelligence — self-awareness, relationship management and cultural sensitivity.
  • Attention to Detail & Organization — strong organizational skills, follow-through and documentation discipline.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Management, Finance, Law, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree (MPA, MBA, MPP, MS in Management, or JD) or equivalent executive education.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Public Administration
  • Business Administration/Management
  • Finance or Accounting
  • Public Policy
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Law

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 8–15+ years of progressively responsible experience in program or operations management, including at least 3–5 years in senior leadership or director-level roles.

Preferred:

  • 10+ years with demonstrated success leading multi-disciplinary teams, managing large budgets ($5M+ to $100M+ depending on organization), overseeing grants and contracts, and experience in the sector (public, nonprofit or private) relevant to the hiring organization.
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