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About the Role

As Smile Train’s Vice President, Program Operations, you will serve as a senior leader within the Global Programs division, providing strategic and operational leadership to ensure global program priorities are effectively planned, coordinated, executed, and measured. You will provide oversight of program operations, work plans, budgets, forecasting, risk management, partner management, and key organizational deliverables, while leading and developing a team of professionals and strengthening coordination, accountability, and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational leadership across key global Programs initiatives, ensuring priorities, work plans, timelines, and deliverables remain aligned and on track.
Oversee program budget planning, forecasting, monitoring, and timely and accurate financial submissions in partnership with Programs leadership and Finance.
Lead, manage, mentor, and develop a team of professionals across specialized program areas, including research, speech, ENT, nutrition, and other program functions.
Establish clear priorities, performance expectations, and accountability while supporting the professional growth and development of team members.
Serve as a senior liaison between Programs and other headquarters functions, ensuring cross-functional requests, projects, and initiatives are appropriately coordinated and strategically aligned.
Partner with regional leadership in the development and review of annual plans, budgets, regional work plans, and program priorities.
Provide strategic and operational input regarding the feasibility, scalability, sustainability, and implementation requirements of proposed program initiatives.
Proactively review and flag programmatic and operational risks across the portfolio, working under the supervision of the Chief Impact Officer to resolve issues before they escalate.
Monitor partner activities and organizational commitments throughout the year, engage partners as needed to address emerging concerns, and drive timely problem-solving to ensure issues are identified and acted upon well before fiscal year-end.
Lead the development and utilization of dashboards, reporting tools, and performance measures that provide leadership with timely and actionable information.
Ensure program data is appropriately collected, managed, analyzed, and used to strengthen decision-making and continuous improvement.
Regularly communicate and debrief senior leadership regarding program performance, operational challenges, emerging risks, and strategic priorities.
Anticipate operational challenges and lead the development of practical, organization-wide solutions.
Strengthen collaboration and coordination across headquarters and regional teams within Smile Train’s global and multicultural environment.
Contribute technical and programmatic expertise to fundraising proposals, grant-related activities, and other cross-functional initiatives as appropriate.

Requirements

Accomplished senior leader who combines strong strategic and operational judgment with demonstrated success leading people, programs, and complex initiatives.
Sophisticated understanding of business and program operations, strong financial acumen, and the ability to translate organizational strategy into effective execution.
Confident and collaborative leader who can operate effectively across departments, regions, cultures, and levels of seniority.
Credibility and interpersonal skills necessary to influence across the organization, build productive partnerships, and establish clear accountability for results.
Comfortable developing people, reviewing budgets and forecasts, analyzing performance data, navigating complex organizational issues, and advising senior and regional leadership.
Strong emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and a solutions-oriented approach.
Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, mentor, and develop high-performing teams.
Strong strategic, financial, analytical, and operational capabilities.
Ability to manage competing organizational priorities while maintaining focus on strategic objectives and critical deliverables.
Strong judgment and the ability to identify, assess, and flag operational and programmatic risks early, including partner-related issues, and to work with senior leadership to resolve them in a timely manner.
Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across cultures, functions, personalities, and organizational levels.
Executive presence and the ability to communicate complex information clearly and concisely to senior leadership.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, mission-driven global organization.
Take full responsibility for one’s own performance, ensuring alignment with Smile Train’s mission and objectives.
Communicate openly and effectively with team members, fostering trust and a shared understanding of expectations and priorities.
Demonstrate empathy, understanding, and cultural sensitivity to contribute to an inclusive and supportive team environment.
Effectively communicate with supervisors to ensure you are equipped with the resources, guidance, and autonomy you need to excel in your role.
Contribute to a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, and shared accountability, helping the team thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

Skills

Program Operations
Strategic Planning
Work Planning
Project Execution
Organizational Coordination
Financial Management
Budgeting
Financial Planning
Forecasting
Performance Monitoring
Data Analysis
Dashboard Development
Reporting Tools
Performance Measures
Leadership
Communication (Written and Verbal)
Interpersonal Skills
Analytical Skills
Problem-Solving Skills
Emotional Intelligence
Risk Management
Partner Management

Location

Midtown Manhattan

Work Type

Hybrid
International travel may be required
Domestic travel may be required

Experience Level

Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership and operational management experience.
Minimum of 5 years of supervisory and people-management experience, including demonstrated success leading and developing professional staff.
Significant experience in program operations, strategic planning, work planning, project execution, and organizational coordination.
Strong financial management experience, including budgeting, financial planning, forecasting, and monitoring.
Demonstrated experience developing and using data, dashboards, reporting, and performance-management tools to support executive decision-making.
Demonstrated success working across departments, functions, and organizational levels.
Leadership experience within a nonprofit, charity, NGO, international development, healthcare, or public health organization.
Experience working within a global or multi-country organization and across multicultural teams.
Experience navigating headquarters, regional, and field-based organizational structures.
Experience within a large or complex organization involving multiple stakeholders and functional areas.
International professional experience.
Exposure to fundraising, proposal development, grant writing, or development of program budgets for funding proposals.

Education Level

MBA or advanced degree in business, management, public administration, international development, or a related discipline; or equivalent significant professional experience in business and operational management.

Salary/Compensations

140,000 to 170,000

Benefits

Comprehensive health, pharmacy, dental, and vision coverage
401k retirement plan with employer match
Generous PTO allotment, holidays, and sick time
Paid parental leave and family care benefits
Annual professional development stipend

About the Company

Smile Train is a mission-driven organization.

Equal Opportunity

Smile Train is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates from all groups and communities to apply.