Interim Sr. Manager, Correspondence

The Interim Sr. Manager, Correspondence will lead a team responsible for strategic correspondence spanning the organizations and priorities of the Principal. This includes setting teamwide priorities to ensure the correspondence function at Pivotal effectively advances the Principal’s and Pivotal’s impact in the world and building and managing systems to achieve day-to-day excellence in all written correspondence from the Principal. The Interim Sr. Manager, Correspondence will build out and manage correspondence systems that can be used by Pivotal and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation staff in pursuit of impact at scale.    

The Interim Sr. Manager, Correspondence and their team will support the Principal with a broad range of correspondence priorities and projects. The Interim Sr. Manager, Correspondence will have a thorough understanding of the Principal’s writing style, goals and work, and will be able to anticipate opportunities for proactive and responsive outreach in personal and business communications. The Interim Sr. Manager, Correspondence and their team will collaborate with colleagues at Pivotal, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other Gates family organizations to source information, gather stakeholder input, finalize drafts for the Principal, and send on her behalf. 

The Interim Sr. Manager, Correspondence will oversee strategic planning and large-scale project execution for correspondence, including overseeing the management and continuous improvement of systems and processes that take into account both the Principal’s and Pivotal’s priorities. 

• Work with colleagues across the organization to ensure correspondence is utilized as a strategic tool to advance the Principal’s and Pivotal’s goals for impact at scale.
• Be the final decision-maker on written correspondence recommendations to the Principal.
• Manage three team members, including partnering with them in goal setting, performance review, and professional development.
• Oversee a team that will track and evaluate requests, consult with internal and external stakeholders and develop drafts for the Principal, including, but not limited to:
  • Invitation responses
  • Emails and letters
  • Condolence and thank you notes
  • Requests for resources
  • Other written materials
• Write quickly, persuasively, and clearly in the Principal’s style on a wide variety of subjects, to a wide range of audiences.
• Continually assess correspondence on behalf of the Principal to forecast needs and proactively produce drafts.
• Ensure the correspondence team provides input to memos and organization-wide activities as needed.
• Lead operations of the correspondence strategy, including implementing process improvements and building correspondence resources for Pivotal staff over time.
• As a key leader in organization-wide CRM accuracy and participation, contribute to developing cross-organization systems and norms for CRM use.
• Manage staff outreach to the Principal’s family and friends.
• Project manage large scale efforts as needed, including, but not limited to: Holiday card design, list building, and sending, policy advocacy outreach, and project launches and major announcements.

• Outstanding manager with commitment to growth of direct reports.
• High tolerance for ambiguity, ability to make order out of chaos.
• Grace in working across diverse teams, at times under tight deadlines, and with limited information.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to develop and adapt to Principal voice, foster relationship development through written communication, and edit for risk mitigation.
• Ability to work quickly and accurately while coordinating across entities.
• Excellent research skills; the ability to gather and assimilate information in a timely fashion.
• Comfort serving as final reviewer on high-stakes and high-profile written material, with consistently sharp level of attention to detail and excellent organizational skills as well as the ability to work on and deliver multiple projects at once and rapidly prioritize.
• Strong oral, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment while working collaboratively as a member of a team.
• Ability to translate complex concepts into clear, compelling language for multiple audiences.
• Flexible and adaptive, including a willingness to undertake both mundane and high-profile tasks with enthusiasm and energy.
• Demonstrated experience in maintaining confidentiality and privacy and ability to work discretely on sensitive or delicate assignments.

• Minimum ten years of experience in communications, executive correspondence, politics, or related field.
• Minimum three years managing others.
• Availability outside of typical working hours on an as-needed basis.
• Willingness to travel domestically on a quarterly basis to connect and coordinate with colleagues based in Seattle and Washington, D.C.

• Effective communications: expresses oneself clearly, concisely, and empathetically in interactions with others in all forms of communication, i.e., verbal and written, one-on-one and group, etc.
• Strategic risk and impact evaluation: assesses proposed outreach for potential outcomes, and then determines low-risk and high-impact outreach plans that protect the Principal and advance her priorities.
• Organization: has the ability to direct team members in how to juggle multiple competing demands and quick-turn deadlines while creating and managing high-quality, well-researched, and vetted communications.
• Interpersonal awareness: builds and maintains positive relationships and actively contributes as a member of working teams to achieve results.
• Professional credibility: takes responsibility for meeting goals, objectives, obligations, and solving problems while representing the mission, vision, and values of the organization.
• Critical thinking: obtains, analyzes and evaluates information effectively in the face of Makes appropriate decisions based on relevant information and experience.
• Ethics and trust: models and upholds the values of candor, openness, inclusiveness and honesty despite internal and external pressures.

Base annual compensation range for this role is from $184,900 to $203,700.

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, long-term disability and long-term care insurance, fertility benefit, backup caregiving solution, 144 hours of vacation, 96 hours of sick leave, 401k, HSA, FSA, annual target performance bonus and more.