Director for Strategy and Chief of Staff (m/w/x)

About Oak Foundation
Oak Foundation’s mission ( www.oakfnd.org ) is to contribute to a safer, fairer, and more sustainable world. With offices in Europe, Africa, and North America, Oak Foundation makes grants to organisations around the world.

Director for Strategy and Chief of Staff (m/w/x)

Location:Geneva (Switzerland)

Job rate:Full time, permanent
Reporting to: President of Oak Foundation
Application deadline: 21 October, 2026 at 9h00 CET

Purpose of the role
Oak Foundation is currently seeking adirector for strategy and chief of staff to work directly with the president. Oak’s president leads the day-to-day operations of the foundation, reporting to the Chair and the Board of Trustees. The director for strategy and chief of staff is a senior, cross-cutting leadership role, working closely with the president and Trustees to advance the Foundation’s strategic priorities and strengthen alignment, learning, and collaboration across the organisation.

The role also carries significant management responsibility, including line management of 11 staff members, and oversight of teams/functions responsible for organisational strengthening, safeguarding, impact, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning, and Trustee support, as well as the work of the Zimbabwe office and Oak Foundation Denmark.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic advice and support to the president and Trustees.
• Translate organisational priorities into clear plans and coordinated action.
• Lead Foundation-wide strategic initiatives and organisational change.
• Anticipate opportunities, risks, and emerging developments that may affect the Foundation or its work while strengthening collaboration and alignment across programmes and functions.
• Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to the president by providing analysis, insights, and recommendations.
• Translate Trustee and president direction into actionable plans while identifying priorities, facilitating decision-making, and helping to strengthen the leadership team.
• Manage strategic partnerships with other foundations and partners, and represent Oak externally when required.
• Lead the President's Office and country office teams.
• Provide strategic oversight for key Foundation-wide meetings and events, including facilitation and organisation.
• Support and conduct other tasks as requested.

For a full description of the duties, please reach out to Write an email.

Position requirements

• Academic degree in public administration, business administration, or field of focus for Oak Foundation.
• At least 12 years of relevant professional experience.
• Significant experience advising senior leaders and working with leadership teams.
• A strong track record of leading strategic initiatives and organisational change.
• Experience managing geographically dispersed, cross-cultural teams.
• Excellent strategic, analytical, project-management and communication skills.
• High emotional intelligence, sound judgement, and discretion.
• An inclusive, collaborative and solutions-focused leadership style.
• Excellent English; strong French would be an advantage.
• Willingness to travel internationally approximately three to four times per year.
• Demonstrated commitment to the values of Oak Foundation.
• Swiss/EU citizenship or valid work permit is required.

The Foundation’s work schedule is a hybrid of remote and in-person. Team members are expected to work in-person at Oak Foundation’s office in Geneva three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). Mondays and Fridays are optional remote workdays. Candidates must be residing in Switzerland at the time of employment due to cross-border regulatory requirements and travel obligations.

How to apply:

To apply please send your CV and a cover letter describing, in English, your perspective on the future of philanthropy in the next 5 years. No application received after 21 October at 9h00 CET will be considered.

By submitting your application, you confirm that you have read and understood our job applicant’s data privacy notice.

Oak Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, as detailed in our child safeguarding policy . We expect all staff to share this commitment. Please note that the successful candidate will undergo reference checks and be required to provide a police record prior to starting employment.