Director, Strategic Opportunities & Project Origination
Center on Economics & Foreign Affairs · United States
full timehybridDirector
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Sign in to applyAbout the role
Sources mission-aligned projects, identifies sponsors and partners, conducts preliminary screening, and develops qualified opportunities for CEFA's pipeline.
Responsibilities
- Build a targeted opportunity pipeline aligned with CEFA's mission, sector priorities, geography, and capacity. - Source opportunities through research, networks, public programs, sponsors, communities, industry, and institutional partners. - Conduct preliminary screening of public benefit, sponsor credibility, strategic fit, feasibility, conflicts, and development needs. - Prepare concise opportunity briefs and coordinate internal stage-gate review and sponsor follow-up. - Maintain accurate origination records and avoid representing screening activity as funding, endorsement, or transaction commitment. Reporting & working relationships Reports to the project-origination or development leader. Coordinates with research, government partnerships, industry experts, finance, legal/compliance, sponsors, developers, and public-sector partners. Authority & limits May lead assigned programs, staff, outreach, negotiations, and approved expenditures within written delegation. Final contracts, capital commitments, securities activity, public positions, and material partnership terms require authorized approval.
Required qualifications
- Experience in business or project development, economic development, government, industry, banking, consulting, or institutional partnerships. - Strong network-building, investigative research, opportunity assessment, and executive communication skills. - Good judgment about conflicts, confidentiality, reputational risk, and nonprofit mission alignment.
Preferred qualifications
What success looks like: - Consistent flow of qualified, mission-aligned opportunities rather than a high volume of weak leads. - Fast, documented screening and clear handoff into project development. - Expanded sponsor and partner relationships in priority sectors and regions. - No unauthorized promises concerning capital, endorsement, exclusivity, or CEFA commitments.
Benefits
Employment classification: Paid senior staff position. Status: Full-time. Term: Ongoing employment, subject to applicable law and CEFA policies. Compensation: Salary and benefits commensurate with experience and CEFA's approved compensation framework. Performance cycle: Annual objectives with regular check-ins and a formal performance review. Work arrangement: Location, travel, schedule, and exempt/nonexempt status determined for the final role and jurisdiction.
Equal opportunity
CEFA is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to any legally protected characteristic.
About Center on Economics & Foreign Affairs
CEFA is a mission-driven nonprofit institution connecting research, policy, capital, and public- and private-sector partners to advance economic development and foreign-affairs priorities at national scale.