Senior Associate, Strategy and Build – GDI Americas

Reports to: Managing Director

GDI is an incubator for transformational development ventures, working to build and scale the next generation of social impact solutions. From climate to agriculture, health to economic inclusion, we build across sectors to drive game-changing impact at scale. Whether the concepts originate from sector experts, or are developed and tested ourselves, we create new approaches to address persistent global issues. 

We deploy our functional teams to help early-stage initiatives design their business strategy and model, develop their brand identity, hire and retain talent, and construct their financial and operational infrastructure. 

Over the last decade, GDI has built a significant track record in our field by shaping over 90 efforts and mobilizing $903M in capital for our incubated initiatives.

If you enjoy the innovation and flexibility of startups and want to work on problems of great societal significance, then you may be the right fit for our team. We have a pipeline of opportunities to achieve large-scale impact, and we have the resources to get them going. Now we need you: an entrepreneur who wants to help address some of the largest social issues facing our world.

The Senior Associate role is a unique opportunity to be on the founding teams of startups and partnerships focused on social impact. You will work closely with social leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs who are addressing some of the world’s biggest problems. This position will play a critical role in supporting GDI’s selection and development of new initiatives with the greatest potential to address persistent global challenges. Reporting to a Managing Director, the Senior Associate will work across the Strategy & Build team to research, scope, shape, and prioritize the ideas and partners GDI takes on, as well as further develop initial blueprints into full-blown ventures. The Senior Associate will have the opportunity to landscape, analyze, and develop hypotheses around a wide range of sectors—from value-based health care to marginalized populations, from climate to migration to early childhood welfare and beyond. 

Additionally, the Senior Associate will work across the Strategy & Build team to help design, build, and launch GDI’s initiatives to set them up for long-term success. The Senior Associate role combines both strategy and implementation. As an engine of GDI’s initiatives across focus areas, you will conduct research and analysis to support strategy development; participate in senior-level meetings with experts and partners; manage workplans, workflows, and budgets; and make sure all efforts are implemented for results. Although you will work closely with Strategy & Build Directors as supervisors, the Senior Associate is expected to exercise a high degree of autonomy and initiative and take on significant responsibility.

Note: This role will involve significant external consultations with global stakeholders and will require a work schedule that can periodically accommodate calls slightly earlier or later than usual work hours. 

Responsibilities

Strategy Development

• Support Strategy & Build Managing Directors to execute successful “Discover” phase work, in which GDI sources, evaluates, and shapes potential opportunities and concepts for incubation.
• Lead research, quantitative and qualitative analysis, stakeholder mapping, and market landscaping.
• Lead interviews with senior professionals, experts, and other stakeholders.
• Ultimately make recommendations for the fit of an initiative to GDI’s objectives and services, and support and inform early “blueprint” development for new initiatives.
• Support Strategy & Build Managing Directors and our partners to develop strategies for systems change.
• Develop materials that convey the strategy to align stakeholders and mobilize resources for implementation.

Research + Communication

• Conduct complex impact, financial, market, and policy analyses.
• Track risks, issues, stakeholders, and potential funders.
• Support the development and delivery of structured communications, especially reports and presentations

Project Management + Implementation

• Support the translation of strategy blueprint into actionable plans, for example by developing, managing, and directly contributing to work plans and budget management.
• Support founding teams to deliver key components of “Design” and “Build” plans, ranging from early program design and piloting to developing organizational infrastructure.
• Coordinate consultants and/or service providers, including assisting supervisors in preparation, processing, and administration of consultant and technical services contracts/agreements.
• Track risks, issues, stakeholders, and potential funders.
• Coordinate support from other GDI teams.
• Travel as needed to support implementation, including internationally.

Donor Engagement

• Support the development of concept notes and other fundraising materials.
• Review and analyze financial expenditure reports against budgets and donor agreements.
• Collect, organize, and prepare program and financial information for donor progress and internal grant management reports, as well as routine queries.

Support to GDI 

• Brief leadership on a weekly basis as to progress, risks, and issues.
• Participate in bi-weekly and quarterly reviews with the GDI leadership team, initiative management team, and advisors.
• Contribute to the refinement of incubation methodologies based on your hands-on experiences.
• Support broader knowledge management and dissemination.

• Undergraduate college degree with 2–5 years of related professional work experience (especially strategy consulting, impact investing, social entrepreneurship or human-centered design).
• Demonstrated ability to break down large, complex problems into smaller pieces, develop hypotheses, structure analysis to test these hypotheses, and generate clear insights and actionable recommendations.
• Outstanding analytical skills with a demonstrated ability to synthesize quantitative and qualitative data and surface clear, actionable insights for leadership, including facility with Excel. Entry-level exposure to business planning, budgeting, investment analytics or market analysis is a plus.
• Collaborative team contributor; excellent listening skills; effective influencer; strong interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; good attention to detail.
• Ability to self-manage work streams and tasks; self-directed and resourceful with high standards for quality output.
• A curious and creative intellect and a style that includes flexibility, levelness, and a sense of humor and humility.
• Interest in and exposure to subject matter areas in which we have portfolios is a plus: climate, migration, health, social justice, early childhood development, agriculture, economic inclusion, democracy.

Qualities of GDI Employees

• A relentless drive to get things done.
• Curious and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Passion for driving social impact and tackling the world’s biggest challenges in new ways.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $75,000–$95,000. GDI offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes employer contributions to health, dental, and vision insurance plans for employees and dependents and 401(k) matching contributions.

Application Process

If you are interested in this position and meet the qualifications above, please submit a single PDF document containing a one-page cover letter and CV/resume outlining your interest in this position and why you would be a good fit. Please note that the cover letter is considered an important aspect of the application and will be evaluated against the qualifications above. Applications that do not include a cover letter will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Global Development Incubator is an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.