Director of Strategy at The Texas Tribune

Austin, Texas, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

08 Jun, 26

Salary

175000.0

Posted On

10 Mar, 26

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Strategy Development, Strategic Execution, Cross-Functional Leadership, Innovation Management, Executive Partnership, Organizational Strategy, OKR Design, Performance Measurement, Resource Allocation, Strategic Planning, Experimentation, Board Reporting, Analytical Skills, Communication, Influence

Industry

Internet News

Description

Description The Texas Tribune is seeking a Director of Strategy to help shape and execute the organization’s long-term strategic direction. This role partners closely with the CEO and leadership team to translate vision into measurable priorities, lead cross-functional strategic initiatives, and ensure smart and scrappy disciplined execution in a resource-constrained nonprofit environment. We have big ambitions, a swiftly changing market and a highly important mission. The Director of Strategy pairs bold thinking with practical execution: designing initiatives that can demonstrate traction quickly, iterate within limited resources, and scale when proven. This position sits at the intersection of strategy, innovation, and executive leadership. This is a full-time, in-office position based in the Texas Tribune in Austin, TX. The role serves three primary functions: Organizational Strategy Oversight Leads development and plans practical execution of the Tribune’s long-term strategy, translates it into annual OKRs, and ensures measurable progress across the organization and throughout the year. Cross-Functional Strategic & Innovation Leader Owns major initiatives that cut across editorial, revenue, product, and operations — including local news expansion and enterprise innovation (e.g., AI transformation). CEO Strategic Partner / Chief of Staff Serves as senior thought partner to the CEO, translating vision into structured strategy, board-ready materials, and disciplined execution. Scope Strategic Planning Maintain a bias toward action, ensuring strategy work results in clear decisions, experiments, or execution steps. Lead long-term strategic planning process Own organization-wide OKR design and alignment, run quarterly measurement and OKR reviews, and rack against multi-year strategic plan goals Work with CFO to align budget and resource allocation to strategic priorities and OKRs, fully considering tradeoffs and opportunities Lead / Supervise Cross-Functional Strategic & Innovation Initiatives Design new initiatives to demonstrate traction quickly through experiments, pilots, and measurable early outcomes - and define when and how to take them to scale Lead high-priority, cross-department initiatives from ideation to execution Define goals, metrics, timelines, and decision points, and align executive team around trade-offs, resourcing and sequencing Define and oversee execution and go-to-market planning in a world of limited resources Integrate innovation efforts (including AI) into core strategy — balance the “factory and the lab” and how the Tribune can do both Local News Experimentation Measure performance against our clearly defined hypotheses and goals for audience, revenue and impact Define long-term model(s) for local news growth and investment Iterate on structural approach based on measurable traction Measurement & Board Reporting Own enterprise-level strategic dashboard, and standardize reporting tied to strategic priorities Develop (CEO owns) board-level strategy updates and materials Translate performance into clear strategic narrative for internal, board and external reporting CEO Strategic Partnership Key confidant and partner for the CEO as she charts the next 5 years of the Texas Tribune Draft or update strategy memos and strategy execution plans, while maintaining a bias toward action, ensuring strategy work results in clear decisions, experiments, or execution steps. Pressure-test and refine strategic direction Support prioritization and sequencing decisions with smart use of resources Ensure follow-through on CEO-level priorities What This Role Is Not Not a COO, not responsible for day-to-day operations, not a lot of direct reports (indirect supervision ok) Not the functional leader of editorial, revenue, product, finance, or HR Not a project manager for all company initiatives Not an internal consultant producing strategy decks without ownership or implementation Not a substitute for executive accountability within departments Not solely an AI or innovation lead Qualifications Core Capabilities Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategy, translating big ideas into measurable plans and real-world outcomes Experience leading cross-functional initiatives that require alignment across multiple teams or stakeholders Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data, metrics, and performance measurement Ability to operate in ambiguous environments and bring clarity to complex organizational challenges Proven bias toward action — able to move from idea to pilot to execution quickly Experience making resource tradeoffs and prioritizing effectively in constrained environments Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear strategy memos and board-ready materials Strong collaboration and influence skills; able to drive progress without formal authority Experience 7–12+ years of relevant experience This role does not require an MBA, consulting background or media experience, but this role will likely appeal to those who have thought about those paths Experience working closely with senior executives or founders is a plus Experience launching or scaling new initiatives, products, or programs preferred Mindset & Working Style Strategic thinker who is equally comfortable executing Energized working with creative partners and debating strategic approaches Comfortable working in resource-constrained nonprofit environments Entrepreneurial and creative problem solver Strong curiosity about the future of journalism, media, and civic information Able to balance vision, experimentation, and disciplined execution We recognize that great candidates may come from many different paths. This role may be a strong fit for someone coming from strategy consulting who wants to build and execute inside an organization, a startup operator who enjoys tackling complex strategic problems, or a creative leader with experience launching new initiatives in mission-driven organizations.

Responsibilities

This role is responsible for leading the development and execution of the organization's long-term strategy, translating vision into measurable OKRs, and overseeing major cross-functional strategic and innovation initiatives. The Director also serves as a senior thought partner to the CEO, structuring strategy, preparing board materials, and ensuring disciplined execution.