Vice President, Strategic Projects

Position Title:

Vice President, Strategic Projects

Department:
Strategic Office

Reports to:

Chief Operating Officer

Position Summary

The Vice President of Strategic Projects plays a critical connector role across The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Philly (POEA). Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and serving as a strategic partner to the President and CEO, this leader helps turn organizational priorities into results by coordinating projects that strengthen operations, support artistic and audience goals, and advance POEA's mission as a world-class orchestra and a cultural cornerstone of Philadelphia.

Working closely with department heads and the Enterprise Leadership Team, the VP guides complex, cross‑department efforts from planning through completion. Projects may include implementing new business or earned‑revenue initiatives, improving season‑planning and workflow processes, supporting labor and workforce planning, coordinating high-level board and governance projects, and advancing elements of the organization's long‑range strategic plan.

This position ensures major initiatives are well organized, resourced, and communicated-helping teams stay aligned, informed, and accountable while maintaining clarity between strategy and execution.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Project Management (Primary Focus)

* Lead and manage high-impact, cross departmental projects from initiation through completion, ensuring clear goals, defined scope, and measurable outcomes.

* Example projects may include advancing new business opportunities or earned-revenue initiatives, supporting labor relations analysis or workforce planning, coordinating board management and governance initiatives, and leading major strategic planning efforts.

* Develop project charters, timelines, KPIs, and reporting frameworks; monitor progress, anticipate risks, escalate issues, and drive solutions and tradeoff decisions.

* Leverage practical project management tools to keep major initiatives moving and on schedule.

* Analyze new earned‑revenue ideas (venue use opportunities, experiential programming, food & beverage strategy) and lead cross‑team pilots.

* Lead or support special initiatives assigned by the COO and President & CEO, including organizational effectiveness projects, strategic planning work, and enterprise change management efforts.

* Oversee the cross‑department metrics meetings and senior leadership meetings, ensuring that each department submits data and presentations on time, that the information presented is accurate and actionable, and that discussions lead to concrete next steps that move the organization forward.

Executive Partnership and Strategic Support

* Manage implementation of a new long-range strategic plan and its milestones across departments.

* Coordinate follow‑through on major executive or board priorities, such as business model adjustments post‑merger.

* Provide structure and follow‑through for Enterprise Leadership Team priorities-ensuring cross‑functional alignment, accountability, and progress tracking.

* Serve as a primary strategic partner and thought leader to the COO, helping to prioritize initiatives, organize executive workflows, and ensure follow-through on key commitments.

* Support and collaborate closely with the COO and CEO on enterprise-level initiatives, high- priority strategic projects, and organizational performance goals.

* Translate executive and board priorities into actionable workplans, cross functional work streams, and clear accountability structures.

* Prepare briefing materials, presentations, analyses, and recommendations to inform executive and board decision-making.

Organizational Effectiveness and Process Improvement

* Identify inefficiencies and structural gaps across operational and programmatic workflows, and lead efforts to streamline processes, clarify decision rights, and improve communication flows.

* Support annual and multiyear planning cycles, including budgeting, season planning, performance measurement, and reporting, with an emphasis on cross department alignment.

* Clarify who's responsible for what, so projects stay on track and communication is clear.

* Partner with…