Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships
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Operation Smile transforms lives by providing essential medical care to children suffering from facial deformities around the world.
Summary:
The Vice President of Global Strategic Partnerships at Operation Smile will lead the development and management of corporate partnerships that align with the organization’s mission. Applicants should have extensive experience in corporate partnerships and a successful background in securing major global funding.
Requirements:
Experience: Minimum 15 years of experience in corporate partnerships, institutional fundraising, or private sector engagement, Proven track record in developing and securing 7-figure (USD) multi-modal partnerships with global corporations and/or major foundations, Strong experience managing and mentoring diverse, distributed teams
Job Description:
Title: Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships
Department: Global Corporate Development & Partnerships
Location: Flexible: U.S., U.K., Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Mexico, Colombia
Travel: The position requires international travel (approximately 20% of the time)
Direct Reports: Yes
General Description:
The Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships will lead a refreshed and evolved function at Operation Smile, responsible for significantly growing and managing high-value relationships with global corporations, brands, and foundations. This senior role will drive strategy and execution for identifying, cultivating, and stewarding multi-market partnerships that align with Operation Smile’s mission, programmatic goals, and global footprint.
Working across fundraising markets and program countries, the VP will develop and lead a globally dispersed team tasked with building compelling value propositions and delivering innovative, high-impact collaborations. The postholder will also provide strategic support to market teams’ corporate and foundation engagement efforts, ensuring consistency, knowledge sharing, and operational efficiency across regions. This is a transformational leadership opportunity to shape the future of global partnerships at Operation Smile.
This is a rare opportunity to scale a high-impact, globally integrated partnerships function. The Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships, will shape how Operation Smile engages the world’s most influential brands and institutions—transforming philanthropic ambition into lifesaving surgical care.
Essential Functions:
Strategic Leadership and Vision
- Build and lead the Global Strategic Partnerships function, defining the vision, structure, and roadmap for global engagement with corporations, brands, and foundations.
- Develop and implement a multi-year growth strategy for global institutional partnerships, with clear revenue goals and relationship milestones, articulated in ambitious quantitative and qualitative KPIs.
- Ensure alignment of global partnerships with Operation Smile’s mission priorities, medical programs, and geographic presence.
- Model a collaborative, partnership-first approach to institutional fundraising – supporting cohesion, shared learning, and collaboration across market-based teams.
High-Value Partnership Development
- Personally lead the cultivation, negotiation, and management of a portfolio of high-value, complex partnerships at a global level.
- Collaborate with Program, Medical, Finance, and Global Marketing teams and colleagues from partner and programmatic countries to craft compelling, tailored proposals and concept notes.
- Lead the design of innovative partnership models including unrestricted funding, cause-marketing campaigns, strategic grants, employee engagement, and shared value initiatives.
- Identify emerging global funders – multinational corporations, global foundations, and purpose-driven enterprises – with high alignment and revenue potential.
Operational Excellence and Internal Alignment
- Develop systems and standards for partnership prospecting, due diligence, proposal development, and relationship stewardship.
- Collaborate closely with Global Marketing, Program, Medical, and Finance teams and colleagues from partner and programmatic countries to ensure cohesive messaging, budgeting, and operational delivery of partnerships.
- Ensure compliance with Operation Smile’s ethical standards, with a focus on contractual rigor, and global mission and policy alignment across all partnerships.
- Lead the design and rollout of tools (CRM dashboards, prospect pipelines, playbooks, etc.) to enable data-driven decision-making and reporting.
Thought Leadership and Market Intelligence
- Represent Operation Smile externally at high-level convenings, including global health and philanthropy forums.
- Monitor global philanthropy, ESG, and social impact trends to inform partnership strategy and organizational positioning.
- Maintain strong relationships with peer NGOs and sector leaders to ensure best-in-class practices and collaborative opportunities.
