Managing Director, Advising Services

ABOUT TIDES CENTER Tides Center is the leading fiscal sponsor for social change initiatives in the United States, providing strategic advisory, fiduciary oversight, financial management, human resources, and other administrative services to a portfolio of mission-aligned projects working to advance social justice and shift power in historically marginalized communities. Since 2025, Tides Center has been transforming its operating model to enable high-performing fiscal sponsorship. ABOUT THIS ROLE The Managing Director, Advising Services is central to leading Tides Center’s fiscal sponsorship practice to meet strategic goals. Representing the voice of “doers” across Tides, this practitioner shapes policy and ensures exceptional service, supporting partner impact, strengthening retention, and advancing the next phase of organizational transformation. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role oversees five Senior Advisors and their cross-functional service teams, each supporting a portfolio of projects. The Managing Director ensures the model remains mission-aligned, financially sustainable, and positioned for growth. This role serves as the operational and financial engine behind the Executive Director’s strategy, with accountability for five integrated outcomes: (1) team performance, development, and accountability; (2) partner retention and impact; (3) financial sustainability of the model; (4) market development and pipeline growth in partnership with Business Development; and (5) continuous improvement of the cross-functional service approach. Success requires a leader who integrates strategy, people, operations, and business, and brings a customer-centered orientation to a fast-moving, transforming organization committed to social justice. As a Senior Leader the Managing Director is responsible for modeling and demonstrating Tides’ core competencies of leading self, leading people and leading results. WHAT YOU WILL DO LEAD AND DEVELOP THE SENIOR ADVISOR TEAM (25%) - Directly supervise, coach, and develop five Senior Advisors leading cross-functional service teams. - Build an inclusive, team culture that empowers Senior Advisors and their teams to make decisions, escalate appropriately, and act with ownership. - Lead goal-setting, performance management, and professional development planning for direct reports. - Foster strong peer collaboration across the Senior Advisor cohort. DRIVE PARTNER RETENTION, SATISFACTION, AND IMPACT (20%) - Hold accountability for partner retention, satisfaction, and outcomes across the advising portfolio; monitor health indicators and act on early signals. - Serve as a senior point of escalation for complex partner issues. - Work alongside Senior Advisors to deepen relationships with key partners and identify opportunities to expand impact. - Activate cross-portfolio opportunities for peer learning, collaboration, and movement-building. FULFILL THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PROMISE THROUGH THE CROSS-FUNCTIONAL SERVICE MODEL (20%) - Serve as the main liaison between the three core functions – advisory, finance and people – to meet partner needs and service standards. - Ensure Tides systems align with partner priorities and expectations; Resolve friction points in the matrixed operating model; partner with peer department leaders to remove blockers to seamless partner service. - Lead the cross-functional service team – ensuring effective collaboration between Senior Advisors and counterparts in Finance, HR, Grants Management, Legal, Risk & Compliance, IT, and other functions. - Ensure consistent application of the Project Handbook, MOUs, service definitions, and service agreements across all teams. - Identify and prioritize improvements to advising processes and systems; partner with operations, technology, and transformation leads to design, pilot, and scale enhancements. - Translate the Executive Director's transformation strategy into operational priorities, work plans, and team-level goals; provid