Country Director, U.S. @ Tent Partnership for Refugees (NYC, New York)

Job title: Country Director, U.S.

Reports to: VP, Americas

Based in: New York City

Work setting: Hybrid. Three days per week in the New York City office

The compensation range for this role is between $187,000–$199,000 USD. This range is inclusive of a performance-based bonus, which is based on both team and individual performance, and is paid out annually. Our salary ranges are determined by location, work experience, and the role.

About Tent Partnership for Refugees:

With a growing number of refugees displaced around the world for longer periods of time, businesses play a critical role in helping refugees integrate economically into their new communities. The Tent Partnership for Refugees was launched in 2016 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of Chobani – a multibillion-dollar food company in the U.S. – to mobilize leading businesses to help connect refugees to work. Today, Tent is a global network of over 500 major companies committed to hiring, training, and mentoring refugees. In 2024, Tent was selected for the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list.

About the role:

Tent is looking for a highly motivated and experienced leader to serve as our next U.S. Country Director — the strategic and operational head of Tent’s largest and most complex market.

This is not a traditional nonprofit or advocacy role. The U.S. Country Director is fundamentally a senior strategic operator: someone who can set and own a market level strategy, understands how large companies work, and has the operational capability to diagnose organizational systems and design interventions that drive refugee hiring at scale. The right candidate will be as comfortable in a room with Fortune 500 leaders as they are building Tent’s internal operating model.

As head of Tent U.S., the Country Director will set and execute the country strategy, lead and develop the U.S. team, and drive a portfolio of initiatives aimed at mobilizing businesses to hire, train, and mentor refugees. They will help businesses design and implement effective refugee hiring programs and ensure that Tent provides excellent support and partnership services to its members.

The Country Director will also be responsible for growing and strengthening Tent’s coalition of member companies. They will cultivate relationships with nonprofit organizations, government stakeholders, business associations, and funders; serve as Tent’s lead spokesperson in the U.S.; and oversee Tent’s impact, external positioning, and fundraising efforts in the country.

Key responsibilities:

Country Strategy & Leadership

• Lead the U.S country strategy: set direction, bring a data-driven vision, and translate it into operational plans with clear KPIs and accountability mechanisms.
• Build and manage Tent U.S 's operating model: Determine how to allocate, configure, and raise the resources (people, financial, and technical) to maximize the impact of our work.
• Make and propose cross-functional decisions within mandate, collaborating with global areas and centers of expertise (ILS, Comms & Marketing, HR, Ops, etc.)
• Lead, manage, and develop a high-performing U.S. team.
• Oversee the U.S. budget, monitor performance and impact, and adapt strategy and operations based on results and emerging needs.

Refugee hiring at scale

• Own the country's refugee hiring agenda: Lead Tent U.S. efforts to help member companies increase refugee hiring and drive measurable impact at scale.
• Advise senior corporate leaders on refugee hiring business case, shaping recommendations tailored to member companies’ objectives and hiring models
• Diagnose barriers to refugee hiring within member companies, decide on effective interventions, align key stakeholders, and support implementation to achieve agreed outcomes.
• Lead refugee outreach, hiring initiatives and/or other systemic interventions aligned with refugee hiring agenda and country plans
• Own results and impact frameworks for the U.S market, using data and insights to refine and scale successful approaches.

Tent U.S. Coalition Management

• Own the coalition strategy for the U.S market: decide how to expand and deepen their refugee hiring commitments and their partnership with Tent.
• Work with companies to craft their commitments and develop analytics on hiring, mentoring, and training refugees in the U.S.
• Facilitate the sharing of best practices between Tent member companies for the hiring and integration of refugees and ensure effective implementation.
• Expand partnerships with national business associations, industry groups, and chambers of commerce to strengthen private-sector commitments to hiring refugees.

Government & NGO Relationship Management

• Own partnerships with resettlement agencies and local NGOs to help connect refugees to employment opportunities in the private sector.
• Lead engagement with senior government representatives, federal agencies, and foundations to advance Tent's mission and brand in the U.S.

Public Relations & Fundraising

• Represent Tent at public events, forums, roundtables, and in dialogues with senior stakeholders and U.S. media, expanding Tent’s footprint as a respected leader on refugee issues.
• In collaboration with the Global Development team, define and implement an annual fundraising plan with specific and measurable goals and objectives. Lead or support the preparation of proposals, budgets, and reports for donors and donor organizations.
• Cultivate relationships with corporate philanthropy teams, private foundations, and individual donors to advance Tent U.S.’s fundraising goals.

What we are looking for:

Tent Culture:

At Tent, every team member is guided by five core principles — DOERS — that define not just what we do, but how we do it. These principles are the behavioural foundation of our team, and we look for them in everyone who joins us.

• Dedicated to Our Mission — You are genuinely invested in refugee economic integration. You take ownership of your work and go beyond your role when the mission requires it.
• Obsessed with Impact — You act with urgency and tenacity, and take personal accountability for results. You don't stop at effort — you care about what actually gets done.
• Excellent in Execution — You operate at the highest standards in everything you do. You bring precision and follow-through to your work and hold yourself to a bar that goes beyond what is required.
• Relentless at Improving — You proactively identify better ways of working and don't wait to be told to iterate. You are open to feedback and actively seek it.
• Stronger through Collaboration — You thrive in team environments, communicate openly, and build trust with colleagues and external partners alike.

Essential skills/experience:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 15 years of relevant professional experience.
• Extensive experience working in the private sector, in roles involving Market ownership, Corporate Strategy, Business Operations, Enterprise Transformation, Talent Acquisition or HR Strategy.
• Proven track record in roles where strategy was a core responsibility, owning market or enterprise level strategy, leading major enterprise systems or change initiatives, and measuring results using data and analytics.
• Demonstrated operational capacity to drive improvements in corporate environments
• Proven ability to design and implement complex processes that translate strategy into measurable impact — developing operating models, aligning institutional resources, and establishing accountability mechanisms.
• Experience engaging and influencing senior corporate stakeholders — including C-suite executives, CHROs, and business-unit leaders — as a trusted advisor and strategic partner.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to make a compelling business case to senior leaders.
• Prior senior management experience with a track record of building and managing high-performing teams.
• Willingness and ability to travel within the U.S. and internationally as needed.

Preferred skills/experience:

• Experience with fundraising or cultivating relationships with major donors, foundations, or corporate philanthropy teams.
• Experience with public speaking and press interviews.
• Familiarity with refugee, immigration, or workforce equity issues, or experience with workforce initiatives within large organizations.
• Familiarity with customer relationship management tools (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot).
• Master's degree.

Desired qualities:

• A strategic operator, with the ability to find opportunities proactively and solve problems independently.
• An innovative thinker, with a track record of translating strategy into action plans and results.
• Comfortable making decisions in a changing environment and operating in gray areas.
• Able to give and receive both positive and tough feedback to maintain a high-performance culture.
• A genuine commitment to Tent's mission, and a belief in the power of business to drive social change
• Comfortable working independently in a relatively small, ambitious, and growing organization — with the opportunities and challenges that come with that.
• A positive, energetic, and collaborative mindset

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to [email protected]. If your background aligns with our needs, a member of their team will be in touch. Make sure to share CBYXAA sent you!

For further information click here.