Director Of Strategic Initiatives Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Director of Strategic Initiatives roles attract H-1B visa, O-1 visa, and EB-1C sponsorship from large employers running enterprise transformation programs. Most openings require a graduate degree and 10-plus years of cross-functional leadership, making specialty occupation approval straightforward for qualified candidates. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.
Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.
We are seeking a Director, COO Strategic Initiatives to support the SVP, Employee Success Business Partner for our COO go-to-market organization — spanning sales, professional services, customer success, and partners. This role will operate as a true thought partner and force multiplier, turning strategy into execution across an ES team supporting a 52,000-person global organization. The ideal candidate combines strong operational rigor with strategic judgment, is comfortable navigating ambiguity across a large, matrixed, global footprint, and can move fluidly between big-picture people strategy and detailed execution.
Responsibilities:
- Act as a trusted advisor and extension of the SVP, EBP providing insight, analysis, and strategic counsel across ES priorities for the COO and GTM organization
- Drive the operating rhythm for the ESBP team — leadership meeting cadences, agendas, decision tracking, and follow-through
- Own creation and management of the team's strategic planning framework (V2MOM), tracking and reporting progress quarterly, and supporting org design planning
- Partner with the SVP, ESBP to set, manage, and drive top priorities; help translate strategic goals into clear, actionable workstreams across sales, professional services, customer success, and partners
- Lead and coordinate strategic initiatives across the broader team, ensuring connectivity and consistency across global regions and functions
- Prepare executive-level materials — briefings, presentations, and communications — for leadership meetings, business reviews, and org-wide updates
- Manage cross-functional communications, ensuring alignment and timely information flow across a globally distributed team
- Represent the SVP in internal meetings and forums as appropriate; act as a proxy in driving alignment across stakeholders
- Lead special projects and change initiatives spanning the broader people strategy, including org health, workforce planning, and transformation efforts
- Exercise sound judgment, discretion, and confidentiality in handling sensitive organizational and people-related matters
EXPERIENCE / SKILLS REQUIRED:
- 8+ years in a combination of management consulting, HR/people strategy, sales/business operations, or chief of staff roles
- Demonstrated ability to structure complex, ambiguous problems and drive them to resolution with minimal guidance
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with strong executive presentation ability
- Proven experience partnering with and influencing senior executives without direct authority
- Strong program and project management skills; ability to run multiple concurrent workstreams across a large, matrixed, global organization
- Ability to work across time zones and cultures, ensuring alignment and connectivity across a globally distributed team
- Highly organized with strong attention to detail, balanced with the ability to zoom out to the strategic picture
- Comfortable in a fast-paced, fluid environment with shifting priorities
- Experience with V2MOM or comparable strategic planning frameworks a plus
EXPERIENCE / SKILLS DESIRED:
- Prior HR/Employee Success or People strategy experience
- Experience supporting go-to-market organizations (sales, professional services, customer success, or partners)
- Familiarity with Workday, Tableau, or similar HR analytics tools
- Comfortable with AI-experimentation, building use cases, etc.
Accommodations
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.
Please note that Salesforce uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help our recruiters assess and evaluate candidates’ resumes and qualifications throughout the recruiting process. Humans will always make any candidate selection and hiring decisions. Please see our Candidate Privacy Statement for more information about how we use your personal data and your rights, including with regard to use of AI tools and opt-out options.
POSTING STATEMENT
Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that’s inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications – without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.
In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.
INTRODUCTION
Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.
Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.
We are seeking a Director, COO Strategic Initiatives to support the SVP, Employee Success Business Partner for our COO go-to-market organization — spanning sales, professional services, customer success, and partners. This role will operate as a true thought partner and force multiplier, turning strategy into execution across an ES team supporting a 52,000-person global organization. The ideal candidate combines strong operational rigor with strategic judgment, is comfortable navigating ambiguity across a large, matrixed, global footprint, and can move fluidly between big-picture people strategy and detailed execution.
Responsibilities:
- Act as a trusted advisor and extension of the SVP, EBP providing insight, analysis, and strategic counsel across ES priorities for the COO and GTM organization
- Drive the operating rhythm for the ESBP team — leadership meeting cadences, agendas, decision tracking, and follow-through
- Own creation and management of the team's strategic planning framework (V2MOM), tracking and reporting progress quarterly, and supporting org design planning
- Partner with the SVP, ESBP to set, manage, and drive top priorities; help translate strategic goals into clear, actionable workstreams across sales, professional services, customer success, and partners
- Lead and coordinate strategic initiatives across the broader team, ensuring connectivity and consistency across global regions and functions
- Prepare executive-level materials — briefings, presentations, and communications — for leadership meetings, business reviews, and org-wide updates
- Manage cross-functional communications, ensuring alignment and timely information flow across a globally distributed team
- Represent the SVP in internal meetings and forums as appropriate; act as a proxy in driving alignment across stakeholders
- Lead special projects and change initiatives spanning the broader people strategy, including org health, workforce planning, and transformation efforts
- Exercise sound judgment, discretion, and confidentiality in handling sensitive organizational and people-related matters
EXPERIENCE / SKILLS REQUIRED:
- 8+ years in a combination of management consulting, HR/people strategy, sales/business operations, or chief of staff roles
- Demonstrated ability to structure complex, ambiguous problems and drive them to resolution with minimal guidance
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with strong executive presentation ability
- Proven experience partnering with and influencing senior executives without direct authority
- Strong program and project management skills; ability to run multiple concurrent workstreams across a large, matrixed, global organization
- Ability to work across time zones and cultures, ensuring alignment and connectivity across a globally distributed team
- Highly organized with strong attention to detail, balanced with the ability to zoom out to the strategic picture
- Comfortable in a fast-paced, fluid environment with shifting priorities
- Experience with V2MOM or comparable strategic planning frameworks a plus
EXPERIENCE / SKILLS DESIRED:
- Prior HR/Employee Success or People strategy experience
- Experience supporting go-to-market organizations (sales, professional services, customer success, or partners)
- Familiarity with Workday, Tableau, or similar HR analytics tools
- Comfortable with AI-experimentation, building use cases, etc.
Accommodations
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.
Please note that Salesforce uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help our recruiters assess and evaluate candidates’ resumes and qualifications throughout the recruiting process. Humans will always make any candidate selection and hiring decisions. Please see our Candidate Privacy Statement for more information about how we use your personal data and your rights, including with regard to use of AI tools and opt-out options.
POSTING STATEMENT
Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that’s inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications – without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.
In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.
See all 867+ Director Of Strategic Initiatives Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Director Of Strategic Initiatives Jobs
Target large employers with established immigration programs
Fortune 500 companies, consulting firms, and healthcare systems sponsor Director-level roles most consistently. They have dedicated HR and legal teams that handle H-1B petitions regularly, making the process faster and less likely to face internal resistance from hiring managers.
Frame your role around specialized expertise, not general management
USCIS scrutinizes Director titles for specialty occupation eligibility. Emphasize the specific domain expertise your role requires, such as enterprise transformation, M&A integration, or digital strategy, rather than broad organizational oversight, to strengthen the H-1B petition significantly.
An MBA or master's degree in a relevant field strengthens your petition
Directors of Strategic Initiatives typically need a degree in business, finance, economics, or a related field. A graduate degree tied directly to your strategic function makes the specialty occupation argument cleaner and reduces the risk of a USCIS Request for Evidence.
O-1A is a viable alternative if you have a strong professional track record
If you've led high-profile initiatives, received industry recognition, or commanded significantly above-average compensation, the O-1A extraordinary ability visa bypasses the H-1B lottery entirely. Directors with measurable enterprise impact are well-positioned to meet multiple O-1A evidentiary criteria.
EB-1C is your fastest green card path if you move between related companies
The EB-1C multinational manager and executive category suits Directors moving from a foreign affiliate or subsidiary to a U.S. parent company. It skips PERM labor certification entirely, making it the most efficient permanent residence pathway for senior strategic leaders.
Document your scope of authority and cross-functional impact in writing
USCIS wants evidence that your role involves specialized judgment, not just coordination. Offer letters, org charts, board presentations, and documented initiative outcomes all support your petition. Employers should work with immigration counsel to build a strong supporting evidence package.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Director of Strategic Initiatives role eligible for H-1B sponsorship?
Yes, but the petition requires careful framing. USCIS must be convinced the role constitutes a specialty occupation requiring at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field. Directors whose work centers on a defined discipline, such as corporate strategy, financial planning, or operational transformation, have a stronger case than those framed as general administrators. An experienced immigration attorney should draft the job description and support letter.
What degree does a Director of Strategic Initiatives typically need for visa sponsorship?
Most employers require a bachelor's degree at minimum, with a master's degree in business administration, finance, economics, or public policy being common at the Director level. USCIS evaluates whether the degree field aligns with the specific strategic function of the role. A generic management degree may require supplemental evidence, while a specialized master's degree makes the specialty occupation argument considerably stronger.
How can I find Director of Strategic Initiatives roles that offer visa sponsorship?
Migrate Mate is the best place to start. It aggregates sponsorship-friendly job listings and filters specifically for employers willing to support work visa candidates, saving you from sorting through hundreds of postings from companies that won't sponsor. Directors in strategic planning, enterprise transformation, and corporate development will find the most relevant openings there.
Can a Director of Strategic Initiatives qualify for an O-1A visa instead of H-1B?
Yes, and for strong candidates it's often the better option because it bypasses the H-1B lottery. The O-1A requires evidence of extraordinary ability across criteria such as high compensation relative to peers, critical role at distinguished organizations, or original contributions of major significance to the field. Directors who have led visible enterprise-wide programs, published thought leadership, or held board advisory roles are well-positioned to qualify.
What is the H-1B approval rate for Director-level strategic roles, and what causes denials?
USCIS doesn't publish approval rates by job title, but Director-level petitions face elevated scrutiny because the title can imply general management rather than specialized expertise. The most common denial reason is failure to establish specialty occupation, particularly when the job description emphasizes leadership and coordination over domain-specific analytical or strategic skills. Petitions with detailed duty descriptions tied to a specific professional discipline and supported by industry standards evidence perform best.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Director Of Strategic Initiatives jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.