Job Description
The Foundation is beginning to explore new areas of work (the “what” of grantmaking); the New Work Exploration team is responsible for managing the process of researching, developing, and proposing potential new areas of grantmaking to Foundation leadership and the Board. It also identifies and amplifies innovative or enhanced modes of work (the “how” of grantmaking) for the Foundation.
The Director of Strategy shares responsibility with the Managing Director, Discovery, Exploration, and Programs for the leadership and overall design of the New Work Exploration team. The Director of Strategy will be instrumental in refining the theoretical framework of exploration, and will work with other Foundation staff to make sound, strategic determinations about the team’s efforts in reaching its goals.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
The Director will be expected to provide guidance and oversight of:
- Strategy Development: Work with the New Work Exploration team, President, and Board of Directors to source & generate, explore, and experiment with new ideas for programs, initiatives, and modes of work. Serve as a resource to new and existing program teams to help them define problems, gather information about potential solutions from diverse sets of stakeholders, make meaning of qualitative and quantitative data, and develop and hone hypotheses about where the foundation can best make a contribution.
- Internal Collaboration: Play a leading role in internal working groups and projects to support greater cross-team collaboration. Engage with fellow Directors; develop learning questions and evaluation frameworks with our Evaluation & Learning colleagues; collaborate with Communications, Grants Management, and Legal teams.
- Process Management: Work with the New Work Exploration team to improve upon existing knowledge-management and process-management systems. Help establish a structure for workflow that enables multiple long-term and short-term projects to be pursued at once, balancing proactive planning with responsiveness to changing interests and opportunities.
- Staff Management and Motivation: Partner with the Managing Director to set and reinforce a values-based culture of creativity, innovation, empathy, and excellence. Model behavior expected of all Staff (e.g., being timely, responsive, supportive, respectful, collaborative, transparent, and clear about expectations). Manage three members of the New Work team.
- Program Quality: Maintain perspective; demand rigor in thinking; insist on inclusive and equitable approaches; ensure that work products are well produced and comply with foundation standards.
- Sector Leadership: Participate in sector conferences; speak and write about the role of strategy in philanthropy and related topics; enhance the foundation’s profile in philanthropic circles; serve as appropriate on sector committees, working groups, and boards in support of the foundation’s agenda.
- Other duties and responsibilities, as assigned.
- Must be willing to travel occasional
Qualifications:
- 15+ years of experience with strategy design, in more than one context (institution, sector, role)
- Consulting experience in a firm or practice a plus
- Deep knowledge of philanthropic practice, including direct experience with one or more of grantmaking, strategy, evaluation, governance, communications, or operations
- Firsthand experience working in a nonprofit organization
- Demonstrated experience designing, implementing and managing multiple initiatives at once
- Service orientation as demonstrated through role(s) supporting the work of other teams within an organization or network
- Demonstrated experience communicating persuasively with decision-makers about resource allocation
- A demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in all aspects of the work
- Strong interpersonal skills and a proven ability to function as part of a team, as characterized by successful experience as a team leader, supervisor, colleague, and manager
- Able to work well with colleagues in an inter-disciplinary group setting and skilled at making effective connections among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners
- Self-confident, have strong diplomatic skills and a collegial approach to work, and demonstrate high professional standards and good judgment
Annual salary for this role will start at $174,800 .
The position is hybrid and based in Chicago, Illinois.
NOTE: This position will remain open until filled.
