Vice President of People, Culture and Equity

Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Vice President of People, Culture and Equity

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is a private foundation based in Morristown, New Jersey. Established in 1974, the Foundation supports arts, education, environment, informed communities, and poetry to connect communities and influence social change to achieve an equitable New Jersey.  Over the course of over 45 years, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation has distributed almost $500 million to nonprofits and currently has more than $300 million in assets.  It has nurtured leaders, ideas, and institutions that use creative problem-solving to promote a sustainable future.  The Foundation has a staff of 15 and is led by Tanuja Dehne, who joined the Foundation as its first woman of color President and CEO in 2019.

A newly created position reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President of People, Culture and Equity (Vice President) will join Dodge to provide the leadership and vision to enliven a culture of equity at the Dodge Foundation.  In collaboration with the leadership team, the Vice President will ensure that organizational structures and grantmaking decisions are fully reflective of and inspired by an equity lens and embody strategic objectives.  The Vice President will guide the implementation of an overarching diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) vision and ensure continuous learning within the Foundation’s organizational culture and practices, as well as engagement with community and external stakeholders.

The Vice President’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Serves as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team
• Acts as a close advisor and thought partner to the President and CEO
• Sets the strategic vision for the Foundation’s DEI efforts in all of the Foundation’s internal operations and external engagement
• Infuses knowledge and best practices related to racial equity and other forms of disparity across the Foundation in all programming, communications, staff development and hiring/retention, internal culture-building, and business operations that works to eliminate system organizational marginalization and promotes inclusion and anti-racist practices
• Establishes equitable policies and procedures from human resources to supply chain
• Develops equitable talent recruitment, retention and development, performance evaluation and culture building programming and processes
• Designs, develops and implements an enduring talent pipeline program or fellowship for the Foundation
• Develops and executes an internal equity learning agenda, teambuilding and culture-building activities
• Oversees internal and external strategic communications and engagement
  

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

While no candidate will meet every qualification, ideal candidates will meet the following criteria:

• A demonstrated understanding of intersecting identities that include, but are not limited to, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status
• Deep, authentic knowledge with formal training in racial justice and equity and experience applying racial equity practices to organizational development and programs
• Experience working with senior leaders and staff in driving a people strategy that aligns with the needs and culture of an organization
• Functional knowledge of core areas of human resources including talent development, recruiting, organizational development, change management and organizational planning
• Deep experience in conflict literacy and creating safe spaces where one can bring and share their best and authentic selves
• Proven leadership in planning, implementing, and evaluating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives aligned with organizational mission and proven ability to inspire and nurture a climate of inclusiveness
• Experience as a collaborative leader with the ability to drive simultaneous, complex projects to measurable success
• Deep passion for and commitment to honest and candid conversations and self-reflection about race, racial justice, privilege, social class and power dynamics, especially in the philanthropic context
• Exceptional communication and conflict-resolution skills with experience navigating politically charged situations to resolve problems, build consensus, and reconcile competing interests
• Demonstrated experience as a communicator comfortable in dialogue with a broad range of individuals at all levels of understanding of multicultural inclusion, non-discrimination, and anti-racism
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including confidence and comfort with communication (oral and written) for a variety of audiences
• Ability to provide leadership in the face of challenges or changing priorities and guide a team accustomed to longstanding norms that are being significantly changed
• Proven expertise and at least six years of leadership experience developing and achieving strategic DEI goals
• Experience and familiarity working with organizations in transformation and demonstrated ability to lead and manage major organizational change initiatives with tact, empathy, and alignment with the vision and values of the Foundation
• Prior experience preferably in a foundation, nonprofit organization, educational institution, governmental entity, or other complex organization
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred (Open to consideration of robust and relevant work experience)

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND VALUES

• Deep passion for and strong commitment to the vision and values of the Dodge Foundation
• Transparent and collaborative leadership style with Board, staff, grantees and other stakeholders
• Committed to leading with humility, empathy, and accessibility while demonstrating full alignment with the Foundation’s new mission; served as a leader in helping Foundation staff adjust to new opportunities and change
• A creative thinker who encourages others to explore new ideas and perspectives and to adopt new approaches while implementing a shared vision
• Deep passion for and commitment to honest and candid conversations and self-reflection about race, racial justice, privilege, and social class
• Exceptional communication and conflict-resolution skills with experience navigating politically charged situations to resolve problems, build consensus, and reconcile competing interests
• Ability to cultivate and sustain trust with colleagues, community partners, and stakeholders
• Extremely high capacity to manage one’s own emotions and to identify the emotions of others in order to support staff, with the ability to facilitate challenging and courageous conversations about race/racism and other topics
• Energetic leadership with high ethical standards, and a commitment to bringing the best out in oneself and others, honesty, and integrity
• Evidence of sound judgment and the ability to understand nuance
• The interpersonal strengths of an open-minded, curious, strategic, and creative thinker and active listener who can mediate diverse opinions to address shared needs
• Strong relationship builder with the ability to find common ground, build consensus and strengthen collaboration among diverse stakeholders
• Conflict literacy and ability to receive critical feedback with compassion, curiosity and humility

COMPENSATION

For the Vice President of People, Culture and Equity position, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation anticipates an annual base starting salary of at least $160,000.  The Foundation is committed to supporting their staff with a competitive benefits package which presently includes 20 days of paid time-off plus holidays, professional development stipend, medical and dental coverage for staff and their families, and participation in a retirement savings plan, among other benefits.  All benefits are subject to modification by the Foundation at any time.  At the time of posting, consistent with the Executive Order in place in the State of New Jersey, all staff is encouraged to work remotely.  Policies regarding ongoing remote work options are under development.

TO APPLY:

Diversified Search and Koya Leadership Partners have been retained to assist in this search process.  Applications, nominations and further inquiries should be directed to DodgeVP@divsearch.com.  For best consideration, all materials should be received by October 23, 2020.  A full position description can be viewed at Dodge Foundation - Vice President of People, Culture and Equity.pdf.

THE GERALDINE R. DODGE FOUNDATION COMMITMENT TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT

We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We employ qualified people without regard to: race; color; religion; sex; national origin; age; ancestry; disability; sexual orientation; pregnancy or breastfeeding; veteran or military status; marital status; civil union or domestic partnership status; arrest record; citizenship; credit history; genetic information; gender identity or expression; status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking; or any other characteristic protected under federal or state law.