Vice President, Programs

The Role:

Title:                   Vice President, Programs

Location:           Boston, MA (hybrid schedule)

Reports to:        President

Position Summary:

The Vice President, Programs (VP) will report to the President and be responsible for managing, inspiring, and mentoring a team of senior program portfolio leaders to refine, expand and execute on the Foundations’ grantmaking strategies.

They will serve as a key strategic partner to the President in defining programmatic priorities and approaches to engage Trustees in a meaningful way across a diverse set of investment portfolios.

As a thoughtful and curious leader, they will support the program leadership to source and develop investment opportunities and recommendations, as well as relationships with key grantees.  They will join a diverse and dedicated executive team and will be responsible for executing an ambitious grantmaking strategy focused on long-term impact at scale across multiple sectors and geographies.

The Foundations anticipates continued growth and evolution of our grantmaking. The VP, Programs will play a key leadership role in ensuring there is consistency of practice and procedure across all program portfolios, that the program team members bring a high level of analytical and intuitive thinking to their work, and that they continue to develop their professional skills and interrogate their grantmaking strategies.  Additionally, this key leader will play a significant role in sustaining employee engagement, nurturing and building an inclusive culture, and maintaining the Foundations’ values across our grantmaking.

Key Responsibilities:

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Oversee the implementation of the Foundations’ grantmaking across all portfolios through the advancement of strategic investments and partnerships with grantees.
• Respond to President and Trustee interests and directives and keep them apprised of all grantmaking activity and developments.
• Partner with the President and the executive team to set future vision and oversee the execution of organizational priorities to advance short- and long-term goals.
• Directly manage and support senior program portfolio leaders to identify and set program strategy, goals, execution plans, and co-construct evaluation outcomes and metrics; work with other functional leaders as needed to ensure desired outcomes are achieved.
• Guide and support senior program portfolio managers and their teams to develop and present portfolio strategies and updates to Trustees; partner with the internal communications function to ensure staff and external partners are aware of our actions and progress, as needed.
• Serve as a connector across a diverse set of portfolios, and advocate for the program team with an eye towards consistency in grantmaking approach and practice and the ability to facilitate integration and intersectionality when appropriate.
• Continuously assess the senior program portfolio leaders and their teams’ professional development and technical training needs and collaborate across the organization to ensure needs are anticipated and met proactively.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of program implementation challenges as well as grantee needs, and work across the organization to identify and develop comprehensive solutions to effectively address them.
• Through leadership and cross-team engagement, drive an inclusive and equitable culture that values diversity and exemplifies the Foundations’ core values.

The Person:

It is critically important that the VP, Programs be an experienced executive with a record of demonstrated successful leadership, mentoring, and staff development.  The VP, Programs must be a highly collaborative and collegial team player who listens actively, communicates thoughtfully and respectfully, and is a skilled storyteller.

To be considered, candidates will possess a majority of the following professional and personal attributes and competencies:

Professional Experience:

• A minimum of 20 years of related non-profit leadership experience, preferably at a private foundation.
• Experience in philanthropy and grantmaking is required, with expertise in at least one of our strategic areas of grantmaking, preferably more (areas are: arts & culture, education, conservation, medical science, and economic opportunity).
• Experience with strategic planning and execution required.
• Strong relationship builder and communicator with experience building partnerships.
• Experience as an internal resource and thought partner in identifying, strengthening, and synthesizing cross-programmatic work where appropriate.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage workload, prioritize, manage simultaneous tasks, meet deadlines, and maintain a sense of humor within a changing fast-paced environment.
• Ability to move work forward independently and think big picture while collaborating with team and applying a keen eye to detail; demonstrated resourcefulness in setting and executing priorities and guiding investments in projects and systems. 

Personal Attributes:

• Facilitative style and approachable manager, capable of leading a program team in high impact grantmaking and as an advisor and thought partner to the President and the executive team.
• Superior organizational and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen effectively.
• Expert written and verbal communication skills, suitable for internal and external audiences, with an emphasis on live presentation and story-telling expertise.
• Extraordinary initiative, creative thinking, and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to the values of the foundation and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Comfortable with change and complexity, and highly adaptable.
• Sound judgment, humility, and respect for confidentiality.