President/CEO

About PACE

PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) is a philanthropic laboratory for funders that is pragmatic, curious, and committed to strengthening the individual and shared approaches to strengthen democracy and civic life in America. PACE achieves this through learning, experimenting, collaborating, and modeling vibrant civic discourse. Unique in the philanthropic landscape, we create spaces that invite funders of all sizes and across a plurality of perspectives, issue areas, and missions, to gather, dialogue, and shape practical tools aiming to strengthen philanthropic practice. Our primary network and audience is our 75 (and growing) members, but we also seek to actively contribute to and influence a wider field of civic-minded philanthropic entities and leaders.

PACE has four objectives related to the impact we seek to have on the world, which we advance through engagement with our membership and in the wider field of civic philanthropy.

• To increase and deepen relationships within and beyond the “traditional” civic philanthropy and democracy community
• To innovate philanthropic practices, influenced by research, learning, and experiments
• To bolster knowledge of the landscape, grantmaking practice, and experiments within civic philanthropy
• To increase collaborations within and beyond the PACE network aimed at creatively addressing gaps in the field of civic philanthropy

The role

The charge of the President/CEO is to lead strategy, cultivate thought leadership, long-term field visioning, board engagement, management, talent development, partnership cultivation, and the day-to-day functions of the organization, including strategic and operational responsibility and stewardship of PACE’s finances, staff, programs, partnerships, and other mechanisms to deliver on our mission. Initially, the areas of largest focus and highest priority will be managing staff, continuing to cultivate and nurture organizational culture, and overseeing operations (including finances and budgets). Our current strategy is approved through December 2025, with a review and refresh expected to begin early in 2025.

The President/CEO will report to the Board of Directors and supervise PACE’s two managing directors, responsible for designing and executing the organization’s two main portfolios of work: 1) member services and support, and 2) learning and experimentation initiatives. PACE also has three support leads responsible for managing operations, programs, and communications– the support leads report to the Managing Directors. When the President/CEO is hired, PACE’s overall staff will number 7, including continued management of an existing project by the outgoing CEO who will shift into a consulting role through 2025.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and strengthen PACE’s infrastructure, operations, and development:
  • Engage and support the Board of Directors, comprised of representatives from member foundations, in their strategic and fiduciary responsibilities.
  • Secure financial resources (membership dues, general operating grants, project grants, and/or fee-for-service revenue)
  • Oversee PACE’s financial health to include: developing long- and short-range financial plans, monitoring (budget, payables/receivables), setting financial priorities, and working with a third-party accountant to keep the books, perform the audit and required reporting
  • Strengthen existing systems and processes (and/or create new ones) that ensure the organization runs efficiently and effectively, and has sound operational and financial controls

·       Lead, direct and manage the staff; cultivate and nurture a responsive and inclusive internal organizational culture:

• Oversee and direct the staff, and a bullpen of ad hoc consultants
  • Provide regular feedback and conduct annual performance reviews
  • Nurture professional development goals and growth plans
• Establish and manage relationships with partners, consultants, and other stakeholders as needed

·       Serve as an ambassador for PACE’s mission; strengthen its field position, brand and thought leadership:

• Speak publicly about PACE’s work and represent the organization at field events
• Advance strategic communications and increase field positioning, including sector- wide thought leadership, philanthropic practice, and other external affairs activities
• Act as an organizational spokesperson in the media, to members, at sector events, and in other venues

·       Guide implementation of strategies; lead process to consider adjustments to future strategic plan and related programming

• Support and steward the current “programmatic” portfolios of work—member services and learning/experimentation
• Collaborate with the board, staff, members, and key stakeholders to refine and implement a post-2025 strategic plan; ensure the budget, staff, and mission are aligned accordingly·      
• Other duties as assigned/determined

The next CEO will ideally bring a compelling combination of as many of the following experiences, skills and leadership attributes as possible:

Professional Experience

• Management of an inclusive and cohesive network, particularly ones that: are national, are diverse, and/or are comprised of foundations or funders
• Leadership, management and nurturing of professional development for a team that is both racially and politically diverse as well as operating in a fully remote setting
• Leading and managing a nimble organization or programmatic department
• Engagement in and/or fluency with the fields of civic engagement, democracy reform, bridge building/civic culture, and related areas of work within PACE’s ecosystem

Skills

• People management and intercultural competencies, able to:
  • manage performance and maximize peoples’ strengths
  • provide direct and clear feedback
  • facilitate conversations and mediate discussions
  • identify and navigate cultural differences in our work
  • nurture equitable mindsets and implement fair practices and policies
  • work collaboratively
• Writing and communication, able to:
  • communicate to and connect with multiple types of audiences
  • bring people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives along with ideas and concepts that might be new or otherwise unfamiliar
• Analytical and critical thinking, able to:
  • ideate and adapt strategies and approaches
  • consider (and sometimes reconcile) diverse perspectives
  • synthesize complex ideas into concrete lessons, learnings, and/or action steps
• Systems and time management, able to:
  • balance multiple priorities simultaneously
  • develop responsive policies and processes to meet new and emerging needs
• Proficiency in Google Suite, and comfortable communicating through Zoom and Slack

Leadership attributes

• Aligned with, and committed to, the vision, mission, and principles and racial equity commitment of PACE
• Self-starting with significant initiative, intuition, autonomy, and drive, but also enjoys working collaboratively with a team
• Personable, relatable, and relationship-oriented—ability to work well with many types of people and bring out the best in those around them
• Thoughtful and insightful, with the ability to see the “big picture,” appreciate multiple perspectives, and consider the potential opportunities, benefits, challenges and/or consequences of ideas and concepts
• Flexible and dynamic—can adapt and iterate to changing or ambiguous circumstances
• Attentive to detail and able to produce consistently high-quality work

• Comfortable being tasked with multiple priorities, and demonstrated commitment to clear communication and follow-through

FLSA Status:  Full-Time, Salaried, Exempt from overtime

Reports to:   Board of Directors

Supervises: Managing Director of Funder Engagement, Managing Director of Learning and Experimentation

Salary: $200,000 annual base, plus performance-based bonus

Benefits:  Employer contribution to health/dental/vision plan; full employer coverage of disability and life insurance policy; IRA match; paid time-off + holiday package; cell phone/internet reimbursement; option to contribute to health and dependent care FSA and 529 savings plan; professional development resources

Location:  Virtual/Work-from-home; can be based anywhere in the U.S., requires willingness and ability to travel an average of 1-2 times per month

To Apply:  Viewcrest Advisors (www.viewcrestadvisors.com) is supporting PACE on this search. Confidential nominations and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted through September 27, 2024. Viewcrest Advisors is committed to social justice and access to opportunity; they actively cultivate relationships with leaders who have varied life experiences as well as the skills needed to lead strong, innovative organizations. The team is committed to your privacy and to protecting your personal data. To view their privacy policy, please visit www.viewcrestadvisors.com.

Email: PACE@viewcrestadvisors.com 

About working at PACE

Given the state of our democracy and the shifting social and political climate over the last several

years, PACE’s aspirations have grown to meet the moment. We’re living through a period of American democracy where many of our deepest issues and injustices are at the surface. With that comes both challenge and opportunity. At PACE we take both head-on, grappling with what’s difficult in order to contribute to what’s possible, while deliberately focused on ensuring we do not fall into partisan traps and divisions. And we try to have some fun and make it interesting in the process.

We are a small staff with ambitious plans, and each member of the PACE team plays a central role in bringing to life the conversations, convenings, and impact that we advance together. We have a hard- working, fun-loving, and thoughtful culture with a high attention to detail and quality, and we place a priority on relationships. We move frequently between deep learning/reflection and urgent action/projects.

We believe that delivering consistently top-notch work requires flexibility, especially as more people strive to find balance in their lives. As such, our team currently maintains “core hours” of 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM Eastern, Monday through Thursday, during which team members are expected to be available for collaborative work time with each other. Outside of these hours, everyone manages their own schedule to fulfill their responsibilities (which we know may include caregiving and other personal/family obligations). We dedicate Fridays to personal learning and reflection. That said, there are occasional peak moments of engagement and travel that may necessitate commitments beyond core hours.

PACE is committed to creating an inclusive work environment that advances pluralism and racial equity. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourage applicants of all races, religions, gender identities or expressions, familial statuses, sexual orientations, ages, disability statuses, and other protected classes to apply.

PACE’s Operating Principles:

• The Power of the Collective: The PACE community believes we can do more together than individual members can do alone. Our structure and approach helps foundations see the value of–and actively take part in–shared learning and collaborative efforts, especially with people and groups they might not otherwise be engaged with.

• Experimentation: the PACE community has an ethos of creativity, curiosity, and We actively experiment together, counteracting philanthropy’s tendency to get mired in habits and antiquated strategies while embracing philanthropy’s unique ability to take risks.
• Learning Outside of the Bubble: we seek to transcend our “customary audiences” and learn from different perspectives, as staying within one’s bubble can significantly hinder learning, experimentation, and ultimately, the power of the community to advance civic We embrace experiential learning opportunities because we believe this to be the best way to get out of comfort zones, cultivate relationships, deepen learning, and seed unlikely collaborations.
• Responsible Philanthropy: we know philanthropy can easily get wrapped up in its own power and reinforce the systemic inequities it is trying to PACE actively recognizes and strives to address the power imbalances that exist in philanthropy as well as operate with a spirit of humility and curiosity about what constitutes knowledge. We recognize that everyone has something to teach and something to learn.

• Diversity of voices and perspectives: we believe a diversity of expertise, perspectives, and lived experiences is critical to enriching conversations, sparking innovation, and addressing the most critical challenges in civic engagement and democracy. We strive to populate our network with people of diverse identities, geographies, ideologies, roles, and types of foundations, and especially those that have been historically In this way, we strive to model the type of vibrant and inclusive civic space we believe an equitable, multiracial democracy requires.

Our principles intend to respect multiple forms of knowledge and action, combat binary and “one right-way” thinking, equalize power dynamics, resist perfectionist tendencies, and accept that not every question has an objective and universal answer. We believe these are important tenets of what it means to embrace a “laboratory” orientation and posture of continuous learning; they are also components that advance a culture and commitment to racial equity.