Director for Policy and Movement

Director for Policy and Movement 

Position Status: Full Time, Exempt

Reports to: Senior Director of Public Affairs

Starting Salary: $110,000-$125,000 per year

Location: Northern California-based; Hybrid

Application Deadline: June 8, 2023

About NCG

Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) is a dynamic, growing membership organization that brings the philanthropic community together to shift resources, capital, and power back to historically marginalized communities leading transformative change. Northern California has a rich cultural legacy and commitment to social justice. NCG’s membership is made up of stakeholders across philanthropy including: program officers, board members, donor trustees, movement organizers, communicators, visionaries, advocates, dreamers, and believers. We started as the “Lunch Bunch” in the 1960s, a group of philanthropic leaders committed to growing together. We formalized ourselves in the 1980s with the goal of supporting a base of philanthropic members. Currently we have more than 220 institutional members and over 4,000 individual members. For the past forty years, we have been working to gather, mobilize, and transform philanthropy. We believe in our collective power for good. Learn more about NCG at www.ncg.org.

Position Summary

NCG seeks an equity-centered, systems change-oriented leader as Director for Policy and Movement to increase philanthropic investments and build power in communities most impacted by racial inequities. The position contributes to increased consciousness in the sector regarding the central role of community-based organizations in anchoring an effective democracy, while building connections between the philanthropic, government, and nonprofit sectors. The Director leads programming that strengthens NCG’s strategic focus on addressing inequities and growing our ability to transform philanthropic practice. The Director will also work in close partnership with the President and CEO, Senior Director of Public Affairs, and supervise policy staff, while leading strategy across the team  to implement effective policy change. This will require a strategic leader who is excited about NCG’s role in the field as a philanthropic transforming organization and knows how to center the leadership of movement-builders to move philanthropy forward.

NCG’s policy work will center racial equity, movement building strategies, and the leadership of movement organizations to advance democracy and promote equitable public policy.

We prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion, and welcome applicants of diverse race, ethnic culture, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, and physical abilities. Our Director should embrace racial equity as a core value and have the emotional intelligence to effectively work with people of all backgrounds and positively contribute to NCG’s culture.

Essential Job Functions

Advancing Democracy and Supporting Movement Building (~45 percent)

• Co-develops partnerships with NCG leadership and frames the strategy for the democracy portfolio, including integration with teams working on other policy issues such as Climate Disaster and Resilience.
• Mobilizes resources from multiple sectors to movement groups strengthening democracy and racial equity work by inspiring funders to invest individually and collectively in new ways.
• Amplifies intersectional policies that impact marginalized communities and attract new investments into movement-building groups.
• Stewards relationships with foundations, government entities, and movement partners to increase funder investment in movement building.
• Provides core strategy leadership in national partnerships designed to increase philanthropic giving for democracy efforts.
• Supervises the NCG Senior Democracy Fellow.
• Assists the President and CEO with special assignments as requested.

Increasing Philanthropic Investment in Policy and Movement (~30 percent)

• Develops, organizes, and implements programs, leveraging existing programs to strengthen NCG members’ knowledge and practice related to democracy and public policy initiatives.
• Creates and disseminates values-based narratives to NCG members that galvanize philanthropy to action.
• Identifies and cultivates viable political education tools for foundations.

Enhancing Understanding of Public and Sector Policy (~25 percent)

• Curates the NCG policy platform to address historic and emerging issues that advance racial equity in California.
• Develops and maintains relationships with key stakeholders in the philanthropy policy arena.
• Manages and reimagines the most effective contribution of the NCG Policy Committee as a key advisory group to the organization.
• Plans and implements NCG’s annual delegation of staff and members to participate in the national Foundations on the Hill event and annual Philanthropy in the State Capitol.
• Monitors relevant policies for consideration by members that have implications for the sector.
• Maintains partnerships and opportunities for NCG engagement, including representation on statewide and national collaborative efforts such as Philanthropy California and United Philanthropy Forum.
• Works with the Senior Director for Public Affairs, our Philanthropy California partners, staff, and volunteer members to support strategic alliances and collaborative activities in order to build presence for organized philanthropy with policymakers regionally and statewide.

Core Competencies

NCG works with great intention to build an organizational culture rooted in equity; inclusion; diversity of experience and perspective; and belonging. As we shift into a more hybrid work environment, we refined and affirmed the core competencies necessary to succeed in this role in alignment with our values. These competencies, in priority order for this role, include:

• Strategic. Ability to collect, review, synthesize, and present information and findings and influence project trajectory.
• Effective. Experience leading signature strategic initiatives and developing/executing successful plans to achieve strategic goals. 
• Results-Oriented. The ability to organize, prioritize, and manage complex, multidimensional projects and the commitment and ability to meet work goals on time.
• Relational. Ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with colleagues and members. Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to work with diverse people and in diverse groups.
• Weaver. Demonstrated ability to weave diverse elements of the network together for collective benefit.
• Emotionally Intelligent. Is self-aware and reflective, and able to read and respond appropriately to the energy in a room.
• Self-Directed. Has a natural curiosity to find solutions amidst uncertainty and use evidence-based data in all decisions.
• Joyful. Brings joy and humor in face of challenges.
• Adaptive. Responds intentionally and effectively to changing conditions and needs.

Relevant Experience and Qualifications

The following qualifications serve as a guide to the ideal experiences and knowledge the Director might bring. However, NCG encourages candidates to submit their applications even if they do not meet all of the requirements stated below. Applicants should feel free to lift up additional relevant experience or transferrable skills that would contribute to your effectiveness in this role.

• A strong understanding of public policy as a vehicle for systemic change, of how policy change is interconnected with narrative change, and of the public policy and democracy landscapes in the Northern California region.
• Project management experience and success, demonstrating the ability to organize, prioritize, and manage complex, multidimensional projects to successful completion within desired timeframes and to define goals.
• Proven experience and a demonstrated approach to designing and executing strategies and programs that centers community-based movement builders in driving policy agendas.
• 5+ years of increasing relevant responsibility and understanding of philanthropy and public policy as a vehicle for systemic change Strong alignment to the values and mission of NCG and clear commitment to the principles of social justice and racial equity.
• Stellar interpersonal skills with a collaborative style and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of diverse stakeholders.
• Experience managing staff or high value volunteers to ensure the necessary support, motivation, and development to meet goals.
• Must be located in Northern California with the ability to travel throughout the region as necessary.
• Appreciation for a collegial and learning work environment and capacity to manage, inspire, and develop staff.
• Technical acumen across Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook with the ability to learn and adapt quickly to virtual communications and collaborative applications.

Compensation, Benefits, and Work Environment 

The salary range for this position is $110,000 to $125,000, commensurate with experience. NCG also offers competitive benefits that reflect our values and commitment to our team members, including:

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• Vacation, Sick, and Holiday pay
• 403b Voluntary Plan
• Short and Long-Term Disability
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Staff Development and Wellness Funds

You would be joining a joyful team of individuals committed to social impact, a healthy working culture, and a respect for the many different aspects of life. Racial equity, belonging, and diversity, equity, and inclusion are baked into everything we do, and we encourage applicants of diverse race, ethnic culture, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, and physical abilities to bring your lived experiences along with your professional selves. 

For health and safety, NCG requires all employees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. If you receive an offer and are unable to get vaccinated for religious or medical reasons, you may request a reasonable accommodation.

How to Apply

To apply, please email your cover letter (not to exceed two pages) and resume (not to exceed two pages), answering the questions below, as well as a list of three references (who will not be contacted without advance notice) to ncg@walkeraac.com by no later than Thursday, June 8, 2023, at 5 pm PT including “Director for Policy and Movement” in the subject line:

1. What motivates you to offer your time, skills, and gifts to work on movement building, public policy, and/or democracy efforts? How do you and how can philanthropy center movement leadership in their work?
2. Share a brief example of an experience, program, or campaign you led that illuminates your interest in NCG’s work around racial equity. What is a key lesson learned that you would bring with you to this role?