Senior Director, Impact

About this role: 

Eat. Learn. Play. is transforming the school experience for a generation of Oakland students. We help to provide the resources kids need to reach their full potential, including access to nutritious food, high-dosage tutoring, and physical activity. We also transform school spaces to ensure kids have equitable access to dignified, joyful places to eat, learn, and play including schoolyards, cafeterias, libraries, and gyms. 

Working with the VP of Impact and CEO, the Senior Director, Impact will advance our goals and impact by building strong relationships with our community partners to ensure the successful delivery of our programs across the Foundation’s three programmatic pillars. In this newly established role, the Director will work shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners to support the strong implementation of a portfolio of programs totaling $10 million annually, including major investments in the high dosage tutoring and middle school sports through the Oakland public school system. They will also manage the Foundation’s own programmatic initiatives, including the Bus, Little Town Libraries, and school pantries.  

The Senior Director, Impact will thrive on developing a deep understanding of the strengths our partners bring while also uncovering the areas in which our partners need additional support, capacity and/or development to achieve our shared goals.   They will be a systems thinker, ideally with experience working in a large and complex school system, with the ability to establish and nourish trusted and authentic relationships with a diverse mix of partners including a major strategic partnership with Oakland Unified School District and a mix of local and national non-profit partners. The role will require humility, deep listening to the community partners our programs serve, a curiosity to uncover obstacles to our shared goals, a solutions-oriented mindset and a willingness to clearly and kindly communicate about these barriers and potential solutions to our partners.  

The position is based in Oakland in a flexible, hybrid work environment where employees are required to be in the office as needed, typically 1-2 days a week. 

Responsibilities: 

Portfolio Strategy 

• With the VP Impact, develop goals and align programs and grantmaking with overall strategic plan 

• Think broadly about the ways our community partners can work together, leveraging their strengths, to achieve our mission and vision for impact 

• Develop budgets for programs and monitor spending with partners 

• Lead innovation process for new programs or portfolios, including projects like landscape research, program or portfolio design, budgeting, and partner selection 

• Collaborate with the Marketing and Communications and Development teams to develop portfolio specific communications plans and share relevant information and outcomes. 

Partnership Management 

• Act as a public face and voice for the Foundation in the community and at events 

• Play a strategic and diplomatic role with community partners, positively representing the Foundation’s decisions and rationale with a wide range of stakeholders 

• Seek out, cultivate, and manage relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, partners and vendors within the community that can contribute to the achievement of our goals 

• Support implementation of partnerships by ensuring there are clear roles, managing progress against collective work plans  

• Through close and careful attention to the implementation of partnerships, work to identify potential barriers to success as they arise, suggest solutions to the barriers and work to gather the resources—including buy in from other stakeholders-- necessary to resolve those complex challenges 

• Establish strong relationships with partners and grantees to provide feedback on strengths and challenges in the implementation of the partnership 

Grantee & Contractor management  

• With the Director of Grant Administration, support strategies for monitoring and evaluation. 

• Ensure program excellence and that operations and activities adhere to legal guidelines and internal policies. 

• Develop programs and grantmaking budgets and oversee spending. 

Communications:

• Keep Eat. Learn. Play. staff informed of programmatic and grantmaking developments 

• Act as a motivating mentor to direct reports, providing regular feedback to support development. 

Work Experience: 

• 10 years of leadership experience, including designing, building, and managing seven-figure budgets and/or and program portfolios.  

• Experience as an effective manager within a growing organization, with an ability to handle shifting priorities and an appetite for new ideas and approaches. Successful managerial experience in leading a team and mentoring/coaching staff. 

• Experience working collaboratively with a broad range of nonprofit, community-based organizations, and public sector entities to co-design and implement solutions 

• Experience in creating realistic project budgets and timelines. 

Required Skills & Abilities: 

• Demonstrated interest in Eat. Learn. Play.’s core issue areas with a broad range of experience working with non-profit organizations. Deep expertise is not needed, but issue area experience and/or experience working with public school systems is a plus. 

• Knowledge of Oakland’s social, economic, cultural, and political landscape. 

• Respect for the community, and ability to engender trust, credibility, and confidence with a variety of constituencies. 

• Demonstrated creative initiative and problem-solving skills, can synthesize information, translate it into a program design and lead a team to execute it. 

• Strong people management skills leading through collaboration and shared accountability with high emotional intelligence and comfort with agile role definition. 

• Strong written and verbal communication, active listening and interpersonal skills needed to work with a broad range of individuals successfully, including nonprofits, government officials, and donors. 

• Able to work sensitively and ethically with confidential information, work independently, and demonstrate good judgment and tact when handling difficult or sensitive situations.  

• Strong analytical skills, basic business intuition, and common sense. Able to view problems from a "big picture." 

• Adaptable, able to thrive in a fast-paced, growing, and dynamic organization. 

• Attentive to detail and follow through 

To Apply: Please submit your resume and a cover letter that speaks to your relevant experience and passion for ELP’s mission. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. 

Salary Range: $120,000 - $150,000 

Salary : $120,000 - $150,000