Managing Director, Healthy Children and Families
RWJF
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Job summary
RWJF in Princeton, NJ seeks a Managing Director to drive equity-centered strategy across a national portfolio. You will oversee program development, budgeting, staff leadership, and cross‑functional partnerships with internal teams and external partners to advance RWJF's mission and strategic goals.
The role requires deep experience in equity, funding programs, and organizational leadership, with hybrid work flexibility and a focus on transforming health and health equity across communities.
Qualifications
- Six (6) years of progressive management and team leadership experience.
- Eight (8) years of progressive management and team leadership experience.
Responsibilities
- Lead portfolio strategy development and execution.
- Oversee annual portfolio workplan and budgets.
- Manage diverse, inclusive staff development and performance.
- Cultivate external strategic partnerships to advance RWJF goals.
- Oversee grantmaking processes with equity and transparency.
- Represent RWJF in external forums and media.
Skills
Tools
Job description
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), located in Princeton, N.J., is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. To get there, we must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Since 1972, we have focused on developing and promoting innovations in health and healthcare to improve the lives of millions. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence‑building, we work side‑side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to achieve health equity faster and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.
At RWJF, we work toward three Generational Goals to transform health in our lifetime: Economic Inclusion for Family Wellbeing, Equitable and Accountable Public Health and Healthcare Systems, and Healthy and Equitable Community Conditions.
We take seriously our responsibilities, and we pledge to work in ways that reflect our Guiding Principles. These are rooted in equity and influence everything we do at RWJF. Equity, diversity, inclusion, and collaboration enable our staff’s wide range of experiences, passions, and perspectives to strengthen our ability to address our nation’s most pressing health issues and support a culture of belonging. Part of this work includes actively shaping an inclusive organization where all staff members thrive as we build and use our capabilities, voice, and power to advance health equity. RWJF offers a collaborative, collegial, and creative work environment. With a career at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, you will make a difference.
As with staff at all levels of RWJF, the managing director is expected to demonstrate a passionate commitment to equity and alignment to the Foundation’s mission and Guiding Principles, including the ability to recognize and address how power influences strategy, relationships, grantmaking, and organizational decision‑making.
- Align all portfolio work, including program development, implementation and budgeting, grounded in systems change practice, with the Foundation’s overall Strategic Framework’s vision, Generational Goals, forthcoming 10-year outcomes, and the Strategic Portfolios department goals. Ensure that portfolio work reflects lessons from the Foundation’s Truth, Repair, and Transformation process.
- Lead the development and evolution of the portfolio’s strategic plan, including programming, convening, coordinating, reporting, and monitoring indicators of progress, with other internal and external partners.
- Ensure effective strategy implementation, including budgeting, using equitable grantmaking principles, including managing program staff to develop and execute programming.
- Oversee strategy development and refinement grounded in targeted reviews of existing literature; surveys and research in the field; learning from evaluations of current and past grantmaking; cross‑cutting indicators of progress data and learning from other organizations and partners, including people most impacted by health inequities.
- Champion and oversee communication of portfolio strategy, plans, activities, learning,and performance to colleagues, senior management, Board of Trustees, and with external partners and the field, as appropriate.
- Collaborate with senior leaders in other departments, including Communications, Research‑Evaluation‑Learning, Policy, and other Foundation colleagues to maximize strategic impact of programming.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Oversee an interdisciplinary team of staff in a matrix environment from various Foundation units that support portfolio work.
- Influence, align, and achieve results across functions and teams where formal authority is limited.
- Oversee the collaborative development of an annual portfolio workplan aligned to portfolio priorities and allocate the portfolio’s financial and personnel resources toward efficient accomplishment of the workplan.
- Create and manage annual budgets aligned with portfolio priorities and strategy and department goals with the associate managing directors and Program Finance staff.
- Lead and oversee portfolio training, structure, and processes to achieve strategic objectives, including designing portfolio meetings, workstreams, and retreats.
- Foster and lead a diverse, collaborative, and inclusive work environment that welcomes points of view from staff with diverse professional, cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds and who range from seasoned experts to those earlier in their career.
- Manage staff development related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracist practice and plans. Coach and support the leadership and expertise of team members to advance the portfolio’s strategies.
- Assure the development of workplans for each portfolio staff member to support performance and professional development. Demonstrate interest and support of the professional growth and agency of staff.
- Assess and support staff through interpersonal conflicts to benefit team functioning and group dynamics.
- Employ flexible approaches to people leadership that demonstrate emotionalintelligence.
- Use the tools of philanthropy, including connecting, coordinating, convening, thought partnership, and communicating and funding programs to help catalyze systems‑level change in our Prioritized Systems, especially the Economic Supports for Families (Tax and Care).
- Cultivate relationships; develop and execute regional and national strategic partnerships with, e.g., nonprofits; relevant networks of grassroots and advocacy groups; public systems; employers; and other foundations to support progress toward the Foundation’s mission and goals.
- Enhance national‑level impact; working with national partners to influence decisionmakers at state and national levels to push the field forward and to spark innovation.
- Build trusting relationships with a growing network of grantees and other external partners to advance the portfolio’s strategies.
- Represent the Foundation externally in the media and at events (e.g., conferences, meetings).
- Evaluate proposals for alignment with the Foundation’s Strategic Framework, the portfolio’s strategic priorities, and the Strategic Portfolio's department's goals using team and department theories of change and alignment rubrics. Assess strength of the proposal, including health equity, racial justice and power dynamic dimensions, potential impact, value for dollars requested, and the applicant organization’s capacity to achieve desired impact.
- Implement and promote practices to ensure all proposals are reviewed fairly, expeditiously, and are consistently aligned with Foundation and Strategic Portfolios department grantmaking strategic priorities and equitable grantmaking processes and policies.
- Work in collaboration with departments across the Foundation to monitor financial status and oversee the portfolio budget and cash payment system.
- Approve and recommend to senior management for approval, grants in accordance with Foundation program policies.
- Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and vision and alignment with our values.
- Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, including an understanding of structural racism and other systemic biases and their impact on health; proficiency in identifying equity issues and power analysis and applying equity and justice principles in promoting economic inclusion for children and families. Has nuanced understanding of how to work at strategic and programming levels in ways that address gender, class, sexual orientation, and disability from a race lens.
- Deep understanding of and experience in building coalitions and equitable partnerships with organizations and communities with attention to transparency, accountability, and community‑centered approaches.
- Experience applying equity principles in all stages of grantmaking from initial relationship development through program development, implementation and evaluation, including how to disrupt inequitable practices in philanthropy. This includes nurturing trusting relationships; incorporating perspectives of children, families, and caregivers into the work developed; and using asset‑framing and plain written and oral language.
- Experience in applying lessons from truth, repair, and transformation processes, including reparative practices in strategy and programming.
- Demonstrated ability to steward a team’s vision, evolve strategy, set clear priorities, and deliver results through timely, well‑reasoned decisions informed by field dynamics and strategic trade‑offs.
- Experience building equitable coalitions and partnerships that advance economic inclusion for children and families, strengthen community power and connections, and support community‑led priorities with transparency and accountability.
- Experience using systems‑change approaches, evidence, and learning to advance health equity through the tax and/or care systems, particularly for children and families most marginalized.
- Strong networks in tax and/or care systems that advance economic wellbeing and inclusion.
- Experience defining success and measuring progress over the short, medium, and long terms.
- Ability to lead with care and adaptability through uncertainty and organizational change, providingstability for staff and clarity on roles and responsibilities.
- Demonstrated ability to coach and develop staff, delegate effectively, and support shared leadership in a matrix environment while fostering trust, belonging, inclusion, and shared accountability.
- Ability to lead with emotional intelligence, inspire others around a shared strategic vision, and bring humor and fun to the workplace.
- Ability to balance appropriately inclusive participation with timely, transparent decisions, clearly communicating the rationale and moving work forward.
- Expertise in creating and managing budgets that are aligned with strategy and priorities.
- Exhibit sound judgment. Able to make difficult decisions, while being responsive and clear. Ability to explain the rationale for decisions with transparency and invite constructive challenge.
- Solid communication skills; able to synthesize and present complex information in a clear and compelling manner; and identify innovative opportunities in a specific area while maintaining a focus on systemic change.
- Ability and willingness to work within a flexible, purpose‑driven hybrid model that includes regular travel to and visibility at the headquarters, which are essential to team cohesion and accountability, as well as for site visits and to represent the Foundation at external meetings.
- Six (6) years of progressive management and team leadership experience.
- Eight (8) years of progressive management and team leadership experience.
The managing director will perform job duties in a typical business office environment. Specific physical abilities required by this job include operating basic office equipment. The incumbent will be required to attend meetings, both in person and off‑site via phone or videoconference. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. RWJF is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
This position is assigned to our Princeton, N.J. office.
As of January 1, 2023, the Foundation has implemented a model we call Hybrid: Flexible Purpose (HFP). RWJF’s new operating model is the infrastructure (e.g., policies, practices, protocols, procedures, systems) that forms the basis for how the day‑to‑day operations are managed, culture is built and nurtured, and mission is delivered. This model is designed to meet the needs of the organization while giving employees as much flexibility as possible. On‑site participation is determined by job responsibilities, organizational and team‑level requirements, and mandatory gatherings throughout the year. While there are no fixed days per week, all employees are expected to plan their time on‑site and cover commuting expenses as needed to meet those expectations. Learn more about our operating model and in‑office requirements.
The non‑negotiable starting salary for this position is $222,200. Candidates who the Foundation determines have directly related experience exceeding the minimum requirements outlined above may be provided a higher starting salary of up to $244,420. All salary offers are non‑negotiable.
RWJF offers comprehensive health and retirement benefits to employees, generous paid time off, and more. Why work at RWJF? Learn more about the benefits of working at RWJF.
A transition stipend is provided to all new hires to aid in costs related to transitioning to a new job.
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