Program Director at Thompson Family Foundation

On-Ramps; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous benefits package

Strong work-life balance

Job summary

On-Ramps is looking for a Program Director to support nonprofit organizations in New York. This role involves grant strategy implementation, monitoring progress, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of nonprofit experience and a track record in strategic and operational roles.

Working from Rockefeller Center, this position offers a salary range of $250,000 - $300,000 and a strong benefits package, promoting a healthy work-life balance.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in grantmaking or nonprofit sectors.
• Proven track record in operational and strategic roles.
• Ability to build relationships with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Identify and support nonprofit organizations.
• Implement grantmaking strategies tailored to community needs.
• Monitor and evaluate the progress of grants.
• Conduct site visits and provide strategic counsel.

Skills

Grantmaking experience

Nonprofit strategy

Operations management

Creative problem solving

Analytical skills

Tools

Salesforce

Excel

Job description

The Thompson Family Foundation selects high performing nonprofits and contributes to their impact, primarily by awarding grants, but also by providing funding, advice, and connections aimed at strengthening their operations.

About the Organization

Thompson's team is small and entrepreneurial by design so that more resources move out the door and less time is spent on unnecessary processes. That means Thompson operates with urgency, discipline, flexibility, and a willingness to change. Thompson selects partners with the aim of staying with them for the long run. We make annual grants, often with multi-year commitments. We either award general operating dollars or target funding to distinct programs to better observe progress. We are data-driven, working with our partners to isolate the qualitative and quantitativemeasures they find most meaningful. Then we hold up a mirror, supporting them in defining and assessing results, and planning adjustments as needed. We measure our success by the success of each of our partners in meeting their self-defined mission.

We also strengthen our partners through targeted organizational funding, which we are growing through the launch of our Organizational Resilience Fund. We provide advice and support in key areas: governance, strategy, program, fundraising, finance, human capital, technology, legal and real estate.

Thompson is also differentiated by our willingness to make transformative investments, supporting major initiatives, including capital projects.

We believe philanthropy can do better. We do this in three key ways:

• We aim to provide larger grants to fewer groups to counter the issue of too many nonprofits with too few resources.
• We prioritize deeper relationships with our groups, rarely setting our sights on field-level impact.
• Our small team manages a substantial grantmaking portfolio and an unusually high volume of strategic, analytical, and operational work. Everyone at Thompson is expected to think strategically, execute carefully, build tools, solve problems, and improve the way the foundation works.

Our core portfolios include Arts, Culture & Public Space; Medical Research & Public Health; Justice & Safety; and College & Career Access. We work primarily in New York City, but our grantmaking extends through the tri-state region. We occasionally make national and international grants.

We live our values:

• Accountability
• Transparency
• Flexibility
• Responsiveness

About the Role

The Program Director will identify, steward, and support the nonprofit organizations that Thompson funds. Beginning from prospect development through grant design and renewal, they will define opportunities and track both progress and outcomes, with an eye toward helping portfolio organizations deliver strong programmatic results. In partnership with the Executive Director, they will develop new and growing portfolios that respond to community needs and opportunities. In addition, they will partner with colleagues to test and refine grantmaking models, maximizing impact while minimizing cost and administrative burdens. The Program Director will help advance the systems, tools, practices, and habits that allow a small foundation to do excellent work at high volume without passing unnecessary burden to grantees. Equally as important, they will serve as a thought partner and sounding board, both to colleagues within Thompson and partners in the field.

Because Thompson is small by design, the Program Director must be energized by building while doing. This is a role for someone who can shape strategy in the morning, pressure-test a logic model at noon, draft a board memo in the afternoon, and troubleshoot a Salesforce or Excel reporting need before the day ends. Seniority at Thompson does not mean distance from the work; it means greater responsibility for making the work stronger.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Develop and implement grantmaking strategies:

• identifying organizations that make a meaningful difference in the lives of New Yorkers;
• working with those organizations to design / understand their logic models and assess the current and potential impact of those models;
• building the case for funding and the instruments to measure progress;
• partnering with organizations year after year to assess progress and build upon it, concluding grantmaking when the results are complete (or don't materialize).

Monitor and evaluate grant progress:

• providing feedback and recommendations for extension, adjustment, and completion;
• executing smart and efficient grant renewals, honing in on strengths, challenges, and unanswered questions;
• partnering with grant recipients to provide strategic counsel and resources that transcend funding, support grantees in responding to opportunities and challenges;
• allocating added resources to strengthen a grant when a great opportunity arises, as possible.

Support organization-wide planning:

• researching new focus areas and developing landscape analyses, as appropriate, defining funding opportunities and developing strategies in response;
• evaluating current portfolio areas for the best opportunities in new awards, then building the logic model and partnering with the new organization to set success measures;
• bringing new thinking to the team on strategy, evaluation or operations; and,
• experimenting with the current Thompson model, then advocating for changes to strengthen the work.

Advance the infrastructure for excellent lean grantmaking:

• drafting documents for board, organization, and grant recipients that drive progress, alignment, and accountability;
• designing and building reporting capabilities via Salesforce and Excel to track portfolio strategy, progress, and results;
• identifying and implementing tools and systems for streamlined reporting and analysis;
• ensuring an organized and complete record of the grantmaking process and grantee accomplishments in partnership with the Program Associate.

Required Skills and Experience

This position provides an excellent opportunity for an entrepreneur who is passionate about building a highly impactful and efficient foundation while working in service to and partnership with the organizations Thompson funds.

• Mission and Core Values Alignment. Operates with a growth mindset, demonstrates self-awareness, enjoys working as part of a team, and can advance work independently
• Strong Track Record. 15+ years of accomplishment in relevant fields including grantmaking, nonprofit strategy, operations, or management consulting
• Strategic and Operational. You are gifted at both defining the strategy to accomplish goals and developing and managing the operational plans to ensure success
• Creative and Driven. You generate ideas and see them through, seeking excellence and sweating the details. You take the initiative and lead alongside
• Analytical and Compelling. You are rigorous and data-driven. You're persuasive, with excellent written and oral presentation skills
• Curious and Collaborative. You listen carefully and you learn from others. You derive joy from surfacing the great ideas, designing something better, and improving it ongoing
• Kind, Humble and Humorous. You take your work seriously, but not yourself

Additional Details

Location and Work Environment

The Program Director will be a part of a small hybrid team that works from our Rockefeller Center three days a week. In person visits to our grantees are prioritized; travel for this role includes site visits within the greater New York area. Work with national nonprofits and opportunities to convene may prompt an opportunity to travel once or twice per year.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $250,000 - $300,000. Thompson offers a generous benefits package while encouraging a strong work-life balance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Thompson Family Foundation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.