Program Manager (CMF)

EPIP; Michigan; Remote; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Program Manager to lead the Southeast Michigan Early Childhood Funders Collaborative. This role offers the opportunity to drive impactful change in early childhood development and education across Southeast Michigan. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership and communication skills, with a passion for philanthropy and early childhood issues. You will be responsible for managing key initiatives, fostering collaboration among funders, and developing a vibrant learning community. If you are innovative, energetic, and ready to make a difference, this role is perfect for you!

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of experience in early childhood or related fields.
• Demonstrated leadership in philanthropy and exceptional project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage key aspects of the collaborative’s work, including planning and organization development.
• Build a network of early childhood funders and facilitate collaboration.

Skills

Project Management

Leadership

Communication Skills

Research and Analytical Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Fundraising

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree (preferred)

Job description

The Council of Michigan Foundations is seeking a two-year, full-time grant-funded Program Manager for the Southeast Michigan Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (SEM-ECFC). This position will work remotely.

The Southeast Michigan Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC) is a network for grantmakers that come together to: (1) learn the latest research; (2) strategically coordinate and align philanthropic, public and private funding and resources; and (3) facilitate equity-focused approaches and timely responses to opportunities and needs so that we ensure quality early childhood development and education in Southeast Michigan, including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties, as well as the city of Detroit and support stronger outcomes for their children and families.

The Southeast Michigan Early Childhood Funders Collaborative has existed as an informal networking group since 2007. Funders involved with ECFC currently include the: Ballmer Group, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Kresge Foundation, McGregor Fund, PNC Foundation, Skillman Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. As a whole, the foundations involved in the collaborative invested more than $60 million in early childhood in metro Detroit between 2012-2015 and also created the Head Start Innovation Fund, which is now an $11 million effort specifically designed for Head Start agencies in the area.

Position Summary

The ideal candidate will be a strategic leader with knowledge of both the philanthropy and early childhood fields, with strong interpersonal and communications skills and the ability to support and facilitate a strong and sustainable funder network.

Job responsibilities include leading and managing key aspects of the collaborative’s work, including: planning and organization development; field building and collaboration with partners; development and implementation of a learning community; communication and education on early childhood priorities; and fundraising and fiscal management.

Essential Job Functions

• Planning and organization development: The Program Manager will lead formalization of the collaborative structure and processes and help members achieve their expanded vision. The Program Manager will also be responsible for working with early childhood funders to identify a set of outcomes and associated metrics for the funders collaborative and will use those metrics to measure progress for the collaborative.
• Field building and collaboration: This position will be responsible for building a network of early childhood funders that invest both in Detroit and across the four main Southeast Michigan counties, and who are dedicated to aligning and leveraging philanthropic, public and private resources to promote federal, state and local policies and practices, as well as systemic, equity-focused approaches that support young children, their families and the early childhood community. As part of this effort, the Program Manager will engage in periodic, directed conversations with early childhood nonprofit leaders, intermediary organizations, and grantee partners. Research of, and building connections to, other funding collaboratives from around the country will also be required periodically.
• Development and implementation of a vibrant learning community: The SE Michigan Early Childhood Funders Collaborative offers a learning community providing meetings, webinars, conference calls and other events to engage members, partner funders and field experts in deep discussions of issues critical to early childhood. In addition to overseeing the development and implementation of learning community activities, this position will facilitate networking opportunities to provide peer support, share resources and lessons learned, and create opportunities for funders to participate in collaborative and cross-field grantmaking.
• Communication and education: The Program Manager will facilitate periodic learning sessions for a broader audience about key early childhood topics to bring other leaders/community members into the discussion and strategy building. This position will also provide joint communication and storytelling activities aimed at highlighting work being accomplished through key grantees/collaborative funding and promoting the impact of the collaborative as an incentive for other funders to participate.
• Financial management: This position will work with the collaborative’s fiscal sponsor, the Council of Michigan Foundations, to raise funds annually for this role from ECFC’s members. This position will also oversee financial tracking and management in support of the ECFC’s work.
• Supervisory Responsibilities: Working from their home office, the Collaborative Manager will lead the process to identify and select any consultants who may be contracted to support the work of the collaborative (i.e. communications firm, evaluation firm) and will serve as the primary liaison between consultants and the collaborative.

Special Requirements

• This is a virtual position; a home office is required.
• Occasional overnight travel is required. This is a full-time position, with flexibility around working hours.

Qualifications

• A degree with a minimum of five years of experience in early childhood and/or related fields, or equivalent experience. Master’s degree preferred.
• Passion for early childhood issues and knowledge of and experience in early childhood and/or related fields.
• Demonstrated leadership in the field of philanthropy.
• Exceptional project management and leadership skills.
• Creative, innovative, and high-energy. Ability to work independently and multi-task in a fast-paced work situation.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement learning community activities.
• The ability to interact with a wide range of constituents, ranging from policymakers to practitioners, community members and funders.
• Demonstrated commitment to Detroit and across Southeast Michigan, and examples of place-based, community-rooted leadership.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to problem solve and resolve conflicts quickly and effectively.
• Good research and analytical skills.

Who we are:

The Council of Michigan Foundations is a community of philanthropists committed to improving outcomes for Michigan and beyond. We are the nation’s foremost philanthropy serving organization, highly respected for our leadership role in advancing the sector’s public policy engagement. We maintain a reputation for excellence because our staff and the organizations we partner with are invested in growing the impact of Michigan philanthropy. We do this by investing in the state’s charitable organizations, convening business government and nonprofit leaders, collaborating on critical issues, seeking innovative solutions, sharing knowledge, and advocating. Collectively, CMF members comprise nearly 85 percent of the state’s organized philanthropic assets. CMF trustees and members have developed endowment funds to support the organization’s advocacy efforts.

Interested candidates should e-mail a cover letter, resume and salary requirements to Tammie TenBroeke at [e-mail]. Items must be received no later than September 25, 2020.

The Council of Michigan Foundations is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All correspondence will remain confidential.