PropelNext Program Director

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation's PropelNext program seeks a Program Director to lead strategy, delivery, and refinement of the data-informed initiative serving youth nonprofits.

Reporting to leadership, the director will guide senior teams, design virtual programming, engage grantees, and ensure ambitious goals are met while expanding cohorts and sustaining the model.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, with focus on youth development.
• Demonstrated ability to use data for learning and program improvement.
• Experience designing and delivering virtual programming.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance, coordination, and oversight for delivery and refinement of PropelNext.
• Lead strategic planning and execution to scale cohorts and sustainable model.
• Oversee grantee experience, alumni engagement, and learning across contexts.

Job description

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF) is seeking applications and nominations to fill the position of Program Director for its PropelNext program. At an exciting time in EMCF’s and PropelNext’s trajectory, the new Program Director will work collaboratively with a passionate and talented team to innovate, refine, and deliver a successful initiative proven to help nonprofits transform their passion for serving youth into data-driven insights and practices that amplify their impact on young people’s lives.

Launched in 2012, PropelNext draws on EMCF’s expertise in helping nonprofits improve and expand youth services. The comprehensive program, tested with 30 organizations, is grounded in research, refined by experience, and rooted in each organization’s strengths. The program delivers financial support, coaching and technical assistance, and a learning community of peers to build organizational capacity for strategic data-driven decision-making and increased impact. Coming at a time when funders are demanding more evidence and data and many nonprofits have limited internal expertise or systems to provide it, PropelNext is a program shown to provide the support needed for that transformation. With one national alumni cohort and a California cohort poised to graduate in 2018, EMCF is moving to expand its internal team capacity in preparation for launching two additional cohorts and planning for the long‑term sustainable model for this initiative. The Program Director will be integral to both the strategic planning and the execution of the program going forward.

Reporting to the Director of PropelNext, the Program Director will provide guidance, coordination, and oversight for delivery and refinement of the program, building on and innovating the existing model as part of a continuous improvement process. At this inflection point for the Foundation and program, the Program Director will help to define a sustainable program model for the future while continuing to manage and improve upon its current delivery. The Program Director will oversee the execution and delivery of PropelNext to ensure grantees have an exceptional experience and meet ambitious goals and benchmarks. Additionally, he/she/they will actualize the use of virtual learning strategies to enhance and extend grantee support during and after the grant period, including effective alumni engagement, peer networking, and shared learning. The Program Director will be responsible for leading delivery of a model capacity‑building program that is elevating leading youth‑serving organizations to better fulfill their missions and ultimately impact many more lives in the future.

The ideal candidate will have senior leadership experience and be skilled at facilitating leadership development in the nonprofit sector, particularly in the area of youth development and in organizations facing significant change. He/she/they will be a strategic thinker with demonstrated problem‑solving orientation and have successfully built programs with a focus on using data for learning and improvement. Experience designing and delivering virtual programming is desired and the ability to manage teams and multiple complex work streams is necessary. The ideal candidate is a rigorous thinker and seasoned relationship builder with exceptional skills in facilitating, coaching, influencing, listening, and integrating learning across diverse contexts and cultures. He/she/they will be energetic and flexible with an empathetic demeanor that is self‑reflective, humble, responsive, and focused on the needs of grantees, as well as teammates and partners. The ideal candidate will be an effective change manager with experience supporting and leading teams in the context of ambiguity and continuous evolution, with an interest in mentoring and developing staff at all levels.

This search is being conducted by Allison Kupfer Poteet and Callie Carroll of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group. Please find more information and application instructions at the end of this document.

For more information about the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and PropelNext, please visit: www.emcf.org .