Vice President, Learning and Evaluation (PNGP)

Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia is seeking a visionary Vice President, Learning and Evaluation to lead the design, implementation, and evaluation of its learning programs. The role centers racial equity, elevates nonprofit and community voices, and aligns learning with social impact goals.

The successful candidate will oversee strategy, learning opportunities, signature events like the SPARX Conference, and DEI programming while guiding a growing team and external consultants.

Qualifications

• Creative thinker with ability to create brave spaces for reflection, learning, and development.
• Strategic thinker with a track record of operationalizing vision and strategy.
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and centering racial equity.
• Experience delivering effective learning and professional development programs; virtual learning a plus.

Responsibilities

• Set the overall strategy for learning programs including engagement with staff, boards, partners and social impact organizations.
• Develop high‑quality learning opportunities— in‑person, self‑paced, group work, and virtual formats.
• Lead planning and implementation of signature events (e.g., SPARX Conference).
• Create evaluation mechanisms to continuously improve learning design and impact.
• Provide strategic oversight for Learning and DEI Committees.

Skills

Creative thinking

Strategic thinking

Diversity, equity, inclusion

Executive communication

Feedback and growth

Ambiguity tolerance

Facilitation skills

Evaluation methods

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Job description

Vice President, Learning and Evaluation (PNGP)

THE ORGANIZATION

Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia (Philanthropy Network) is a trusted hub for funders, social investors, and philanthropy support organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region who wish to maximize their social impact while aligning with other philanthropic partners to achieve scale and sustainability. Philanthropy Network creates opportunities to learn, connect, and lead change that centers racial equity across all social impact priorities and in their operations.

The following core values guides the operations of Philanthropy Network:

• Adaptive Leadership- taking action that is bold, nimble, and informed to seize opportunities and address the greatest challenges in our region.
• Equity- using philanthropy intentionally as a tool to address structural racism and all other inequities.
• Partnership- working with Philanthropy Network members and others to leverage resources, knowledge, and relationships while retaining the independence of individual organizational priorities.
• Openness- working with community in a way that is participative, transparent, and inclusive.
• Learning- learning from research, evidence, experimentation, and lived experiences to create systemic impact.
• Stewardship- transparent, responsible stewardship of resources guided by high standards of integrity and accountability.

Together, this network is a powerful force for progress in Greater Philadelphia, investing more than $500 million annually.

As a cornerstone to its bold, evolving strategies, and an expression of its values, Philanthropy Network is deepening its investment in learning and evaluation to advance systemic change and in pursuit of a just and thriving Greater Philadelphia. To lead this work, Philanthropy Network is hiring a Vice President, Learning and Evaluation, who will report to the President.

The Vice President, Learning and Evaluation role is a compelling and evolving opportunity for a strategic, adaptable thinker and implementer who is deeply committed to centering racial equity, affirming intersectionality, and desires a role where they can put those values into action. The person will be an advocate for changing the traditional power dynamics in philanthropy and uplifting nonprofit and community voices. The Vice President, Learning and Evaluation will provide thought leadership on how Philanthropy Network’s learning programs can help organizations achieve their goals while integrating the importance of equity, inclusion, and liberation into programming.

The overall goal for learning and evaluation activities is to maximize the impact of the Network’s learning opportunities, which are delivered with a focus on professional and organizational readiness, organizational practice change, and long-term sustainability of newly adopted practices. This position will lead the design, implementation, innovation and evaluation of Philanthropy Network’s learning program strategy.

The Vice President must be proactive in voicing ideas and developing quality, innovative learning opportunities with the support of team member, while leveraging the connection between learning and social impact.

THE ROLE

Learning and Evaluation Strategy

• Set the overall strategy for Philanthropy Network’s learning programs including but not exclusive to the Essentials in Effective Philanthropy; engaging staff and foundation boards, nonprofit partners, and other social impact organizations.
• Continuously update knowledge of trends pertaining to learning and actively centering racial equity and integrate this knowledge into the learning strategy.

Learning and Evaluation Implementation

• Develop high-quality learning opportunities that include in-person sessions, self-paced activities, group work, and rapidly increasing virtual learning opportunities.
• Lead the planning and implementation of Philanthropy Network’s signature events, including but not exclusive to Philanthropy Network’s annual SPARX Conference.
• Create mechanisms for evaluating and continuously informing the design of learning opportunities, incorporating feedback from participants regarding the impact of learning on individual and organizational practices.
• Provide strategic oversight for Philanthropy Network’s Learning Committee and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.

Thought Leadership

• Author blog posts and provide oversight for thought leadership publications that support the advancement of effective philanthropy in our region.

Management and Oversight

• Supervise learning program team members and manage outside consultants and content experts. This position does not currently have a direct report but will likely have direct reports in the near future.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Fearless imagination with the ability to think creatively about creating brave spaces for reflection, learning, and development.
• Strategic thinker with a track record of operationalizing vision and strategy.
• Track record of commitment to diversity, inclusion, and centering racial equity.
• Experienced in delivering effective learning and professional development programs. Experience with virtual learning is a plus.
• Self-aware, curious, and mission-centered with marked determination to make a meaningful impact on the world.
• Propensity to thrive in environments of ambiguity and change until clarity and coherence emerges.
• Comfort interacting with executive and senior leadership, including Philanthropy Network’s board as well as executive and senior leadership of philanthropic entities.
• Advanced facilitation and presentation skills with the notable experience curating braves spaces for difficult conversations.
• Intermediate to advance understanding of evaluation methods design, including but not exclusive to equitable and participatory evaluation for continuous improvement.
• Ability to give and receive feedback graciously and use feedback for the betterment of the organization.
• Excellent writing ability and verbal communications skills.

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

At Philanthropy Network we work to build a team with many different views, approaches, and experiences. The work environment is one of high energy, high activity, and one that involves mutual support. Each team member is expected to be a team player, self-motivated, adaptive, curious and committed to an atmosphere of respectful, honest, and open communication.

Team members are working from home during the COIVD-19 pandemic. Once preventative measures effectively lower virus transmission, staff will resume working in the Center City Philadelphia office, as well as occasional travel within the Greater Philadelphia region.

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s degree minimum; Master’s degree preferred. However, life experience can be considered in lieu of degrees.

COMPENSATION

Annual Salary starts at $75k and is negotiable based on experience. Benefits include medical and dental insurance effective within one month after hire date; short- and long-term disability insurance; life insurance; 403(b) retirement plan; and vacation, holiday, bereavement, and sick leave.

Philanthropy Network of Greater Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity Employer.