Vice President for Programs at Proteus Fund

About the role

The Vice President for Programs (VPP) will have significant responsibility for advancing Proteus Fund's powerful vision of a world rooted in rights, justice, dignity and democracy. The VPP will oversee Proteus' donor collaborative portfolio, and will manage Proteus' four donor collaborative directors. In a highly coordinated fashion, the VPP leads Proteus' cross-donor collaborative programming and grantmaking as well as cultivating and developing new donor collaboratives on issues and movements essential to the future of representative, inclusive democracy and marginalized communities in the United States.

To advance the work of the donor collaboratives' portfolio as well as Proteus Fund's overall vision, mission and values, the VPP is expected to develop and maintain a creative and dynamic thought leadership role in social justice philanthropy. The VPP also plays a central role supporting deep coordination between Proteus donor collaborative teams and Proteus' Strategic Partnerships, Finance, Grants Management, People & Culture, Donor Services, and other operational teams with a deeply "one Proteus" mindset. They are also expected to serve as a critical member of the senior management team.

Responsibilities

• Work with the President, donor collaborative directors, and other colleagues to ensure that Proteus Fund's vision, mission and values are manifest in our work, our narrative, and our collaborative model of relationships with grantees, donors, and Proteus colleagues
• Ensure Proteus Fund maintains respected and effective strategic positioning and profile in the social justice field in a way that reflects our vision, mission, and values
• Craft and support a donor collaborative culture that connects Proteus Fund's vision, mission, and values and is highly coordinated with our ongoing operations
• Program Management and Development
• Ensure Proteus' donor collaborative portfolio remains both cutting-edge and high impact
• Develop and maintain a high-level understanding of donor collaborative work, social justice dynamics in the United States, and social justice philanthropy trends, particularly as applied to donor collaboratives as a philanthropic vehicle for change
• Lead Proteus' cross-donor collaborative grantmaking and programming on grantee safety and security and grantee operational compliance and best practices
• Develop an internal learning environment and supports for the full donor collaborative team on topics such as impactful grantmaking, capacity building support, and social justice field programmatic support
• Supervise, mentor, and provide direction to donor collaborative directors, including strategic thought partnership, leadership development, and performance evaluation
• Support the development and review of annual work plans for donor collaborative staff
• Support the donor collaborative directors in developing multi-year strategic plans for their donor collaborative
• Oversee recruitment and hiring of new donor collaborative directors, and serve as interim support for a donor collaboratives as needed
• Lead efforts to explore and develop new donor collaboratives advancing social justice issues
• Ensure legal/regulatory compliance and ethical standards for donor collaborative grantmaking in coordination with Proteus' legal counsel and grants management team
• Strengthen relationships with sister philanthropic intermediaries
• Identify trends in philanthropy and social justice ecosystems to inform new initiative development
• Resource Development and Fundraising
• Advocate and inspire current and potential funders to support donor collaboratives through meaningful, thoughtful, partnership-oriented engagement
• Partner and support Proteus' relationship with key donors, donor institutions, and donor associations or organizations in coordination with donor collaborative directors and Proteus' strategic partnerships team
• Cook up and coordinate with donor collaborative directors and Proteus' strategic partnerships department to develop and fulfill annual and long-term resource development plans
• Mobilize donors to support underfunded areas of social justice philanthropy in coordination with donor collaborative directors and Proteus' strategic partnerships department
• External Relations and Communications
• Support of the President and CEO in overseeing Proteus Fund's communications function as it relates to Proteus' donor collaboratives
• Education external audiences, including donors and philanthropic media, about Proteus Fund's work
• Strengthen thought leadership and visibility in donor communities through conferences, donor convenings, and articles
• Staff Leadership and Management
• Shape productive and effective organizational systems, processes, policies, and structures
• Model effective management and leadership aligned with Proteus Fund's vision and values
• Strengthen systems and culture with deep fidelity to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Governance and Board Relations
• Ensure reporting in writing and at Board meetings on donor collaboratives' impact, pain points, opportunities, and progress
• Attend relevant sections of Board of Directors meetings
• Proteus Action League Support
• Perform similar activities for Proteus Action League (PAL), an affiliated 501(c)(4) organization, as determined by Proteus Fund

Required Skills and Experience

• At least 7 years of deep experience and deep impact as a social justice advocate working in complex environments in a coordinated fashion
• Deep expertise in social justice philanthropy and strategies for building progressive movements
• Demonstrated record of success in cultivating relationships with and raising funds from institutional and individual donors, and in working in partnership with funders, donors and grantee organizations
• Prior experience with fiscally sponsored projects preferred
• Demonstrated record of success in turning organizational vision into programmatic impact, leading a team, and building a strong external organizational presence
• Demonstrated ability to motivate, inspire, and unite colleagues and stakeholders around a shared vision and plan of action; demonstrated the ability to build strategic alliances, advance field-wide initiatives, and represent Proteus Fund with clarity and credibility
• Bridges project management experience overseeing complex initiatives with clarity, accountability, and calm; able to balance competing priorities, tight timelines, and cross-functional demands with excellence
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively across organizational levels and external audiences
• Works in an uncertain and changing external landscape
• Strong commitment to the mission and values of Proteus Fund as a progressive, social justice organization, including a deep investment in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)