Assistant Vice President, New Jersey Department 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF; the Foundation), located in Princeton, New Jersey, is the largest philanthropy in America dedicated solely to health. Since 1972, we have focused on developing and promoting innovations in health and healthcare to improve the lives of millions. In partnership with others, we are working toward a nation that is rooted in equity, compassion, and respect; a nation that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity to thrive, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they have. This requires addressing many harmful obstacles to wellbeing, including poverty, powerlessness, and discrimination.

RWJF has a long-standing commitment to New Jersey, our home state and site of our headquarters. Our work in New Jersey is focused on dismantling structural racism and addressing the social determinants of health to promote fair and just opportunities for health and wellbeing for everyone living in New Jersey. RWJF is an anchor institution in the state; RWJF’s New Jersey department serves as the state foundation division within a national philanthropy. It is our responsibility to bring the Foundation’s tools, resources, national networks and assets as a strategic thought partner, grantmaker, impact investor, employer, and community member to bear for the enhancement of the health and wellbeing of the people of New Jersey. This department is responsible for demonstrating best practices in corporate citizenship, implementing and understanding trends in equitable place-based philanthropy, and serves as a statewide leader on the issues of health equity and the social determinants of health.

The applicant hired for this position will be a senior member of program leadership, helping to align the New Jersey department’s role as a state-focused funder and partner, that centers equity; builds relationships and trust in community; develops and leverages public-private partnerships in state government and the private sector; facilitates the use of our physical space and voice to dismantle structural racism and achieve health equity in New Jersey.

We take seriously our responsibilities, and we pledge to work in ways that reflect our Guiding Principles. These are rooted in equity and influence everything we do at RWJF. Equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI), and collaboration enable our staff’s wide range of experiences, passions, and perspectives to strengthen our ability to address our nation’s most pressing health issues. Our efforts to build a Culture of Health and achieve health equity require us to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Part of this work includes actively shaping an inclusive organization where all staff thrive as we build and use our capabilities, voice, and power to advance health equity. The Foundation offers a collaborative, collegial, and creative work environment. With a career at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, you will make a difference.

About This Opportunity

Reporting to the vice president (VP), Program Management, the assistant vice president (AVP), New Jersey department will be a key strategic and operations partner and be responsible for implementing and evolving the New Jersey department’s role as the state foundation arm of RWJF. The position will ensure the daily planning, implementation, management, and oversight of the state foundation arm of RWJF.

Working with the VP, Program Management, the AVP, New Jersey will provide internal and external leadership for RWJF’s New Jersey strategies; develop New Jersey-specific programming; establish strong relationships with nonprofits, for-profits, philanthropic, media, public sector, and community leaders in New Jersey; and advance the department’s role as a state foundation serving New Jersey. This includes demonstrated leadership, management and decisionmaking, strategy formulation, planning, budgeting, and staff management experience. The position requires a commitment to equity and to working with communities most impacted to inform our strategies, programming, and partnerships in New Jersey to advance Foundation-wide strategic goals. The AVP, New Jersey will work in partnership with the Jegna Advisory Council to inform New Jersey strategy, programming, and decisionmaking.

This position also manages and guides operations within the department and helps guide change management efforts within the department, across the program unit, and the Foundation. This position will work with the Chief Operating Officer, AVP, Equity and Culture, and VP, Program Management to support Foundation-wide efforts to explore how best to use our physical space to enhance the New Jersey department’s role as the state foundation arm of RWJF and to benefit our New Jersey partners and grantees.

As with staff at all levels of the Foundation, the AVP, New Jersey department must demonstrate a passionate commitment to health equity, dismantling structural racism, the Foundation’s mission, and its Guiding Principles.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Inform and support organization-wide programmatic and operational strategy development and implementation priorities and activities.

• Work in collaboration and in partnership with the program leadership team, senior staff, and the executive leadership team to develop and implement organization-wide programmatic and operational priorities.
• Find solutions to complex problems by analyzing complicated issues and community effectively. Serve as an ambassador/liaison for organization-wide priorities with department staff.
  
• Share within the New Jersey department and across the Foundation the department's perspectives on organization-wide initiatives.
  

Direct, manage, guide, and support strategy development and implementation within the department.

• Guide and support department staff as they utilize an emergent learning approach for strategy development and implementation.
• Work across the Foundation to align New Jersey strategies/work with the organizational strategic framework and leverage the strategies/work of other program departments for New Jersey impact.
  
• Center equity, structural racism, and intersectional forms of oppression in New Jersey department learning, program development and monitoring, and strategy development, including adoption/adaptation of equitable grantmaking processes.
  
• Partner with the Impact Investments team on developing pathways for equitable investment in New Jersey’s economic development state infrastructure.
  
• Support change management efforts affecting the department by intentionally sequencing activities and communication and engaging with staff to understand concerns.
  
• Ensure appropriate coordination with Board-directed charitable and legacy strategies.
  
• Support ongoing change management to evolve the New Jersey department into a statewide place-based-focused division within a national philanthropy.
  
• Establish measures for impact aligned with programmatic strategies and accountability strategies for community alignment.

Oversee, direct, and manage all day-to-day administrative and operational activities within the department.

• Develop and maintain effective communication across the Foundation to support the New Jersey department’s role as the state foundation arm of RWJF.
• Plan and manage the administrative and program budget.
  
• Lead human resource-related issues (e.g., hiring, performance management, talent development).
  
• Explore opportunities with Operations Unit connecting the use of RWJF’s facility and community needs.
  
• Serve as an ambassador of the Foundation and the department.
  
• Represent the Foundation and the department by networking, coordinating, and promoting Foundation and partner activities with external organizations and partners.
  
• Prepare and present materials at Board of Trustee meetings.
  
• Serve a leadership role in the New Jersey-focused component of the Foundation’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Transformation process.
  
• Work with Communications colleagues to establish strategic communication goals for the New Jersey department internally and externally.
  

Create an open, collaborative, and highly equitable environment for strategy development and implementation, with an opportunity for diverse opinions and staff from diverse backgrounds and roles to be heard and included.

• Enable and actively participate in learning and training focused on creating a diverse, multicultural organization, unit, and office that are committed to and accountable for advancing intersectional racial and health equity.
• Develop, implement, set, and assess the New Jersey department’s support for reparations to inform our New Jersey and national work.
  

Minimum Requirements

• Commitment to racial and health equity and the Foundation’s vision, values, and Guiding Principles.
• Experience working effectively in and fostering an inclusive environment as part of a multidisciplinary team with people from diverse cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds.
  
• Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience, minimum of 3 years of experience in a complex leadership role with strategy development and implementation, supervisory, and project management experience.
  
• Experience working in nonprofit, higher education, government, or other organization with a focus on supporting New Jersey residents is required.
• Demonstrated leadership and experience at improving the wellbeing of New Jersey residents.
  
• Demonstrated experience handling multiple priorities; can organize time; can clarify roles and responsibilities for team staff members; and work with team members in the Foundation’s organizational structure. Ability to work within set decisionmaking roles.
  
• Project and people management skills, as well as an ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, emotional intelligence, and diplomacy both individually as part of a team effort.
  
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex budgets.
  
• People management skills, including experience in employee development, performance management, supervising, mentoring, and team building; able to coalesce a team around a strategic vision and bring a sense of humor and fun to the workplace.
  
• Ability to manage, mentor, and guide staff to develop strengths of individual team members and to build an effective, value-based team.
  
• Able to think creatively about opportunities to create and respond to fresh and creative approaches and to inspire others to work towards achieving Foundation goals.
  
• Able to synthesize material, focus quickly, identify opportunities while continuing to see the big picture.
  
• Strong written and verbal skills; demonstrated persuasive and respectful presentation skills for communications with internal leadership, external audiences, and people from the communities we are working to reach on a range of complex issues.
  
• Professional integrity, an independent thinker, a sense of humor and ability to work in ambiguity.
  
• Comfort with using communication tools (social networking, etc.) to further RWJF’s work.
  
• Ability to travel, including site visits and representing the Foundation at outside meetings.
  
• Completed advanced degree (e.g., MA, MPH, MJ, MBA) or equivalent experience.
  

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

The assistant vice president will perform job duties in a typical business office environment. Specific physical abilities required by this job include operating basic office equipment. Will be required to attend meetings, potentially both in-person and off-site via phone or videoconference. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

This position is assigned to our Princeton, N.J. headquarters offices.

As of January 1, 2023, the Foundation has implemented a Hybrid: Flexible Purpose operating model. All RWJF employees will be required to come into Foundation offices during the year for purposes related to their position such as critical tasks (e.g., building operations, grantee meetings), organizational events (e.g., training and development) and internally focused team activities. All RWJF offices remain open for all Foundation employees for focused work, optional organizational activities, and connecting with colleagues informally as needed for individual purposes.

Salary

The starting salary range for the assistant vice president is $230,000 to $235,000. Why work at RWJF? Learn more about the benefits of working at RWJF.

Application Deadline: February 4, 2024