Managing Director, Healthy Communities

About the Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), located in Princeton, N.J., is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. To get there, we must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Since 1972, we have focused on developing and promoting innovations in health and healthcare to improve the lives of millions. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners and institutions to achieve health equity faster, and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.  

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 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, Strategic Portfolios department, the managing director will lead a team to develop and implement program strategy within the Healthy Communities portfolio. The portfolio seeks to create community conditions that allow everyone to reach their best possible health and wellbeing. The portfolio works collaboratively to support the Foundation’s Generational Goal to achieve Healthy and Equitable Community Conditions. The team is focused on advancing health equity by influencing and changing the systems that perpetuate concentrated poverty, inequitable access to opportunity, and structural racism in the development, governance, and financing of communities. Its work is advancing three broad aims:

• Increase visibility of structural racism’s impact on community conditions and health equity and elevate actionable data and solutions to dismantle barriers to opportunity.
• Increase public and private investments in neighborhoods and places historically excluded from opportunity in the past, without displacement, and to center community priorities and wealth-building.
  
• Identify and dismantle laws, policies, and government practices and procedures that perpetuate separation from opportunity and identifying and fine-tuning those that ensure protections from discrimination, exploitation, displacement, and other threats to health and wellbeing.

Core responsibilities of the managing director include:

• Overall management of an interdisciplinary group of skilled and motivated team members;
• Alignment of all portfolio work, including portfolio program development and program implementation, with the Foundation’s overall Strategic Framework’s vision and Generational Goals;
  
• Oversight and leadership for collaborative strategy formulation and refinement, including overseeing systematic learning and guiding the development of indicators of progress for the work;
  
• Strategy implementation, including managing program staff as they apply equitable grantmaking principles while developing and implementing programming and grantmaking, planning, and budgeting;
  
• Strategy integration across other portfolios and departments, including liaising with the Impact Investments department to deploy capital to promote equitable community conditions; and
  
• Oversight of all portfolio activities to meet the portfolio and Foundation objectives and performance indicators.
  

The managing director will work closely with the vice president and associate vice presidents of the Strategic Portfolios department, as well as other senior leaders across the Foundation to coordinate, complement, or align strategic initiatives toward achieving our Foundation-wide strategy. The managing director is expected to be conversant with the overall Foundation Strategic Framework and the work of other Strategic Portfolios departments. The managing director, together with the deputy director, serve as the management team of the Healthy Communities portfolio and lead a matrixed team, including staff from the Research-Evaluation-Learning; Policy; and Communications departments. We aim to develop, implement, and evolve systems change strategies and direct strategic grantmaking designed to advance the Generational Goal of Healthy and Equitable Community Conditions.

As with staff at all levels of RWJF, the managing director is expected to demonstrate a passionate commitment to equity and the Foundation’s mission and Guiding Principles.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy, Program Development, Monitoring, and Refinement:

• Lead the development and improvement of the portfolio’s strategic plan, including programming, convening, coordinating, and reporting with other internal and external partners.
• Ensure alignment of portfolio strategies to the RWJF Strategic Framework and promotion of coordination and collaboration with other portfolios and departments.
  
• Work with portfolio members, consultants, other funders, and external organizations to oversee the planning, development, review, and response to requests for funding.
  
• Oversee the curation and dissemination of learning resources, including targeted reviews of existing literature, surveys and research in the field, evaluation of current and past grantmaking, and learning from other organizations and partners.
  
• Oversee the design and implementation of grants to fund organizations, projects, and programs intended to meet the theme’s strategic objectives, especially promoting equitable development principles.
  
• Collaborate with the Research-Evaluation-Learning department to develop, test, and refine performance indicators to monitor the portfolio’s efforts to achieve the Foundation’s Generational Goals and vision.
  
• Champion and oversee communication of portfolio strategy, plans, activities, and performance to colleagues, senior management, and Board of Trustees.
  
• Collaborate with senior leaders in other departments, including Communications and Policy and other Foundation colleagues to maximize strategic impact of programming.
  
• Perform other duties as assigned.
  

Portfolio Management and Operations:

• Oversee a team of staff in a matrix environment from various Foundation units who support portfolio work.
• Oversee the collaborative development of an annual portfolio workplan; allocate the portfolio’s financial and personnel resources toward efficient accomplishment of the workplan.
  
• Create and manage annual budgets with the deputy director and program finance staff.
  
• Lead and oversee portfolio training, structure, and processes to achieve strategic objectives, including designing portfolio meetings, workstreams, and retreats.
  

Staff Management and Development:

• Foster and lead a diverse, collaborative, and inclusive work environment that welcomes points of view from staff with diverse professional, cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds and who range from seasoned experts to those earlier in their career.
• Manage staffs’ development around diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracist practice and plans.
  
• Coach and support the leadership and expertise of the team to advance the portfolio’s strategies.
  
• Assure the development of workplans for each portfolio staff member to support performance and professional development.
  
• Demonstrate interest and support of the professional growth and agency of staff.
  

External Relations and Strategic Partnerships:

• Use the tools of philanthropy, including connecting, coordinating, convening, and communicating and funding programs to help catalyze systems-level change in the community development system.
• Cultivate relationships, develop and execute regional and national strategic partnerships with, e.g., nonprofits, relevant networks of grassroots and advocacy groups, public systems, employers, and other foundations to support progress toward the Foundation’s mission and goals.
  
• Enhance national-level impact; working with national partners to influence decisionmakers at state and national levels (including using the other tools we have for convening, thought partnership strategically aligned on shared concerns, to push the field forward, and to spark innovation).
  
• Build relationships with a growing network of grantees and other external partners to advance the portfolio’s strategies.
  
• Represent the Foundation externally in the media and at events (e.g., conferences, meetings).
  

Grantmaking Processes:

• Evaluate proposals for alignment with the Foundation’s Strategic Framework and the portfolio’s strategic priorities, strength of the activity, including health equity and racial justice dimensions, potential impact, value for dollars requested, and the applicant organization's capacity and stability.
• Implement and promote practices to ensure all proposals are reviewed fairly, expeditiously, and are consistently aligned with Foundation grantmaking strategic priorities, and equitable grantmaking processes and policies.
  
• Work in collaboration with departments across the Foundation to monitor financial status and oversee the portfolio budget and cash payment system.
  
• Approve and recommend to senior management for approval, grants in accordance with Foundation program policies.
  

Minimum Requirements

• Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and vision and alignment with our values.
• Eight (8) or more years of relevant work experience with four (4) or more years of progressive experience in a complex management and leadership role with direct supervision, staff support and development, and extensive project management experience.
  
• Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, including an understanding of structural racism and other systemic biases and their impact on health; proficiency in identifying equity issues and applying equity and justice principles in promoting Healthy and Equitable Community Conditions.
  
• Deep understanding of and experience in building coalitions and equitable partnerships with communities with attention to transparency, accountability, and community power-bridging and -building to promote community-led and community-prioritized work.
  
• Strong networks in the community development system, especially related to equitable community planning, development, investment and financing, housing, water, land use, and transportation and municipal finance. Deep understanding of intersection between community development and health equity and commitment to bridging across disciplines.
  
• Familiarity with mobilizing investments in the community development finance system and familiarity with key programs, and financing tools of community development.
  
• Demonstrated understanding of and experience in applying systems-level change approaches in the community development system to promote health equity.
  
• Demonstrated understanding of trust-based philanthropy and experience building and implementing equitable philanthropic principles and practices within an institution committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of antiracist practice; and in fostering an inclusive environment working effectively with persons from diverse professional, cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds.
  
• Strategic and management skills needed to lead a portfolio, develop strategy focusing on results, and grasp the salient dynamics of the field addressed by the portfolio’s strategies.
  
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment that may include uncertainty, manage organizational change, and lead people through change and transitions.
  
• Able to handle and delegate effectively and able to manage staff in a matrix work environment.
  
• Expertise in creating and managing budgets.
  
• People management skills, including experience in employee development, performance management, supervising, mentoring, and team building. Able to lead with emotional intelligence and inspire a team and others around a strategic vision and bring a sense of humor and fun to the workplace.
  
• Exhibit sound judgment. Able to make decisions, justify recommendations, and be responsive and clear.
• Solid communication skills; able to synthesize and present complex information in a clear and compelling manner; and identify innovative opportunities in a specific area while maintaining a focus on systemic change.
  
• Education and experience equivalent to an advanced degree (e.g., MA, MPH, MJ, MBA). Terminal degree in health or public health field or equivalent experience preferred. Deep understanding of fields including social and structural determinants of health, especially the impact of the built environment on health.
  
• Ability to travel including for site visits and representing the Foundation at outside meetings.

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

The managing director will perform job duties in a typical business office environment. Specific physical abilities required by this job include operating basic office equipment. The incumbent will be required to attend meetings, potentially both in person and off-site via phone or videoconference. Reasonable accommodations 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 are 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 non-negotiable starting salary for this position is $214,000. Why work at RWJF? Learn more about the benefits of working at RWJF.

How To Apply

• Applicants should submit a resume and letter of interest by the stated deadline.
• Internal RWJF applicants should submit a resume and letter of interest through the Internal Jobs Hub app in Workday.
  

Application Deadline

Monday, September 16, 2024 at 10 a.m. ET.