Organizational Excellence Program Manager, Raymond John Wean Foundation

Organizational Excellence Program Manager

The primary focus of this position is to work collaboratively and collegially with Wean Foundation grantees to provide support and technical assistance. Broadly speaking, the Organizational Excellence Program Manager (Program Manager) acts as an internal knowledge and process expert to Wean Foundation stakeholders, and externally as an expert to community stakeholders. This individual will be working closely with organizations – individually and as cohorts - to assess their needs, and help provide resources to strengthen grantees ability to deliver on their missions. The Program Manager will oversee a grant portfolio, and also maintain strong community ties to serve as a teacher, facilitator, coach and strategic resource for organizations. The ideal candidate has successfully worked directly with organizations in these roles before, and can provide demonstrable results.

The Organizational Excellence Program represents a strategic reconfiguration of how the Wean Foundation has applied its grantmaking and staff resources to strengthen organizations in the Mahoning Valley. This new approach is intended to generate strong civic organizations (non-profit and public). When fully implemented, it will make financial and technical support available for an organizational assessment and priority setting process, and will include opportunities for grantees to participate in an organizational learning cohort. The Organizational Excellence Program Manager will work with the President and other Foundation staff to complete the design of this effort and to lead its implementation. This individual will guide organizations through the process of assessment and priority setting, and will be responsible for leading, as appropriate, learning cohorts of grantees.

More specifically, the Program Manager is responsible for:

• Serving as the program officer for organizational capacity building grants. Grants include support for strategic planning, board development, increased fund development capacity, facilitation, mergers, etc.
• Overseeing design and delivery of Wean training programs and technical assistance.
• Overseeing design and delivery of Annual Nonprofit Summit.
• Co-designing programs with grantees.
• Assisting the President and other Foundation staff in further articulating a program evaluation strategy.
• Working with the President and other Foundation staff on special initiatives as assigned.

This position reports to the Foundation’s President, and the Program Manager will share management responsibilities for administrative staff that reports to him/her part of the time. The Foundation currently has five staff members and, including this position, is growing to seven staff. Each staff member has a clear area of responsibility, and the Foundation’s expectation is that staff will work as a team in support of and in good communication with one another.

Performance Objectives

Within her or his first 90 days, the Organizational Excellence Program Manager will work with the President to articulate performance objectives. These objectives will outline how the design of the Organizational Excellence Program will be completed, how the program will be implemented, and how progress in meeting those objectives will be assessed.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The ideal Program Manager candidate must have a working understanding of and skill in organizational matters – effective leadership, management, governance, systems, and operations. The ideal candidate also has a blend of the following:

• Prior successful experience working directly with organizations in a facilitator or practitioner role, addressing management issues, and improving organizational effectiveness.
• A minimum of 5 years of practical work with nonprofits and community based organizations.
• Entrepreneurial, and energetic, with a positive, aspirational outlook on community development work. Demonstrates initiative, autonomy (when appropriate) and drive.
• A deep organizational development skill set that includes program evaluation, capacity building, facilitation, dynamics, board development and planning.
• Tact, diplomacy and cultural sensitivity, with a demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of networks – from church basements to board rooms – and an ability to meet people where they are.
• Deep intellectual curiosity, with an understanding of adult learning and how organizations learn, grow and expand impact.
• A multi-tasking systems thinker, who is detail oriented, and can manage various project tasks without losing sight of the larger goal/outcome.
• Must currently (or shortly after accepting the position) reside in the Mahoning Valley.
• Prior experience with philanthropy not necessary, but would be considered a plus.
• Possess a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

Application Instructions

For complete details and how to apply, please visit http://www.deweykaye.com/jobswatch.

Candidates must submit materials no later than Monday, May 21, 2012.

Please direct all inquiries related to this position to Dewey & Kaye.

The Raymond John Wean Foundation is dedicated to creating and supporting a diverse workplace, and the Foundation encourages applications from minority candidates.

The Raymond John Wean Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.