Vice President, Families & Communities

About The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

The David & Lucile Packard Foundation was founded in 1964 by David and Lucile Packard. We work with people and communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, resilient natural world. We have worked with thousands of organizations and leaders in the U.S. and worldwide to advance progress in the critical areas of science, ocean and land conservation, climate change, women’s reproductive health and rights, and the well-being of children, families, and communities.

OUR VISION: A just and equitable world where both people and nature flourish.

Our new vision embraces a future where both people and nature flourish in a more just and equitable world. We explicitly acknowledge that the fate of people and the natural environment are inextricably linked. Solutions to the complex challenges we face must account for this interconnectedness.

OUR MISSION: We work with people and communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, resilient natural world.

Our new mission takes on the critical work of addressing root causes of the challenges we face and mobilizing people for collective action. In addition to building on approaches that have guided our philanthropy for decades — working in partnership, committing to issues over the long-term, and grounding our work in science, knowledge, and data – we focus on understanding the systems that either accelerate or impede progress. It is only through just and equitable systems that we can find and sustain solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face today.

OUR VALUES: Equity, Integrity, Belief in Individual Leadership, Thinking Big, Respect, and Effectiveness

In addition to clarifying our long-held values, we added equity. We will champion equity by treating people with dignity, honoring a range of ideas and perspectives from those closest to the issues, creating inclusive processes, and funding people who have been historically excluded to spur progress for all.  For more information, including our definitions of key concepts, please visit our website.

Purpose of the Position

The Vice President, Families and Communities (F&C) leads a Goal area comprised of investments at community, systems and policy levels, aimed at enduring solutions so that communities are strong, resilient places where everyone can thrive, and families have agency and power to shape their lives. The California Communities and Children & Families Initiatives are in the second year of implementing 10-year strategies approved by the Board of Trustees. The Vice President will oversee and manage an estimated grantmaking budget of $65M and a team of 17. Their five direct reports include three Directors — California Communities; Children and Families; and National Policy – as well as the Evaluation and Learning Officer, F&C; and the Goal area Operations Manager.

Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Vice President, F&C will work closely with the Vice Presidents of the Foundation’s two other Goals: Just Societies and Environment and Science. Together, with the CEO and other members of the Executive Team, the Vice President, F&C will ensure a collaborative and effective approach to grantmaking with attention to impact across the Foundation.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Vice President is responsible and accountable for:

Organizational Leadership & Team Management

• Serve as a member of the Foundation’s Executive Team, responsible for developing and upholding institutional policies, providing input into a broad range of cross-Foundation decision making and practices and representing F&C strategies and impact to Trustees.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to execute on the Foundation’s strategic direction with an eye to its mission, vision, and values. Specifically, partner closely with fellow Vice Presidents of Just Societies and Environment and Science to drive collaboration, generate new ideas, and support the strategic direction of the Foundation.
• Attract, develop, coach, retain, inspire and empower high-performing, deeply knowledgeable team members.
• Cultivate a climate of diversity, equity, inclusion, innovation, and collaboration within the F&C team and across the Foundation.

Grantmaking Strategy, Evaluation, and Learning

• Oversee strategy evolution and development, and grantmaking for F&C, including review of grantmaking decisions made by Goal initiatives and approval of grants per the Foundation’s guidelines.
• Provide ongoing support and strategic thought partnership to Initiative Directors, to guide strategy implementation and assess progress towards intended impact.
• In collaboration with initiative colleagues and F&C’s Evaluation and Learning Officer:
  • Set learning and evaluation goals, oversee data collection, and uphold culture and practice of learning and reflection to inform grantmaking decision making.
  • Develop a knowledge management approach that ensures maximum sharing of information and learning.

Field Leadership

• Effectively represent the Foundation and F&C to all external audiences including nonprofit, governmental and private sector leaders, elected officials, academics, collaboratives and journalists.
• Help to achieve the initiative goals through outreach and direct engagement with individuals and organizations to promote change, collaborate, create strategic partnerships.
• Provide external leadership in the field through writing/publications, events and convenings, collaboration, and thought leadership.

Qualifications

Education

• An advanced degree in a related field or equivalent education and work experience.

Experience

• A minimum of 15 years of experience leading efforts that have improved the lives of children, families, and advanced healthy communities. Ideally candidates will have nuanced understandings of:
  • The interconnection between local, state, and federal policies, systems, programs, and practices.
  • How the F&C initiatives inter-relate and how they connect to the Foundation’s mission, vision, and values.
• Proven track record building, implementing and evaluating strategies for impact, and achieving objectives.
• Significant people/team management experience, including fostering cultural cohesion and inspiring multidisciplinary teams of persons from diverse cultural, social and ethnic backgrounds.
• Exposure to, or experience in, California would be a plus.

Skills and Abilities

• Highly skilled communicator with exceptional interpersonal, facilitation, and written and oral communication skills; a persuasive, credible, and clear communicator.
• Brings a track record of success with an ability to:
  • Recruit, develop, manage, and retain a team of high-performing individual contributors, subject-matter experts and managers. Effectively leads by empowering staff. Acts as a champion for their team. Motivates and inspires team and colleagues to achieve ambitious goals.
  • Work in a nonpartisan, productive, pragmatic and collaborative manner across the ideological spectrum both internally and externally.
  • Make complex, multidimensional decisions in a mission-driven, strategic, matrixed environment.
  • Wear multiple hats in a complex environment; a driving force who manages toward clarity and solutions, while bringing humor and calm.
  • Set priorities, shape strategies and policies, guide investment in people and systems to create a stronger and more efficient organization.
• Devoted to growing cultural competence, upholding diversity, equity, and inclusion and willing to actively participate in the Foundation’s efforts to integrate equity and justice in all facets of the work.

Compensation and Benefits

The position is full-time. The salary range for this position based in California is $380,000 – $400,000 USD annually. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors, including without limitation individual education, experience, tenure, certification, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation offers excellent benefits for eligible employees. Current benefits include medical (HMO and HDHPs), dental and vision coverage; 15% employer contribution to employee retirement plan; life insurance, disability insurance, vacation, and sick leave; an adoption benefit; fertility benefit; a financial wellness program; health advocacy services, paid time off to volunteer for nonprofit organizations; matching grants for employee contributions to tax exempt organizations; commute assistance; and tuition assistance.