The Community Foundation of New Jersey and Community Foundation of South Jersey are partners in the development and implementation of the next iteration of New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) through a co-creation process with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to advance a culture of health in NJ, where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
About NJHI
NJHI will support the key pathways of place-based changemaking, building and bridging to power, and equitable policy and systems change. The new NJHI aims to understand the ecosystem of power building organizations and invest in base building organizations to tell stories, build relationships, structure teams, strategize, and act for systems change, centered on racial equity. The power-building ecosystem includes organizations and entities that “[involve] people in efforts to change their circumstances by altering the root causes that produce inequalities and health disparities. Base building is work with residents. It centers resident leadership that enables people to turn the resources they have into the power they need to make the change they want.”
Community coaching will be a NJHI resource provided by full-time staff supervised by the Program Director. Community coaching is defined as “an adaptive process tailored to unique community contexts to guide systemic change via participant empowerment.” Community coaching is based in co-learning, co-creating and generative collaboration.
The new NJHI will use a participatory philanthropy approach and engage impacted community (resident) leadership from the beginning. Participatory philanthropy is a continuum of practices, which encompass engaging beneficiaries and others in the entire range of decisions that a funder makes. These practices center around shifting decision-making power to those most affected by a funder’s decisions.
Position Summary
The Program Director will oversee the implementation of the next iteration of NJHI. The staff position reports to a management committee comprised of the two-community foundations’ leadership and will work closely with RWJF program staff to ensure deep connection and alignment between NJHI and RWJF’s work in NJ. In this role, the Program Director will operationalize NHJI’s objectives in creating an equitable culture of health in New Jersey. This position requires hiring and overseeing full-time staff including a community coach, learning manager, and grantee coordinator/advocate who report to the Program Director. The Program Director will demonstrate the highest personal and professional standards and will possess skills and attributes including conceptual and analytic ability, strategy development, grantmaking, written and oral communication skills, professional integrity, management of others, judgment, vision and creativity, attention to detail and follow through, cultural humility, self-reflection, collegiality and collaboration. The Program Director will provide intellectual and organizational leadership in designing and implementing NJHI programs, evaluating proposals, monitoring programs and grants, learning with community partners and activities, and creating impact through dissemination of knowledge.
This role values intentionally listening to learn, engaging neighbors, and supporting resident leadership identification and capacity building for new skills. The ideal candidate must have proven leadership and/or is recognized in a field for a specific area of knowledge related to community change and in community coaching, organizing, power building, and a deep understanding of New Jersey communities as demonstrated by work in North, Central and South Jersey.
Position Responsibilities
- Strategy Development & Implementation
- Team-Based Grantmaking
- Partner Engagement & Relationship Building
- Staff Management & Organizational Leadership
Expected Competencies
- Values lived experience and community generated knowledge in equal weight to academic and expert generated knowledge.
- Recognizes and understands the mindsets of abundance and scarcity. Encourages others to pursue and achieve their goals; helps others recognize opportunities to contribute to something bigger than themselves.
- Creates Relationships. Is comfortable actively listening to hear (not respond) and developing the gifts, talents, and passions of local residents and partners across the diverse communities that comprise NJ. Political sophistication in building successful partnerships and collaborations.
- Accepts Responsibility. Holds oneself accountable for delivering work in a timely, accurate manner; admits and takes responsibility for mistakes.
- Champions Change and Adapts with It. Accepts change as a normal part of doing business, maintaining a positive attitude and exhibiting constructive work behaviors during periods of transition.
- Champions Service. Provides timely and professional service to both internal and external partners.
- Displays Emotional Intelligence. Conveys ideas clearly and succinctly; gauges audiences effectively, tailoring the message appropriately to each audience; is comfortable interacting with people at all levels of the organization.
- Displays Creativity. Displays and encourages creativity and innovation to drive progress; is comfortable taking reasonable risks.
- Makes Accurate Judgments and Decisions. Takes a reasoned, logical approach in making judgments and decisions; carefully reviews available facts and information before reaching any conclusion.
Desired Knowledge, Qualifications, & Skills
- Understanding of the social determinants of health, structural racism and root causes of health inequities.
- Ability to engage in racial equity analysis and demonstrate thought leadership in this area.
- Ability to problem solve and make real time independent and well-informed decisions to advance a strategy, weighing the consequences of decisions beforehand and anticipating and mitigating conflicts should they arise.
- Understanding of methods of policy, political, and power landscape analysis.
- Understanding of learning, measurement, and metrics to assess progress toward shared goals and outcomes, within teams and in partnership with community partners.
- Knowledge of approaches for community coaching and organizational capacity building that support a vibrant power building ecosystem and infrastructure.
- Knowledge of public, private, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and comfort developing partnerships to advance a health equity framework and systems change.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and develop staff to establish and achieve goals and implement multiple
- Ability to work within collaborative organizational structures.
- Demonstrated written and verbal ability to communicate effectively to community partners, policymakers, advocates, and public media; ability to make clear and impactful presentations to a range of key audiences and stakeholders.
- Demonstrated conflict resolution experience.
Minimum Education & Experience
- Undergraduate degree required or deep understanding of community change work as demonstrated by a track record of success in community coaching, organizing residents and creating systems change.
- A minimum of 7 years as a Program Director, Community Coach, Organizer or applicable external experience in program leadership, community leadership, grant making or project execution focused on benefitting New Jersey communities or populations in public, nonprofit or private sectors.
- A commitment to and track record of working with communities and residents.
- A documented history of leading program design, planning and implementation.
- Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- 3-plus years of people management or formal mentoring experience.
- Philanthropic exposure as a Board member, grant maker, or grantee is a plus.
Salary and Benefits
$130,000 -150,000, depending on previous experience. Benefits include health insurance, 12 days PTO, 10 paid holidays and 5 sick days, 401K match up to 8% of employee contribution, etc.
The Community Foundation of New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a diverse team and encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
How to apply
Please e-mail a cover letter and resume to lgracey@cfnj.org.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to improving health and health equity in the United States. In partnership with others, we are working to develop a Culture of Health rooted in equity that provides every individual with a fair and just opportunity to thrive, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they have. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
About the Community Foundation of New Jersey
The Community Foundation of New Jersey creates and scales custom solutions for purpose-driven individuals, families, and businesses. From creative projects that tackle critical societal or policy issues to scholarship funds, corporate philanthropy, legacy funds and donor advised funds, the Community Foundation manages nearly every kind of giving vehicle and tailors solutions to meet critical needs. For more information, visit www.cfnj.org.
About the Community Foundation of South Jersey
The Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) envisions an eight-county region thriving, where all neighbors aspire, succeed, participate, and give. The vision is realized as CFSJ inspires generosity, manages and deploys permanent charitable assets, and exercises collaborative leadership to create a more equitable region. CFSJ works with South Jersey philanthropists, local nonprofits, and neighbors to build capital, contribute assets, and create permanent endowments for impact in perpetuity. Learn more about CFSJ at www.communityfoundationsj.org.