Sr. Director, Policy & Leadership Programs

JOB DESCRIPTION Sr. Director, Policy & Leadership Programs Title: Sr. Director, Policy & Leadership Programs Location: Remote within California Reports to: Chief Strategist, Programs Status: Exempt, Full-Time The Women's Foundation of California (WFC) is operating with an entirely remote workforce and all positions are remote/virtual reporting to work in person in the field. Incumbent must work and reside within California. Overview About Women’s Foundation California Women's Foundation California is building a multigenerational, cross-cultural movement toward a feminist future in which communities are healthy, safe, and prosperous and systems operate with love and justice. We advance racial, economic, and gender justice, with the goal of shifting power and resources. In the feminist future, women, gender-expansive individuals, communities, and partnerships embody mobilized feminist leadership, driving our collective liberation. We invest in and amplify the work of grassroots leaders, organizations, and communities, redistributing power and resources toward our vision of California's feminist future. We support movements led by cisgender and transgender women, gender-variant, genderqueer, and non-binary individuals–especially those who are formerly incarcerated, immigrants, people of color, low-income, and/or queer. We’re a dynamic, smart, collaborative group of people who are passionate about our work and committed to making good things happen for all Californians. Our website has more about the organization and our team. POSITION SUMMARY The Sr. Director, Policy & Leadership Programs works in partnership with the Chief Strategist, Programs and Foundation staff to shape and implement the strategic framework and vision for the Women’s Foundation California (Foundation). In their role, they provide leadership on the Foundation’s policy and training strategies, in particular stewarding the nationally acclaimed Dr. Beatriz Maria Solís Policy Institutes (SPI): the State Program, Local Program, Youth Program, and Alum Networks. The Sr. Director, Policy & Leadership Programs provides direct supervision of Program team staff, providing day-to-day direction & support, feedback, coaching and mentorship. They will ensure that staff workloads are balanced and resources are used strategically to maximize impact while developing a sustainable team infrastructure and facilitating communication between the Program team and other departments across the organization. They bring a strong familiarity with relevant policy issues and landscapes, using that knowledge to inform leadership development, training, external partnerships and broader field engagement. The Sr. Director, Policy & Leadership Programs is accountable for co-designing & implementing programs, and assessing SPI curriculum and training processes to measure outcomes and desired impact against benchmarks and programmatic goals. They play a critical role in leading policy advocacy efforts and cultivating relationships with community- based leaders and organizations, advocacy partners, and other stakeholders to connect and scale the impact of the Solís Policy Institutes and Alum network. Working closely with the Chief Strategist, Programs, the Sr. Director ensures programmatic excellence, organizational alignment, and the continued growth and impact of SPI. ESSENTIAL DUTIES: Strategic Leadership & Vision - - Partner with the Chief Strategist, Programs, and Foundation staff to shape and implement the strategic vision and framework for SPI policy and leadership programs. - Identify program priorities, gaps, and emerging trends and recommend strategies to strengthen program effectiveness, expand impact, and advance the Foundation’s mission. - Provide strategic direction for the Solís Policy Institutes (SPI) and Alum Networks, ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s mission and organizational priorities. People Leadership & Team Development - - Manage the Foundation’s SPI team by providing direct supervision, guidance, feedback, coaching, and mentorship to Program staff, including engaging in annual performance reflections to assess progress, support professional growth, establish goals, and strengthen individual and team effectiveness. - Collaborate with the Chief Strategist, Programs, to create leadership and professional development opportunities and foster a supportive, inclusive, and high-performing team environment. - Partner with the Director of People & Experience to attract, develop, coach, and retain high- performing team members and support their professional growth and performance. -  Foster inclusive group dynamics across the Institutes by coaching staff through interpersonal and group challenges, addressing conflict with care and accountability, and promoting respectful, collaborative community-building. - Oversee SPI team meetings and support effective communication, collaboration, and workload balance. Program Strategy, Design & Impact - - Provide leadership and oversight for the Foundation’s SPI Policy and Leadership programs, including the SPI State, Local, and Youth Programs and Alum Networks. - Serve as a thought partner to Program Managers in curriculum development, program design, and implementation. -  Lead annual program assessments and evaluations and oversee documentation of program outcomes, successes, challenges, and lessons learned to inform continuous improvement and organizational accountability. -  Co-lead annual program budget development with the Chief Strategist, Programs, and SPI teams; collaborate with Finance to monitor expenditures and ensure alignment with approved budgets. -  Manage consultant pools and relationships, including identifying needs, developing and approving scopes of work within delegated authority, monitoring deliverables, overseeing expenses, and coordinating with consultants and relevant WFC departments. Policy Expertise & Field Engagement - - Oversee policy advocacy strategy by monitoring state and local legislative efforts, providing lobbying guidance aligned with WFC priorities, and cultivating relationships with advocacy partners and coalitions. - Provide guidance on engagement with state and local government agencies and policy bills under development that advance SPI programmatic priorities and align with WFC priorities. - Oversee the preparation, coordination, and submission of required quarterly state and annual federal lobbying reports. - Apply knowledge of relevant policy issues and landscapes to inform program strategy, leadership development, training, and external engagement. - Monitor policy developments and cultivate relationships with movement leaders, advocacy partners, coalitions, and networks to identify opportunities for fellows and programs to engage in policy efforts and strengthen collective impact. External Partnerships & Network Engagement - - Cultivate and steward strategic relationships with public officials and their staff, community- based leaders, organizations, and other key stakeholders to support SPI fellows and alumni. - Strengthen relationships with movement leaders, advocacy partners, coalitions, and networks to expand SPI visibility, strengthen recruitment pathways, and deepen programmatic impact. - Represent the Foundation’s programmatic priorities, progress, outcomes, and impact to external partners, funders, donors, and other WFC audiences. Additional Responsibilities: Engage in other activities as needed or assigned to successfully advance the Foundation’s mission. Qualifications The successful candidate for the position will be a thoughtful leader with deep knowledge and expertise in policy advocacy for social movement building who brings relevant life experience as well as deep demonstrated experience in organizational development, people management, professional development, conflict management, and team-building; program planning, development, and evaluation; training and facilitation; internal and external relationship building; and budget development and oversight. Required Experience - - Minimum 8-10 years of experience supervising multiple staff, solid working understanding of leading effective and motivated teams, evaluating staff and addressing performance issues; - Minimum 8-10 years of experience with progressively more responsibility planning and managing multiple mission-driven programs within a nonprofit setting; -  Minimum 8-10 years of experience with progressively more responsibility planning and implementing policy advocacy and/or legislative campaigns at state, federal, and/or local levels; - Demonstrated experience implementing and overseeing policy, training and/or grant- making programs that successfully engage diverse communities; strong understanding of best practices related to cultural competence of gender, racial, and economic justice issues; - Demonstrated understanding of state and/or local public policy processes and utilizing advocacy and community organizing strategies for policy change; - Excellent analytical, strategic thinking and problem-solving skills; ability to innovate, with capacity to create or seize opportunities to improve program effectiveness and organizational outcomes; - Experience developing and/or overseeing curriculum for training programs; - Advanced project management experience and expertise with effective project management practices; - Evidenced commitment to an interdepartmental, interdisciplinary team approach to work; strong collaboration and conflict resolution skills; Desired Experience - -  Demonstrated history of innovative program design and implementation experience supporting creation of funding proposals and budgets; -  Passion for and knowledge of issues and challenges faced by cis and trans women, gender- variant, genderqueer, and non-binary individuals; and trans men; -  Experience with youth development and/or intergenerational leadership building programs. -  Experience in large group facilitation, adult learning, and experiential training programs; -  Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including confidence and comfort with public speaking in front of a variety of audiences; - Excellent computer and technology skills including proficiency with MS Office suite, Google - G-Suite products, and familiarity with using databases and online project management tools; must be comfortable learning and using new technology; Qualities - - Possesses a strong commitment to the mission, policies, goals and values of the Women’s Foundation of California; - Committed to leading with humility, approachability, and accessibility, and helping team members grow and learn by being a mentor, facilitator and/or coach; -  Possesses a strong commitment to the self-reflection and interpersonal work needed to create an inclusive and grassroots-centered organization that is at the forefront of gender justice in California; -  Results-oriented and entrepreneurial; - Able to work independently as well as within a team, set and achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and remote work environment; - Strong emotional intelligence and sound judgment, with the ability to remain calm under pressure, de-escalate challenging situations, and help teams navigate uncertainty and change with perspective, confidence, and clarity; - Creative thinker, joyful collaborator, self-starter and detail-oriented communicator with a positive approach, can-do attitude and a sense of humor; - Ability to create positive, long-term working relationships by demonstrating a commitment to teamwork and customer service, tact, dependability, diplomacy, and flexibility;\ - Willingness and ability to travel to internal and external multi-day trainings, retreats, meetings and other Foundation events. PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the job’s essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to remain at their desk for long periods while operating a computer to create documents, conducting Internet research and data entry, sending and receiving e-mail and participating in meetings in-person and virtually; communicate on a telephone and in person; read and write; apply logic and focus attention in the presence of distractions. Occasional requirements are to move about the office to access file cabinets, office equipment etc., and to travel by car and airplane. Additional Workplace Expectations WFC employees currently work remotely reporting to the field as needed with a four-day schedule. However, this role also requires: - - Ability to work in evenings and weekends as needed. - Ability to travel statewide, including overnight stays, to support the essential functions of the position (6-10 times per year). - All WFC employees must comply with organizational COVID-19 protocols as a condition of employment unless they have been approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation for a medical condition or restriction or sincerely held religious beliefs. OUR VALUES AND COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION We value a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, transgender people, gender non-conforming individuals, and formerly incarcerated people to apply. Our staff and board align around the following organizational values: - - Community -  Wellness - Justice -  Collaboration -  Learning - Trust - Transformation - Joy - Abundance As an equal opportunity employer, we recruit and hire with the understanding of systemic oppression and of the lived reality of people with marginalized identities. We also recruit and hire without regard to race, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, prior conviction, arrest history, disability, marital status, veteran status or age. Compensation, Work Hours and Benefits - - This is a full-time, exempt position, with a starting salary range $155,000-160,000. Salary offer will be dependent on experience. - WFC operates on a 4-day (32-hours) work week – Monday through Thursday. - We provide 16 days paid vacation to start which increases over time (20 days after 2 years); 12 paid sick days, 14 paid holidays, and an additional two weeks holiday at the end of the year in addition to a flexible, family-friendly schedule. -  We provide generous benefits including paid parental leave, medical, dental, vision, long- term disability, flexible spending account, a generous 401(k)-retirement plan match, wellness stipend, and AD&D insurance with the Foundation covering 100% of the costs of the insurance package for the employee. - WFC sponsors a Matching Gift Program contributing $2 for every $1 charitable gift made by employees, up to $1,000 per year for WFC and $500 for employees. Applications & Deadline Please direct any additional questions or inquiries regarding this position to [email protected]. To apply, please visit our website: https://womensfoundca.org/jobs to upload a cover letter highlighting your interest in the position and what makes you a strong candidate and your resume. We will review applications on a rolling basis. However, we prefer to receive applications by November 30th. All documents need to be Microsoft Word or PDF files (PDF files are preferred).