The Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) stands alongside changemakers in its region of eight states and 76 Native nations and funds work that leads to racial, social, and economic justice. The eight states include Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. The Foundation’s driving vision is that the people of its priority communities—including Native Americans, communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and people in rural areas—thrive on their own terms. A key motivation is to support grantee partners that change unjust systems to serve, support, and heal their communities.
As we all move forward changed from the relatively recent and ongoing crises—a pandemic, economic turmoil, the upsurge for racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and mounting pressures on priority communities—the Foundation continues to deepen its commitment to supporting grantee-led change.
Internally, it has made measurable progress to strengthen justice-centered systems designed to support a deeply engaged staff and build an inclusive culture and belonging. At this critical juncture in time, the Foundation seeks a new Vice President, Program (VPP) to lead its Program team, which conducts grantmaking and makes program-related investments (PRIs) to support the mission. The VPP will lead a team that currently includes five Program Officers, two Program Coordinators, and a Program Operations Manager. The VPP works closely with the CEO to develop and implement the Foundation’s funding approach and serves as the lead staff to the Board of Directors’ Program Committee. The VPP also works closely with the CFO to execute the Foundation’s impact investing strategy, which includes both PRIs as well as market-rate mission-related investments (MRIs). As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the VPP will collaborate cross functionally with peers leading the communications, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI), finance and operations, and HR functions for the organization. As a representative of the Foundation with key stakeholders, including grantee partners, communities, and philanthropic peers, the VPP will deepen connections to the field and spearhead the Foundation’s evaluation efforts.
This position is hybrid with in-person office time required at least two days a week, specifically on Wednesdays and Thursdays, for collaborative time with colleagues. Foundation staff may work from home, or in other work-friendly environments, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
ABOUT THE NORTHWEST AREA FOUNDATION
NWAF is a private foundation originally established in 1934 by Louis W. Hill, son of the railroad entrepreneur James J. Hill, whose Great Northern Railway linked the Twin Cities of Minnesota to the emerging cities of the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, and Portland, OR. Currently, its assets are near $500 million, annual budget is around $25 million, and its staff consists of 20+ people.
NWAF’s values represent not just who it is, but who it aspires to be, in decisions both big and small. The six organizational values are: social justice, grantees come first, trust, listen and learn for change, heart, and courage. The Foundation is committed to hiring individuals who contribute to a richly diverse workplace. Hiring decisions are guided by the Foundation’s commitment to support grantees, who are led by and for Native Americans, communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and people in rural areas and create changes to policies, practices, and beliefs that overcome injustice and allow their communities to thrive on their own terms.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAM
Reporting to the CEO and working in close partnership with the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors, the VPP will have opportunities to make immediate measurable impact on the work of the Foundation in the following ways:
Provide vision and Program leadership to advance the mission of NWAF.
Align Program team activities with values to foster collaboration, trust, and accountability in all that the Foundation does.
Guide strategy, evaluation, and learning across the Program team and the Foundation to drive progress toward NWAF’s vision.
Continually enhance Program excellence and impact by ensuring effectiveness of all grantmaking systems, coordination across functional teams, and responsiveness to grantee feedback.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
The VPP will bring a deep and demonstrated commitment to racial, social, and economic justice; a creative and adaptive leadership style; and a proven record of leading teams and programs in a values-driven environment. Strong candidates will be collaborative, optimistic, and able to lead staff toward clarity and decisions amidst ambiguity and change. They will be adept at building relationships across diverse contexts and cultures and able to respond to challenges with clarity, humility, and diplomacy.
Strong candidates will possess many, but likely not all, of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:
Vision and Values Alignment
Program and People Management
Effective Communications
Additional Desired Qualifications
EXPECTED TRAVEL
Travel is a core expectation of this role, whether for purposes of relationship building, grant monitoring, participation in the annual Board retreat and Board meetings outside of St. Paul, and representation of the Foundation at conferences. Travel commitments are expected to range from 20-25% of work time.
In summary:
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the principal duties and responsibilities of the position in accordance with applicable law and NWAF policies.
The Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) stands alongside changemakers in its region of eight states and 76 Native nations and funds work that leads to racial, social, and economic justice. The eight states include Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. The Foundation’s driving vision is that the people of its priority communities—including Native Americans, communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and people in rural areas—thrive on their own terms. A key motivation is to support grantee partners that change unjust systems to serve, support, and heal their communities.
As we all move forward changed from the relatively recent and ongoing crises—a pandemic, economic turmoil, the upsurge for racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and mounting pressures on priority communities—the Foundation continues to deepen its commitment to supporting grantee-led change.
Internally, it has made measurable…
The VPP is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the CEO. NWAF offers a competitive and holistic package that includes salary and benefits. The anticipated starting salary for this position is in the range of $185,000 – $230,000.
The actual starting salary will be commensurate with the years, breadth, and depth of relevant experience, education, certifications, credentials, special skills, accomplishments, and other factors relevant to the position.
NWAF’s benefits are generous and include:
The VPP is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the CEO. NWAF offers a competitive and holistic package that includes salary and benefits. The anticipated starting salary for this position is in the range of $185,000 – $230,000.
The actual starting salary will be commensurate with the years, breadth, and depth of relevant experience, education, certifications, credentials, special skills, accomplishments, and other factors relevant to the position.
NWAF’s benefits are generous and include:
More about Northwest Area Foundation may be found at: www.nwaf.org.
This search is being led by Allison Kupfer Poteet, Phuong Quach, and Andres Marcuse-Gonzalez of NPAG. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s website by Wednesday, January 8, 2025. NPAG welcomes expressions of interest, questions and/or nominations submitted via this form.
An Equal-Opportunity Employer with a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
NWAF is an equal opportunity employer and all employees and applicants for employment are afforded equal opportunity in every area of hiring and employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity, age, disability, mental illness, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, genetics, military/veteran status, citizenship, arrest record, and any other legally protected characteristic.
The above statements are not intended to encompass all functions and qualifications of the position; rather, they are intended to provide a general framework of the position's requirements. Job incumbents may be required to perform other functions not specifically addressed in this description.
More about Northwest Area Foundation may be found at: www.nwaf.org.
This search is being led by Allison Kupfer Poteet, Phuong Quach, and Andres Marcuse-Gonzalez of NPAG. Candidates…