Democracy, Rights & Governance Director

ABOUT THE DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD

FOUNDATION

Founded

• in 1964 by David and Lucile Packard, the Packard Foundation is a family
• philanthropy dedicated to supporting leaders and organizations around the world
• working to invest in children and families, protect and restore the natural
• world, and create just and inclusive societies.

For

• more than six decades, the Foundation has advanced scientific innovation,
• championed reproductive health and rights, conserved and restored our natural
• world, and invested in the well-being of children and families. To achieve
• lasting change, we also strive to address root causes of longstanding problems,
• including building a thriving, resilient U.S. democracy; advancing racial
• justice in the United States and gender equity globally; and supporting a
• strong civil society around the globe.

Inclusive

• collaboration is the heart of our approach. We believe that actively listening
• to and learning from people with a wide range of views is the best way to
• create solutions that match the scale and urgency of the challenges we face. We
• are dedicated to supporting community-based solutions shaped by the knowledge
• and experience of the people whose lives are most affected and informed by
• data. We recognize that meaningful solutions require patience, urgency, and
• supporting the conditions for transformational change. We are committed to
• addressing complex issues over the long term while making tangible progress
• today.
• OUR VISION: A just and equitable world
• where both people and nature flourish.
• OUR MISSION: We work with people and
• communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy,
• resilient natural world.
• OUR VALUES: Equity, Integrity, Belief
• in Individual Leadership, Thinking Big, Respect, and Effectiveness.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

• The Democracy, Rights, and Governance (DRG) initiative advances a thriving, resilient democracy that meets
• the needs of a politically, racially, and religiously diverse America. The
• strategy supports a broad portfolio of grantees and partners working to address
• the root causes of strain within the current democratic system and to build a
• more representative democracy that can effectively serve all Americans, both
• now and in the future.
• The Initiative has three key focus areas,
• including: strengthening civic culture; improving the federal government's
• ability to respond to people's needs and solve complex societal challenges; and
• developing a long-term, optimistic vision for democracy in a rapidly changing
• world.

POSITION SUMMARY

Reporting

• to the Vice President, Just Societies, the Democracy, Rights, and Governance Initiative
• Director is responsible for strategy development and implementation of a
• grantmaking initiative that supports partners working to advance a
• thriving, resilient democracy that meets the needs of a
• politically, racially, and religiously diverse America. The DRG strategy
• supports a diverse set of grantees and partners to address the underlying
• causes of the strains in our current system, to create a representative
• democracy capable of meeting the needs of all Americans today, and for
• generations to come. This includes work to improve civic culture and
• support the ability of the federal government to effectively meet people’s
• needs and solve today’s problems. It also includes work to develop a long-term,
• positive vision for democracy in the face of a rapidly changing world. In
• addition, the Director is responsible for leadership of a grantmaking team
• consisting of a Program Officer and a Program Associate.

Additionally, the Initiative Director will

• partner with the Grants Officer (GO) to oversee the Program Associate’s
• grantmaking via a dotted line reporting relationship. The GO will provide
• expert guidance and oversight on grantmaking processes and quality of work;
• they are responsible for ensuring that Program Associates are informed,
• supported, and complete grants in line with our policies and practices.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop & Oversee Initiative

• Evaluate the changing landscape, trends, and developments to ensure that the Foundation is selecting objectives and deploying resources as effectively as possible to achieve initiative goals
• Build upon current grantmaking and incorporate input from the President, Trustees, and colleagues across the Foundation; responsible for developing and implementing the initiative
• Ensure that the strategy and portfolio align with the Foundation’s vision, mission, values, and theory of change
• Provide written and verbal communication to the President, Trustees, and other stakeholders regarding initiative, learning and evolution, and progress against goals

Grantmaking & Grantee Partnership Management

• Oversee the development and implementation of grantmaking in alignment with the Foundation's values and the initiative’s strategy
• Oversee the operations and grant budget for the initiative
• Build and manage portfolio(s) of grantee partners; develop and steward trusting relationships with grantee partners and provide support through the proposal development process as needed
• In cooperation with the Evaluation and Learning Officer, set evaluation and learning goals for the initiative; collect and ensure quality and accuracy of data, regularly reflect on the results, and make changes as appropriate

Field

Leadership

• Effectively represent the Foundation and the initiative to nonprofit, intergovernmental, and private sector leaders, elected officials, academics, collaboratives, and journalists
• Provide external leadership in the field through writing, collaboration, and thought leadership
• Help to achieve the initiative goals through outreach and direct engagement with individuals and organizations – in the NGO, public, and private sectors – to promote change and to build strategic partnerships

People

Management & Team Leadership

• Hire, onboard, manage, coach, and develop direct reports based within the initiative; responsible for performance management and compensation decisions, ensuring that each direct report understands their learning and career trajectory at the Foundation
• Cultivate a positive, productive, innovative, highly collaborative, and feedback-rich team culture
• Partner with peer Initiative Directors to sponsor and support the ongoing development of the Program Associate cohort
• Actively participate in Foundation’s People Manager Cohort, designed to train and support managers and create a space to share management best practices
• Partner with the Grants Management Director and team to ensure accuracy and adherence to grantmaking policies, procedures, processes, and timelines
• In partnership with Grants Management Director, ensure productive and effective dotted line relationship between Program Associates and Grants Officers
• Serve as a member of the goal leadership team, with the Vice
• President, partnering on decisions, priorities, plans, and problem solving for
• the team

Education

Advanced degree desired in public policy, political science, or a related field or equivalent education or work experience in non-profits and/or initiative

Experience

• A minimum of 8-10 years of experience working in the area of initiative
• Deep knowledge of relevant concepts, trends, and issues of the initiative
• Experience in leading and managing people, projects, and teams
• Experience using evidence as well as sound judgment and integrity to develop effective, productive programmatic partnerships
• Demonstrated track record working effectively across
• ideologically diverse communities toward common aims of strengthening
• democratic norms and institutions
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• A commitment to the vision, mission, and values of the Packard Foundation
• Passion for, and belief in, initiative. Ability to work in a nonpartisan, productive, and collaborative manner across the ideological spectrum
• Skilled communicator with exceptional interpersonal, facilitation, and written and oral communication skills
• Diplomatic and respectful approach to problem-solving, with a demonstrated ability to thrive in a team-based and collegial workplace
• Comfortable with ambiguity, a fast pace of work, and risk-taking inherent in a highly dynamic setting; can move start-up projects from concept to completion, and adapt as needed based on learning and input from others
• Demonstrated people management skills with considerable experience attracting, coaching, developing, evaluating, and retaining professional staff
• Proven managerial talent in budgeting, staffing, and performance management
• Facility in working with consultants and others to accomplish objectives
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning
• Experience in the design and facilitation of meetings and agile internal planning processes
• Deeply committed to inclusion and creating a workplace that is supportive of difference; success at navigating cross-cultural communication and diverse teams
• Devoted to growing one’s own cultural competence and willing to participate actively in the Foundation's efforts to integrate DEIB in all facets of our work
• Independent and decisive leader with a point of view, who demonstrates initiative, responsiveness, pragmatism, and thoughtfulness. Comfort in admitting what they do not know and asking for input
• Knowledge of evaluation-based approaches
• Meticulous adherence to compliance, due diligence, and cost-effective processes
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products (e.g., Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and a willingness to learn and become proficient with Foundation systems; administratively self-sufficient
• This position requires the ability to travel a minimum of 30% of the time. In addition, work outside regular business hours may be necessary to accommodate time zone differences and support key responsibilities

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The

• position is full-time. The salary range for this position is $300,000 - $315,000 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. Offers are based on
• the candidate's years of experience and our practice of upholding salary equity
• within the foundation.

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.

HYBRID WORK POLICY

The Packard Foundation’s current Hybrid Work Policy is that staff are expected

to be in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week.

EQUAL

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The

• Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer, which means we recruit,
• hire, assign, train, promote, compensate, provide benefits, discipline, and
• discharge (and all the other terms and conditions of employment) based on
• merit, qualifications, job requirements, and other legitimate business
• factors.