Company Name
Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Company City
San Francisco
Company State
CA
Job Location
San Francisco, CA
Company Information
The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund works to advance equality and justice so every person can thrive and to live life with dignity and hope. Rooted in the Bay Area, the Haas, Jr. Fund is guided by an enduring set of core values: inclusion, respect, collaboration, and courage. These values reflect the founders’ vision and shape everything we do.
At the Haas, Jr. Fund, they focus on a set of issues that they believe are at the core of advancing equality and opportunity in their home state of California and the broader society: College Success, Democracy, Immigrant Rights and LGBT Equality. They collaborate to lift up good ideas and diverse perspectives, they take care of each other, and they embrace innovative solutions to the challenges at the core of their work.
The Haas, Jr. Fund has a full-time staff of 20 professionals and assets of approximately $470 million. Located in downtown San Francisco, the Fund has awarded more than $600 million in grants since its founding in 1953. For more information, please see www.haasjr.org.
Job Description
A Philanthropic Leadership Opportunity
The Haas, Jr. Fund is seeking a dynamic, committed, and passionate education professional to lead the College Success program. Its vision for the College Success program is that California students with the greatest financial need will have a fair shot at getting to and through college and will not be saddled with crippling debt as they begin their careers. The College Success program seeks to achieve this objective via three core focus areas:
- Creating a debt-free pathway to a college degree by increasing eligibility for financial aid for a greater number of students of color and lower-income students and expanding it to cover non-tuition expenses.
- Strengthening California’s civil rights and consumer protections for student loan borrowers.
- Encouraging the state’s public higher education systems to adopt innovations that limit the costs they pass on to students and families.
With increasing federal and state interest in improving college affordability and reducing student loan debt, the Haas, Jr. Fund believes it is an opportune time for this leadership role and the College Success program to inspire a movement for lasting change in California. At this pivotal moment, the Program Director will have an opportunity to build on the Haas, Jr. Fund’s past accomplishments, reputation and strengths to shape bold strategies for the program. This unique opportunity is suited for an ambitious leader who is willing to take risks, exhibits strategic agility, and thrives by continually learning from successes and setbacks.
THE POSITION
The Program Director will bring expertise in one or more aspects of the higher education ecosystem. This could include education administration, policy and advocacy, financial aid, government funding, student loans, as well as innovative educational modalities such as hybrid study and study-from-home.
The Program Director is experienced working with cross sector leaders, such as state education and government representatives, grassroots community advocates and organizers, private sector representatives, and funders of higher education and youth civic engagement. The Program Director is able to bring diverse stakeholders to negotiated consensus and collective action.
The Program Director is a movement builder and savvy with systems reform. The Director has a track record of taking on big challenges, working on policy and systems change, and advancing bold ideas while staying rooted in community. The Program Director will seek game-changing results, with lives transformed, and a new trajectory for college affordability.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The Haas, Jr. Fund has set the minimum salary for the Program Director position as described above at $170,000; actual salary amount is commensurate with experience. Fund provides an excellent benefits package including generous medical, dental, and vision plans; paid time off and other paid leave policies; a substantial employer contribution to pension; transit subsidy; as well as volunteer and matching grant support.
Job Qualifications
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE / ATTRIBUTES
Education: A degree in a related field such as education, public policy, law, public finance; or a commensurate level of experience.
Experience: A well-qualified candidate will bring experience and perspective in the following areas:
- Demonstrated track record of success moving a strategic policy or project initiative from vision to impact in partnership with community leaders.
- Direct experience in issue-focused movements and ability to advance social change agendas.
- Ten years or more experience demonstrating progressively greater leadership responsibility and impact in the field of higher education. Experience working on education affordability, finance, administration, policy, or systems change would be ideal.
- A deep understanding of the experience of students who have struggled with college success, including affordability, financing, completion, and technology resources, including lower income communities and students of color, particularly in California.
- A demonstrated ability to bring people together with different sector-based perspectives to focus on common goals of college success, such as removing structural barriers to affordability and completion, or achieving desired policy and systems change.
- An appreciation of how the college success and affordability movement intersects with other movements, including economic development, immigrant rights, racial equity, and youth civic empowerment.
- High aptitude for learning the power of philanthropy and the role of foundations in the nonprofit sector, with substantial experience working in a nonprofit or public sector environment.
How to Apply
For additional information or to apply, please send a cover letter and resume to:
Sally Carlson, Managing Partner; Heidi Holzhauer, Partner
;
415.203.5259 mobile
707.963.1250 direct