VP of Programs; GF

Founded in 1994, the Gill Foundation is one of the nation’s largest funders of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. Since its inception, the Gill Foundation has invested $342 million toward the goal of creating an America in which all people are treated equally and respectfully.

With an annual budget of approximately $16 million and a Denver-based team of 18 people, the Gill Foundation seeks a creative idea-generator to develop a strategy to advance equality for LGBT Americans and manage a team of six program officers to execute that strategy.

The ideal candidate will embody the following guiding principles of the foundation:

• Tolerance for risk and willingness to engage unlikely allies.
• Nimble, reacting quickly to new ideas, information, and
• Innovative, eschewing a business-as-usual approach.
• Iterative, learning quickly from mistakes and pivoting to new approaches.
• Daring and creative, embracing failure as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Reporting to the CEO, the Vice President of Programs is both an internal and external foundation leader, responsible for developing and executing strategy, managing a team of program officers who implement the foundation’s priorities, and leveraging external relationships to support and strengthen the foundation’s work.

The Vice President of Programs will be an idea-generator and will intentionally create generative spaces internally and externally to develop breakthrough investment opportunities and encourage bold, measurable actions to maximize those opportunities.

The Vice President of Programs will inspire the programs team to embody the foundation’s guiding principles of being nimble, innovative, and iterative. This position manages up and down to ensure senior leadership and the programs team have the information they need to make judgment calls and represent the foundation externally.

The Vice President of Programs will leverage the experience of several key team members:
1) coordinating with the VP of Communications to infuse communications strategy into the projects and public education efforts we fund;
2) partnering with the COO to develop, implement, and manage the annual outcomes and budget, as well as ensuring that all programs and communications comply with federal, state, and local laws;
3) working with the Director of Out Giving to leverage additional funds into the foundation’s priorities; and
4) regularly engaging the programs team in brainstorming sessions to explore and develop innovative programs to advance LGBT equality.

• Models the guiding principles of the Gill Foundation and helps ensure a mission-driven culture.
• Generates new ideas and strategies to effectively carry out the foundation’s priorities.
• Manages up and down effectively, prioritizing good communication inside our organization.
• Develops the programs team, coaching them to tenaciously pursue the foundation’s goals and undertake their work with excellence and creativity.
• Models an obsession with learning from both the successes and failures of our grantees and ensuring those lessons are incorporated into future investments.
• Promotes curiosity and exploration of uncharted territory.

Strategy Development and Execution - 40%

• Work with senior leadership and the board to develop and execute new, innovative ideas to achieve the foundation’s priorities.
• Drive the monthly grant docket to align with foundation strategies and spur the team to integrate experiments, risk, and innovation into their grant portfolios.
• Consistently develop spaces internally and externally for generative, innovative program and strategy development.
• Travel as necessary to explore, establish, and maintain strategic relationships within and outside of the LGBT movement.
• Keep the senior team informed about areas of alignment, improvement, and risk based on intelligence from the field.

Manage Programs Staff - 40%

• Oversee and manage program officers implementing the foundation’s priorities.
• Be an inspirational coach who provides guidance on strategy, priorities, goal-setting, professional development, and context to programs staff for how their day-to-day work connects with and supports the vision of the CEO and…