Vice President, Operations and Culture

Position Summary

The Vice President of Operations and Culture (VP, Operations and Culture) is responsible for leading and strengthening the Equity Fund’s core operational infrastructure. This role oversees the day-to-day and strategic operations of the organization, ensuring that systems, processes, and workflows are effective, scalable, and aligned with the Fund’s values-centered, high-impact culture.

The VP, Operations and Culture provides leadership and oversight across the Finance, Grants Management, Operations, and Human Resources functions. This includes designing, refining, and implementing systems that support internal teams while also considering how these operational structures interact with and support the broader ecosystem of grantee partner organizations.

The VP, Operations and Culture makes decisions and takes actions that affect the entire organization, balancing operational excellence, compliance, and stewardship with collaboration, equity, and transparency.

• Bring a sophisticated understanding with a Fund-wide leadership lens on where/how to maximize efficiencies and strengthen systems across the Fund.
• Assess enterprise-wide risks and set parameters for risk mitigation; identify financial, operational, and compliance gaps and fill those gaps with best-in-class practices from the philanthropic sector, combined with the Equity Fund’s internal wisdom, to support mission achievement.
• Establish and consistently communicate priorities as part of the Equity Fund’s Executive Team and ensure alignment and cross-cutting integration of ideas, problem‑solving, and execution of work.
• Provide insights and leadership to continuously improve operational systems, structures, policies, and talent to enable the highest programmatic quality and effectiveness.

• Ensure that efficient systems, processes, and practices are in place to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Equity Fund’s mission; develop plans for high‑quality, cost‑effective maintenance, development, and implementation of services, systems, and tools to support effective grant making, legal and policy compliance, and overall organizational effectiveness of the Equity Fund.
• Provide strategic oversight of financial planning, reporting, budgeting, and forecasts, supporting sound business decisions, and building capacity to review programs and partnerships from a budgeting and disbursement perspective.
• Maintain subject matter expertise, advise, and ensure organization‑wide compliance on a broad range of corporate, employee, regulatory, and compliance matters; promote training, processes, procedures, and controls to mitigate compliance risk as needed.
• Strengthen operational policies that align with organizational values, reflect best practices, and guide consistent practices, spanning vendor management, talent management, and other organizational functions.
• Oversee the integration and functioning of Finance/Accounting, Grants Management, Technology and Information Management, Talent and Culture, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
• Provide general contractual oversight and coordinate external legal counsel and support as required to address the organization’s needs.

• Lead the development of an organizational culture in which all team members feel valued and recognized as vital to advancing the Equity Fund’s mission and goals and are encouraged to grow professionally.
• Support the internal work of the Equity Fund’s active anti‑racist agenda by examining long‑held “best practices” in the field and creating space for co‑creation and design of new ways of working together that align with values.
• In partnership with the President/CEO and Executive Team, a prominent leadership role to offer an inclusive approach to contributing to a collaborative and…