Sr. Director, Programs

Organization Overview

The Michelson Found Animals Foundation (MFA), founded in 2005, is an affiliated organization of Michelson Philanthropies with a mission of saving pets and enriching lives. With more than $100 million committed to animal welfare, MFA seeks to allow everyone the opportunity to experience the joy of having a companion animal as a family member.  For 15 years, MFA has operated a range of social enterprises, impact investments, strategic partnerships, and thought leadership initiatives that share a common goal: Champion pets at every point they intersect with our society. We operate a range of initiatives including grants and partnerships that put resources in the hands of communities in need, research that promotes more pet-friendly housing policies, and scientific research to find a non-surgical sterilant for companion animals.

The Michelson Found Animals Foundation is a cutting-edge non-profit organization managed by savvy business and science professionals focused on social entrepreneurship. We are a well-funded organization (read: stability) that takes pride in bringing together great minds from diverse backgrounds in our mission to reduce shelter euthanasia and support pet parents worldwide. Our culture and work environment sets us apart from traditional non-profits and inspires our talented team to create innovative ideas and solutions to complex programs and initiatives. Sounds pretty amazing? We think so. Keep reading to see if this position is the right fit for you.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Programs will lead the majority of MFA's programs by coaching, developing, and strategically moving each program forward toward our long term goals every day.  This person will be a member of the senior team that will bring energy, ideas, efficiencies, and results to each program.  They will also serve as a trusted thought partner and advisor to the CEO, partnering to advance organizational priorities and have input on what happens throughout the organization.

You will:

The Sr. Director, Programs will be responsible for performing the below tasks. While these are the core duties for this role, the Sr. Director, Programs is not limited to only performing what is captured here; we think growth is good. You should too!

Strategy:

• Create and implement strategic plans and businesses strategies
• Identify potential partners, strategic alliances and sponsors; establish and maintain relationships.
• Collaborate with the head of marketing to promote program related activities including events.
• Identify and coordinate cross-departmental dependencies to ensure deliverables are met and obstacles identified and dealt with proactively.
• Understand the interconnectedness of the programs that run across the various Michelson Philanthropies and identify the opportunities for them to work together to resolve multiple issues at the same time.
• As program ideas arise, research the potential and vet whether they fit in with the MFA long term objectives.

Program Management:

• Provide direction, guidance and leadership in the development, implementation and monitoring of the programs.
• Handle high profile opportunities and partnership.
• Align individual program operations with larger organization.
• Plan for program growth and development.
• Design program metrics and benchmarks incorporating best practices and evidence based research to illustrate program efficiency and positive impact of the clients and community.
• Create a culture of excellence in the programs.
• Collaborate with the foundation’s public policy department to incorporate communications, community relations and policy advocacy strategies that advance program goals.
• Financial reporting and management including budgetary planning, expense management, financial tracking and reporting

Leadership:

• Staff management responsibilities include interviewing, hiring and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; as well as problem resolution.
• Engage with organizations and leaders central to the foundation, including grantees, movement partners, private and public partners, and other funders.
• Serve as a representative of the foundation in local, state, and national settings to advance and strengthen its alliances, reputation, and impact.
• Participate in foundation planning activities.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with industry influencers and key strategic partners.

You’ve gotta have:

Successful candidates for this role will have a mix of the below experience, education, and skills. We are flexible in considering your background but want to ensure that you have the tools to thrive! Please review and make sure that your skill set aligns with:

• 12+ years experience in a comparable role, expertise and deep knowledge in applicable animal welfare areas
• 5-7 years of business development, operations, and program management experience.
• Proven history of developing and implementing strategic programs with a results-oriented mindset with deadlines and deliverables as your mantra. You love ALL the acronyms: KPIs, OKRs and SMART goals.
• A deep understanding of diverse communities, and perspective, knowledge and passion gained through lived experience and/or work with communities served by the foundation.
• P&L management experience.
• High energy, maturity, and leadership with the ability to serve as a unifying force and to position communications discussions at both strategic and tactical levels.
• Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to “manage by influence”.
• Sincere commitment to working collaboratively with multiple stakeholder groups, including staff, advocates, partners, program participants, and other supporters.
• Be a self-starter. Love driving ideas and projects forward! There’s no challenge you’ve met yet that you haven’t figured out.
• Strong communication and conflict resolution skills. Strong writer.
• Positive, proactive attitude, strong interpersonal communication and the ability to interact with a wide variety of personalities.
• Well-developed time management and multitasking skills.
• Able to identify, make sense of and navigate through undefined project elements.
• Must be highly motivated and a self-starter, take initiative and have excellent leadership skills.
• A strong analytical and quantitative skill set, excellent oral and written communications skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Travel for site visits, conferences, meetings and events is required.

Please note, this is currently a WFH (work from home) role while COVID restrictions are in place.

You’ll receive:

We know our people are our most important asset. So in addition to a competitive salary, exceptional colleagues, and the fulfillment of working with an organization literally making the world a better place; all full-time employees are eligible to participate in MP’s benefits program:

• Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Life & Long-term Disability
• FSA
• Pet Insurance
• 401(k) + match
• Paid Holidays and more! Professional development opportunities, team building, and sabbatical to name a few.

Michelson Philanthropies is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

To learn more about The Michelson Found Animals Foundation visit us at www.foundanimals.org.

Hungry for more? Visit us at www.michelsonphilanthropies.org to see the groundbreaking work our teams are doing.

Think we’re a pretty great organization but this isn’t the right fit for you? Please submit general inquiries via the “share your information” tab on our career site.

Click here to apply.