Job Description

Democracy Fund is seeking a mature, dynamic leader to be our first Managing Director of Movements & Media to oversee our Just & Inclusive Society as well as Public Square Programs. These two programs are central to the organizations mission and critical to achieving an inclusive, multi-racial democracy that is open, just, resilient, and trustworthy.

Our program to create a more just and inclusive society includes an initiative aimed at strengthening the social infrastructure for marginalized communities with a special focus on Black, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (BAMEMSA) and immigrant communities, planning for a new initiative to build power and support leadership development for communities of color, and an exploration into how to weaken the power and influence of the authoritarian opponents of an inclusive, multi-racial democracy.

Our program to create a more vibrant and equitable public square includes initiatives to rebuild local news and journalism to meet the needs of diverse communities and hold the powerful accountable, as well as initiatives to transform our digital civic infrastructure and advance civil rights online by holding tech platforms accountable and advocating for new public interest media policy.

The Managing Director will work closely with initiative teams to build on the assets that we have developed over the past several years while charting a new course consistent with our new five-year organizational strategy that responds to the existential challenges facing our democracy in the current moment.

The Managing Director will report to Democracy Funds President and serve as a member of the organizations Executive Team as well as its Grants Committee. You will independently lead one of the organizations two program groups, partnering with the Managing Director of Elections & Institutions, to ensure the organization is highly impactful in achieving its goals. The Managing Director will play a key role in organization-wide strategy development, management, and decision making. This role will be critical to the implementation of the organizations new five year strategy and new initiative strategies that will be approved over the course of the next year.

A successful candidate is a systems thinker and builder who can drive impact while cultivating the internal organization needed to achieve our goals. We are looking for a connector with a demonstrated track record of managing people and creating opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration. You will lead strategy for your area, while managing Program Directors and their respective teams as they develop and execute their initiative plans, support grantees, create an environment that fosters both risk taking and learning, and build influential partnerships with peer donors and other key actors. Collaborating with the leaders of our Communications and Network team, the Managing Director will help grow Democracy Funds profile and influence among key stakeholders and partners.

Successful candidates will be strong managers who are energized by the task of coaching and growing leaders while creating a vibrant learning culture among their respective teams. Along with leading their program areas, the Managing Director will work closely with other Executive Team members to create a stronger, healthier organization as we seek to:

• Embody our commitment to DEI in our leadership, operations, and grantmaking practices, and create a culture where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.
• Align the organization around our mission, strategy, and goals so we can take a more holistic approach and be more nimble in how we respond to opportunities and threats.
• Create a more resilient organization with more capacity for people to learn, grow professionally, create balance in their lives, and stand in for colleagues when needed.
• Create a high trust culture in which we are explicit about decision roles, empower decision-makers, and communicate information efficiently and effectively.
• The Managing Director will also support the work of Democracy Fund Voice, a separate 501c4, social welfare organization.

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