The J.B. & M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation (“Foundation”) has a national focus on catalyzing entrepreneurial change that promotes greater equity and fairness in the lives of ordinary people. The Foundation and its affiliates anticipate continuing to make substantial philanthropic investments in excess of $1 billion over 20 years.
The Foundation’s primary strategic focus is early childhood development; community healthcare and critical community needs in the state of Illinois; and upholding and expanding individual civil and human rights.
The Foundation’s work takes the following fundamental approach: · Investing in evidence-based programs and measuring Return on Investment; · Effecting public policy initiatives through demonstrable advocacy; · Engaging through partnership – recognizing that no one achieves success alone; and · Leading – by convening, spotlighting and bringing expertise. The Foundation is located in Chicago and led by President Janet Froetscher.
What: Program Manager
The Foundation seeks a Program Manager to play a senior leadership role in the effective implementation of the foundation’s Prenatal-3 year old (PN-3) priorities in states and communities under the Pritzker Children’s Initiative (PCI). This effort will actively support a set of states and communities as they seek to undertake common policy and program advancements to ensure children under three are on track for later school readiness. Over the next five years, the Foundation intends to support development of model initiatives in states and communities that advance policies and programs that ensure a strong start in life, such as home visiting, quality child care for infants and toddlers, and universal connections that link families with infants and toddlers to essential and needed services. Though this Initiative, the Foundation makes catalytic investments in states, communities, promising models, and effective communicators to create a tipping point by building a national movement for prioritizing infants, toddlers, and their families for public action and investment.
The Program Manager will support national organizations, state stakeholders and leading early childhood researchers to fuel momentum for positive policy change in states and communities across the country. S/he will work with a variety of partners including national organizations supporting state strategy, state-level organizations that are planning for and guiding implementation of state strategy, , and organizations at all levels leading innovative policy and program development to expand access to high quality services for infants and toddlers. S/he will work closely with the PCI Director to link state leaders to experts and organizations engaged by the Foundation to support them, and facilitate peer-to-peer connections across selected states. Within states, the Foundation anticipates working with the public sector, foundation leaders, and non-profit policy and advocacy organizations as part of the PN-3 strategy.
The Program Manager will actively represent the Foundation with national organizations and state leaders, and is expected to be comfortable representing the Foundation in a wide variety of settings which require expertise in relationship building, communications, and public speaking.
Depending upon the individual’s expertise in key areas of early childhood development – child care, health, mental health, family support, etc. – s/he may be asked to take a leadership role in specific components of the PCI strategy related to that content area.
The Program Manager will report to the Director of the Pritzker Children’s Initiative (PCI), and be part of a 4-member team in addition to working closely with the Foundation President, the Communications Director and the Grants Manager.
The Program Manager is expected to develop strong relationships with national organizations, state leaders in partner states, track progress of key elements of the overall PCI strategy, the effectiveness of partners, and, contribute to refinement and adjustments as needed in the PCI strategy. There will be significant travel required for this position.
Finally, to achieve the success of the Foundation’s PN-3 goals, the Program Manager will have responsibility for developing, managing and supporting a portfolio of grants with a variety of local, state and national organizations that are identified as key partners in moving forward the PCI strategy.
Qualifications:
Strategic: Orientation on Early Childhood Public Policy
The Program Manager will bring a demonstrated understanding of the complexity of making major changes in state early childhood public policy, including relevant public policy early childhood knowledge and experience. S/he must have the ability to support innovation for the national and state grantees, and engage in strategic support and analysis, and recommend to the Director of PCI any necessary strategy adjustments. S/he will be a strategic thinker, a flexible collaborator, and a creative problem-solver that brings both an entrepreneurial and analytical mindset to the work and ability to build strong relationships based on trust.
S/he will be able to successfully craft national partnerships to provide technical assistance to those working in the states, and will bring a track record of accomplishment in this area.
Results Orientation
The Foundation is driven to make significant impact in PN-3 state policy in the United States. To succeed in the role, the Program Manager will have a strong results orientation and ability to manage projects to meet established goals. The successful candidate will have a business-minded approach to management of complex, large scale projects with a focus on the relationship of the public policy process and work to tangible, measurable results. S/he must be highly organized, data-driven and able to exercise good judgment when presented with complex challenges.
The Program Manager will instinctively use rigorous strategic and operational analytics and metrics to develop an understanding of the status of the work, to inform decision making and to assess performance against the agreed upon goals, and will consult with the PCI Director to discuss and make adjustments in approach as necessary.
Collaboration and Partnership Building Orientation
The Program Manager will have a track record of recognized, value-added collaboration among stakeholders, including national non-profit organizations, state government staff (elected, appointed and ongoing) and policy advocates, as well as technical assistance organizations and individuals who will be supporting these efforts. S/he must be able to help build effective partnerships and support those partners to execute on collaborative, creative strategies. . S/he must be able to work well independently as well as in a team, demonstrating a high degree of flexibility and collaboration that includes those internal to the Foundation as well as those external to the Foundation.
Passion for the Mission
The Program Manager will be inspired by the opportunity to work for a foundation whose core tenet is to create effective strategies that are about making meaningful change on behalf of young children and families. This individual will be entrepreneurial, open to challenges, and demonstrate high standards and a positive disposition. S/he must have a passion for state-level public policy change and for improving the outlook for infants and toddlers through state public policy.
Summary
The ideal candidate will combine an ability to partner effectively with a public policy track record, PN-3 content knowledge, and experience providing technical assistance. The candidate needs demonstrated experience working in teams with multiple partners to manage complex work that requires continuous assessment to determine if it is on track or requires adjustment. Ideally, this candidate will have (but it is not required) an advanced degree in business, law, public policy/administration, child development, or public health. Candidate must have demonstrably strong writing and analytic skills. Microsoft Office proficiency, particularly in Word, PowerPoint and Excel is a must. Capacity to represent the Foundation through public speaking and travel is required. In summarizing key priorities in hiring for this position, the individual will ideally be:
- A strategic thinker;
- Creative as to the development of new and authentic partnerships at all levels;
- Flexible and responsive to the need for occasional change in direction;
- A self-starter with strong execution skills;
- Committed to impact; and · Comfortable with ambiguity.
All qualified candidates should apply with a cover letter describing their interest and a copy of their resume to recruiting@pritzkergroup.com
Please note that Pritzker Group does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Any unsolicited resumes will become the property of Pritzker Group. No phone calls, please.
To apply: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/952733406/?refId=0c16d410-5783-44ac-bc40-7ff1a2bced68&trk=eml-jymbii-organic-job-card&midToken=AQFitWTgXQiOWQ&trkEmail=eml-jobs_jymbii_digest-null-14-null-null-c11pw%7Ejoym3v3j%7Ev6-null-jobs%7Eview