Vice President, Programs - Jersey City, NJ

Laney Belle Inc, a boutique consulting firm, has been engaged to coordinate, support and manage the talent search. Please Note: We are targeting a start date in the first week of May. · About the Organization · Across the country, people are struggling to get by and get ahead. Mo ...

Job description

Laney Belle Inc, a boutique consulting firm, has been engaged to coordinate, support and manage the talent search. Please Note: We are targeting a start date in the first week of May.

About the Organization

Across the country, people are struggling to get by and get ahead. More than one-third of employed Americans struggle to make ends meet, and millions of young people see their talent unrealized when educational, training, and employment systems don't meet their needs. At the same time, employers are hungry for new talent and struggling to fill open roles, while AI is creating both disruption and new opportunities..

Philanthropy has a critical role to play in helping people—especially those born into low-income households and with barriers to higher education—prepare for and succeed in uplifting careers. It's all too rare that a new, major foundation enters this field—and yet, that's exactly what IntermediaryEd (provisional name) is doing. IntermediaryEd is a newly-created philanthropy with a nearly half-billion dollar endowment, and we intend to leverage our resources toward helping people prepare for and thrive in uplifting careers.

With the support of an engaged and committed Board of Directors, our new CEO Rachel Korberg is currently recruiting members of a founding team to help build the organization's strategy, operations, and staffing with a plan to launch publicly by early 2027. This will be an exciting, fast-paced opportunity for people interested in building a new, long-term institution from the ground up, willing to roll up their sleeves and act as both leaders and individual contributors, and motivated by making an impact.

Joining a nascent organization is an exciting opportunity and also comes with some ambiguity. In the absence of organizational values, to be built out once the team has grown, the CEO is leaning on her personal leadership values to shape and lead IntermediaryEd:

• Impact and informed hope. We exist to use our resources and talents to drive real, meaningful, and positive impact in people's lives. We are realistic about the extraordinary challenges and injustices workers and learners face, and yet we believe that change is possible.
• Excellence and ambition. We are ambitious about the impact we aim to achieve. We operate with excellence and bring high integrity and standards to our work.
• Care, flexibility, and kindness. It's critical that we treat each other with great care, flexibility, and kindness. This is what powers and sustains our excellence.
• Learning orientation. We bring curiosity and rigorous learning to our work. Good intentions aren't enough. We aren't afraid to go against the grain, pivot based on new information, or recognize and adapt to fast-moving developments.
• Sweat the big stuff. We stay focused on our most important goals and targets. We rigorously prioritize, streamline, and try not to lose time or energy on work that doesn't ultimately get us closer to our goals.
• Joy and team work. We work as a team and find ways to bring joy and fun to our work. The average person spends more than one-third of their life at work, and impact careers can feel especially heavy or even draining at times. It's when we're personally grounded, collaborating effectively, and feeling joy that our greatest quality work comes to life.

Hybrid Operating Model

IntermediaryEd operates under a remote-first, hybrid working model. We anticipate working in-person together one day every other week, as well as for quarterly staff retreats. The in-person work will typically take place in northern NJ just outside of New York City at a location that is easily accessible by Amtrak, PATH, NJTransit, and airplane.

Employees are expected to live within a commutable distance of the greater New York City area.

About the Job

Purpose

The Vice President, Programs is a senior leadership role responsible for helping to develop IntermediaryEd's programmatic strategy and building and leading the Foundation's inaugural program team, which will make grants and create partnerships to advance the Foundation's mission and impact goals. This role exists to translate emerging strategy into disciplined, values-driven grantmaking, partnerships, and learning practices, delivered by a high-performing, well-supported team, that creates meaningful impacts in the lives of workers and learners.

As a senior leader reporting to the CEO, the Vice President, Programs plays a critical role in shaping how IntermediaryEd deploys philanthropic capital, assesses and learns from its work, and engages with grantees and partners. The role balances strategic contribution with hands-on leadership, building early program systems, making foundational decisions about the structure of the program team, and leading day-to-day program execution, while operating in close partnership with the CEO and Vice President, Operations. This role is expected to evolve across two phases.

Phase 1: Strategy Development and Design

In the initial phase, the Vice President, Programs will work closely with the CEO, Board, advisors, and field leaders to help shape IntermediaryEd's inaugural programmatic strategy, outcome targets, and grantmaking approach underneath the Board and CEO-defined mission and impact goals. This includes supporting strategy development, translating priorities into execution plans, and designing early grantmaking and learning systems.

Phase 2: Program Execution and Team Leadership

Once strategy and focus areas are established, the role shifts toward hiring for, building out, and leading IntermediaryEd's first program team. The VP, Programs is ultimately accountable for delivering on IntermediaryEd's yearly grantmaking ($20M+ per year to begin) and outcome targets. They will oversee grantmaking, programmatic partnerships, program strategy, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning, as well as manage and coach grant makers and Program Team staff. They will also be a key contributor to IntermediaryEd's external engagement and field presence, as well as an advisor to the CEO.

Scope of Responsibility

The Vice President of Programs builds and leads IntermediaryEd's program team and grantmaking from the ground up, with three main responsibilities:

Help Develop the Strategy and Execution Plan

• Collaborate with the CEO, Board, external advisors, field experts, and individuals with lived experience to help shape IntermediaryEd's mission, vision, and impact goals.
• Partner with the CEO to develop the inaugural programmatic strategy, outcome targets, and grantmaking approach underneath the Board and CEO-defined mission and impact goals.
• Collaborate with the CEO and Vice President, Operations to translate strategy into a clear execution plan, including the Foundation's approach to grantmaking, partnership development, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
• Continue to monitor how the initial strategy is playing out once in execution mode, providing realtime insights and hunches to the CEO about challenges, opportunities, and potential course corrections.

Build and Lead the Program Team

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Programs team responsible for deploying $20 million or more annually in strategy-aligned grants and programmatic partnerships.
• Design and steward program systems, team norms, and workflows that are trust-based and accessible for grantees, while also supporting data-informed decision-making and organizational learning.
• Cultivate a collaborative, high-performance team culture, establishing clear expectations and effective team practices that enable strong execution, shared learning, and continuous improvement.
• Provide clear direction, coaching, and feedback to grantmakers and program staff, supporting professional growth and increasing responsibility over time.
• Establish and oversee the Foundation's approach to learning and impact assessment, including the development of monitoring, evaluation, and learning function that informs strategy and improvement.

Make Grants and Build Partnerships That Matter

• Oversee program execution to ensure grants and partnerships advance meaningful change and are aligned with IntermediaryEd's impact goals and values.
• Guide the development of genuine, trust-based relationships with grantees, emphasizing respect, transparency, and shared accountability.
• Maintain active connection to the field, tracking key developments, listening to practitioners and leaders, and adapting program approaches based on emerging insights.
• Develop and steward relationships with key leaders and partners in priority issue areas, bringing strategic insights, opportunities, and lessons back to the organization.
• Over time, increasingly represent IntermediaryEd externally, supporting public-facing engagement and cultivating strategic partnerships in alignment with organizational priorities.

Relationships and Interactions

• CEO: Partner closely on strategy and major decisions; meet regularly on progress and direction; align on team structure, significant grants, and external engagement
• Board of Directors: With the CEO, share updates on grantmaking and learning; get guidance on strategy; prepare materials for productive meetings
• Finance and Operations: Coordinate on budgets, grants management, compliance, and team support
• Grantees and Partners: Build trust-based relationships; stay accessible; listen to feedback; learn from their expertise
• Field Leaders and Funders: Connect with practitioners and researchers; participate in funder learning communities; share learning; identify co-funding opportunities
• Consultants and Advisors: Bring in outside expertise on evaluation, strategy, and subject matter areas as needed

Capabilities and Competencies

• Experience Requirement: 15+ years of progressively responsible, role-relevant experience, including substantial leadership in philanthropic, nonprofit, public, or mission-driven organizations. Demonstrated experience developing and executing grantmaking strategies and making complex funding decisions aligned to strategic priorities. Deep issue-area knowledge in one or more of the following: workforce development, job quality, higher education, and/or K–20 career pathways.
• Programmatic Strategic Thinking: Ability to contribute meaningfully to strategy development and translate enterprise priorities into focused programmatic plans, grant portfolios, and partnership approaches. Experience shaping funding strategies that advance systemic change in workforce and education ecosystems, including alignment with policy, practice, and employer engagement dynamics.
• Grantmaking Judgment: Demonstrated experience designing and managing grant portfolios and making funding decisions informed by organizational strategy, field conditions, and grantee capacity. Sound judgment in assessing opportunities, organizational health, leadership strength, financial sustainability, and alignment with intended outcomes. Experience structuring grants and partnerships that balance innovation, risk, and accountability.
• Trust-Based Philanthropy Practice: Commitment to equitable, transparent, and respectful grantmaking practices that center grantee expertise and lived experience. Demonstrated ability to build long-term relationships with nonprofit leaders, community partners, and field stakeholders grounded in trust, clarity, and shared accountability.
• Field Awareness and Issue-Area Expertise: Strong familiarity with workforce development systems, job quality frameworks, higher education transformation, and/or K–20 career pathway design and implementation. Understanding of the policy, employer, institutional, and community factors shaping economic mobility and education-to-career outcomes. Active engagement in relevant networks and demonstrated ability to interpret field trends and emerging opportunities.
• Learning Orientation: Ability to integrate quantitative data, qualitative insights, stakeholder feedback, and field research into program refinement and strategy evolution. Experience using evaluation findings, grantee reporting, and ecosystem feedback to inform adaptive learning and continuous improvement.
• People Leadership: Experience coaching, mentoring, and developing team members in values-driven, mission-aligned environments. Demonstrated ability to cultivate strong performance, clarity of expectations, and professional growth within program teams.
• Collaboration and Influence: Skill in working cross-functionally with operations, finance, communications, and executive leadership to align programmatic priorities with organizational strategy. Capacity to lead through collaboration and influence in environments where authority is shared and decisions are interdependent.
• Communication and Sensemaking: Ability to synthesize complex policy, programmatic, and financial information into clear insights and recommendations for diverse audiences, including senior leadership, Board members, and external partners. Skilled at articulating strategy, funding rationale, and impact in compelling and accessible ways.
• Adaptability and Initiative: Comfort operating in evolving or early-stage organizational contexts with shifting priorities. Demonstrated initiative in identifying emerging opportunities, advancing new ideas, and navigating ambiguity with discipline and resilience.
• Equity and Values Alignment: Demonstrated commitment to inclusive practice, equitable resource allocation, and thoughtful navigation of power dynamics in philanthropy. Experience advancing strategies that address systemic barriers and expand access to high-quality education and economic opportunity.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $258, $272,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Application Question(s):

• What draws you to this type of work?
• Have you worked in philanthropy or non profit before?
• Have you worked in a start up environment before?

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Jersey City, NJ 07308