Senior Program Officer, Environmental Justice Resource Collective

About Kataly Foundation

Kataly Foundation, a family foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is committed to supporting restorative economics, environmental justice, mindfulness and healing justice, and racial justice. Founded in 2018 with the intention of spending out a $445 million endowment over a ten-year time horizon, this growing organization intends to support movements around these issues and serve as a progressive leader in philanthropy.

Kataly’s mission is to support and provide resources to communities and social movements that are exploring new solutions to persistent, systemic problems. Kataly does this while embracing its role and responsibility in changing systems that led to wealth extraction from these communities in the first place. We move resources to support the economic, political, and cultural power of Black and Indigenous communities and all communities of color. By transforming its own relationship to capital, the planet, and each other, the Kataly Foundation will redistribute and redefine wealth in a way that leads to transformation, abundance, and regeneration. 

One important distinction of the Kataly Foundation is that its approach is meant to be inclusive of the communities it seeks to fund. Pursuing a “practitioner-funder” philosophy, the Foundation actively engages leaders in the fields it supports to help make grantmaking decisions. Kataly aims to center solutions where the problems are. In addition, the Foundation is committed to solidarity philanthropy practices: general operating support, creative use of capital, and a commitment to capacity building and network weaving.

Kataly’s Program Areas include:

Restorative Economies Fund: The Restorative Economies Fund (REF) invests resources into community-owned and governed projects led by people of color that create shared prosperity, self-determination, and build collective power. REF is an integrated capital fund, which means the Fund combines grants with non-extractive investments (loans, loan guarantees, lines of credit, etc.) and non-financial support including technical assistance or strategic advice.

Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective: The Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective (EJRC) is a group of nine women of color movement leaders who are resourcing work that builds power in communities of color, and grows movements for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice. The Collective funds work led by and for the communities most impacted by environmental racism, climate change, and unjust systems.

Mindfulness and Healing Justice: The Mindfulness and Healing Justice (MHJ) program supports community-based mindfulness programs, teacher training, leadership development, and healing justice practices for Black and Indigenous communities, and all people of color. MHJ centers mindfulness and healing in the service of racial justice, power-building, and collective liberation.

We’re working toward a world in which Black and brown people have the resources, power, and agency to execute their own visions for justice, well-being, and shared prosperity within their communities.

We believe our fates are intertwined and ensuring self-determination for communities of color is in service of our collective liberation. 

Learn more about Kataly Foundation at www.katalyfoundation.org.

The Opportunity

The Senior Program Officer will guide Kataly’s Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective (EJRC), which is led by a group of nine movement leaders who are decision-makers of both the grantmaking strategy and award decisions in directing $75M in support of projects and organizations led by Black and Indigenous people and communities of color. EJRC supports projects that address community healing, build power, and/or build and strengthen the community infrastructure and land strategies that support the self-determination of Black and Indigenous people, all communities of color, and the sustainability of the planet.

The Senior Program Officer will be a key programmatic leader and thoughtful, engaged contributor to the Kataly team, building trusting relationships with EJRC grantees, EJRC leadership, and fellow Foundation team members. The Senior Program Officer will skillfully partner with EJRC leaders and Kataly team members to support decision making, planning, and grantmaking related to EJRC. Collaborating closely with leaders within EJRC and the Foundation, the Senior Program Officer will identify opportunities for EJRC leaders, grantees, and funding partners across a range of issues to uplift and amplify the work of grantee organizations and their resources while advancing strategy for grantees, EJRC, and Kataly in the broader philanthropic landscape. As a representative of the Foundation, the Senior Program Officer will play a key leadership role in developing relationships between grantees and among networks of funders to serve the work of Kataly and the organizations and movements it supports.

Key responsibilities for this role include: 

Programmatic Strategy and Support

• In collaboration with Kataly’s Director of Capacity Building, work with EJRC grantees and leadership to identify, prioritize, and address key capacity building needs of grantees and across the environmental justice ecosystem.
• Manage the EJRC program budget efficiently and work with finance and operations to ensure relevant and appropriate budget projections as the program evolves.
• Conduct research and writing as needed to support the EJRC leadership and Kataly’s program needs.
• Support the EJRC leaders in an evaluation of the program’s grantmaking, advocacy, and overall impact.

Collaboration and Partnership

• Partner with Kataly’s Director of Communications to lift up grantee and EJRC stories and contribute to content for a range of communications opportunities and needs.
• Facilitate opportunities for collaboration across Kataly program areas, including coordination between EJRC leaders, the Restorative Economies Fund, and the Mindfulness and Healing Justice programs.
• Provide regular updates to EJRC leadership and Kataly team on the work of EJRC grantees and developments in the field.
• Collaborate with grants management to ensure integrity, clarity, and ease for grantees in grantmaking procedures.
• Organize, structure, and maintain grantee data and present it regularly in relevant formats for EJRC leaders and Kataly staff and leadership.

Operational Support

• Produce qualitative and quantitative narrative reports on the EJRC’s grantmaking strategy.
• Manage administration and logistics as it pertains to program meetings, events, etc.
• Organize, schedule, plan, facilitate, and lead meetings for the EJRC leadership as needed.

Candidate Profile

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, a successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

Passion for the Mission

The successful candidate will reflect integrity and commitment towards fulfilling the Foundation’s mission of truly supporting communities to exercise their power and voice and moving the needle on critical issues facing the United States. This leader will believe deeply in the power of philanthropy, social justice, and the common good and demonstrate a passion for Kataly’s program areas and organizational values. Through experience, whether professional and/or lived, the Senior Program Officer will deftly demonstrate familiarity with and commitment to social justice concepts and frameworks such as racial equity, gender analysis, economic justice, and structural bias, consistent with the values and vision of Kataly. Through values-aligned practice, action, communication, this leader will bring a demonstrated commitment to supporting and uplifting the expertise of Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led groups and formations.

Movement-Centered Environmental Justice Expertise

Guided by a deep understanding of the indispensable role that movements play in building social change, this leader will possess knowledge and experience leading grassroots, movement-based environmental justice work in the United States to inform the application of Kataly’s priorities in allocating resources to support systems-level change. With a passion for supporting the visions of movement-centered environmental justice groups, the ideal candidate will draw upon a broad range of relevant knowledge to guide key grantmaking activities, including issues related to indigenous people, climate justice, sovereign food systems, racial, economic, and immigrant/refugee justice. This experienced advocate will employ power-building strategies to empower impacted communities and communities of color to upend unjust systems and advance environmental justice for all.

A Relationship Builder and Mindful Collaborator

Driven by a deep, relational understanding of a collective approach to movement-centered action, the ideal candidate will utilize strong emotional intelligence, demonstrated humility, and an orientation to listening to effectively engage and empower all communities of color, especially Black and Indigenous people, on the frontlines of environmental injustice. With demonstrated success in building relationships and weaving connections within and across ecosystems of organizations, this individual will skillfully navigate complex landscapes with nuance and a keen understanding of various perspectives. This leader’s ability to inspire trust and build authentic relationships with a range of collaborators, including senior leaders, team members, and external partners, will support collective action toward producing meaningful, impactful, and lasting change.

An Effective Communicator and Ambassador for Change

An engaged, active listener, this leader will be able to tailor clear, compelling communications to effectively reach a range of audiences, including both internal and external constituents. Leading with a willingness to listen in various contexts, this individual will embody a personal sense of passion, interpersonal awareness, discretion, and well-honed critical thinking skills. The ideal candidate will possess persuasive verbal skills and the ability to present in professional and community settings.

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• A collegial work style and a sense of humor;
• Strong work ethic and highest level of personal and professional integrity;
• Highly organized with an attention to detail, ability to meet or exceed deadlines, and a commitment to rigor and excellent work product;
• Strong time management skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously;
• Proven project management skills, from design to implementation.

The above offers an aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile; we encourage applications from candidates with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented groups. The Kataly Foundation is deeply committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and seeks to have a diverse and inclusive workforce to promote effective work in partnership with all communities and population groups.

All job applicants and employees must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer on a full-time basis without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future. Positions at Kataly are not eligible for employer visa sponsorship, and Kataly will not sponsor applicants or employees for work-related visa status.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary for the role is anticipated to range from $155,000 to $175,000, commensurate with experience. Kataly offers a comprehensive benefits package. 

• Group Insurance Benefits: Fully paid premiums for group health, dental, vision insurance, long-term disability, life insurance, and a supplemental health insurance plan intended to cover a substantial portion of out-of-pocket costs from the primary health, dental, and vision plans.
• Kataly 401k Contribution: An employer 401k contribution of 15% of salary (up to the legal maximum), regardless of whether an employee makes their own contributions to the plan.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): A generous PTO program that can be used for any purpose.
• Paid Sick Time (PST): PST accruals for time off separate from and in addition to PTO.
• Other Time Off: At least 11 paid holidays, a two-week operations shut-down during the last and first week of the year, full days off to vote or work at the polls, and two floating holidays.
• Reflection Week: A week where employees are free from their usual meetings and deadlines to engage in deep reflection around a topic related to their work at Kataly.
• Paid Leaves of Absence (LOA): Up to four months paid LOA for pregnancy disability (from day one of employment); up to four months paid LOA for family and medical leave (after one year of employment), and up to eight weeks of unpaid personal leave.
• Employee Discretionary Grants Program: A discretionary grants program for employees to direct grants to organizations of their choosing.
• Professional Development Budget: An annual allocation for employees to attend job-relevant conferences, meetings, seminars, and other educational events or to engage an executive coach to work on a work-related topic.
• Home Work Space Budget: A generous budget when an employee first joins Kataly to create a comfortable, safe, and efficient home workspace.
• Work From Home Monthly Allowance: A monthly allowance for employees to pay a reasonable percentage of business-related expenses incurred from working from home (e.g., wireless plan, internet plan, utilities, etc.)
• Cell phone: Money towards a new cell phone (owned by the employee) every three years.

Contact

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Michelle Bonoan and Chartise Clark. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential. 

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

All job applicants and employees must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer on a full-time basis without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future. Positions at Kataly are not eligible for employer visa sponsorship, and Kataly will not sponsor applicants or employees for work-related visa status.

Kataly Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of any race, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, income class, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status or marital status, as well as applicants who have been previously incarcerated. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion throughout the organization and believe strongly in the increased effectiveness that comes from a diverse workforce, and strongly encourage those from historically under-served, underrepresented or marginalized communities to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group

Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the firm's website.