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 Program Officer will help implement the grantmaking strategy of 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 grantee 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 Program Officer (PO) of the Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective (EJRC) program is a thoughtful and engaged contributor to the Kataly team, focused on the Foundation’s mission to promote social justice and racial equity in communities most impacted by injustice. In summary, the PO works closely with the EJRC’s Senior Program Officer, EJRC Leaders, consultants, and other Kataly team members to help implement, evaluate, and advocate to advance the EJRC grantmaking strategies and approach to movement-led grantmaking. The PO advances the Foundation’s and the EJRC’s goals by nurturing deep relationships with grantee organizations and community leaders and maintaining a breadth of knowledge about current trends, emerging issues, policy and cultural interventions, and innovations in the intersectional fields of climate and environmental justice, just transition, and solidarity economy.

The PO deeply understands and is committed to Kataly's values and mission. The PO has strong knowledge of the Foundation’s internal processes and is the grantee’s point of contact for communicating Kataly’s grantmaking cycles, processes, and how Kataly’s position as a spend-out foundation impacts our grantmaking. Reporting to the EJRC Senior Program Officer (SPO), the PO has lived and movement-building experience within the climate and environmental justice movements in the United States and previous work experience in philanthropy.

The Foundation is constantly searching for innovative, progressive, and improved operating methods to adapt to the evolving needs of our staff, grantees, and community partners. Every employee must adapt quickly to pivots and be open and flexible about taking on and learning new and different duties, some of which may not traditionally be part of the job you otherwise perform.

Key responsibilities for this role include:

Relationship Management

• Manage communication with EJRC cohort of over 100 grantees including scheduling annual check-ins, responding promptly to grantee requests, working with other Kataly staff to coordinate shared grantee communication. Work with SPO to conduct and document check-ins.
• Identify opportunities to connect grantees with each other, other Kataly staff, partners, and funders. Connect grantees to Kataly Capacity Building programming.
• Schedule, coordinate, and provide logistical and operational support for online and offline EJRC meetings, conferences, and grantee convenings. Facilitate and lead meetings and events as needed. Coordinate with SPO to complete “to do” items that emerge from each meeting.
• Partner with Kataly's Director of Communications to uplift the EJRC approach to grantmaking, priorities, and grantees and contribute to content for a range of communications opportunities. Work with SPO, EJRC Leaders and grantees to develop the content for an evergreen website for the EJRC and work with Kataly consultants/staff to develop the website.
• Maintain strong, mutually respectful relationships with grantee partners through every point of contact, including responding to inquiries, conducting site visits, evaluating and recommending grants, processing awards and payments, managing payment schedules, closing out grants, and throughout the relationship with Kataly.

Programmatic Support

• Work closely with SPO EJRC, Kataly staff, EJRC Leaders and consultants to conduct planning, grantmaking, budgeting, evaluation, and strategy.
• Conduct research, analysis, writing, and other forms of documentation and material preparation to support EJRC and Kataly's program needs. Curate an ongoing database documenting sharable stories and photographs for other Kataly team members and EJRC Leaders to draw from in funder/other spaces. Produce qualitative and quantitative narrative reports on EJRC grantmaking and strategy. Write synopses/summaries of grantee check-ins to share with the EJRC Leaders, Kataly staff, and board. Provide regular updates on grantees' work and developments in the field.
• In collaboration with Kataly's Director of Capacity Building and SPO EJRC, work with grantee partners and the EJRC team to identify, prioritize, and address key capacity-building needs of grantee partners and their respective ecosystems of social movement work.
• Collaborate with Kataly's Grants Management team to:
  • Process grants in a timely, efficient, and accurate manner.
  • Keep track of the program budget.
  • Organize and maintain EJRC portfolio data and present it regularly in relevant formats and venues.
• Work with SPO EJRC, EJRC Leaders, and Kataly Capacity Building staff to craft and launch EJRC capacity building initiatives on language justice and grants for sabbaticals.
• With SPO and EJRC Leaders, co-design the program evaluation of EJRC grantmaking, Logic Model and spend-out planning.

Field/Movement Building & Advocacy

• With SPO EJRC, serve as a connector for grantee partners—with and among each other—where it is supportive of their work. Connect grantee partners with opportunities to amplify their work with potential funders and donors and increase their access to philanthropic spaces.
• Develop collaborative relationships with grantees, outside advisors, experts in the field, public sector partners, and funder colleagues to extend the impact of Kataly’s grantmaking.
• Maintain strong work relationships that encourage mutually beneficial partnerships and collaboration.
• Work with SPO EJRC to carry out philanthropic advocacy strategies. Where invited/appropriate, represent EJRC and Kataly in philanthropic and movement/grantee partner spaces in service to our grantee partners, their work, and Kataly’s philanthropic advocacy goals.

Operational Support

• Participate in meetings with staff on grantmaking, planning, and strategy across the Foundation.
• Attend relevant trainings and conferences.
• Exercise sound judgment and use proper discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information on behalf of Kataly, including but not limited to confidential information about employee relations issues and grantees.
• Engage in effective, ongoing, timely communications with supervisor, Foundation leadership, team members, grantees, community partners, vendors, and consultants.
• Create an effective, safe home workspace for successful job performance.
• Work collaboratively with the rest of the team, consistent with the Foundation’s values
• Maintain a regular and dependable schedule consistent with Kataly’s expectations (generally 9am-5pm PT).
• Constantly assess for areas of improvement in the EJRC and Kataly. Recommend, develop, and implement effective processes/procedures to enhance/increase operational efficiencies.  
• Participate fully in performance management with your supervisor: engage in ongoing communications about your performance, seek and respond to feedback, develop comprehensive annual Work Plans, and demonstrate commitment to growth in your role.
• Self-assess, identify growth areas and grow in your role. Participate in ongoing professional development and share learnings and opportunities with the Kataly team.           
• Prepare expense reports, ensuring all expenses are accurate and within policy guidelines, and submit to accounting within required deadlines.
• Perform other functions and duties as requested.
• Travel and work extended hours as requested. 

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 Kataly Foundation is deeply committed to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. We seek to have a diverse and inclusive workforce to promote effective work in partnership with all communities and population groups.
• The Foundation seeks a professional with a commitment to the power of philanthropy and racial/social justice movements; a passion for Kataly’s program areas and organizational values; a collegial work style; and a sense of humor.
• A successful candidate will demonstrate their dedication to work with integrity and commitment towards fulfilling the Foundation’s mission of moving resources to support the economic, political, and cultural power of Black and Indigenous communities, and all communities of color.

Movement-Centered Environmental Justice Expertise

• 5-7 years of grassroots, environmental justice, climate justice movement-based work or grantmaking, and will hold and embody a strong race, class, and gender analysis and practice consistent with the values and vision of the EJRC and Kataly.
• Lived and work experience directly relevant to environmental justice in the US (inclusive of Indigenous, climate, food, racial, economic, immigrant/refugee, gender justice and other related arenas)
• Experience with power-building strategies for impacted communities and communities of color
• Demonstrated familiarity with and commitment to social justice concepts and frameworks such as racial equity, gender analysis, economic justice, and structural bias as well as just transition, solidarity economy, and land stewardship.

A Relationship Builder and Mindful Collaborator

• Strong emotional intelligence and maturity, demonstrated humility and an orientation towards listening, especially to Black and Indigenous people, and all communities of color on the frontlines of environmental injustice
• Ability to inspire trust and build authentic relationships with a wide range of people
• Proven capacities as a relationship-builder and a weaver/connector within and across ecosystems of organizations

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• Clear and compelling written and oral communication skills, interpersonal awareness, and critical thinking skills
• Ability to manage confidential or sensitive information with discretion
• 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
• Strong work ethic and highest level of personal and professional integrity
• Proven project management skills, from design to implementation
• A deep commitment to supporting and uplifting the expertise of Black, Indigenous and people of color-led groups and formations

The Kataly Foundation is deeply committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We seek to have a diverse and inclusive workforce to promote effective work in partnership with all communities and population groups. The Foundation seeks a professional with a commitment to the power of philanthropy, social justice, and the common good; a passion for Kataly's program areas and organizational values; a collegial work style; a sense of humor; and the dedication to work hard toward fulfilling the Foundation's mission of truly empowering communities and moving the needle on critical issues facing our nation.

Even though this is currently a remote position, the successful candidate must live in California; San Francisco Bay Area preferred. The remote nature of the job may be changed at any time, in Kataly’s sole discretion, requiring the employee in the role to attend a Kataly-sponsored work location one or more days per workweek. Kataly may also increase the number of in-person meetings and events even if the job remains remote. A candidate’s location, therefore, is a meaningful consideration for Kataly. (Kataly does not provide paid relocation.)

This position is not eligible for employer visa sponsorship. All applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer without the need for employer visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary for the role is anticipated to range from $140,000 to $155,000, 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 Marisa Chock. 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.