Program Director

Founded in 1928, EBCF is one of the nation’s first community foundations. Named the country’s “boldest” community foundation in 2019 by Inside Philanthropy, EBCF is committed to supporting the East Bay through four core program strategies:

Arts and Culture for Social and Racial Justice: Storytelling, the arts, and cultural practices have always been important tools for survival, healing, and resistance.

Capacity Building with a Racial Equity Lens: EBCF helps to strengthen organizations and their leaders, working to change systems and provide sustained investments to help them eradicate systemic and institutional racism.

Community Organizing, Power Building, and Movement Building: Social movements led by communities most impacted by injustice are the most effective drivers of change. We resource BIPOC-led and serving power-building organizations

Fostering Inclusive Economic Models: We address racial and economic inequities in our region through work in three areas– entrepreneurship & business ownership as pathways to wealth building; workers’ rights and protections; and impact investing.

With a geographic focus on Alameda and Contra Costa counties, EBCF works so that everyone has the economic freedom to dream, heal, and belong. We advance our work through leadership, grantmaking, impact investing, and building solidarity between donors and community. We deploy our resources in service of our mission, pushing beyond industry norms to offer uniquely impactful opportunities for our fund advisers and the communities of the East Bay. EBCF manages more than 500 funds, with total assets in excess of $600M. These funds include donor-advised scholarships, field of interest, supporting organizations, and agency endowments.

Joining EBCF means a commitment to advancing racial equity and transforming political, social, and economic realities. We will do this by creating spaces that center joy and opportunities for dreaming and reimagining a future for all who call the East Bay home to have the freedom to thrive for generations to come.

About the Opportunity

EBCF seeks a dynamic and mission-driven Program Director with philanthropic expertise and a keen and generative problem solving ability. Collaborative engagement and understanding of economic development, racial equity, organizing and movement building, and social justice are pivotal to our work. Also central to success in this position is the ability to orchestrate connection across previously more discrete areas of grantmaking within the EBCF portfolio. This requires strategic leadership to guide emergent growth, building an impact frame while remaining flexible to critical external inputs such as community voice. The Program Director will have insight into the East Bay non-profit landscape, systems change strategies, and a comprehensive economic justice lens. This role entails partnering to manage and harmonize the Foundation’s programmatic strategy.

Position Summary

The Program Director is a senior leader within the Community Investment and Partnerships (CIP) department responsible for shaping, implementing, and evaluating key grantmaking strategies aligned to the Foundation’s mission. This role supports the VP in providing strategic direction for major portfolio areas, manages internal initiatives, and builds critical relationships with community partners, donors, and other stakeholders. The Program Director also plays a central role in inter- and cross-departmental leadership, communication, and collaboration efforts.

Core Responsibilities

• Partner to lead strategy, design, implementation, and evaluation across multiple thematic areas within the CIP department.
• Advance department direction of deep community engagement in alignment with EBCF’s broader economic freedom agenda.
• Help enhance and evaluate department success through operational planning and execution.
• Maintain a visible and influential presence in the community through public speaking, participation in forums and philanthropic and civic initiatives.
• Prepare grant dockets, impact reports, and other presentation materials for internal and external use.

Staff Supervision

• Supervise and mentor program staff and officers; provide ongoing feedback and conduct performance evaluations.
• Co-create systems and practices that support staff to work efficiently and effectively.
• Facilitate a healthy, professional, joyous and collaborative work environment for departmental staff.
• Offer strategic leadership to guide the team’s success and broaden its impact across the East Bay.
• Inspire, coach, mentor, develop, and support the CIP team to ensure collective impact and seamless collaboration with other teams within EBCF.

Team and Cross-Departmental Leadership

• Advance collective efforts and understanding within CIP, fostering deep and systematized collaboration for greater connection to and visibility of CIP work across the department and EBCF.
• Partner with the VP to coordinate and direct departmental efforts, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Serve as a change agent and leader within the Foundation to strengthen team and organizational culture.
• Collaborate across departments to influence direction, drive impact, and build consensus around new initiatives and strategies.
• Model and foster a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, trust, and humility throughout the organization.
• Perform other responsibilities as delegated.

Resource Deployment

• Help allocate funds strategically to address community needs.
• Serve as a vigilant steward of organizational resources by tracking impact fostering continuous learning
• Facilitate team-wide collaboration with the Philanthropy team on donor engagement, education, and mission-aligned grantmaking.
• Demonstrate a commitment to collaborative and trust-based grantmaking
• Sustain relationships with EBCF grantees, funders that support critical impact areas in the East Bay, and key community-invested parties.
• Perform other responsibilities as delegated.

Qualities this person should have:

• Proven ability to conceive and implement transformative strategies, coupled with a strong dedication to our mission and a personal commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion.
• Commitment to personal and professional excellence, integrity, and high ethical standards.
• Exceptional self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and adeptness in cultivating and nurturing relationships internally and externally.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an excitement for fostering a strong and cohesive team culture.
• Adaptable to, and experience leading in, a changing and dynamic organizational environment.
• Proficient in budgetary management.
• Excellent team building and management, facilitation, and conflict resolution skills with the capabilities to influence and inspire others.
• Demonstrated ability to think critically, innovatively, and collectively with a team.
• Exceptionally clear written and verbal communication skills.

Qualifications and Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or equivalent experience strongly preferred.
• Track record of successful supervision, management experience, and/or team leadership
• Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive experience in philanthropy, nonprofit management, or community-based work, with at least 3 years in a supervisory or strategic leadership role.
• Proven expertise in strategic planning, grantmaking, and managing complex initiatives or large-scale funding portfolios.
• Experience leading and mentoring diverse teams in a values-driven, missionoriented organization.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to connect with varied audiences including grantees, community members, and donors.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, social justice, and community-driven change.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• Familiarity with community issues and systemic inequities in the East Bay, and a demonstrated understanding of how institutional racism affects local communities.
• Proficient in data analysis and financial oversight for nonprofits and social benefit programs.