Position: AVP, Corporate Giving
Job Location: New York, NY preferred
The Organization
The MetLife Foundation is committed to expanding opportunities for low- and moderate-income people around the world, having contributed nearly $1 billion to build stronger communities since its founding in 1976. The Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations and social enterprises to build strong and communities while engaging MetLife employee volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation makes grants to eligible non-profit organizations in 40+ markets around the globe. Strategic priority areas of the Foundation include:
• Stronger Communities: Giving back to the places where MetLife operates fosters strong connections between MetLife and communities. We positively affect communities around the world through grants for health, community development, sustainability, and disaster preparedness and response.
• Financial Health: We help people manage household budgets, recover from the unexpected, build short-term savings and stability, and plan for the future. We use research insights and behavioral science to create and deliver safe, affordable, and convenient financial services through new technologies, innovation, and on the ground with partners around the world.
• Employee Engagement & Volunteerism: MetLife employees play an important role by acting as mentors to fintech companies and pro bono consultants to our grantees, and helping families build their greatest asset — their home.
To learn more, please visit us at MetLife Foundation | MetLife.
Position Overview
The Role: The Assistant Vice President, Corporate Giving is a senior level role at the Foundation and will work in partnership with the President and CEO to establish and execute the Foundation strategy, key investments in MetLife Foundation strategic priority areas and embed employee volunteering strategies to drive sustainable and deep impact. Guided by our Purpose, “always with you, building a more confident future,” this leader will oversee the distribution of grants and charitable contributions in the U.S. and work in close coordination with MetLife colleagues to deploy international grant-making efforts, as well as implement programs and initiatives that advance MetLife’s corporate citizenship efforts.
The candidate will be responsible to collaborate with national and local organizations in the financial health sector to co-create programs that improve the lives of people in low- and moderate-income communities. The candidate will develop and lead grant investments that incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion across the Foundation’s priority areas and work in close coordination with the Employee Engagement team to tap into our employees’ passion to make a difference in their community through employee-led volunteering.
In today’s constantly changing environment, we have an opportunity to challenge ourselves to think boldly about how to deliver greater social impact to our communities and build on our core business strengths and commitments. The successful candidate will blend energy and passion with strong business acumen and the ability to make connections across a diverse global portfolio to identify common themes for an intentional, forward thinking approach and structured delivery to grantmaking. With a track record of strategically leveraging industry, community, nonprofit, and other partnerships, this person will help MetLife Foundation advocate for and achieve measurable change in communities around the globe.
Key Relationships:
Reports to: VP and Head of Corporate Giving and Employee Volunteerism
Key Stakeholders: Global Sustainability, Corporate Communications, Human Resources, Global Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Global Brand & Marketing, Impact Investing, Government Relations, Global Relationship Management, Corporate Strategy, Business Leaders, MetLife employees
Key Responsibilities:
• Partner with the President and CEO to develop and execute a grantmaking strategy across key focus areas such as inclusive economic growth, financial health, and stronger communities to drive scalable and sustainable solutions.
• Lead the development of mutually beneficial partnerships and grant recommendations that align with MetLife’s Foundation and corporate giving goals in the geographies we serve
• Collaborate with MetLife colleagues in markets outside of the U.S. to drive international grantmaking efforts on behalf of the Foundation
• Manage the grantmaking process, proposal review, due diligence, grantee reports, financial analysis, and site visits where appropriate
• Establish and build relationships with the field and sector, organizations and peer funders to drive partnerships, collaboration, and contribute to the field
• Develop and implement a corporate giving strategy that embeds employee volunteerism that reflects and promotes MetLife’s core values and priorities to support our employees, customers, and communities in building a more confident future
• Manage partner and grantee relationships, engaging regularly on performance metrics and ensuring commitments are being met on both sides; provide technical assistance to grantees or recommend resources where needed
• Measure corporate giving outcomes; evaluate the impact of current grants and programs and develop an innovative long-term grantmaking strategy and pipeline
• Communicate regularly with leadership across multiple business units and geographies to ensure business alignment and engagement in Foundation programs and initiatives
• Review the Foundation and other corporate giving portfolio on an annual basis; collect and evaluate results on long-term, short-term, global, regional, and thematic levels
Candidate Qualifications:
Essential Business Experience and Technical Skills:
• Experienced professional typically with 7 – 10+ years of relevant experience leading impactful, innovative philanthropic giving initiatives, programs and partnerships
• Understands the grant-making process, experience developing strategies for priority areas, knowledge of systemic inequalities and committed to embedding diversity, equity and inclusion, racial and wealth equity lens in the work.
• Experience in the field of inclusive economic growth, financial health, and/or stronger communities and the intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion and racial/income wealth gap
• Flexible and eager to contribute to a new strategic approach at MetLife Foundation and lean into an “all hands on deck” approach as responsibilities continue to be developed and refined
• A creative, strategic and forward-thinker with an entrepreneurial mindset to develop and implement new ideas, projects, or process improvements
• Collaborator who works closely internally with teammates and colleagues across the enterprise; ability to work with peer funders; builds trusting relationships with grantees; and engages and leads active thought partnership with others
• Understands and is engaged in the philanthropic landscape and current on trends and partnerships related to strategic focus areas as a funder
• Ability to influence decisions, relationship building skills at all levels, establishing trust, and providing counsel in a thoughtful, sensitive, and timely manner
• Excellent listening, oral and written communications skills, able to tailor messages and ability to distill and explain complex concepts to external and internal audiences that range from staff to leadership to Board
• Strong organizational and project management skills; successful track record developing and executing enterprise-wide strategic plans
• Ability to represent the organization with professionalism and authenticity, demonstrate thought leadership, and encourage diversity of ideas and perspectives
• Proficiency in Outlook, Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint
• Undergraduate degree required, Master’s degree in a related field is optional
MetLife Success Principles
• Seek Diverse Perspectives – Source ideas and feedback to expand thinking and make informed decisions
• Seize Opportunity – Drive responsible growth and identify areas for continuous improvement
• Champion Inclusion – Foster an environment where everyone is valued, heard, and can speak up
• Take Responsibility – Be accountable and act in pursuit of the right outcomes
• Enable Solutions – Anticipate and address obstacles while managing risk
• Deliver What Matters – Execute meaningful priorities and follow through on commitments
MetLife:
MetLife, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
We are one of the largest institutional investors in the U.S. with $659.6 billion of total assets under management as of December 31, 2020. We are ranked #48 on the Fortune 500 list for 2020. In 2020, we were named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the fifth year in a row. DJSI is a global index to track the leading sustainability-driven companies.
MetLife is committed to building a purpose-driven and inclusive culture that energizes our people. Our employees work every day to help build a more confident future for people around the world. Visit us at www.metlife.com to learn more about our brand, history, and values.
We want to make it simple for all interested and qualified candidates to apply for employment opportunities with MetLife. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to accommodations@metlife.com or call our Employee Relations Department at 1-877-843-3711.
MetLife is a proud Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer dedicated to attracting, retaining, and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment at MetLife without regards to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information, citizenship status, uniformed service member or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
MetLife maintains a drug-free workplace.
How To Apply
Please use the following link to apply for this role: https://jobs.metlife.com/job-invite/123577/