Troy, MI

The Organization
The Kresge Foundation – a national foundation dedicated to creating opportunity for low income people in America’s cities through grant making and social investment – is seeking applications and nominations for the position of Deputy Director, Human Services Program.

Kresge supports the advancement of human services to accelerate social and economic mobility for people who are vulnerable in America’s cities through three key strategies: supporting innovative and multisectoral policy solutions in the Human Services field, fostering the next generation of human service organizations, and building place-based opportunity ecosystems to drive the development of a sustainable network of supports and services anchored by human service organizations.

Position Overview
The Deputy Director will have the extraordinary opportunity to contribute to the development and execution of the Foundation’s Human Services Program strategy in partnership with the Managing Director of the Health and Human Services Programs. The ideal candidate will bring to the Foundation strong understanding of the current challenges and opportunities facing urban and low-income communities. S/he will also have experience working at the intersection of health and human services, community development, community engagement, policy, and systems change. S/he will expand upon and implement the Program’s strategic framework and identify and cultivate opportunities for the Human Services Program to have greater cross-sector collaboration and integration. S/he will bring leadership, wisdom, and humility to the task of guiding the strategic direction of the Human Services Program and managing a large portfolio of grants, partners and programming consistent with the program’s strategic framework.

This is a full-time position reporting to the Managing Director of the Health and Human Services Programs and located in Troy, Michigan, a metropolitan Detroit community.

Challenges and Opportunities

Responsibilities for the Deputy Director will include:

Working in close partnership with senior leadership and program staff to expand upon and implement the strategic direction for the Human Services portfolio. Specifically, the Deputy Director will:

• Articulate and build programming around the Foundation’s newly revised human services strategy and Kresge’s unique national role in advancing human services to accelerate social and economic mobility for people who are vulnerable in America’s cities
• Identify and assess outcomes and evaluation criteria for grants within the Human Services Program, ensure accountability for high performance across the team, oversee the program budget, lead and contribute to learning and evaluation processes
• Engage senior leadership and other staff in program development

Leading and developing the Human Services Program team and extending impact of the program goals. Specifically, the Deputy Director will:

• Directly supervise a team of 2 professional staff, hire and train staff, and direct team workflow
• Identify and pursue opportunities for collaboration across Kresge program teams in expanding opportunities in low income urban settings
• Develop and assess program initiatives
• With the Managing Director, ensure grantmaking targets are attained

Positioning the Kresge Foundation as a leader in the national conversation around efforts to advance human services to positively impact social and economic wellbeing for people who are vulnerable in America’s cities. Specifically the Deputy Director will:

• Identify and initiate PRI and innovative capital tools to achieve program objectives
• Be a thought leader in the discussion about health and human services and sectors that intersect and impact the field
• Serve as a recognized expert on issues of importance in human services-related fields offering technical assistance and organizing and speaking at relevant convenings
• Document and disseminate knowledge about promising practices and innovative ways to support the work, build partnerships, and implement initiatives
• Leverage consultants for additional research and to enhance and disseminate learning and program outcomes

Managing and stewarding relationships with grantees and identifying new opportunities for partnership. Specifically the Deputy Director will:

• Oversee a portfolio of grants through clear and consistent communications and high quality interactions with potential and existing grantees
• Identify and cultivate relationships with partner organizations, potential partners, external coalitions, and grantees to drive programming that contributes to the Human Services Program’s desired impact
• Build opportunities for greater multi-sectoral collaboration and integration
• Represent the Human Services Program externally among community partners, grantees, the media and other critical stakeholder audiences

Qualities of the Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for this position will have many of the following desired qualities and attributes:

Professional Experience & Education

• Demonstrated leadership skills and 7-10 years of professional experience working in a field relevant to human services
• Familiarity with private sector and public partners engaged in the human services sector and demonstrated success leading cross-sector efforts
• Ability to master a diverse and demanding workload and to manage projects successfully
• Experience leading or working in partnership with organizations that have actively contributed to identifying methods for financing urban revitalization or other strategic use of capital in achieving objectives
• Proven management skills including the ability to directly supervise and develop a highly skilled professional staff
• Experience working effectively in a variety of professional settings with diverse groups of people who may have divergent interests
• Prior program and project management experience is essential.
• Bachelor’s Degree required, Master’s Degree or terminal degree is preferred

Personal Attributes

• A demonstrated passion and interest in advancing the human services field in order to accelerate social and economic mobility for people who are vulnerable in America’s cities
• Experience collaborating with organizations and individuals that are visionary and contributing to transformational changes within the field
• The personal balance and confidence necessary to maintain a learning posture while still contributing as a leader in the national dialogue about the evolution of the human services field
• The willingness, wisdom, and initiative necessary to further grow an impactful national Human Services Program
• Demonstrated experience in building consensus and facilitating cross-sector adoption or understanding of an idea or program

The Kresge Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women and LGBT applicants.

The Kresge Foundation offers a competitive total compensation package including health, employer paid dental and vision, basic life insurance, short- and long-term disability, generous paid time off, and an attractive 401k plan with employer match and a 10% employer contribution.

Kresge also provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks daily for a minimal charge, robust professional development opportunities and tuition reimbursement.  Kresge promotes and supports a healthy and green work environment and encourages intellectual curiosity as we embrace and live out our values of creativity, respect, opportunity, partnership, and stewardship.