The Organization
Portfolio Director, Connecticut Opportunity Project
The Connecticut Opportunity Project (CTOP), a division of Dalio Education, is seeking a Portfolio Director to work as part of a social investment team that searches for, identifies, invests in, and supports nonprofit organizations working with disengaged and disconnected young people in Connecticut. The Portfolio Directly engages closely and collaboratively with up to four grantee partner organizations to: (a) identify their developmental needs; (b) help them plan ways for meeting those needs; (c) structure and manage multi-year general operating support grants with each grantee; (d) negotiate developmental milestones (in terms of which grantee progress will be assessed) with each grantee; (e) provide or arrange for third-party technical assistance, consultation, and other supports as indicated; (f) participate in the development of materials and activities (e.g., with other funders) that further CTOP’s mission; and (g) participate in activities to measure, evaluate, and report the impact of CTOP’s social investing.
Organization Overview:
Dalio Philanthropies is the Dalio family’s philanthropic enterprise, furthering the philanthropic enthusiasms of family members. Dalio Philanthropies operates with a lean team that enables family members to develop their philanthropic passions, to learn from their passions as they pursue them, and to achieve positive outcomes and impact in those passion areas.
Led by Barbara Dalio, Dalio Education operates as an entrepreneurial team within Dalio Philanthropies, working to strengthen public education in Connecticut by engaging with educators, community leaders, and young people to achieve positive outcomes and greater equity across the state. Dalio Education leads a results-driven philanthropic platform that includes CTOP and the Connecticut RISE Network (an independent organization co-founded by Dalio Education), as well as several collaborations benefiting students, teachers and other educators, public schools, and communities in Connecticut through an approach that supports educators and emphasizes the development of the whole child.
Dalio Education believes in the value that diversity, equity, and inclusion brings to a team and empowers each member of the team to embrace these values along their personal journey of growth and professional development.
CTOP’s mission is to invest in and help strengthen youth-serving organizations in Connecticut so they can work effectively, reliably, and sustainably with young people ages 14 to 22 who are disengaged or disconnected in order to help them re-engage in and complete secondary education, then transition successfully to the pursuit of post-secondary education, such as a technical certification, military enlistment, or an academic degree – with the ultimate goal that all young people will achieve satisfying employment that supports their agency and self-sufficiency.
Position Overview
Position Summary:
Dalio Education seeks a highly motivated, talented, and dynamic individual to serve as a CTOP Portfolio Director who will be working as part of a team to achieve CTOP’s mission. The Portfolio Director will “learn by doing” and through full integration with the CTOP team. He or she will receive active mentoring from senior team members as well as focused professional development through highly engaged supervision as well as through didactic experiences dedicated to his/her professional growth. The principal work in this position consists of developing and sustaining highly supportive relationships with up to four grantee organizations. This involves researching the field for potential grantee candidates, conducting due diligence for promising candidates, facilitating “theory of change” workshops (initially as part of a team), structuring and managing general operating support grants with measurable milestones, as well as providing nonfinancial supports to grantees to help them grow their capacities and move ahead in their individual developmental journeys. In all facets of this work it is essential that considerations of diversity, equity, and inclusion be kept in mind and promoted wherever possible.
A successful candidate must have strong analytical capabilities, maturity, superior organizational skills, and a growth mindset. This person will play an integral role on a small team that is working hard to achieve a bold mission. This role will require rolling up one’s sleeves in order to execute multiple tasks simultaneously and thrive in a fast-paced environment that is oftentimes ambiguous and fluid.
Position Location:
Greenwich, Connecticut
Given the current state of the pandemic, this position will abide by the current work-from-home status of the organization, but when appropriate, based on public health guidelines, will work from the Sound View office in Greenwich.
Reports To:
CTOP Director initially, and over time to the CTOP Deputy Director (a position not yet filled)
Role Responsibilities:
In this role and as part of a team the Portfolio Director will:
- Engage in landscaping and due diligence efforts to find and engage potential grantee candidates;
- Facilitate (with the support of other team members) theory of change workshops focused on organizational development and improvement; and help grantees understand and make operational the concept of Active Service Slots (described on the CTOP website under Resources);
- Work directly as point-person with up to four CTOP grantees and consult to them in the areas of program design and implementation, focused on helping them increase and improve their ability to provide essential services to disconnected and disengaged young people effectively, reliably, and sustainably;
- Develop and maintain a trusting relationship with grantees that promotes supportive discussions in which difficult issues are raised and resolved constructively for both the grantees and for CTOP;
- Arrange for grantees to receive the kinds of non-financial supports that will help them in their respective efforts to build capacities and competencies to serve target population youth effectively and manage their operations reliably, including the design, implementation and management of an IT system with distributed data entry and real-time performance data retrieval at all levels of the organization;
- Help grantees design and implement performance management systems and processes for utilizing performance data to drive continuous improvement;
- Participate in the development of further CTOP strategic and expansion planning;
- Participate in the creation of CTOP tools to manage its work effectively and reliably;
- Participate in the planning and delivery of grantee-cohort professional development activities focused on promoting mutual learning and organizational development;
- Support the development and management of a CTOP budget for the coming fiscal year;
- Develop deep knowledge of the Connecticut context within which CTOP makes its social investments;
- Develop a deep understanding of the of the nonprofit sector in general, and in Connecticut in particular;
- Develop a strong command of the youth development literature with special focus on issues related disengaged and disconnected young people;
- Develop a deep understanding of the principles of social investing; and
- Other duties, as assigned.
Position Requirements:
The ideal candidate will possess the following professional qualifications:
- At least five years of experience (beyond entry-level) managing programming or systems in a nonprofit setting; in philanthropic grant-making and/or data management; and/or in organizational capacity building;
- Bachelor’s degree at an accredited higher education institution; and
- Experience successfully demonstrating the cultural competency to work across diverse populations and the ability to build excellent relationships with stakeholders from various walks of life (e.g., colleagues, grantee partners, practitioners, and young people and their advocates representing the needs and interests of disconnected and disengaged youths (many of whom are people of color) from low-income circumstances.
The ideal candidate will possess the following knowledge, skills, attributes, and values:
- Integrity, transparency, honesty, compassion, and strong ethical orientation;
- Emotional intelligence, creativity, analytical skills, and sound judgment;
- Resiliency under pressure and the ability to thrive in a rapidly evolving and entrepreneurial organization;
- Superior organizational skills with great attention to detail;
- Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize, and deliver high‐quality work in a fast-paced environment;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills;
- Self‐starter with a commitment to continuous learning and improvement;
- Capability to glean important points and patterns from data to make decisions and recommendations; and
- Skilled in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Suite.
Compensation, Benefits, and Relocation:
Compensation for this role is competitive and commensurate with experience. Dalio Philanthropies provides a full slate of employee benefits including, but not limited to, health, dental, life, vision, disability insurance, supplemental life insurance, subsidized childcare, and a 401(K) match program. Dalio Philanthropies also offers competitive vacation and holiday policies, as well as competitive relocation packages if necessary.
Please note we do not provide immigration sponsorship for this position. Dalio Philanthropies is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood.
All employment at Dalio Philanthropies is subject to an extensive background check.
How To Apply