San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Senior Program Officer - Housing Security and Public-Private Partnerships, Crankstart

The Organization

Crankstart is a private foundation based in the Bay Area. The Crankstart mission is to support leaders and organizations with the know-how and tenacity to take on tough problems which have no quick or easy answers. Crankstart currently supports efforts in democracy, education, economic mobility, housing security, climate, and science.

Crankstart is primarily focused on helping build a stronger and more just San Francisco and Bay Area for all. In 2021, Crankstart made over $250m in grants with about 60% going to nonprofits in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Crankstart is currently a small, lean team of six with plans to grow efficiently over the next few years. As a funder, Crankstart aims to build trust, be responsive and enable leaders and communities to identify problems and solutions that matter most to them. We have an equity-oriented team that prioritizes collaboration and inclusion, as well as healthy disagreements in all directions.

Crankstart was founded by Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman who are actively engaged as Board members. As early signatories to the Giving Pledge, they have committed to giving away the majority of their wealth in their lifetimes.

For more information about Crankstart, please visit https://crankstart.org/.

Position Overview

The Opportunity

Crankstart is seeking an equity-centered strategic leader to serve as a Senior Program Officer (SPO) leading Crankstart’s new body of work focused on housing security and public-private partnerships. Crankstart believes that the only way to get to a stronger and more just San Francisco and Bay Area is through intentional partnerships across sectors that work under a community-first, collective impact approach.

The SPO will function as a high-level individual contributor and people manager. The role oversees two bodies of work:

  • Housing Security Portfolio. The SPO will lead Crankstart’s housing security funding strategy and make and oversee related grants. The SPO will manage and work in partnership with a Program Officer dedicated to this portfolio. Crankstart’s historical work in this area has been rooted in grantmaking to nonprofit providers, but also includes other types of investments. The intent is to expand this work to support a systems-change approach.
  • Public-Private Partnerships. The SPO will develop a strategy to enable cross-sector (nonprofit, private and public) partnerships across each of Crankstart’s issue areas. Other portfolios will see the SPO as an advisor or internal consultant, helping to identify and implement strategies aimed at leveraging and/or incentivizing public-private partnerships.

The ideal candidate is a senior leader with 1) substantive public sector experience and expertise in housing security projects; 2) strong knowledge of housing and homelessness research and interventions, and the local nonprofit landscape; 3) experience integrating work across systems (e.g., housing and criminal justice); and 4) experience working and leading cross-sector partnerships to improve population level outcomes for a city, county or state. Candidates with lived experience in California’s racially and economically diverse communities are preferred.

The SPO will report to Crankstart’s Managing Director of Programs. This role is based in the San Francisco Bay Area; it is not a remote position.

Responsibilities

Strategy Development & Leadership

  • Build strategic relationships with thought leaders, civic leaders, and practitioners to      shape Crankstart’s housing security and public-private partnerships work.
  • Develop and implement strategies aligned to key funding priorities.
  • Inform strategic adjustments in the context of an evolving local and state policy landscape.
  • Model a strong community and grantee-centered approach.
  • Implement participatory and inclusive design principles across strategy and projects.
  • Remain informed of current research and trends across housing security in the Bay Area.
  • Monitor progress and measure impact to continuously improve.
  • Attend site visits and external meetings in-person when necessary.

Grantee Partnerships & Investments

  • Build and maintain trusting relationships with senior leaders and key stakeholders.
  • Model trust-based philanthropy values and continuously improve the grantee experience.
  • Research and scope new funding opportunities that innovate beyond the status quo.
  • Partner with peer funders working to address the Bay Area’s housing crisis.
  • Work to strengthen the organizational capacity of grantees.
  • Monitor grant investments and maintain ongoing communication with grantees to both understand their evolving needs and collect input on how Crankstart can improve its work.
  • Prepare grant recommendations, context papers and strategy documents.

Public-Private Partnerships

  • Develop and manage the implementation of a horizontal stream of work focused on leveraging private/public/nonprofit collaboration to advance portfolio outcomes.
  • Identify funding opportunities and/or develop innovative public/private demonstration projects with other funders, the business community and local government toward a stronger and more just San Francisco/Bay Area.
  • Act a liaison between Crankstart and City Hall offices and departments by building authentic relationships and staying current on policies, processes and initiatives.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate has the following qualifications:

  • A minimum of eight years of work experience in the public sector, including four years      in a senior leadership role.
  • Experience working on housing security projects and or initiatives.
  • Strong knowledge of housing and homelessness research and interventions, as well as the local nonprofit landscape.
  • Experience working and leading public/private/nonprofit partnerships to improve population level outcomes for a city, county or state.
  • Substantive experience on key Bay Area and/or California policy issues and processes.
  • Track record of improving the outcomes of historically marginalized communities in the Bay Area.
  • Experience managing a team toward collective results.

Candidate Preference:

  • Possess lived experience with California’s racially and economically diverse communities.

The ideal candidate has the following skills and abilities:

  • Strong at crafting “big-picture” systems-change vision and carrying out complex, yet flexible, implementation strategies that meet community-based needs.
  • Ability to apply participatory or liberatory design principles across various efforts.
  • Natural curiosity and ability to envision possibilities that align with Crankstart’s priorities.
  • Proven ability to lead and influence others in a constructive manner using both formal and informal authority while building and sustaining collaborative relationships.
  • Ability to rapidly assess, prioritize, and deliver assistance across a diverse set of stakeholders.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a focus on being able to synthesize complex concepts, information, and recommendations succinctly and effectively for decision.
  • Ability to work across the political spectrum, and to respect diverse perspectives.
  • Ability to manage multi-faceted projects involving a range of staff and partners.
  • Possess authentic humility around learning and improvement.
  • Strong desire to work within a startup environment.

Work Environment

The SPO is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and a remote option is not available. The Crankstart team currently works from a co-working space in San Francisco on Mondays and offers use of a coworking space 5 days a week from 9am-7pm. Crankstart will eventually move into a permanent office location in San Francisco while continuing to have a hybrid work model.

Compensation and Benefits

Crankstart offers a competitive salary based on experience and a benefits package including medical, dental, a 15% 401k match, generous vacation and paid holidays, and a generous Employee Giving Alignment Program. The starting salary range is expected to be $170k to $220k depending on experience.

COVID-19

Crankstart requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except as required by law. Any employment offer will be contingent upon satisfactory proof that you are fully vaccinated from COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and/or as otherwise required by applicable law.

How To Apply

Application Process
Martha Montag Brown & Associates, LLC has been retained for this search. Interested and qualified candidates should apply by sending a cover letter, resume and salary requirements by email to Martha@marthamontagbrown.com. All correspondence will remain confidential.

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