About SFF
The Spaht Family Foundation (SFF) is dedicated to fostering substantive, long-term impact in the areas of climate, mental health, and the arts. It offers multi-year, flexible funding backed by collaboration and mutual learning for visionary leaders with defined strategies.
Learn more about SFF at https://spahtfamilyfoundation.org/.
About the Special Initiative
The Special Initiative is a new organization designed to foster unique cross-disciplinary collaboration through a year-long fellowship program. Anchored by a physical site: a historic property undergoing a multi-year, large-scale renovation in Northern California, the Special Initiative will bring together world-class artists, scientists, thought leaders, and subject matter experts to create and support the distribution of work that addresses critical issues in the foundation’s subject areas.
Now more than ever, creative and cross-disciplinary approaches are needed. The Special Initiative is committed to convening the best minds worldwide and establishing a site as locus for this work. While developing its physical site, the Special Initiative is launching remote programs that allow the team to build a global network of partners, trial their collaboration model in the field, and establish itself as a leading voice in the ecosystem.
More details about the Special Initiative will be shared with finalist candidates.
The Opportunity
The inaugural Managing Director will lead a two-pronged mandate: building the programming and fellowship model while simultaneously overseeing site development and renovation of the organization's historic property. Reporting to SFF's Executive Director, they will put the foundational pieces in place for a developing organization.
The Managing Director will develop an operational plan to launch a pilot in close and continuous collaboration with the Foundation's Executive Director and founding Principals. In parallel, they will focus on the site, including a significant capital project involving owner’s representatives, a world-class architect, landscape design team, on-site construction, and property staff. They will own this, alongside the owner’s representative team, at a hands-on level, from budget and schedule to vendor relationships and daily operations.
The experimental nature of the fellowship program, paired with the rigor to measure impact and the resources to distribute breakthroughs, holds tremendous potential — with no existing road map to follow.
Key areas of responsibility include:
Programming and Partnerships
- Build and launch a public facing program that pilots the Special Initiative’s model and develops a transition plan leading up to the site opening.
- Collaborate with the Foundation Executive Director, advisors and founding Principals to further program goals, strategies and ensure tangible outcomes .
- Research and forge external partnerships for programming, both locally and nationally, and internationally.
- Liaise with program partners and evaluation participants to develop an impact framework.
Site Development and Renovation
- Support the site development and renovation of the historic property in collaboration with the founding Principals and Executive Director.
- Manage the team of site professionals including owner’s representatives, architects, landscape designers, property managers, etc.
- Keep timelines and schedules for this multi-year project.
Organizational Structure, Budget, Staffing, and Operations
- Build on drafted budgets and funding plans for programming and operations.
- Create operational protocols for the facility including staffing structure recommendations.
- Benchmark and build onsite program framework to include fellowship mentors, speakers, capacity building partners, local site visits, etc.
- Develop timelines and strategy for building towards onsite launch.
Communications
- Work with the communications agency to solidify the communication strategies for the Special Initiative’s evolving site development, program trajectory, and goals.
- Engage with external stakeholders including program participants, program and support partners, to share updates and evolutions to the project development as appropriate.
Candidate Profile
We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will share the following core competencies:
1. Impact-Driven Program Designer
The Managing Director will have a track record of building and launching impact-driven programs. They will be able to launch and run a pilot program remotely, before a physical site exists, and build early momentum with partners in the field while developing a clear plan to bring the program onsite. They will think rigorously about program design and will be comfortable benchmarking against a wide field of peer models. The Managing Director will bring intellectual curiosity to this new program, integrating ideas and subject-matter expertise into an impact-driven pilot. Experience with prizes, fellowships, artist residencies, nonprofit, or foundation programs is strongly preferred.
2. Site Development Steward
The Managing Director will bring strong project management skills and a natural ability to serve as a liaison between technical specialists and organizational leadership. They will translate fluently between design and operational partners and will understand the dynamics of running a capital project inside a new and evolving organization. Prior experience managing a capital project or working with an owner's representative team is not required, though experience with facilities, renovations, or historic properties is a plus. Maintaining primary residence and active presence in the San Francisco Bay Area is required, along with the ability to be onsite in San Mateo County on a regular basis.
3. A Builder with an Entrepreneurial Spirit
The Managing Director will be energized by building the Special Initiative, bringing a hunger for advancing new ways of thinking and working. This person will be equally at home shaping a program's direction and reviewing a renovation schedule and will be drawn to ambiguity. The Managing Director will have an entrepreneurial spirit, functioning as a self-starter with strong attention to detail and proactive follow-through. They will be comfortable rolling up their sleeves in a lean environment with limited staff capacity.
4. Collaborative Relationship Builder
The Managing Director will be a natural collaborator and will work comfortably within an organizational vision that has been newly created. The Managing Director will bring warmth, empathy, and strong interpersonal presence, combined with the tact, polish, and gravitas to operate comfortably among high-profile partners and founding Principals. They will build trust and relationships easily across broad constituencies and diverse functional roles, both internally and externally. The Managing Director will partner effectively with an engaged Executive Director and Principals who are deeply invested in the mission. They will have a track record of exercising sound judgment and discretion, and communicating with authenticity.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this role is $250,000 - $300,000.
SFF’s compensation philosophy reflects its commitment to attracting exceptional talent in the SF Bay Area. Final salary offers are determined by a candidate's depth of experience, skill set, and alignment with the role's strategic demands.
Benefits include:
- Health & Retirement: Health insurance and 401(k) retirement plan with an employer contribution/match.
- Vacation: Paid Time Off (PTO) policy, plus standard federal holidays.
- Flexible Work Environment: A hybrid work model balancing collaborative in-person days in San Francisco with the flexibility of remote workdays. Ability to be on site in San Mateo County regularly.
- Professional Growth: An annual dedicated professional development budget to attend philanthropic conferences, leadership workshops, or sector-specific training.
Contact
DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Alex Corvin. Submit a resume (do not submit a cover letter) by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential.