Senior Manager | Learning & Impact

Position Description

 

 

POSITION:                Senior Manager | Learning & Impact (serving Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia footprint)

 

HOURS:                     Monday-Thursday, 9am-5pm; Friday, 9am-4pm. Occasional work possible outside standard work hours, with flex time encouraged.

 

LOCATION:             The position is based at CNE’s Abingdon, VA workspace at the Wellspring Foundation’s office, working with staff and stakeholders across Virginia.

 

SALARY:                     Full-time, salaried position with a range of $70,400 - $95,150 and a robust benefits package (see below).

 

 

The Senior Manager (SM) reports to the Director | Learning & Impact, and will be responsible for developing, managing, and thinking strategically about CNE’s array of learning & impact programs and services, and for ensuring inclusiveness and value for members and organizations within CNE’s community of practice. A relationship-builder, the SM will cultivate current and prospective members and organizations within CNE’s community of practice, as well as strategic relationships with community and funding partners, to provide high-quality customer service and technical support. The SM will align programs and services with themes that represent CNE’s mission, vision, and values, and will monitor, evaluate, and ensure that they evolve to meet the emerging needs of the sector. This is an exciting opportunity to build and grow CNE’s community of practice while stewarding programs and services for the social impact sector that build equitable, thriving, and just communities throughout Virginia.

 

The SM will serve the Wellspring Foundation’s footprint, including Washington, Grayson, Russell and Smyth counties.

Aligned with CNE’s membership model and/or strategic funding partner contracts and service footprints, specific duties of the role include:

 

Member and Community of Practice Relations (~40%)

• Curate and develop diverse, authentic, respectful, and trusting relationships, networks, and resources to support members/community of practice and advance the sector 
• Develop and implement a strategy to cultivate and steward prospective, new, and current members and/or community of practice nonprofits, conducting member/community of practice agency visits to advance strategic goals of fostering belonging and advancing an inclusive sector
• With Learning & Impact team, develop and implement strategies for retention of existing members/community of practice agencies and recruitment and cultivation of new members/community of practice agencies, including the creation of new, responsive member/community of practice benefits
• In partnership with the Learning & Impact team, strategize and execute CNE’s technical support service for members/community of practice nonprofits, and non-members, including providing relevant information and resources on request, providing short-term consulting and on-site education sessions on a range of sector topics, and soliciting input from staff and external experts within their areas of expertise as needed
• In partnership with the Learning & Impact team, regularly review, make strategic decisions about, and make plans to develop, curate, update CNE’s virtual resources
• Represent CNE in the community, including speaking publicly for the organization when needed, and facilitating member and sector meetings

 

Learning Programs (~40%)

• With Learning & Impact team plan, develop, implement, and evaluate learning programs, incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion ideas, concepts, and history 

• Identify, recruit, negotiate compensation, develop contractual agreements with, and retain trainers, presenters, and facilitators, providing excellent customer service 
• Use membership/ community of practice insights, trends, and social sector leading practices to inform program development and outreach
• Intentionally surface sector inequities and data disparities and connect diversity, equity, and inclusion to the work and mission of CNE

 

 

Impact and Communications (~20%)

• Implement communications strategy for members/community of practice and learning engagement within service regions
• Create and coordinate content to promote awareness about and participation in CNE programs and services, as well as momentum for and awareness of area nonprofits (for example: newsletters, member spotlights, social media, website)
• Develop and submit reports to Wellspring Foundation and program funders, and ensure that printed and digital material remain current and on brand
• In partnership with Learning & Impact team, develop evaluations and collect data to inform member/community of practice services and learning programs, disaggregating and analyzing data by race and ethnicity
• Use data to adapt, drive decision-making, and identify success metrics and opportunities to improve and evolve programs and services

 

 

The successful candidate will be innovative, creative, dependable, responsive, thorough, and quality-driven. The SM will provide high-quality customer service to exceed member expectations and ensure that members are receiving value for membership. The SM will approach membership as relational versus transactional, and create an environment where members feel they can trust and count on CNE.  The SM will have experience developing, implementing, and evaluating programs that are customer-driven and informed. The SM will be comfortable with and have demonstrated experience in training and public speaking, and bring a background in leadership development and/or consulting within the social impact sector.

 

Additionally, this individual will understand and value equity as an organizational operating principle and be committed to continued learning on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 

The SM will bring an eagerness to learn, and a willingness to take ownership of tasks both big and small. They will have exceptional verbal and written communication skills, as well as exceptional research and curation skills as related to resources and information shared with members. They will be a strong relationship builder who is comfortable with a wide range of different people.

 

A keen attention to detail, strong work ethic, and unwavering commitment to ethical behavior is required. They will bring passion, humility, integrity, humor, and a positive attitude.

 

The ideal candidate will bring an awareness and appreciation for how healthy nonprofits operate and will have proven nonprofit management knowledge and experience.  They will have experience managing budgets, be skilled at working both independently and with teams, and produce high-quality work in a timely fashion.

 

As outlined in the CNE Talent Development and Professional Growth Framework, a senior manager is a leading performer with the ability to manage projects and people, who pushes convention and drives change – see attachment A. 

 

Procedure for Candidacy

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All submissions received by Monday, November 18th, will be reviewed and continuing on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Candidates should complete our brief application form, including the names and contact information of three references. References will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval. All applications shall be confidential until finalists are named.

 

 

 

This is a full-time, salaried position with a salary range of $70,400 - $95,150. CNE offers a robust employee benefits package, including 100% of employee health insurance coverage paid, the opportunity to participate in a 403(b) plan with employer match, and 160 PTO hours available in the first year of employment plus 17 paid holidays. This role will include opportunities for professional development and growth.

 

CNE provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.  This applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, leaves of absence, compensation, and professional training.

 

CNE is committed to building a team that values diverse perspectives, inclusive policies, and equitable practices. Candidates of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities are encouraged to apply.

 

 

 

Culture

As a learning lab for the nonprofit sector, we believe in a culture rooted in continuous learning and improvement. We operate in a fast-paced and customer-centered environment where the work can have a profound impact on our sector and the lives of the individuals we serve. We value the individuality of our staff and strive to bring our full selves to the work, while maintaining humor and perspective. We center relationship building across the organization and save space and time for socializing with staff, board, and other stakeholders.

 

Vision

Equitable, thriving, and just communities powered by healthy nonprofits.

 

Mission

We are a champion, learning partner, and advisor for Virginia nonprofits.

 

Values

Courage

We do and say the things that strengthen the social impact sector, even when they are hard, and we stand with those who bravely build community.

 

Equity

We commit to equitable outcomes at CNE, in the sector, and in the community and will realize them through learning, sharing, skill-building, and action.

 

Collaboration

We partner across sectors and geographies to achieve more together for the communities we serve than we can on our own.

 

Excellence

We are adaptable and forward-thinking, we act with humility, and we strive for learning and growth, not perfection.

 

 

Equity Commitment

The Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) envisions a region where all community members have the opportunity to thrive – supported by a nonprofit sector that celebrates diversity, values inclusion, and centers equity across all aspects of our work. Making this vision a reality requires resilience and ongoing commitment within and beyond the nonprofit sector.

 

Together we must dismantle deeply rooted and pervasive policies and systems of exclusion and oppression, which promote and perpetuate inequitable outcomes for many members of our communities. We also must understand existing systems of power and rebuild them to foster equitable decision making, while restructuring the distribution of access and resources to ensure fair and just outcomes.

 

To learn more about our equity commitment and read our full statement, please visit https://www.thecne.org/about/equity-commitment/

 

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.thecne.org.

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Appendix A

Senior Manager | Learning & Impact

Key Competencies, CNE Talent Development Framework

 

Knowledge:

• Expertise in one or more areas of their role.
• Understands and makes well-reasoned decisions and tradeoffs within their area(s) of expertise.
• Demonstrates knowledge of sector trends and regularly seeks external expertise to accelerate their learning.
• Clarifies success metrics and ties efforts toward delivering mission value.
• An understanding of impact and success helps to focus their efforts, as well as those of their function/team.
• Deepening understanding of broader organizational context and goals.
• Seeks out and supports opportunities for engagement in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
• Intentionally surfaces internal and community inequities and data disparities and connects diversity, equity and inclusion to the work and mission of CNE.

Delivery/Execution:

• Persistent in the face of roadblocks; handling them efficiently, pulling in others as necessary.
• Requires minimal direction/oversight.
• Takes initiative to fix issues before being assigned them.
• Delivers sound solutions that are well-researched.
• Develops and implements strategies for their area of function(s).
• End-to-end responsibility on projects of increasing complexity within their area of function(s).
• Developing ability to work across teams to enhance success, by assessing, identifying, and incorporating needed knowledge, skills, and resources within and outside of CNE.
• Takes ownership of their own development.
• Proactively builds strong relationships by enhancing what works, handling issues, and anticipating needs; responsible for exceptional delivery of and improvements to customer service in their area of function(s), internally and externally.
• Applies a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens to inform discussion and decisions.
• Upholds racial equity outcomes, goals and performance measures with team and on projects.
• Incorporates diversity, equity and inclusion ideas, concepts, and history into project work and methodology.

Communication & Leadership:

• Always communicates decisions at the right time, to the right people, and in the right format.
• Shares and applies learnings and best practices.
• Communicates and partners effectively across functions; is able to work well with whatever function necessary.
• Proactively identifies areas of opportunity and concern for their own work and adjacent work; communicates these early to help course-correct.
• Regularly communicates goals and progress.
• Reflects on and communicates clearly and comfortably about what diversity, equity, and inclusion means at CNE and in the world, including communicating about identified inequities and required changes.
• Critically examines community data, social issues, and messages for biases and inequalities and their impact on oneself and others’ thinking, emotions, and behaviors; proposes alternatives to reduce and eliminate biases and inequities.
• Manages own power and decision-making with accountability, transparency, inclusion, humility, and awareness.