Senior Program Officer

About the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation

Koya Partners | Diversified Search Group, the executive search firm focused on mission-driven search, is leading the search for a Senior Program Officer for Yellowstone Club Community Foundation. A brief summary of the opportunity is below, and the full Position Profile can be found on the Koya | DSG site: https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/21199-yellowstone-club-community-foundation-senior-program-officer/

The Yellowstone Club Community Foundation (“YCCF” or “The Foundation”), established in 2010, serves as the philanthropic arm of the Yellowstone Club, fostering connections between its members and local nonprofit organizations. YCCF’s mission is to cultivate philanthropy, volunteerism, and capacity-building for local organizations addressing the greatest needs in livability, health & wellness, environment, arts & culture, and education. The Foundation’s vision is to nurture thriving communities in the greater Big Sky region in Southwest Montana.

Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, just west of the famed Gallatin River, near the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, the Yellowstone Club is a private club spanning 15,200 rolling acres surrounded by 10,000-foot peaks, world-class skiing, and blue-ribbon trout streams. With over 900 members and their families, the Foundation has played a pivotal role in supporting local communities, investing over $31.5M since inception.

The Foundation currently invests approximately $4M-$5M annually in the surrounding communities through grants, scholarships, sponsorships, and programming. It also operates Big Sky Thrift, a community thrift store; The Social Impact Hub, a nonprofit co-working space in Big Sky; and Volunteer Big Sky, a website connecting volunteers to local nonprofit organizations. Located in the heart of the Big Sky community, the Foundation team balances their time raising critical funds from the membership and serving the nonprofit sector through their many programs and collective impact work.

At a pivotal moment of growth and change, the Foundation is currently building an endowment that will increase its community investment portfolio by 150% to ensure the growing resort community of Big Sky, MT, of which the Yellowstone Club is a part, evolves into a thriving year-round community. This long-term support will foster a livable place for individuals and families who work in Big Sky, promote the health and wellness of locals and visitors, and uphold stewardship of the natural environment.

To learn more, visit their website.

The Opportunity

The Senior Program Officer will report to the Vice President of Philanthropy and serve on the Foundation’s leadership team as a key contributor to expanding its impact throughout the greater Big Sky region through community investments, programs, and strong community relationships. The Vice President of Philanthropy leads the Foundation on behalf of YCCF’s Board of Directors and Yellowstone Club members.

The Senior Program Officer will be directly responsible for leading the community investment arm of the Foundation which includes the grantmaking program, Social Impact Hub programming, and any future program development that strengthens the vitality of YCCF’s community partners. This includes supervising all staff within these programs; designing and implementing efficient systems to collect, analyze, and report on the Foundation’s programs; and managing a grantmaking portfolio that includes all grantees in Big Sky, MT.

The Senior Program Officer will also forge and steward relationships with current and prospective nonprofit grantees throughout the Big Sky community to increase YCCF’s visibility and champion the region's most critical causes.

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of collective impact principles, strong project management skills, excellent communication and facilitation skills, leadership skills, and a track record of successful collaboration across diverse groups of stakeholders. They will also hold a love for the region and the people that live within the communities YCCF serves, spearheading the Foundation’s work in ways that bring together people, ideas, and charitable capital support that result in thriving communities.

Key responsibilities for the Senior Program Officer include, but are not limited to:

Program Design & Implementation (40%)

• Collaborate and work with other departments within the Foundation to ensure that activities are aligned with the mission and goals, and well-coordinated to meet shared objectives.
• Serve as a thought leader and expert on programmatic best practices, trends, and innovation.
• Lead and implement programmatic strategy for the grantmaking and Social Impact Hub programming; including evaluating workflows, defining the processes and tools required, and ensuring systems and technology support scale and growth across programmatic areas.
• Support the Vice President of Philanthropy in advancing innovative community leadership goals through stewarding collective impact funds, co-creating strategies for YCCF to respond to community needs, and developing partnerships to drive investment.
• Provide oversight and strategy for the Foundation’s grant programs including: oversight of annual spendable amounts, establishing funding priorities in line with Board intent, developing eligibility criteria, overseeing/leading grant review meetings and all content supporting these meetings.
• Manage the Big Sky grantee portfolio with annual site visits and regular communication providing technical assistance and consultation services to current and potential grantees in the areas of planning, program design, impact measurement, policy issues and the grant application process.

Leadership & Management (25%)

Staff Supervision

• Recruit, hire, and supervise program staff for the Foundation.
• Provide one-on-one coaching and support to Program Officers to guide programming work and daily operations.
• Identify opportunities for professional development of the Program team.
• Coordinate annual goal setting and strategic planning for Program staff, review their work plans, and provide recommendations.
• Facilitate an overall positive staff experience.

Foundation Communications

• Collaborate with Foundation staff on written and visual assets for YCCF communications including annual reports, press releases, newsletters, and website updates, as needed.
• Address requests from the nonprofit community for information and resources through thoughtful and clear communications.

Organizational Life

• Participate in the Foundation’s organizational life, including department management, team building, and events as required.
• Positively demonstrate the values and contribute to the culture of the Foundation.
• Demonstrate a commitment to community and the well-being of the greater Big Sky region.
• Interact professionally with other employees and external stakeholders across the Yellowstone Club.
• Work effectively as a team contributor on all assignments across the organization.
• Follow all company policies and procedures, as well as all local, state, and federal laws concerning employment.
• Contribute to a safe and productive environment.
• Uphold the highest ethical standards at all times.
• Other duties as assigned.

Community & Partner Engagement (20%)

• Foster a culture of collaboration and trust to maintain strong relationships with community partners, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, other funders, businesses, and other key stakeholders.
• Effectively engage with grantees, volunteers, and other stakeholders in program visioning, strategy, and impact to ensure that programs center their needs.
• Represent the organization at external events, conferences, in community networking, and with other funders to build partnerships to further the reach and impact of programs.
• Serve as liaison between the Foundation team and Big Sky community partners, ensuring everyone is up to date on recent happenings.
• Participate in cross-sector (nonprofit, government, business, grantmaking) collaboratives that advance the Foundation’s mission and goals and ensure the program team has widespread representation across the communities we serve.
• Leverage collaborative alliances to seek local, regional, and national grants to grow grantee programs sustainability.

Impact Assessment (15%)

• Assess and evaluate impact across program areas to ensure goals are met and learnings are shared in support of the growth and direction of the organization.
• Define and coordinate the team’s approach to collecting and evaluating grantee data.
• Advise the program team on the development and upkeep of databases and dashboards to track the outcomes of grants, programs, and initiatives.
• Create and disseminate programmatic updates, reports, and presentations on the outcomes and impacts of the Foundation’s investments and strategic impact.
• Participate in information sharing and education with community and peer foundations.
• Identify best practices and gaps within the Foundation’s focus areas to share with Vice President of Philanthropy and Board of Directors so they can make informed decisions on investment strategy.

Compensation, Benefits, & Location

This position requires individuals to live and work in Big Sky, MT. Housing may be secured by the employer if desired. This position allows for 20% work from home and 10 days of remote work annually.

The annual salary for this role ranges from $125k to $175k, with generous benefit package. In addition to medical/dental/vision/disability insurance, benefits include:

• Seasonal bonuses
• HSA/FSA
• Ski pass and YC Employee Outing Days (Ski/Hike/Bike Days) at the Yellowstone Club
• PTO (10 days vacation/year for first 5 years of employment) & holidays
• 401k (Bi-weekly match of $.50 on every $1, up to 6%)
• Budgeted Professional Development