The Walton Family Foundation (WFF) is seeking a skilled, highly motivated and entrepreneurial individual to join the foundation as a Deputy Director – Environment. The position calls for a passion for environmental issues and a demonstrable ability to support a team to do its best work. We seek individuals with superior interpersonal and communication skills, a respectful but analytical approach to the work of grantees, and a proven ability to work and lead effectively as part of a team.
About the Walton Family Foundation
Sam and Helen Walton had an unshakeable belief in the power of people to transform their own lives. As Sam said, there is no limit to what individuals can accomplish if “given the opportunity, the encouragement and the incentive to do their best.” Today that “no limits” philosophy is carried forward by their descendants through the Walton Family Foundation.
Since 2000, the foundation’s grantmaking has grown from $50 million to an anticipated $450 million in 2017. With grantmaking projected to exceed $2 billion over the next five years, the foundation continues to move forward with increasing intensity, focus and commitment to sustaining the Waltons’ timeless entrepreneurial values and their deep dedication to making life better for individuals and communities alike. By working with grantees and collaborating with other philanthropic organizations, the foundation is focused on making a positive difference in three primary program areas of collective interest to the Walton Family:
• K-12 education
• Freshwater and marine conservation
• Quality of life initiatives in Arkansas and the Mississippi River Delta Region
In addition to these program areas, the foundation also supports grantmaking interests of individual and groups of Walton family members, as well as independent foundations created by family members. These individualized giving areas represent a high-growth area of the foundation.
Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, with offices in Washington, D.C., Jersey City, New Jersey and Denver, Colorado, a staff/consultant base of approximately 100 associates conducts the day-to-day operations of the foundation.
About the Environment Program
The Environment Program seeks to address pressing environmental issues with durable solutions to create a healthy relationship between people and the environment.
We:
• Work to change agricultural practices to protect water in Mississippi River;
• Work to improve water management to address drought and water overuse in the Colorado River;
• Work to improve fisheries management in the US, Mexico, Indonesia, Peru and Chile
The Role
The Deputy Director—Environment Program will lead operations, processes and planning for the Environment team at the Walton Family Foundation in service of our ambitious goals for meaningful environmental change.
Specific duties include the following:
• Manage, create and/or refine processes and procedures to optimize the experience of the Environment team, foundation peers and grantees.
• Manage staff and support their professional growth
• Work with the Environment Program Leadership Team to oversee day-to-day program operations, including grantmaking strategy implementation and budgets.
• Collaborate with other departments and programs across the foundation, including Legal Communications, and Strategy Learning and Evaluation, the Education program and the Home Region program (as necessary), , and the Personal Philanthropy Group, to ensure effective and strategic grantmaking processes that result in excellent team and grantee feedback and experience.
• Build and maintain relationships with current and potential grantees and cultivate relationships across the philanthropic sector.
• Represent the foundation at professional meetings and to the broader community.
• Represent the Program Director at internal and external meetings
• As needed, support coordination with the Environment Committee and individual Walton family members, whose work intersects with the Environment Program work.
• Develop learning and planning tools that provide appropriate consistency across team.
• Source and perform due diligence on proposals aligned with the Environment Program’s theory of change.
• Other projects and assignments as requested by the foundation’s board, Executive Director or Director of Environment Program.
Basic Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree required; relevant master’s degree or higher degree preferred.
• At least seven years of work in a professional environment, with significant experience in staff and process management.
• Knowledge of and interaction with WFF’s approach to philanthropy.
• Knowledge of and engagement with philanthropies, either as a donor, fundraiser or grant manager.
• Strong interpersonal skills and extensive experience with presentations to audiences of various sizes.
• Proven ability to help people develop and grow.
• Experience at building or desire to build positive organizational culture for diverse, inclusive and high-performing teams
• Excellent written skills and experience in producing both brief and longer written products in a timely fashion for internal and external audiences.
• Proven ability to effectively manage and optimize performance of team members.
• Strong verbal skills,with experience in making complex issues accessible to different communities and audiences
• Stellar organizational and time management skills
Personal attributes that support your success
• Self-directed, organized, flexible and decisive.
• Ability to give and receive feedback graciously.
• Demonstrated capacity to work with, and lead, a team, as well as demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Intellectual agility and the ability to analyze, think critically and understand emerging issues.
• Unquestionable ethics and personal integrity.
• Sense of humor and humility.
