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About Scherman Foundation
The Scherman Foundation’s mission is to invest in the economic, political, and cultural transformation necessary for Black, Indigenous and People of Color to reclaim and build power. The most recent chapter of our 85-year history has pushed the Foundation to strengthen our dedication to advancing racial justice, emphasizing the importance of organizing, power shifting, and movement-building in BIPOC communities.
We envision a vibrant society that actively cultivates collective liberation, ensuring all historically oppressed communities have the necessary resources, autonomy, and full capacities to thrive. Our framework for change aligns our commitment to cultural transformation, political transformation, and economic transformation around a racial justice approach to arts and culture, democracy, environmental and climate justice, reproductive justice, and strengthening New York communities.
In 2025, our Board of Directors voted to increase our annual payout to 10%, resulting in an additional $10 million in grants over the last two years to invest in the strength and sustainability of organizations on the frontlines of change and in long-term organizing, movement-building infrastructure, and culture and narrative change strategies.
In addition, we have recently undergone an executive leadership transition, resulting in our new President & CEO, George Suttles, who stepped into the role in September 2026. George leads our dedicated and collaborative four-person staff that bring a range of experiences to their work at the Foundation.
With over 85 years of history, the Scherman Foundation looks to the future to uphold our values of authenticity, collaboration, humility, learning, responsiveness, and transparency.
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About the Opportunity
The Scherman Foundation is leaning into this chapter of change and transition by launching the search for a Director of Strategy and Programs.
This leader will be charged with ensuring deep responsiveness to the field and applying an ecosystem level analysis to identify opportunities that can strengthen the Foundation’s grantmaking and support of the sector. Moving from strategy, the Director of Strategy and Programs will lead the Foundation’s Strategy and Programs team and functions to thoughtful implementation.
All of this work will take place in deep partnership with the Foundation President and CEO, in accountability to the field, and lifting the Scherman Foundation voice as a thought leader within philanthropy. This iteration of the Director position is a new version of the role and creates significant opportunities for leadership both inside and outside of the Foundation.
The Director of Strategy and Programs will oversee the Strategy and Programs Team, which currently consists of a Program Officer, a Grants Manager, and two consultants supporting grantmaking in specific issue areas. We look forward to additional growth in coming months to expand the capacity of our Strategy and Programs team. The Director of Strategy and Programs will report directly to the President & CEO.
Key Responsibilities
These key responsibilities will be expected for the Director of Strategy and Programs to effectively fulfill the needs of their role.
Strategy, Learning, and Program Direction
- Serve as a senior strategic thought partner to the President & CEO, translating field insights, organizational priorities, and emerging opportunities into clear strategies and actionable plans
- Lead the evolution of the Foundation’s program strategy, drawing on grantee and field perspectives to identify patterns, cross-cutting needs, and opportunities to deepen impact across movements and program areas
- Build in regular reflection, learning, and evaluation to assess what is working, what should evolve, and how to balance immediate responsiveness with long-term strategy
Grantmaking and Movement Partnership
- Provide strategic leadership for grantmaking, ensuring that funding practices reflect the Foundation’s commitments to racial justice, movement-building, power-building, and philanthropy that sees grantees as trusted partners and experts
- Steward an approach to evaluation that looks across grantmaking areas and centers grantee voices
- Hold a portion of the grants portfolio, maintaining deep, trusted relationships with grantees and field leaders
- Ensure grantmaking remains equitable, responsive, and grounded in the experiences of organizations closest to the work while incorporating appropriate input from staff, the President & CEO, and Board
Organizational and Program Design
- Serve as an architect of the Foundation’s next phase, helping design the team, systems, structures, and processes needed to implement its evolving program strategy
- Assess and strengthen program guidelines, workflows, decision-making structures, and grants management systems, simplifying where possible and reducing unnecessary burden on grantees and staff
- Partner with the President & CEO and operations colleagues to clarify roles, accountability, staffing needs, and the future structure of the program team
Team Leadership and Management
- Lead, develop, and support a small, evolving Strategy and Programs team, fostering strong performance, collaboration, learning, and accountability
- Assess staffing needs and lead the hiring and onboarding of additional program staff, while creating opportunities for subject-matter expertise and cross-portfolio learning
- Establish clear priorities and workplans while cultivating a culture of trust, transparency, shared responsibility, and adaptability during a period of organizational transition and growth
Partnership with the President and Board
- Build a close, productive partnership with the President & CEO, providing strategic counsel, constructive challenge, prioritization, and accountability
- Help translate ambitious ideas into sequenced strategies, clarifying tradeoffs, resource needs, and implementation pathways
- Communicate strategy and learning effectively to the board while helping strengthen clarity, trust, and appropriate boundaries among staff, executive leadership, and governance
External Leadership and Field Engagement
- Represent the Foundation across philanthropic, nonprofit, and movement spaces, building strong relationships throughout the New York, regional, and national social justice ecosystems
- Participate in funder collaboratives, networks, and convenings that deepen the Foundation’s learning and help identify emerging trends and opportunities
- Serve as a credible external voice for the Foundation, communicating its evolving strategy and contributing to broader conversations about equitable, responsive, and movement-aligned philanthropy
Core Competencies
Among the range of professional profiles that may be aligned with this role, we are seeking candidates with experience in philanthropy (or philanthropy-adjacent organizations) that is strengthened by previous work in nonprofit organizations, such as national or local movement or frontline organizations, multiracial coalition-building, community development, public policy or think tanks, and/or strategic consulting for nonprofit organizations. The common thread across top candidates will be the demonstrated ability to identify patterns of needs across complex systems in BIPOC communities and translating strategy into action.
Meaningful and current experience and networks in the New York City and State communities that align with our grantees will be critical, although deep expertise in every Scherman program area is not expected. Rather, the ability to learn quickly, see connections across issues, and lead alongside subject-matter experts is more important.
We know that no candidate will bring all of the characteristics below, but we will prioritize candidates that are the most aligned with the experiences and skills listed here.
Strategy, Learning, and Program Direction
- Experience driving grantmaking strategy in a philanthropic institution (ex. private or public foundation, philanthropic intermediary, or funding collaborative) or adjacent to a philanthropic institution (ex. philanthropic infrastructure organization or serving as a high-level consultant for grantmaking functions within a strategic consulting role)
- Substantial track record of progressively responsible leadership experience in developing and implementing strategic programs that reach across multiple issue areas and that are accountable to BIPOC communities, ideally having worked in social justice, power-building, organizing, advocacy, or systems change organizations
Grantmaking and Movement Partnership
- Evidence of deep knowledge in philanthropy and evaluation that centers community expertise and demonstrated impact working through grantmaking to support strategies for BIPOC communities
- Relationship-building orientation that values listening, learning, lived experience, and humility
- Experience with program, mission, and impact investing a plus, but not required
Organizational and Program Design
- Deep professional experience identifying complex challenges for a program area or a full organization and developing solutions that center community
- Demonstrated understanding of the nature in which grantmaking processes interact with the needs of frontline organizations
Team Leadership and Management
- Has successfully overseen a team with at least two direct reports, demonstrating supportive leadership with coaching and mentorship, particularly through complex change
- History of hiring, onboarding, developing, and retaining subject-matter experts by setting clear expectations, leveraging open communication, and building team alignment.
Partnership with the President and Board
- Success in co-designing a process, strategy, or idea and moving it from theory to practice
- Strength in developing relationships with executive leaders and board members for open feedback, prioritizing, and building buy-in
External Leadership and Field Engagement
- External credibility and influence in the New York social justice ecosystem with confidence and track record of impact through storytelling and relationship-building
- Depth and breadth of previous roles that have required public speaking, writing, and/or engagement in settings such as conferences, funder convenings, coalitions, and/or community events
Location
The Scherman Foundation is based in New York City and the Director of Strategy and Programs is expected to be primarily located in the New York City area. Staff work from the Midtown Manhattan office on Tuesdays and Thursdays and work remotely on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range is expected to fall between $180,000 and $200,000, commensurate with experience. A generous benefits package is offered, which includes: health coverage that covers 100% of premiums, retirement plan with 15% employer contribution, flexible benefits, and four weeks of vacation.
Equal Opportunity
The Scherman Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law.
How to Apply
Please submit your application by submitting a resume on the Do Good Connections website and selecting the Apply for This Job button. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. Priority will be given to applications received by December 7, 2026.
The selection process is expected to include:
- Resume review by the Do Good Connections team (with at least two sets of human review, no use of an AI screener)
- Two screening interviews with the Do Good Connections team
- Review of written materials that will be requested of leading applicants
- Two to three rounds of interviews with the President & CEO of Scherman Foundation
- Interviews may include a candidate exercise and/or presentation, for which candidates will be compensated
- Engagement with Scherman Foundation staff (in a structure and design that is to be determined)
- Reference checks
About Do Good Connections
Do Good Connections is a boutique executive search and talent advisory firm that helps social justice organizations strengthen their leadership and governance through equity-centered, values-driven recruitment. Do Good Connections partners with nonprofits and philanthropic institutions to design inclusive search processes and build boards that reflect the communities they serve.