Stuart Foundation: Vice President, Finance and Administration

The Stuart Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to transforming life outcomes for young people through public education. For nearly four decades, the Foundation has cultivated the conditions for adolescents to thrive in California and Washington state.

Established as an independent family foundation in 1985, the Foundation has been committed to transforming systems to realize sustained change from its beginning. Young people thrive when they can bring their full selves into the world and are engaged and supported as learners and change makers. 

Three interconnected commitments guide our work: supporting adolescent thriving, advancing equity, and reaffirming the purpose of public education. We believe that well-resourced and inclusive public education systems underpin vibrant themselves,  communities, inclusive economies, and a functioning democracy. Public schools should be joyful places where young people are seen, safe, and supported as learners and leaders across all types of difference, including race, class, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, language, and ability.  The conditions of young people’s lives – immigration status, zip code, income, or system involvement – should not determine their trajectory or define how they experience school. To achieve this vision, we must transform our current system to equitably provide engaging and empowering learning opportunities and school environments that center belonging and respect. This kind of public education system is only realized with the shared leadership and authentic engagement of everyone in our education systems and communities, especially young people.

The Stuart Foundation engages with people, programs, systems, and ideas. We leverage our financial resources and social capital to advance a vibrant and just public education system in California that supports all young people to thrive. In addition to grantmaking, we engage in knowledge sharing, narrative change, and relationship building. The Foundation has an asset base of approximately $554 million and annual charitable expenditures of approximately $27 million.

The Stuart Foundation seeks a strategic, effective, and knowledgeable multidisciplinary leader as Vice President, Finance and Administration – reporting to the President, sitting on the Senior Leadership Team, and directly supervising three team members – to oversee and enhance finance, operations, and board relations in alignment with the Foundation’s mission, values, goals, and strategies.

The Vice President, Finance and Administration (VPFA) is responsible for aligning finance and administrative functions to program strategy and strengthening internal operations so that the Foundation has the internal infrastructure and culture in place to achieve its goals. The VPFA reports to the President and is equal parts strategist and operator, helping the programmatic vision come to life through sound internal systems and practices. Serving as a strategic thought partner to the President, the Board, and staff across the organization, the VPFA will be a key member of the Senior Leadership Team. The VPFA will provide leadership beyond the Foundation’s finances to include overall organizational operations, design, risk management, and effectiveness as well as board management, learning, and efficacy. The VPFA will proactively design internal operations that are aligned with and in support of the Foundation’s programmatic strategies, creating impact on the external work. This is an exciting opportunity to co-create a vision of success for running the organization that inspires the Board and staff and creates holistic, adaptive systems to support the organization’s mission and values.

Strategy and Leadership

• As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, the VPFA helps shape organizational strategy and policy.
• Develops and implements strategies to optimize the Foundation’s finances and operations in service of its mission and goal, including partnering closely with the Strategy, Partnership and Learning (SPL) team to ensure that financial and operational systems support programmatic goals.
• Serves as a creative financial thought partner to the SPL team on funding models for grantee partners, contract design, and more in support of programmatic strategies.
• Supports the President with managing the Board of Directors, including developing short- and long-term meeting objectives; quarterly docket planning; developing meeting content with input from the President and all departments; supporting meeting minutes; managing items that require follow-up; and continually revising and updating the Board communication plan, according to Board and organizational needs.
• Develops and maintains a Board Handbook and works with the President to ensure the board members are trained and up-to-date on their legal responsibilities.
• Serves as the point person to the Board on financial, investment, and operational matters, presenting at Board meetings; serving on the Investment, Finance, and Audit Committees; responding to related Board inquiries; and identifying and supporting related learning and development needs.

Organizational Effectiveness and Team Building

• In partnership with the President and Vice President, SPL, leads workforce planning and design, ensuring capacity is aligned with strategy and goals.
• Fosters a workplace culture that allows a talented and diverse group of employees to feel valued and engaged which includes supporting the design and execution of staff meetings and events that cultivate positive culture and other organizational activities aimed at enhancing a culture of trust, collaboration, and belonging.
• Oversees all-staff and Senior Leadership Team meetings, including agendas and facilitation.
• In close partnership with the Director of Operations and Technology, designs and implements internal organizational policies and procedures across finance, accounting, human resources, and operations ensuring they are equitable, inclusive, and aligned with the values and mission of the Foundation.
• Ensures there is communication and transparency across all departments on organizational decisions and processes.
• Works in partnership with outside HR consultants to design and oversee values-aligned processes and approaches to performance management, professional development, and employee relations.
• Supports the Director of Operations and Technology in development and execution of hiring, onboarding, and training practices to ensure they are thorough, welcoming, and inclusive.
• Leads annual compensation and performance review processes with support from HR consultants, as needed.

Finance and Investment Management

• Oversees the finance functions of the Foundation – inclusive of budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and investments – with strategy, integrity, and accountability.
• Directly supervises the Controller and a Senior Accountant who are responsible for day-today accounting and finance activities, including tax reporting and the annual financial audit process.
• Reviews and approves all internal financial reporting materials and routinely communicates short- and long-term financial information to the President and the Board, providing insight and recommendations on financial decisions.
• Oversees the budget development and monitoring process, in partnership with the President and the SPL team to ensure budgets and forecasts are aligned with the strategic programmatic goals.
• Oversees the investment assets of the Foundation, in partnership with/overseeing the external investment advisor, and is responsible for Investment Committee meetings.
• Ensures the investment portfolio supports the mission and trajectory of the Foundation, recognizing any potential investments that run counter to the Foundation’s programmatic strategies.
• Manages cash flow and forecasting, in partnership with external investment advisors, ensuring there is sufficient liquidity to meet the operational needs of the Foundation.

Office Management

• Directly supervises the Office Coordinator who is responsible for the day-to-day office management, facilities, and internal meeting support.
• Manages the current San Francisco office lease serving as the landlord’s main contact.
• Leads strategic deliberation, decision making, and implementation related to the future of the Foundation’s office space and work culture given the upcoming lease termination in October of 2026.

Legal-Risk Management

• Works cross-functionally with the SPL, grants management and operations, and finance teams to ensure the Foundation operates within all legal requirements and to best practice standards.
• Keeps abreast of laws and regulations relevant to private foundations to ensure regulatory compliance and timely filing of required reports.
• Serves as a resource to senior leadership for problem solving related to legal compliance on all operational activities and works with outside counsel to resolve more complex issues or questions that arise.
• Responsible for maintaining and updating organizational corporate documents and board adopted policies (Bylaws, Spending Authorization Policy, Conflicts of Interest Policy, etc).
• Ensures the Foundation is adequately insured to safeguard the investment assets of the Foundation, staff, and board members.

The Stuart Foundation provides a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit package. The annual salary range for Vice President, Finance and Administration is $260,000 to $312,000 with an anticipated starting salary of $290,000, commensurate with experience. Benefits offered include health, dental, and vision plans with full coverage for domestic partners and dependents; a 403(b) retirement savings plan (15% of salary contribution with no match required); tuition/student loan reimbursement; generous vacation and sick time; and more.

The Stuart Foundation is partnering with Walker & Associates Consulting – a BIPOC- and womanowned equity-centered strategic management consulting and search firm – to facilitate this search. To apply, email a cover letter, resume, and list of three references (references will not be contacted without your advance notice) to [email protected] by Friday, May 10, 2024 at 5:00 pm PT. Use the subject line: VPFA Application. Please submit PDF or Microsoft Word files only, preferably with all materials in one combined file. Resume review begins immediately.