The target starting salary is $225,000. Final offers are commensurate with experience.
Overview
The Vice President of Strategy & Culture (VPSC) is a key leadership position responsible for overseeing the building-up of organizational culture and capability to advance the strategic plan, embed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the day-to-day fabric of the organization, and communicate the work of the organization effectively internally and externally. This position is one of four leaders comprising First 5 LA’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) reporting directly to the President & Chief Executive Officer and responsible for collaboratively developing strategic direction for the organization. The VPSC oversees the Center of Strategy & Culture which consists of the Communications (Internal & External) department and the following functions: Board Relations, Organizational Culture & DEI, Strategic Planning & Implementation, as well as outsourced Legal Services.
The VPSC will be responsible for strengthening our inclusive and collaborative results-based culture to advance First 5 LA’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, vision, mission, goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics. Working closely with the President & CEO, they will guide how the organization engages with the Board of Commissioners, adding a strategic lens to the curation of the annual calendar, meeting agendas, materials and follow-up. The VPSC will ensure that the organization builds and executes a consistent internal and external communications strategy and messaging that inspires our team and communities. They will curate our team culture building experiences and communications across staff and board members in ways that maximize and accelerate our organizational health and capacity for impact.
The VPSC will bring together the multiple team cultures across First 5 LA to build an organization-wide culture that 1. embraces our values – impact, equity, partnership, and integrity and 2. fosters growth, innovation, continuous improvement and focus on results. They will ensure that the organization amplifies its commitment to DEI through review and on-going stewardship of our priorities and commitments. The VPSC serves as the point person for strategic planning and implementation.
Key Responsibilities
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Leadership and Collaboration
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As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, provides thought-partnership and support to the President & CEO in the overall strategic leadership of the organization.
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Provides visionary leadership, guidance, support, and mentorship to the Center of Strategy & Culture (CSC), fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, rigor, and action.
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Coaches and develops diverse teams to results that focus on impact to family outcomes and advance the strategic plan.
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Leads the development of the CSC annual budget and monitors expenditures against budget to remain a fiscally responsible organization and maximizes the use of financial resources to support organizational goals.
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Models and leads strong Center, departmental and function collaboration with the other three Centers 1. Family Systems & Human Resources, 2. Operations & Sustainability, and 3. Community Engagement & Policy.
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Communications – External and Internal
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Working closely with the Director of Communications, manages the overall First 5 LA brand that reinforces First 5 LA as a county, state and national leader in systems change work to benefit children prenatal to 5 and their families.
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Provides counsel to the Board of Commissioners and President & CEO in the development of First 5 LA’s external communications strategy and oversees its implementation.
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Ensures that all communications e.g., public education campaigns, community outreach, owned and social media, events, media relations and collateral materials are effectively branded, messaging is consistent across channels and appropriate for various audiences - parents of young children, community-based organizations, community partners, elected officials/staff and the general public.
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Oversees robust internal communications across all platforms (email, newsletter, shared drives) in service of organizational culture and team building, DEI, results and success sharing to advance First 5 LA’s strategic plan.
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Ensures that internal and external communications are well prepared, coordinated, sequenced and consistent in messaging across all platforms.
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Organizational Culture and DEI
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Champions for an organization-wide culture that 1. embraces our adopted values of impact, equity, partnership, and integrity, and 2. fosters growth, innovation, continuous improvement and focus on results.
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Ensures that the organizational culture, and internal systems and processes consistently center the experiences and perspectives of team members with diverse identities, as well as the communities we exist to support, in all our actions and decisions.
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Ensures the development and execution of initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion across the internal operations of the organization.
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Partners with Human Resources to oversee organizational development programs, ensuring that professional growth opportunities are accessible and equitable for all employees and foster a diverse and inclusive work environment.
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Board Relations
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Working closely with the President & CEO, other SLT members and the Board Relations manager, ensures that the Board of Commissioners are strategically informed and engaged to effectively govern First 5 LA.
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With the Board Relations manager and SLT, leads the development of the board annual calendar, meeting agendas, and presentation calendar.
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Approves all content provided to Commissioners for board and committee meetings, assures that written materials and verbal presentations are strategically and internally aligned, robust and accurate, consistent in messaging, and well organized and effective, including identifying the strongest messengers for presentations, and involving external partners and voices when needed.
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Leads the review and debrief following Commissioner meetings with the President & CEO and SLT to continually improve the staffing of the board, and to develop appropriate response and follow-up to board member direction and feedback.
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Ensures consistent follow-through and responsiveness from all centers, departments and teams to requests from the board relations team.
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Ensures strong governance for First 5 LA by periodically leading the review of bylaws, governance guidelines, and practices to efficiently utilize the time and talent of board members.
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Working closely with the President & CEO and Board Relations manager, ensures all new board members are provided with an effective orientation and on-boarding support.
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Creates an internal structure to proactively develop opportunities for and facilitate board member involvement in First 5 LA strategic plan implementation initiatives and programs.
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Empowers board members with information, messaging points and opportunities to represent First 5 LA accurately and effectively with external audiences and stakeholders.
5. Strategic Planning and Implementation
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Ensures the translation of multi-year, high-level strategic goals into specific strategies, objectives and tactics that centers, departments and functions will implement in their day-to-day activities.
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Creates and manages a system to measure and evaluate progress (timelines, resources, and priorities) on execution of the strategic plan.
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Ensures that the organization reports on its performance against adopted goals, strategies, objectives and tactics.
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Leads the creation of future strategic plans in conjunction with all centers, departments and functions, develops internal project teams and solicits for external project consultants and facilitators, ensuring that all levels of employees have appropriate means to participate and to obtain regular updates related to the strategic planning process.
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Working closely with the Department of Impact & Accountability, leads communications and presentations for the board on the organization’s progress and accomplishments in achieving strategic goals.
6. Legal Services
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Ensures that First 5 LA receives responsive, timely and consistent legal advice and counsel from outsourced legal services provider(s).
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Serves as the lead point of contact for outsourced legal services provider(s) and has primary responsibility for managing contract(s), including cost containment and on-going evaluation.
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Approves all internal requests for accessing advice and counsel from legal services provider(s) and maintains centralized database of written advice for on-going use by all centers, departments and functions.
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Creates internal capacity in communication and training to advance the understanding of the written advice from legal services and leverage it for maximum organizational benefit.
7. Member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
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In collaboration with the other four SLT members, develops and implements comprehensive management strategies and plans that support the successful adoption of new initiatives, technologies, and organizational changes.
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As a member of the SLT, participates in all Leadership Team (LT) meetings with Directors, and assist with developing agendas and facilitating effective sessions across all Centers.
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Ensures that all Board presentations from the Center provide updates on strategy, communications, DEI, organizational culture and progress toward strategic goals are well aligned with the strategic plan and are focused on results.
Qualifications
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Education: A bachelor's degree in public administration, human resources, organizational development, or a related field is preferred. A master's or legal degree is a plus.
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Experience: Minimum of 15 years in a senior leadership role with a track record of leading and implementing successful strategy planning and implementation and internal communications. Demonstrated expertise in implementing culture-building and DEI strategies, promoting cultural competency, and fostering effective and strategic collaboration across organizations to build inclusive workplace practices. Track-record of effectively partnering and engaging with a board of directors to effectively govern an organization. Experience in managing external consultants and advisors. Proven experience in using data and metrics for evaluation, continuous improvement, and decision making. Experience in management consulting or strategic advisory services for non-profits is a plus.
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Collaboration and Relationship Building: Proven track record of collaboration with internal and external partners. Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across various departments and levels of the organization. Proven experience in creating a network of relationships within communities, government, and advocacy sectors in Los Angeles County and across the state.
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Leadership: High degree of integrity with proven ability to lead, inspire, mentor, and manage teams within a collaborative environment. Strong interpersonal skills with the capacity to build and nurture relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
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Strategic Thinking: Proven track record of strategic thinking, analyzing complex issues, and developing and implementing innovative solutions. Experience in shaping and executing strategic plans aligned with organizational goals. Proven ability to develop and execute strategic plans that drive positive outcomes and systemic change.
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Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated experience in advocacy, public speaking, and effectively communicating complex policy issues to diverse audiences. Exceptional presentation skills with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders, including Board of Commissioners.
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Commitment to Mission: Interest in public family serving systems, understanding early childhood development, coupled with experience advancing equity and improving outcomes for children and families.
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Analytical Skills: Demonstrated experience using and leveraging data and research to drive decision-making and to measure the impact of initiatives.
This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the job and the general nature and level of work performed. This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with this position. This job description is general and may evolve over time. The job description is subject to periodic updating. At management’s discretion, the employee may be assigned different and/or additional duties or responsibilities.