Chief Program and Policy Officer

Full-Time Exempt 
New York, NY 

About the Wallace Foundation 

The Wallace Foundation is an independent, national private foundation based in New York City that traces its origins back more than half a century to DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace, founders of The Reader’s Digest Association. Their work is grounded in their mission to help all communities build a more vibrant and just future by fostering advances in the arts, education leadership, and youth development. The cultural values of the Foundation guide how they work together-they aspire to create an engaging and inclusive work environment based on mutual trust and respect and driven by equity, diversity, transparency, collaboration, and continuous learning.

The Opportunity
The Chief Program and Policy Officer (CPPO) provides executive leadership to strengthen the integration of the Foundation’s grantmaking and partnerships across program, research, and policy, with a focus on advancing economic mobility outcomes. This is a newly created role at a pivotal moment for the Foundation, as it enters a strategic planning process and deepens its focus on economic mobility. 

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the CPPO partners with the President and senior colleagues to translate the Foundation’s strategic direction into aligned, high impact grantmaking and initiatives across Arts, Youth Development, Education, and Research. The CPPO plays a central role in connecting efforts across focus areas, helping bring clarity to priorities, and supporting coordinated decision-making.

In this role, the CPPO helps ensure that the Foundation’s work is oriented toward meaningful results, informed by evidence and learning, and positioned to contribute to sustained progress in economic mobility. The CPPO also supports the Foundation in strengthening its approach to policy and partnerships to extend the reach and impact of its work.

The CPPO reports to the President. The Vice Presidents of Research, Arts, Education Leadership, and Youth Development report to the CPPO.

Responsibilities

Integration and alignment 

• Connect initiatives, grantmaking, and partnerships across Arts, Youth Development, Education, and Research to strengthen coherence and reinforce a shared focus on economic mobility outcomes.
• Ensure clarity of priorities across focus areas and support coordinated decision-making across the Foundation’s work.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen alignment, surface cross-cutting insights, and reduce silos across initiatives.

Strengthening Impact and Learning

• Support the development of initiatives and grantmaking designed to achieve meaningful, measurable impact.
• Partner with the Vice President of Research and Vice Presidents of Arts, Education Leadership and Youth Development to ensure that evidence, learning, and field insight inform decision-making and strengthen outcomes.
• Help ensure that knowledge generated through the Foundation’s work contributes to learning, informs partners and policymakers, supports continuous improvement and reinforces the Foundation’s credibility as an impact-driven funder.

Strategic Execution

• Partner with the President and Senior Leadership Team to operationalize the Foundation’s vision centered on advancing economic mobility.
• Support the translation of strategic direction into coherent approaches across focus areas, including clear pathways for initiatives, grantmaking, and learning.
• Help assess progress and ensure the Foundation’s work remains positioned to achieve results over time.

Policy and Partnerships

• Lead an intentional approach to policy engagement that extends the reach of the Foundation’s work.
• Partner with the President and senior colleagues to identify and advance strategic partnerships that serve as force multipliers for the Foundation’s program strategies and impact goals. 
• Help ensure that policy and partnership efforts are aligned with the Foundation’s priorities and grounded in credible evidence.

Governance, Resources, and Stewardship

• Partner with Finance, Legal, and Operations colleagues to support strong stewardship of resources, effective grantmaking practices, and sound risk management.
• Prepare and present Board materials and discussions related to the Foundation’s work, including strategy, learning, and impact.
• Represent the Foundation with credibility and integrity in external settings, including with peer funders, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

People Leadership and Culture

• Build, lead, and support high-performing teams, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment aligned with the Foundation’s values.
• Support the development of leaders and staff to translate strategy into action, navigate complexity, and contribute to shared goals.
• As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contribute to enterprise-wide leadership, culture-building, and organizational effectiveness.

• Lead with an equity lens, strong emotional intelligence, and a commitment to continuous learning and development across the organization.

   

Qualifications

• At least 15 years of senior leadership experience in philanthropy, nonprofit, government, or a related field, with responsibility for advancing complex, multi-year bodies of work at scale
• Demonstrated ability to connect and align work across multiple domains (e.g., program, research, policy), including experience leading integration across complex organizations or systems
• Deep understanding of economic mobility and the systems, pathways, and conditions that expand opportunity, including experience advancing work that improves long-term outcomes at scale
• Strong strategic thinking and judgment, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, surface tradeoffs, and support clear, well-informed decisions
• Demonstrated ability to define, assess, and improve performance, including experience using data, evidence, and field insight to strengthen outcomes over time
• Experience translating strategy into measurable results, with a focus on continuous improvement and field-level impact
• Experience advancing policy and partnership efforts that extend the reach and influence of organizational work and connect programmatic efforts to broader systems-level change
• Ability to work effectively across senior leaders, fostering alignment while enabling strong ownership and accountability across teams
• Sound judgment in aligning resources with priorities, with experience operating in complex organizations and understanding the financial and operational considerations that inform effective decision-making
• Proven people leader who develops high-performing teams, fosters collaboration, and builds accountability without eroding trust
• Experience engaging with Boards and senior stakeholders on strategy, learning, and impact
• Strong communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into clear direction and shared understanding
• Credible external presence, with the ability to represent the Foundation with partners, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers
• Demonstrated commitment to the Foundation’s mission and values, including leading with an equity lens and fostering inclusive collaboration

• High integrity, sound judgment, and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion

   

Compensation, Benefits, and Work Schedule

The current starting salary for this position is $493,200. We review compensation regularly using a market-based approach, with salaries informed by current market data, a New York City geographic premium, and a commitment to internal equity. 

Benefits include medical plan choice, a healthcare reimbursement account and a 403(b) retirement plan with a 15% employer contribution upon eligibility, and a stand-alone mental health benefit. The Foundation also recognizes volunteer hours through contributions to eligible nonprofit organizations.

The Foundation follows a hybrid work schedule, with in-person collaboration Tuesday through Thursday and flexibility to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays.

Contact

Interested parties should submit resumes and inquiries to HR@wallacefoundation.org. 

The Wallace Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to maintaining a diverse workplace where differing perspectives are a source of strength.