Director - Foundation and Field Development - Flexible Location

OVERVIEW 

At a time when communities are under increasing pressures from climate disruption to social fragmentation, a growing movement in Australia is offering an alternative.  

Community foundations are enduring structures through which communities can mobilise their own assets, invest in shared priorities and build their capacity to act together. While the model is well-established in north America and Europe, recently it has seen unprecedented growth in Australia due to a more enabling regulatory environment, alongside growing interest in community wealth building and community-led approaches to development and investment. 

Across Australia, new community foundations are emerging at pace, while established foundations are growing in ambition and impact. Together, they are establishing community philanthropy as an increasingly important part of our civic and social infrastructure – creating new ways for communities to come together, build trust and shape their shared futures.

This is a significant and exciting moment for the field – and for the organisation helping to catalyse its development. 

THE ORGANISATION 

Community Foundations Australia (CFAus) is the national organisation supporting the growth of community foundations and community philanthropy in Australia. 

CFAus is a field catalyst: an organisation that works across a growing movement to strengthen connections, unlock resources and opportunities, and build the collective capability of the field. 

Our work takes many forms: we connect practitioners and communities to learn and act together; mobilise resources towards emerging opportunities; build partnerships across philanthropy, government and other sectors; strengthen the capability of new and established community foundations; and create the conditions for greater collaboration, shared learning and collective action across the field. 

Rather than delivering frontline social change ourselves, we work to strengthen the movement around community philanthropy – helping communities, practitioners and partners achieve greater impact together and contribute to a just and bright future for all.

In all our work we take a relational approach, centring care, trust and respect because deep and strong relationships sustain change efforts over time.

WELLBEING & CULTURE 

How we work as a team reflects how we seek to work in the field. As a field catalyst, our work depends on trust, strong relationships, shared leadership and the ability to respond with agility to emerging opportunities. We foster a self-managing and relational culture in which leadership and responsibility are distributed across the team, people are trusted to exercise autonomy and initiative, and information, learning and feedback are shared openly. We care about doing meaningful work at a sustainable pace, prioritising wellbeing and supporting one another when circumstances change. We encourage curiosity, experimentation and continuous learning, and believe that creating the conditions for people to do their best work is a shared responsibility. 

Community Foundations Australia is an equal opportunity employer; we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. 

Some travel may be required to engage with the community philanthropy network across Australia and globally.

THE ROLE

The Director, Foundation and Field Development provides strategic leadership for Community Foundations Australia's work to strengthen community philanthropy across Australia. Working across community foundations, philanthropy, government and civil society, the role helps shape the enabling environment in which community-led philanthropic institutions can emerge, grow and thrive.

The role leads Community Foundations Australia's field and foundation development work, stewarding strategic partnerships, mobilising resources, strengthening collective capability and translating learning into action. Working alongside communities and partners, it supports the continued development of a strong, connected and confident community philanthropy field.

As a member of the Leadership Team, the Director contributes to organisational strategy, culture and operational capability, helping steward Community Foundations Australia through its next phase of growth as a field catalyst.

This is a permanent role (between 0.8-1.0 FTE) and is open to candidates from all locations across Australia. 

TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director, Foundation and Field Development has three core functions:

1. Foundation development
2. Field development
3. Organisational capability

Foundation development:

• Support the emergence and growth of community-led philanthropic institutions, working alongside emerging and established community foundations, Indigenous-led funds, identity-based funds, and other community-led philanthropic initiatives to strengthen governance, practice and long-term sustainability.
• Design and steward development pathways that help communities establish, strengthen and evolve their community philanthropy practice by connecting them with peers, knowledge, resources and opportunities from across the network.
• Mobilise resources – financial, relational and intellectual – to strengthen community foundations and enable collaborative initiatives that respond to community priorities.
• Design and steward learning opportunities, including cohorts, forums, and other collaborative learning experiences that build confidence, capability and leadership across community foundations.
• Foster developmental learning and continuous improvement by identifying emerging practice, surfacing insights from across the field, and translating learning into stronger approaches to community foundation development.

Field Development:

• Design and steward comprehensive strategies that identify the opportunities, partnerships and enabling conditions that strengthen community philanthropy across diverse regions.
• Cultivate trusted relationships across emerging and established community foundations, philanthropy, government, civil society and international networks, strengthening connection, building confidence and creating opportunities for collaboration, shared learning and collective action.
• Steward participatory learning and field sense-making, bringing together diverse experiences, emerging practice and insights from Australia and internationally to deepen collective understanding of the field, inform strategy and shape future action.
• Collaborate with the Director, Communities and Members to strengthen the field's collective capability by mobilising knowledge, relationships and resources around shared opportunities, enabling collaborative responses to emerging challenges and accelerating the development of community philanthropy.

Organisational Capability:

• Contribute to the strategic leadership of Community Foundations Australia as a member of the Leadership Team, helping strengthen the organisation's culture and capability.
• Lead key organisational functions that strengthen and support effective collaboration including:
  • Programs and events
  • Information technology and digital systems.
  • Internal administration and workplace operations.
  • Team onboarding, team support and professional development
  • Continuous improvement of systems and ways of working.
• Work collaboratively with the Director, Finance and Operations in leading the organisation’s operating environment.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum 5-7 years’ experience in a community foundation, community philanthropy or relevant experience in the not-for-profit sector.
• Demonstrated track record of working cross-culturally or with communities facing challenges of equity and justice.
• Centres relationships and trust-building.
• Proven track record in network building and relationship development.
• Strong understanding of community foundations and best practice.
• Budgeting and financial administration capacity, capable of running a substantial P&L.
• Proven experience leading the operating environment of a dynamic team.
• Strong interpersonal skills: relationship-building, listening, convening and mediating diverse perspectives.
• Strong written and verbal communication skill
• Ability to think strategically and collaborate by default.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about community development and philanthropy.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and a dynamic environment.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong organisational leadership skills.
• Self-starter that embraces a mix of independent leadership and working with others.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Reports to: Co-CEO Dylan Smith
• Collaborates with: Director, Finance & Operations; Director, Communities and Members.

For any questions regarding this position, please contact CFAus Co-CEO Dylan Smith via email at dylan@cfaustralia.org.au using the subject line: Director - Foundation and Field Development enquiry via EthicalJobs.