Director, Youth Initiative

OverviewDirector, Youth Initiative at Conrad N. Hilton Foundation — The Director leads an integrated portfolio to transform outcomes for young people facing homelessness, foster care, and barriers to education and employment. This role unites three formerly independent initiatives into a single, high-impact effort focused on opening doors, removing obstacles, and creating lasting opportunities for youth. The Director will lead a newly formed team across domestic geographies, delivering impact through grantmaking, advocacy, research, and partnerships.The Director develops and drives a clear strategic vision, articulates a bold five-year impact statement, and defines specific indicators to track progress. The impact statement and indicators serve as a roadmap for success, measurement, and accountability. The role champions continuous learning and ensures evidence and data inform decisions, with the strategy evolving to deliver greater impact over time. The Director oversees advocacy efforts and provides strong day-to-day management, aligning resources and building a high-performance, inclusive culture aligned with the Foundation’s values of integrity, humility, stewardship, compassion, and thinking big. This position reports to the Vice President of Strategy and Programs.The Foundation is a family philanthropic organization focused on reducing poverty and disadvantage globally, with a current emphasis on healthy early childhood development, youth and refugee support, housing access, water security, and other priorities. The Foundation values curiosity, collaboration, and a learning culture across the organization.ResponsibilitiesPortfolio Management and Strategic LeadershipProvide overall leadership for the Youth Initiative.Set clear priorities, goals, and outcomes aligned with the Foundation’s mission and Board directives.Determine optimal resource allocation across strategies and geographies, identifying opportunities for deeper investment, consolidation, co-investment, or expansion.Leverage data and feedback from grantees and program participants to inform strategy decisions.Oversee a balanced grantmaking portfolio prioritizing direct services and investments in systems change, advocacy, and research.Engage public systems (e.g., education, housing, child welfare) to promote coordinated, youth-centered policies and practices.Ensure programmatic and advocacy efforts are strategically integrated to maximize impact.Ensure the needs of young people facing homelessness, foster care, and barriers to education and employment are central to all programming.Team Leadership, Management, and Talent DevelopmentDirectly manage a team of program staff, including Senior Program Officers and Senior Advocacy Officers, with clear expectations and ongoing feedback.Design and adjust team structure to meet strategic needs and promote collaboration.Implement systems to monitor grant progress, surface learning, and identify risks or course corrections across the portfolio.Build a cohesive, inclusive team culture that encourages learning, shared leadership, and innovation.Ensure internal alignment and collaboration across initiatives and departments.Provide regular coaching and professional development opportunities.Thought Partnership, Communication, and Field LeadershipSupport joint learning opportunities and elevate insights to inform strategic evolution across municate progress, lessons learned, and strategy adaptations to key stakeholders, including the Executive Team and Board.Represent the Foundation in coalitions, working groups, and global and domestic forums.Identify emerging trends and elevate innovation and evidence into municate complex ideas clearly to staff, grantees, board members, and peer funders.Foster conversations that lead to collaborative investments and partnerships.Partner with organizations to promote youth agency and empowerment, especially for youth with lived experience in systems of ternal Collaboration and Organizational LearningWork across teams to identify synergies and coordinate multi-initiative strategies, especially where youth issues intersect with early childhood investments.Contribute to cross-initiative learning, portfolio reviews, and strategic planning.Collaborate with Communications and Grants Management to enable cross-departmental integration.Promote knowledge sharing and data transparency within the organization.Support an internal culture of curiosity, humility, and reflection, and encourage contributions to organization-wide strategy anizational Leadership and CultureServe as a senior leader within the Strategy and Programs department, shaping vision and direction with the VP of Strategy and Programs and fellow Directors.Model the Foundation’s values and foster trust, collaboration, and accountability across initiatives and the organization.Contribute to organizational planning, decision-making, and leadership forums.RequirementsGraduate degree in public health, social work, public policy, or related field — or equivalent combination of education and experience.15+ years of progressive leadership experience in philanthropy, public systems, or nonprofits, with significant focus on youth development, foster care, homelessness, or related sectors.Demonstrated success managing high-performing teams and holding staff accountable to clear goals and standards.Experience developing and implementing program or portfolio strategies, including inclusive processes with internal and external stakeholders.Experience with philanthropic grantmaking and/or strategy consulting.Experience managing or leading advocacy efforts, including supervising staff or partners engaged in policy influence or systems change.Strong communication skills with the ability to distill complex strategies into clear messages.Excellent relationship-building, critical thinking, and strategic planning skills.Deep commitment to fostering an inclusive culture and to the Foundation’s values of compassion, humility, and integrity.DesiredExperience in both direct service and policy/advocacy settings.Familiarity with youth systems, humanitarian contexts, and community voices in strategy and program design.Cross-cultural fluency and experience with diverse populations.Experience working across domestic and international contexts, particularly in youth employment or education systems.Reporting RelationshipsImmediate Supervisor: Vice President, Strategy and ProgramDirect Reports: Senior Program Officers, Senior Advocacy Officers, and Administrative AssistantCompetenciesDrives ResultsBuilds Effective TeamsCommunicates EffectivelyEnsures AccountabilityInstills TrustStrategic MindsetPhysical RequirementsHybrid work schedule; on-site at least three days per week.Occasional domestic and international travel.Prolonged sitting and computer work.Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds.SummaryInternational Hilton Foundation focuses on reducing poverty and disadvantage globally, with emphasis on early childhood development, youth and refugee support, housing access, water security, and other priorities. The Foundation awards the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize and operates with approximately $7 billion in assets. For more information, visit with your resume, a cover letter is required. Please send both to health and life insurance optionsFitness benefitsPaid holidays, time off, and parental leaveFlexible work schedules and technology benefitsFoundation-funded retirement savings planProfessional learning and development, and educational assistanceEmployee matching gifts to qualified non-profitsThe hiring range for this position is $242,000 to $303,000. The final base salary will be determined based on qualifications and experience. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-17