President

President

Promise Venture Studio

 

Promise supports innovators and accelerates social innovations in early childhood development to realize an abundant and just future for America's children and families. We envision a world where all children, no matter their background, can fulfill their innate promise.

 

About the Organization

 

Who We Are

 

Promise is an early childhood-focused nonprofit organization driving towards a vision of an abundant and just world where all children can fulfill their innate promise. To work toward that vision, we advance change through two mutually-reinforcing strategies: 1) activate and strengthen the early childhood ecosystem by aligning funders, policy leaders, and practitioners around a shared vision and collective action, and 2) nurture and grow the impact of proximate leaders and their social ventures by increasing resources, connections, and sustainability.

 

What We Do

 

Our strategies come to life through Promise's three programmatic buckets:

 

• Ecosystem: Ignites a cross-sector movement — uniting champions, capital, and collective will behind bold visions and narratives for America's youngest children and families

• Changemaker Communities: Drive the sustainability, social capital, and power of proximate changemakers across the early childhood field and in their communities

• The Promise Fund: Identifies, resources, and scales proximate-led social innovations that prove the future young children and families deserve is within reach

 

Our Impact

 

To date, we've supported more than 760 early childhood ventures nationwide through coaching, connections to capital, and community. We've catalyzed over $25M to social ventures, and among our most deeply supported organizations, 91% grew their impact, 80% increased budgets, and 72% expanded their teams. Through the Early Childhood Leaders of Color Collaborative, 500+ leaders across 40+ states are building collective power to reach millions of children – proof that when BIPOC leaders come together, they don't just survive, they thrive.

 

About the Role

 

What You'll Do

 

The inaugural President will partner with the CEO to lead the Executive Team, and to turn Promise's strategy and Theory of Change into coordinated, measurable action. This is a pivotal leadership position for a seasoned executive with extensive program experience in the early childhood sector who will guide strategy implementation, serve as the primary synthesizer of information across all domains of the organization, ensure cross-domain alignment and effectiveness, and grow and develop our extraordinary team.

The President will work closely with the CEO to drive organization-wide strategy implementation and execution, ensure Promise's Theory of Change is translated into coherent goals and measurable outcomes, and coach the Executive Team to operate as a unified body focused on Promise's collective success. This role is responsible for org-wide alignment and synergy, and serves as the facilitator of high-impact senior leadership decisions.

 

This role is designed for a leader who brings values-driven leadership and excels at turning strategy into action, fostering strong Executive Team collaboration and growth, leading change effectively, and thinking at a systems level. It is an opportunity to architect the organizational structures and leadership rhythms that will enable Promise to achieve transformative impact in the early childhood field.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Organizational Leadership

 

• Partner with the CEO and Executive Team to lead organization-wide strategy implementation, ensuring Promise's Theory of Change is translated into coherent goals, priorities, and measurable outcomes

• Partner with the CEO and Executive Team to guide annual planning, resource allocation, and organizational learning cycles

• Serve as a trusted voice on field trends, opportunities, and strategic implications, modeling the balance of strategic foresight and pragmatic action

• Partner with the CEO to design and lead Board preparation and partnership/activation: setting agendas and ensuring high-quality materials and presentations

• Identify and reinforce points of integration across mission delivery and support, ensuring decisions and resources align to Promise's overarching strategy

• Act as a change agent and change manager, helping set the direction and scope of key cross-functional projects

 

Executive Team Leadership

 

• Lead and coach Promise's Executive Team, ensuring each C-level leader executes their domain strategy and contributes to collective organizational leadership

• Serve as the facilitator and designer of Executive Team charter, maintaining effective rhythms and processes for decision-making, prioritization, and communication

• Manage and balance perspectives and priorities across the Promise's diverse internal and external stakeholders to maximize impact in line with our mission and theory of change

• Serve as the integrator and tie-breaker for cross-domain decisions, prioritizing organizational success over individual domain perspectives

• Structure processes to maximize the CEO's impact, serving as the primary point of synthesis and decision preparation before CEO engagement

• Foster a "first-team" mindset, strengthening the team's capacity for shared learning, reflection, and productive tension resolution

• Provide high-level context and integrative perspective to help leaders connect dots across the organization

 

Organizational Performance

• Oversee systems and structures that ensure operational excellence, accountability, and coordinated progress across teams

• Ensure financial sustainability by overseeing the integration of budget, expense, and revenue planning into a comprehensive financial strategy

• In partnership with the CPO, CDO, and COO, develop and monitor organizational and programmatic performance measures that drive continuous improvement

• Maintain organizational rhythms, tools, and dashboards that enhance clarity, coordination, and accountability across domains

• Demonstrates a willingness to experiment and a growth mindset in exploring and applying AI to support and advance Promise's mission and strategic priorities

 

Ecosystem Engagement

 

• Anticipate shifts in the early childhood ecosystem and guide adaptive decisions that keep Promise focused and forward-looking in strategy and execution

• Identify opportunities for collaboration, visibility, and influence that strengthen Promise's impact

• Represent Promise in strategic field partnerships when alignment with organizational priorities requires it

• Translate external relationships and opportunities into clear organizational actions to drive impact, deciding when, how, and who should engage

• Proactively translate insights from CEO external engagements into internal priorities, ensuring timely organizational learning and strategic adjustments

 

First Six Months Priorities

 

• Partner with the CEO to define and communicate the President-CEO working model, setting relationship goals, clarifying boundaries, shared responsibilities, and communication protocols

• Build trust with each direct report through 1:1s and co-design individualized development plans pairing growth goals with performance expectations

• Facilitate revision of Executive Team charter, operating agreements, and a decision-making framework to increase clarity and reduce bottlenecks

• Play a key role in quarterly reviews of the 2026 strategic plan and in shaping priorities and planning for 2027

• Partner with Chiefs to ensure shared understanding of domain-level priorities, plans, budgets, and progress, including clear visibility into performance metrics

• Surface and clarify points of interdependence across Programs, Development, and Operations, facilitating alignment conversations to resolve overlaps and define ownership

 

Who You'll Work With

 

• You will report to the Chief Executive Officer.

• You will supervise the Executive Team (Chief Program Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and beginning in 2027, the Chief Development Officer).

• You will be a part of the Executive Office (which includes the Manager of the Executive Office and the Manager of Executive Initiatives).

• You will frequently collaborate with leaders and staff across all domains of the organization.

 

Required Skills and Experience

 

• 15 years of progressive leadership experience in the early childhood or social impact sector, with a minimum 5 years of experience in a senior executive role leading complex, multi-functional organizations

• Deep familiarity with the early childhood and/or social impact field, including networks, trends, and emerging opportunities

• Commitment to values-centered leadership in alignment with Promise's mission, values, and JEDI commitments

• Demonstrated success translating strategic plans into operational frameworks and measurable outcomes, with proven ability to lead and coach senior leaders

• Exceptional communication skills and leadership acumen, with ability to facilitate executive-level collaboration and decision-making

• Exceptional team leader and culture builder who fosters trust and accountability

• Strong change management skills with proven success leading through ambiguity, complexity, and organizational transformation

• Strong judgment and strategic foresight, with ability to make timely, values-aligned decisions, anticipate field trends, and represent the organization externally

• Experience preparing and engaging with nonprofit Boards or similar governance bodies

• Demonstrated experience leading organizational performance, planning, and operations functions, with strong systems-thinking skills and ability to integrate cross-functional data

• Exceptionally skilled at building high-trust relationships, comfortable with ambiguity and tough decisions, and experienced managing up while holding authority with peers

 

Additional Details

 

Compensation

 

The salary range for this role is $211-$268K.

 

Location

 

Our work is national in scope, and our team is virtual. The location for this role is flexible, though the President should possess the willingness and availability to travel approximately 15-20% of the time for team retreats, national conferences, and other critical in-person meetings.

 

Benefits

 

• Medical, Vision, & Dental Insurance Plans

• Mental Health & Wellness and Employee Assistance Program

• Up to 12 weeks of Family and Medical Leave

• Up to 24 weeks of Parental Leave

• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match up to 6%

• Health Reimbursement and Flexible Spending Accounts

• Unlimited paid time off and unlimited sick time

• Work office equipment stipend

 

Equal Opportunity Employment

 

Promise Venture Studio is an equal opportunity employer. We value and welcome diversity in the workplace and strongly encourage all qualified persons to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

 

On-Ramps is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe social change happens when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with a common purpose. We're partnering with Promise Venture Studio to build a diverse team that reflects the communities it serves. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact info@on-ramps.com.