Portfolio Manager, Inspired Minds

About Overdeck Family Foundation

Overdeck Family Foundation (“the Foundation”) was founded in 2011 by John and Laura Overdeck with the goal of providing all children the opportunity to unlock their potential. The Foundation focuses exclusively on enhancing education, funding efforts both inside and outside of school in the areas of early childhood, informal STEM education, and K-9 programs that include supporting educators and student-centered learning environments. Our grantmaking and strategic support focus on unlocking innovation, evidence, and growth opportunities for organizations and researchers that are committed to accelerating key academic and socioemotional outcomes for all children. The Foundation funds both direct impact organizations and ecosystem efforts that clear the path to scale for our grantees and the work that they do. 

The Portfolio Manager, Inspired Minds Position

The Foundation is seeking a full-time Portfolio Manager to lead the Foundation’s Inspired Minds portfolio, which seeks to build the next generation of creative problem-solvers by expanding access to engaging and challenging STEM learning experiences that deepen family engagement, build STEM mindsets, and inspire students with joyful and rigorous learning. 

Reporting to the Associate Program Director, and managing an Associate, the Portfolio Manager will work collaboratively to refine investment strategy, build and nurture relationships across the out-of-school STEM ecosystem, and support early stage and growth stage ventures, aiming to cost effectively and sustainably scale programs that improve academic and socioemotional outcomes for kids. Given the nature of this work, the Portfolio Manager should expect 10-20 percent of this role to include travel for grantee site visits, conferences, and funder meetings. 

Visit www.overdeck.org for more information. To learn more about our Inspired Minds portfolio, visit the websites of some of our partner organizations: EiE, Learn Fresh, Camp/Club Invention, FIRST, Almost Fun, and Afterschool Alliance. 

What You’ll Help Us Do: 

• Design, monitor, and evolve a portfolio strategy: 
  • Lead the development of a coherent portfolio strategy, which evolves from setting ambitious portfolio goals that are grounded in the analysis of evolving market opportunities, trends, and gaps in the education and philanthropic landscapes
  • Define a clear and differentiated position for Overdeck Family Foundation within the portfolio strategy issue area that is grounded in evidence, research, and efficiency of investment
  • Measure, evaluate, and capture lessons from investments to inform strategy iteration and to build strong pattern recognition for how to best provide strategic support to portfolio investments to achieve stated goals
• Propose investments in early and growth stage nonprofit organizations: 
  • Identify organizations aligned to the portfolio strategy and conduct rigorous diligence on prospective investments that are grounded in the foundation’s investment criteria
  • Form a hypothesis and narrative for each investment to create actionable, written grant recommendations and present these to the Board of Trustees
  • Build a balanced portfolio of investments grounded in the potential of each organization to spur innovation, build evidence, and grow to deliver impact while also ensuring that the overall portfolio realizes ecosystem-level impact with minimized risk
• Provide strategic support to grantees: 
  • Serve as a strategic advisor to grantees by developing a strong and trusting partnership—inclusive of providing support, coaching and/or taking on board roles when appropriate—to help grantees understand their organizational needs and achieve their vision for impact
  • As a credible and valuable partner to grantee organizations, manage and prioritize allocation of strategic supports in service of grantee and portfolio goals, grounded in an understanding of the holistic needs of individual grantees and the portfolio, including direct supports, third-party supports, and portfolio-wide learning experiences 
• Influence the field: 
  • Build momentum for positive change related to the portfolio strategy by proactively developing relationships with influential stakeholders
  • Develop and maintain an extensive and diverse network of partnerships across nonprofit, philanthropic, public, and private sectors to advance the mission and goals of the portfolio grantees
  • Partner effectively with peer funders to build awareness of the Foundation’s strategy, identify ways to support each other, and elevate promising grantees to attract additional funding
  • Build awareness of the portfolio strategy and learnings while elevating and amplifying high-performing grantees through strategic public engagement and thought leadership, including speaking at conferences, hosting and participating in key meetings, and engaging in thought leadership writing 
• Manage and coach Associate: 
  • As a strong manager and mentor, build a relationship with existing Associate while honoring the tenure, knowledge, and expertise they bring to our work
  • Support Associate to identify a pipeline of prospective investment opportunities and conduct due diligence of those opportunities against Foundation investment criteria
  • Collaborate with Associate to create their professional development plan; regularly revisit progress on growth by taking an active and supportive coaching role to ensure Associate has a clear path to recognize and expand their strengths, while also addressing opportunities to improve
  • Support Associate to navigate obstacles using effective problem solving, as well as discussing and identifying connections, networks and/or opportunities to advance portfolio or grantee goals
  • Engage in joint decision making around grantmaking, including measurement, reporting, and monitoring targets

Who You Are:

An outcomes-oriented strategist who is able to synthesize information to arrive at an evidence-based approach to making investments and supporting grantees. You have experience with early stage and growth stage organizations and understand the challenges they face as they clarify and scale their models. You can build deep relationships across grantees, understand their challenges, observe patterns of need, and build and nurture meaningful and efficient supports to help them succeed. You are analytically natured, curious, and learning oriented. You leverage data and evidence to drive strategic decisions around investments and portfolio support in service of goals. You are comfortable with ambiguity—confidently exploring your hypotheses while remaining flexible and viewing learning from failure as a path to success. 

An authentic and empathetic leader who builds deep and candid relationships with ease. You possess a strong presence and gravitas and can clearly communicate a message tailored to your audience. You build trusting relationships internally and externally because you are authentically you and you value candor and kindness in your interactions. You operate with a high level of self-awareness, humility, and emotional intelligence and you value the same in your colleagues. You engage in conflict confidently and with kindness and navigate tensions by seeking understanding and valuing multiple perspectives.

Someone who understands the out-of-school time and STEM education sectors. You understand and have developed relationships within the relevant ecosystems and can serve as a credible advisor to organizations. You are familiar with current trends, emerging issues, policy interventions, and innovations focused on joyful and rigorous learning opportunities beyond school hours. You understand product market fit, business/revenue models, and scale and distribution channels specific to work outside and adjacent to the K-12 school system. You are able to evaluate an education intervention to understand if it is cost-effective, scalable, impactful, sustainable, and grounded in educator and student needs.

A team leader who enjoys managing, coaching, and developing direct reports. A colleague who seeks reciprocal learning and growth from colleagues at every level. You deeply believe in the potential of all professionals to learn and grow. You look forward to building and sustaining an effective, growth-oriented, and inclusive team. You are able to collaboratively set a clear vision for the Inspired Minds investment portfolio and you can map individual roles and responsibilities in service of this vision across your team.

Someone who is comfortable in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. You can successfully manage numerous priorities and projects. You are excited about working in an environment where complex problems are being considered and can proactively develop creative solutions. You value innovation and can see potential in new ideas and bring them to life. 

What You’ve Done:
Required experience:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of 10 years of work experience, including time spent leading teams to deliver results in or adjacent to early and/or growth stage organizations
• Direct experience and content expertise in STEM education, youth development, nonprofit management, philanthropy, research, or policy
• Demonstrated experience growing an organization, including formulating and executing strategy, identifying challenges, and implementing solutions
• Demonstrated management experience, focused on staff development and growth

Preferred experience:

• Master’s degree in relevant field of education, policy, business, law, statistics, math, science, nonprofit management, or engineering
• Venture philanthropy experience supporting organizational growth and development through informal and formal support (i.e. grants, board experience, consulting, providing capacity-building support)
• Experience conducting cost benefit analysis and/or cost effectiveness analysis

How to Apply:

Overdeck Family Foundation is partnering with RCG Talent Solutions to find our next Portfolio Manager, Inspired Minds. Please submit your application using this link and direct all questions to openroles@rcgtalent.com.  

Working at Overdeck Family Foundation:
Overdeck Family Foundation is committed to providing a total rewards package (both base salary and benefits) that is competitive within the philanthropic sector. The base pay for this role is anticipated to be between $112,500 and $165,000. The anticipated base pay range is based on information as of the time this post was generated. Actual compensation for successful candidates will be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including their skills, qualifications, and relevant work experience. Additionally, employees are eligible for a discretionary annual performance bonus.

We offer competitive core benefits, including fully paid medical and dental insurance premiums for employees and dependents, competitive 401(k) match, $3,000 annual professional development funds, tuition reimbursement, generous vacation time, unlimited sick days, and employer-paid life and disability insurance. Overdeck Family Foundation requires all employees to live within a commutable distance from the office in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. Each week, employees must work in the office on Tuesdays and additional “team days” for collaboration, with the option to work remotely on all other days. Perks of being in the office include on-site gyms with laundry service, wellness classes, snacks, and a casual dress code in our beautiful office in SoHo.

Equal Opportunity Employer:
Overdeck Family Foundation is dedicated to the work of unlocking every child’s potential. We are committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. We also believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the children in the education system we aim to support—in race, gender, age, culture, and beliefs—and we support this diversity through all of our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.