Director, Programs

Reports To: Vice President, Programs Team: Programs FLSA Classification: Exempt Internal Level: Director Location: Hybrid and in office in Newark, NJ Base Salary Range: $154,500 - $184,800 Years of Experience: At least 8 Title: Director, Programs

About Tandem Foundation More than a third of employed Americans struggle to make ends meet, and millions of young people never get the chance to realize their talent because our education, training, and employment systems don't meet their needs - even as employers struggle to fill open roles and AI reshapes the world of work. Philanthropy has a critical role to play in closing that gap, but it's rare for a new, major philanthropic institution to enter the field. That's exactly what Tandem Foundation is doing: a newly created foundation with a more than half-billion-dollar endowment, built to help young people - especially those born into low-income households - prepare for and thrive in uplifting careers.

Led by founding CEO Rachel Korberg, Tandem Foundation is recruiting a founding team to build strategy, operations, and staff ahead of a public launch in 2027. This is a rare chance to build a lasting institution from the ground up. We're looking for people energized by that kind of builder's work: comfortable with ambiguity and able to balance strategic and hands-on leadership. Our team is driven by the chance to make a real difference - and to do it grounded in the values that define how we work: Care. Act. Learn.

The Opportunity Tandem seeks a Director, Programs; a bold thinker to lead a portfolio of grants, partnerships, and projects that advance impact. That means spotting breakthrough ideas, doing rigorous due diligence, making a clear case for investment, and supporting the grantees throughout the award. Leading with a learning frame, you’ll help sharpen our priorities and shape what it means to partner with us. Much of this work happens alongside employers, workforce nonprofits and innovators, philanthropic partners, state and local governments, and young people themselves. Together we'll design new pathways and drive change at scale.

Reporting to the Vice President, Programs, you might be a seasoned grantmaker or an accomplished leader in corporate philanthropy, corporate talent functions, or tech. You have an understanding of workforce and education and have ideas for how to shape the future of early career experiences for young people. Sharp analytical judgment, the warmth to build relationships across sectors, and the experience to turn strategy into measurable impact are essential to this role.

You’re energized by building something new and comfortable with ambiguity. You’re curious about how AI is changing work and talent pipelines, and excited to put new technology to work for young people. If you want your grantmaking to change systems, not just fund programs, this role is for you.

Responsibilities

Grantmaking:

• Lead a segment of Tandem's portfolio focused on driving impact at scale, managing approximately $8–15 million in annual funding across grantees and strategic partners.
• With the VP, Programs, develop and refine funding strategies, investment theses, and portfolio priorities. Translate field research, policy, and funding trends into clear bets.
• Spot breakthrough ideas and emerging models, including tech- and AI-enabled solutions. Source prospective partners across nonprofits, employers, intermediaries, public agencies, and peer funders.
• Conduct rigorous assessments of organizations, employer coalitions, community colleges, and public-sector partnerships.
• Make a clear, evidence-based case for investment in concise recommendation memos, and own final funding recommendations to the VP, Programs for a segment of the portfolio.
• Source and cultivate relationships with prospective grantees, nonprofits, employers, workforce intermediaries, state agencies, and peer funders working at the intersection of workforce development, education, career pathways, and economic mobility.
• Drive strategic priorities, learning frameworks, grant recommendations, performance monitoring, and portfolio optimization to maximize Tandem’s grantmaking strategy for a set of grantees..
• Provide grantmaking mentorship to other Program team members, if applicable, and work collaboratively with counterparts in Operations and Communications.

Partner Experience & Learning

• Support grantee partners throughout the grant term, focusing on people and systems-level impact.
• Help define what it means to partner with Tandem by shaping the processes, touchpoints, and norms of the grantee experience.
• Establish and refine learning questions and measures for your portfolio, with leadership from the Director of Strategy, Learning, and Impact. Analyze grantee outcomes to inform strategy, learning agendas, and field reports.

Cross-Sector Partnerships & Systems Change

• Build trusted relationships with state and local government leaders, employers, education systems, philanthropic partners, and young people.
• Co-design new pathways with these partners. Convene them through design sessions, working groups, and learning communities to strengthen career pathway outcomes for young people.
• Stay ahead of how AI is changing work and talent pipelines, and identify concrete ways to reimagine the early career experiences of young people.
• Represent Tandem in external meetings, conferences, and working groups.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in philanthropy, corporate philanthropy, human resources, technology, or a related field, with a track record of making and managing investment decisions as a grantmaker, investor, or business or product leader.
• Commitment to Tandem’s mission, a passion for working alongside young people, and a point of view on how to shape the future of early career experiences in education and workforce.
• Strong analytical judgment, with the ability to make decisions and recommendations using both quantitative and qualitative data. You seek out missing perspectives, especially from young people and partners, and stay open to findings that challenge your assumptions.
• Experience turning strategy into measurable impact, and a commitment to changing systems, not just funding programs.
• The warmth and credibility to build relationships with employers, government, nonprofits, philanthropy, and young people.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with senior leaders, funders, policymakers, and practitioners.
• A builder’s mindset: energized by creating something new, comfortable with ambiguity, and proactive about building systems, processes, and relationships from the ground up.
• Curiosity about how AI is reshaping work and talent pipelines, and hands-on comfort with GenAI and other tools.

Location This position requires extensive business travel and in-person engagement as an essential component of successful job performance. The Director, Programs should expect to travel domestically approximately 30% of the time with a higher percentage at peak times of the year to attend conferences, convenings, site visits, stakeholder meetings, and other events in support of Tandem’s mission and strategic priorities.

Outside of travel expectations, this is a hybrid role that requires in-person presence at Tandem’s office in Newark, NJ, currently every other Monday and two days for quarterly onsites. Staff are also expected to attend occasional in-person meetings, events, or team gatherings, in Newark or elsewhere, including a multi-day all-staff annual retreat. Tandem provides all employees with a commuter stipend based on distance from Newark, NJ to help offset travel costs.

Application Process Good Insight, a national nonprofit executive search firm headquartered in Washington, DC, is assisting with this search. Interested applicants should upload a resume and a detailed cover letter in PDF format to good-insight.org/careers. Confidential inquiries about the role may be directed to TandemFoundation@good-insight.org. For best consideration, submit materials by late November 2026. Qualified applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search.