Director of Strategic and Community Partnerships

Job Description: PROGRAM & POSITION SUMMARY The Director of Strategic and Community Partnerships is a key agency leader working closely with Catholic Charities CEO in collaboration with select Program and Administrative staff to cultivate, manage, and build important relationships across the agency’s leadership community in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo Counties. The aim is to meet the current and evolving needs of local vulnerable communities in accord with our mission through external partnerships with: (1) Catholic parishes and interfaith communities; (2) government representatives and dignitaries; (3) community and nonprofit organizations.Catholic Charities has a special relationship with the 90+ local Catholic parish communities that comprise 400,000 Catholics in our service area. While Catholic Charities operates independently from the Archdiocese as a separate 501(c) 3 provider of social services, Catholic parishes are a core, receptive audience to our mission and responsive to our programs as potential clients, volunteers, donors, and partners.The mission of Catholic Charities supports the dignity of vulnerable communities by providing a continuum of direct social services annually to 70,000 people. We serve everyone of all ages, faith traditions, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Our staff members are as diverse as the communities we serve. We help homeless families find housing, vulnerable youth grow and thrive, seniors retain independence and vital connections, and immigrants achieve legal status, concretely demonstrating God’s love through our actions.The Director effectively serves as a brand ambassador and bridge to Catholic parishes and other strategic partnerships described above to benefit the vulnerable communities we serve. The Director also provides ongoing formation on Catholic Social Teaching and Catholic Identity to all agency staff.In addition, the Director is the staff lead of ­the Public Interest Committee of Catholic Charities Board of Directors to help advise and recommend the agency’s mission-focused public policy agenda.The start date for this position is on or after July 1, 2024. ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Serve as Agency’s primary lead, overseeing day-to-day operations in these principal areas:Parish PartnershipsCatholic Parish Partnerships.Parish Ambassador Program - Oversee agency’s Parish Ambassador Program in collaboration with the Volunteer Manager and Development staff to continue to recruit parishioners to be a Parish Ambassador - with the blessing of their pastor - to serve as a bridge between Catholic Charities and their parish and school community.Parish Bulletins - Submit bi-monthly Parish Bulletin e-announcements to the 90 individual parishes and the Archdiocesan online weekly parish newsletter, The Bridge, about volunteer opportunities, program impact and services, volunteer opportunities, and advocacy initiative to increase awareness about our work and encourage engagement.Deanery Meetings – Arrange and attend local Deanery meetings throughout the Archdiocese to provide Catholic Charities updates from the CEO and Program Staff and spotlight opportunities through our programs and services.1:1 Meetings with Parish Clergy, Staff, Parishioners – Schedule and attend ongoing individual strategic meetings with pastors, parish staff, and parishioners to support ongoing partnerships and explore new opportunities.Catholic Charities Case Management Services at St. Dominic Parish with St. Ignatius – meet quarterly with agency staff and parish partnership team to annually negotiate our MOU and continue this flagship partnership serving area populations experiencing homelessness and precarious housing.Parish Resource Guides – Create, annually update, and disseminate to parishes curated resource guides for parishes in each county (San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo County) with links to each county’s com­prehensive referral directors as well as Catholic Charities available local program services.Parish Surveys – Continue to use and update data from recent agency surveys, “Gap Analysis of Parish Social Service Needs” and “Program Engagement with Parishes,” to inform strategic parish partnership efforts.Catholic Partner Resource OrganizationsArchdiocese of San Francisco Chancery staff – Cultivate and maintain relationships with key Archdiocesan staff to be a social services resource to them while inviting them to help disseminate information to parish constituents about Catholic Charities volunteer opportunities and services. Key Archdiocesan staff include: Office of Human Life & Dignity; Young Adult and Youth Ministry; Department of Catholic Schools; Diaconate Formation Office; Communications (The Bridge and Catholic SF magazine).St. Patrick Seminary – Connect St. Patrick’s Field Education Director to Catholic Charities Volunteer Manager to engage seminarians in Catholic Charities volunteer placements and to the Archdiocese Vocations Office for summer volunteer placements.Catholic Charities local agencies in East Bay, Santa Clara and Sonoma Counties – as referral resources for community members seeking services outside of our service area.Catholic Charities USA, Parish Engagement and Public Policy – to engage with and learn from colleagues nationwide doing similar work.Interfaith Partnerships.San Francisco Interfaith Council – weekly update meetings on social service needs and public policy germane to faith communities; and annual Thanksgiving gathering.Marin Interfaith Council – bi-monthly updates, annual breakfast and Visionary Marin gatherings, local social justice advocacy efforts.Marin Organizing Committee (MOC), a broad-based member-organization comprised of faith and nonprofit communities. Continue to be informed by MOC social justice efforts to organize for the common good in Marin in areas pertinent to our mission.Faith In Action (FIA) Bay Area. Continue to be informed by FIA’s network of congregations and community leaders in working to advance social justice in San Francisco and San Mateo County.Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, San Rafael Stake –collaboration with LDS volunteers to support vulnerable communities in Marin. Catholic Identity and Catholic Social TeachingCatholic Identity for New Employees - Provide the Catholic Identity section at the agency’s monthly New Employee Orientations hosted by HR to provide grounding for employees in how the agency’s mission, values, and services relate to Catholic Social Teachings in answer to, “What’s Catholic About Catholic Charities?”Ongoing Catholic Identity Enrichment for All Agency Staff – Host annual all-staff gatherings with guest speakers who are experts in Catholic Social Teachings, to provide ongoing staff training about one of the key social teachings and explore with staff how these teachings pertain to our work.Board Retreats on Catholic Identity – Collaborate with CEO in developing occasional board retreats focused on the connection between Catholic Social Teaching and the agency’s programs and services. Government Partnerships. Partner with targeted local, state, and federal dignitaries and government agencies in 1:1 meeting with the CEO to describe the agency’s continuum of programs and services outcomes and positive impact on the community; and explore expansion and funding of our core services, accessing key resources as follows:Dignitaries and Legislative Aides including city council members, county supervisors, state and federal representatives serving San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo Counties.Government Departmental Staff in the areas of homelessness and housing, immigration, children and youth, aging support, and disaster recovery efforts. Community and Nonprofit Partnerships. Partner with targeted community and nonprofit leaders in meetings with the CEO and program staff to explore expansion and funding of our core services, accessing key resources as follows:San Mateo County NonprofitsThrive Alliance of county nonprofits, a network of more than 200 local nonprofits, government entities, foundations, and community leaders to help nonprofits build capacity and cross-sector collaboration.Immigration Coalition focused on advocacy for removal-defence funding in the county and other immigration services.Housing Leadership Council to advocate on behalf of affordable housing for low-income families, immigrants, seniors, and adults with disabilities.Marin County NonprofitsSt. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin.Community Action Marin.Aging Action Initiative.YWCA Fifty+ Program for Job Seekers.Resource Circle at Catholic Charities St. Vincent’s School for Boys.San Francisco NonprofitsContinue to support CEO in exploring partnership with Catholic-based nonprofits in San Francisco. Public Interest Committee Serve as staff lead to the chair of the agency’s Public Interest Committee of the Board of Directors to advise and assist the CEO in consideration of Catholic Charities’ public positions regarding proposed legislation affecting the vulnerable populations we serve. Responsibilities include:Public Interest Committee MeetingsPrepare agenda in consultation with the chair and CEO, attending and taking minutes at committee meetings.Identify advocacy positions aligned with Catholic Charities’ mission in collaboration with CEO, committee members, program staff, and Catholic, interfaith, nonprofit, and community-based partner agencies.Invite legislators, advocacy experts, and program staff to occasionally be guest speakers at committee meetings.Advocacy Documents and PartnersDocuments: Serve as a resource to the CEO and committee members on the guiding documents of the Public Interest Committee including template to propose advocacy project; procedure for determining support of legislation and ballot measures; and advocacy communications plan.Catholic Advocacy Partners: Cultivate external relationships with staff in charge of public advocacy at California Catholic Conference of Bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities California, and Catholic Charities USA to ensure alignment before publicly supporting legislation and ballot measures.Community-based Partners: Cultivate relationships with staff at other interfaith and nonprofit organizations to identify potential advocacy opportunities for consideration. Partners include Jewish Community Relations Council, Marin and San Francisco interfaith councils, San Francisco Human Services Network, and Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County.Collaborate with CommunicationsWork with the agency Communications Department to publicize Catholic Charities’ public policy positions on our website and social media, the parish bulletins, and events. Ensure public interest information is regularly updated on the website.Agencywide Advocacy EffortsDraft advocacy letters from the CEO on behalf of Catholic Charities; and meet with county, state, or federal legislators to help influence legislation that impacts the people we serve.Occasionally spearhead agencywide advocacy efforts tied to public funding to advance diversity and equity in collaboration with local nonprofits, governmental, educational institutions, and community foundations. Past examples include community outreach to vulnerable clients to ensure full participation in the U.S. Census count; championing voter access during local elections; and attending advocacy days of action hosted by regional partners on Capitol Hill in Sacramento and Washington DC.Sponsor or co-sponsor advocacy events with Jewish Community Relations Council and San Francisco Department of Elections to advocate for voter registration and sponsor public advocacy forms. Other Collaborate with Catholic Charities CEO and select Program Directors, Communications, Volunteer Manager and Development staff to continue to evolve strategic partnerships.Represent and speak on behalf of Catholic Charities at various strategic events and community gatherings.Monitor deliverables and ensure data is collected and reporting occurs as required.Develop and manage program budget working closely with the CEO, Finance and Contracts.Serve on collaborative teams within the agency.Provide culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate information and resources to the community for the region being served.Promote interagency collaboration and interface amongst community agencies to leverage programs, services, activities, and resources.Complete other duties as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.Education & Experience:A minimum of a BA or BS from an accredited educational institution with major coursework in religion, the humanities, social services, public administration, psychology, or a related field.2-3 years of experience working at a Catholic parish as a staff member or lay leader, with demonstrated understanding of Catholic parish culture and mission to serve those in need. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:Must possess:Commitment to the Mission and Values of Catholic Charities.A leadership style characterized by empathy, compassion, accountability, effectiveness, efficiency, and innovation to maximize social impact.A strong work ethic including the ability to work independently with high reliability.Excellent multicultural experience and ability to work collaboratively with diverse staff and community members.Exceptional organizational, problem-solving and time management skills to create and maintain efficient filing systems to enable quick access to multiple partnership documents and data.Highly developed emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to support the CEO, help advance agency priorities, and sustain partnerships with a wide array of leaders from agency leaders and board members to church clergy, governmental officials and legislative aides, nonprofit chiefs and department heads, frontline program staff, grassroots organizers, and community advocates.Outstanding oral and written communication skills, including English fluency and strong public presentation skills, to continuously pitch social service initiatives that open doors and lead to fruitful partnerships.Ability to research, analyze information, and represent data in meaningful and effective ways.Ability to build and retain quality relationships with program staff and community partners to maintain a strong team culture and partnership; experience in leading, building and training teams.A high-energy, optimistic attitude that encourages and engages diverse audiences and potential partners.A proven commitment to continuous quality improvement, including openness to constructive feedback.Excellent basic computer skills (e.g., keyboard