Director, Ecosystem

What You'll Do

The Director, Ecosystem will lead Promise Venture Studio's work to activate the broader early childhood ecosystem toward a shared vision of an abundant, just future for all children and families. This role stewards the "Ecosystem" dimension of Promise's programs by coordinating leaders, social innovators, funders, researchers, policymakers, and champions within and beyond early childhood to collaborate toward systemic change.

The Director, Ecosystem will architect and oversee flagship initiatives designed to bring together thousands of champions around unifying visions and narratives, catalyze collaboration across siloes, and help to unlock dramatically increased private, philanthropic, and corporate investments in early childhood.

This role is designed for a leader who excels at cross-sector coalition building, narrative strategy, network design, resource mobilization/fundraising, and systems-level problem solving. It is an opportunity to help architect a powerful infrastructure for field-wide coordination and collaborative action that can reshape how the United States invests in and supports early childhood.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Program Leadership & Field Building

• Lead Promise's strategy to activate the early childhood ecosystem around field-informed visions for an abundant and just future for children and families in the United States
• Connect and align leaders within and outside early childhood to build momentum and shared purpose
• Shape a multi-year roadmap for field-wide collaboration, investment, and narrative change

Capital Mobilization & Strategic Partnerships

• Build and manage relationships with partners across philanthropy, public policy, research, business, and community sectors
• Support efforts to increase private and philanthropic investments in early childhood by at least $1B over four years
• Partner with the Promise Development team, funder networks, and other ecosystem Impact partners to cultivate and convert new champions into sustained investors
• Facilitate collaborations that fuel multi-million dollar field investments and collective action initiatives

Program Design & Implementation

• Guide design and facilitation of Ecosystem programs, convening diverse leaders to co-create field-informed visions and narratives and generate early actions
• Oversee creation, launch, and iteration of an open-source asset map that helps leaders connect, collaborate, and reduce duplication
• Lead design, co-creation, and launch of a collective action vehicle (e.g., Impact Network) connecting thousands of champions to spread information and accelerate coordinated action
• Demonstrates a willingness to experiment and a growth mindset in exploring and applying AI to support and advance Promise's mission and strategic priorities
• Partner with the Impact, Learning & Evaluation, and Communications teams to ensure all programs elevate proximate wisdom and support collective action efforts

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead the Ecosystem team with clarity, collaboration, and a commitment to Promise's values
• Provide effective stewardship of the Ecosystem team, including performance management, strategic thought partnership, and ongoing professional development
• Partner closely with Directors of Promise Fund and Communities to ensure integration across programs
• Contribute to organization-wide decisions related to strategy, resourcing, and long-term vision

Financial Stewardship

• Oversee a budget, ensuring resources are deployed strategically, equitably, and sustainably
• Partner with the Development and Operations teams to align funding, revenue models, and long-term sustainability plans for Ecosystem programs
• Support new revenue generation through business model innovation and partnership development

Impact Measurement & Learning

• Collaborate with the Impact team on defining ecosystem-level success metrics, including capital flows, coordinated actions, network health, and narrative shift
• Capture insights with the Impact Team across Ecosystem programs to inform field-wide strategy and Promise's ongoing learning agenda
• Partner with the Impact team to share findings internally and externally to influence policy, practice, and investment strategies

Who You'll Work With

You will report to the Chief Program Officer.

You will supervise the Senior Lead, Ecosystem and the Manager, Ecosystem.

You will frequently collaborate with leaders and staff.

• Deep understanding of early childhood development, education, family support systems, or related fields
• Commitment to centering BIPOC and proximate voices in leadership, strategy, and decision-making
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in social impact, resources mobilization / fundraising, ecosystem building, field building, and/or systems change work, with at least 5 years in a senior strategic role
• Demonstrated success securing or mobilizing significant capital through partnerships, narrative campaigns, or collective action strategies
• Proven track record of building and mobilizing cross-sector coalitions, networks, or collaboratives that drove measurable field-level change
• Experience designing and leading multi-stakeholder initiatives involving philanthropy, policy, research, business, and community organizations
• Strong strategic thinking and systems-level problem-solving skills with ability to translate vision into actionable roadmaps and operational plans
• Excellent relationship management and communication skills, including experience representing organizations on national stages and influencing public discourse
• Experience managing complex budgets and leading high-performing teams with a commitment to equity and proximate leadership
• Ability to work collaboratively across organizational boundaries and navigate ambiguity in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $160K - $190K.

Location

Our work is national in scope, and our team is virtual. The location for this role is flexible, and will include approximately 10-15% of travel annually.

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.