Director, Policy and Programs, Michelson Found Animals

Description

Michelson Philanthropies (MP)

Michelson Philanthropies is a network of private operating foundations advancing scalable solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges. Through advocacy, grantmaking, impact investing, and direct programs, we serve underserved communities across California and beyond. With staff primarily based in Los Angeles, our foundations—Michelson Medical Research, Found Animals, 20 Million Minds, and the Center for Public Policy and International Affairs—focus on medical research, animal welfare, education, intellectual property, and criminal justice reform.

Michelson Found Animals (MFA)

Michelson Found Animals drives transformative change in complex animal-related issues to improve how humans interact with all animals, especially their pets. We do this through novel programming, advocacy, investments, research, and strategic grantmaking.

Position Summary: The Senior Director, Programs & Policy serves as a senior leader for Michelson Found Animals, partnering closely with the Managing Director to advance a complex, multi-layered portfolio focused on improving outcomes for pets, people, and communities. This role provides strategic program leadership, supports division-wide coordination, strengthens support for managers and program teams, and helps guide policy-adjacent, grantmaking, partnership, and systems-change efforts. The Senior Director brings deep nonprofit leadership, coalition-building, public-sector, and animal services experience to help ensure MFA’s work is integrated, effective, and positioned for long-term impact.

Key Tasks/Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Organizational Leadership
• Partner with the Managing Director to shape and execute priorities across MFA’s programs, policy-adjacent initiatives, grantmaking, and external partnerships.
• Translate high-level goals into clear workplans, timelines, decision points, and accountability structures.
• Provide senior-level support for Founder related priorities, including preparation, coordination, follow-through, and synthesis of key information.
• Team & Department Leadership
• Provide strategic guidance, coaching, and operational support to managers and program leads.
• Help strengthen team planning, communication, prioritization, and cross-functional coordination.
• Support a collaborative, high-trust culture grounded in accountability, adaptability, and mission alignment.
• Cross-Foundation Integration
• Coordinate with internal teams across Michelson Philanthropies, including operations, communications, finance, legal, grants, advocacy, and executive leadership.
• Foster alignment between MFA’s goals and broader organizational priorities, shared systems, and leadership needs.
• Executive Engagement
• Support the Managing Director in preparing executive updates, briefings, presentations, reports, and recommendations.
• Synthesize complex program, grantmaking, operational, policy, and external landscape information into clear insights.
• Represent MFA in high visibility external meetings, coalitions, convenings, and stakeholder discussions.
• Program Evaluation & Innovation
• Track program progress, stakeholder engagement, and strategic impact.
• Use data, field insights, and partner input to surface gaps, identify catalytic opportunities, and strengthen program and policy strategies.
• Design and refine pooled funding, collaborative funding, and shared action models that align partners, leverage resources, and advance systems-level change.
• Other Duties As Assigned

Requirements

Position Skills & Characteristics:

• Strong organizational, strategic planning, and project management skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage complex, cross-functional priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Strong judgment, discretion, adaptability, and follow-through 
• Role requires someone who exhibits compassion, resilience, creative thinking, urgency, and a collaborative, community-centered approach.

Director Minimum Qualifications:  

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 12-15+ years of experience, including team and division-level leadership.
• Proven success in strategic planning, budgeting, and program development.
• Strong presence and credibility with executive, board, and sector-level stakeholders.
• Exceptional verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills, suitable for diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.