A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) provides leadership on issues of economic justice by advancing racial equity and inclusive growth to ensure that all Philadelphians share in the city’s prosperous future and by alleviating the immediate impact of poverty on individuals, families and communities.  CEO is Philadelphia’s Community Action Agency (CAA); CAAs are private or public agencies created by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act and federally designated to receive Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding.

Guiding Principles (We believe…)

• The people of Philadelphia deserve the opportunity to live happy, healthy, full lives. 
• City Government should both recognize its culpability in creating and sustaining inequity and aspire to its responsibility to provide opportunities, represent the best interests, and promote the well-being of all residents. 
• People can offer meaningful insights into both personal experiences and how systems around them function. 
• Poverty is a deliberately created systemic issue and city government can lead in calling for justice and dismantling the barriers that often prevent opportunities. 

Values (How we work)

• Dignity: We actively respect our individual colleagues and people in the community.
• Inclusivity: Our work is more beneficial, valuable, and valid when our full range of experiences, knowledge, and skills can contribute.
• Persistence: We recognize the challenges inherent in this work, and when we get discouraged, we find ways to be resilient, lift each other up, and push forward.
• Accountability: We are transparent and honest about our plans, our actions, and our results.
• Honesty: We create a space to have healthy, honest dialogues about systems, people, and misconceptions and then communicate truthfully.

The Director Partnerships & Capacity Building will manage a portfolio of work that aims to provide partners with support in engagement practices and capacity building through training and development for organizations, community leaders, and residents, as well as convening partners and communities of practice such as nonprofits and AmeriCorps programs. The Director will manage two managers, a Training & Development Manager and a Partnerships & Strategic Support Manager. Directly and through supervision, the Director is responsible for the successful implementation of:  

• Civic Engagement Academy learning series that trains community leaders in best practices centered around equitable community engagement 
• Volunteer Support program that convenes and supports non-profits who utilize volunteers in increasing the effectiveness of their volunteer programming. 
• AmeriCorps National Service Task Force that convenes all Philadelphia based AmeriCorps programs to share best practices and provides space for cross sector leaders to collaborate on reducing barriers to service programs so that every Philadelphian is able to participate in AmeriCorps programs. We also administer the AmeriCorps Emergency Fund which supports AmeriCorps members who are struggling financially during their term of service. 
• Grant-funded communities of practice focused on capacity-building for community-based organizations.
• Training and best practices for engagement systems such as VAN, Peerly, and the Volunteer Portal

In addition to setting the strategy and leading the implementation of the partnerships and capacity-building work, the Director serves as a key member of the Racial Equity vertical, and collaborates frequently with the Director of Racial Equity Storytelling & Community Impact and the Communications Manager on organizational priorities and strategic work led by the Chief Racial Equity Officer.

Essential Functions

• Oversee the strategy of all program operations within the Partnerships & Capacity Building unit
• Provide supervisory oversight for the managers and coordinators
• Provide strategic vision and set goals for the programs that fall under Partnerships & Capacity-building as well as strategic support for the Racial Equity vertical.  
• Provide strategic guidance for the managers on the team as they lead the following training and convening spaces: Civic Engagement Academy, Volunteer Support Program, and the AmeriCorps National Service Task Force including the AmeriCorps Financial Empowerment Services.  
• Oversee the City’s strategy for providing training and best practices support for systems that enhance equitable engagement: VAN Engagement Database, Peer to Peer Texting, Serve Volunteer Portal 
• Identify cross-departmental and cross-sector areas of collaboration 
• Develop relationships and partnerships that support the objectives to enhance equitable engagement practices across our audiences  
• Manage communication with internal and external partners, including representing the work within local, state and national coalitions.  
• Solicit and manage grants that support the work of supporting equitable engagement in Philadelphia 
• Other duties as assigned 

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to build a strong team and program culture that embraces trauma-informed practices, diversity of needs and perspectives, and promotes healthy team dynamics  
• Ability to juggle competing demands, prioritize what’s most important, and delegate as appropriate 
• Strong sense of ownership over goals and the ability to focus on details of tasks at hand while keeping an eye on big-picture and overarching strategies 
• Ability and excitement towards building program and operations from scratch; implementing and constantly improving upon operations 
• Clear understanding of best practices in equitable engagement and volunteer programming 
• Effective oral and written communication with diverse audiences.  
• Strong ability to implement innovative, data driven solutions and analysis to assist in making  
• decisions  
• Action oriented; an individual not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get into the details of the  
• operation.  
• Excellent time management skills with capacity to work simultaneously on multiple tasks and 
• projects and deliver on deadline 
• Experience in managing programs, supervising staff, and ensuring program impact 
• Passion for reducing barriers to service and supporting communities 
• Ability to build new and maintain existing collaborative relationships with stakeholders. 
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, while meeting deadlines and deliverables.  
• Comfort working with data and digital systems. 

• 5 years experience in partnerships, community-of-practice, and local government or nonprofit capacity-building work, or similar
• Program management experience, preferably in government or nonprofit settings.  
• Experience developing, launching, and managing new programs.  
• Experience with AmeriCorps programming a plus.
• Relationship management experience, preferably collaborating with low wealth and multicultural communities.
• Understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion principles, preferably with experience advancing equitable program outcomes.
• Experience with grant sourcing and management.  
• Experience training and developing large groups of diverse individuals.
• Ability to build new and maintain existing collaborative relationships with stakeholders.  
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, while meeting deadlines and deliverable. 
• Effective oral and written communication with diverse audiences. 
• Excellent time management skills.  
• Comfort working with data and digital systems. 

Supervisory Responsibilities

 Supervise Training & Development Manager, Partnerships & Strategic Support Manager, and potential VISTA, Intern, or Temporary staff.

Other Specialties, Certifications, Physical Requirements, and Work Conditions

• Regular, predictable attendance is required
• Successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Salary Range: $85,000 - $96,000

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation: City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 6 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that  are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected].

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx