[Hiring] Senior Manager of Rural Democracy Policy and Program @Clover Search Works

Role Description

The Rural Democracy Policy and Program Senior Manager will support and help drive Rural Democracy’s grantmaking and policy strategy. They will be supervised by the Rural Democracy Senior Program Officer. The Policy and Program Senior Manager will:

• Manage a specific portfolio of grantees, cultivating trusting relationships, providing flexible resources, and assessing overall capacity needs.
• Recommend timely investments that result in greater power and meaningful policy change for rural communities.
• Work closely with the Communications and Policy Director to co-lead and manage the bi-annual Rural Policy Action Summit and Rural Policy Action Report.
• Build the capacity of our grantee network, communicate learning and success stories, and coordinate with key funding partners.
• Work with the team on Rural Democracy’s affiliated project, Rural Victory Fund (RVF), to advance 501(c)(4) investments.

The Rural Democracy team takes pride in building an organizational culture rooted in learning, collaboration, racial justice, and a deep commitment to our mission. All staff are expected to provide leadership and vision to advance our mission, vision, and core strategies.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of related work experience in a nonprofit, advocacy, government, intermediary, or foundation setting, and/or equivalent, working on projects with varied deadlines and deliverables.
• Understanding of social change, civic engagement, public policy, or political strategy.
• Significant experience with advancing policy change and navigating policy tradeoffs within coalitions, including connecting local and state priorities to federal policy.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice and fluency with equity and anti-racist practices.
• Demonstrated ability to listen deeply, hold space for different perspectives, and work with people from a variety of political, cultural, and social backgrounds.
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills, with an ability to clearly communicate an organization’s mission and impact.
• Excellent relationship management skills with diverse constituencies, and a service orientation in grantee relationships.
• Ability to work independently and drive complex projects involving a high degree of cross-organizational and external collaboration.
• Demonstrated experience building and using organizational systems to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and complex projects, with exceptional attention to detail.
• Acumen with event and convening organizing and facilitation, and working with coalitions.
• Entrepreneurial and resourceful, a proactive and creative problem-solver.
• Connection to and passion for rural people and places.

Requirements

• Experience in the philanthropic sector and with grantmaking.
• Experience working on rural federal policy and/or with national advocacy organizations.
• Understanding of the media and communications landscape, and the relationship between media and policy outcomes.
• An understanding of rural and small town America derived from either lived, professional, and/or volunteer experience.
• Familiarity with a broad range of digital platforms and tools including Monday.com, Google Suite, Airtable, Fluxx, and Slack.
• 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit program management experience.

Benefits

• Salary range of $85,000 to $100,000.
• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees (and their families).
• 401k retirement plan with a 3% automatic contribution and up to a 3% employer match on contributions.
• Pre-tax transportation benefits.
• 120 hours of vacation time, 80 hours of health leave, up to 2 days of casual leave, and 20 hours of volunteer leave annually.
• 13 paid holidays throughout the calendar year.
• 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment.

How to Apply

Applications will be reviewed and considered on a rolling basis. A limited number of screening calls and interview spots will be filled starting in November 2026. Early applications are strongly encouraged. Desired start date in February 2027. Apply by submitting a cover letter and résumé to: https://cloversearchworks.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0zcpb .

In your cover letter we are interested in learning why you are interested in this specific role at this time in your career, more about your connection to rural people and places, and the unique skills and talents you bring to this position. Anticipating a highly competitive applicant pool, candidates who demonstrate persuasive communications skills and rural policy experience will stand out in the process.

The Heartland Fund is partnering with Clover Search Works on this search. Questions regarding this opportunity are welcomed and can be directed to Julie Edsforth, julie(at)cloversearchworks.com.