About Mikva

Mikva Challenge’s Mission is to develop youth to be empowered, informed, and active citizens who will promote a just and equitable society.

Mikva Challenge was founded in 1998 as a tribute to former White House Counsel, Judge, and U.S. Congressman, Abner Mikva and his wife, Zoe, a former public-school teacher, and lifelong education activist.

Mikva is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization guided by the principles central to its founders: the best way to learn democracy is to do democracy. For Mikva Challenge, Democracy is a Verb. To that end, Mikva creates bridges between youth and adults to allow them to form interpersonal connections and make civic decisions, together, by providing opportunity, support, and connections that increase civic knowledge, engagement, and transformation — culminating in empowerment, skill, and inclusion. The consequences for young people are transformative to identity — from motivation to serve one’s community, to improvements in academic and social lives, and to the development of active, thoughtful citizens and leaders.

Mikva is driven by their Core Values of Youth Voice, Civic Education, Community, Equitable Inclusion and Reflection and Growth. You can learn more about those values here.

Mikva’s five  main program areas involve young people in civic engagement through hands-on, project-based learning that deeply transforms students’ civic attitudes, skills, and sense of agency.

Since 1998, Mikva Challenge has grown and developed an impressive history. Mikva has expanded its reach to serve over 300,000 youth and nearly 7,000 educators in 11 partner sites and 2 chapter locations across the county , annually. By opening up spaces for democratic education and youth participation in schools and government, Mikva strives to prioritize the needs of low-income youth and under-resourced communities and schools. 88 percent of the youth Mikva serves come from low-income households, and 90 percent are youth of color. Over the last few years, the percentage of students enrolled in Mikva programs who are more likely to be successful beyond high school has increased by over 85 percent. Mikva recently completed a 10-year strategic plan and is poised for growth to build a national Action Civics movement!

Learn more about Mikva at mikvachallenge.org

The Opportunity

The Chief Program Officer (CPO) is a new addition to the executive leadership team at Mikva Challenge. As part of the creation of this role, a new structure from the Program team has been introduced, where both Mikva’s direct youth and school based programming will now report up through a single division.

Given the significance of this shift in structure, the CPO will be first and foremost a competent and practiced people manager. This leader will work to develop and expand an effective program team, leveraging an encouraging and motivational approach to enhance teamwork, build consensus, and garner strong support from all stakeholders involved. This leader will hold key responsibility for ensuring that Mikva’s work supporting youth and teachers is implemented at the highest caliber; giving equal dedication to both chapter cities and partner sites. The CPO will oversee a team of Managing Directors and Senior Directors  and help Mikva to sustain their work and deepen their impact in their existing regions of work. As such, this position emphasis would primarily be on internal or pre-existing programs. The CPO will still be expected to help coach their teams to build relationships in their respective sites to sustain and advance our work in each region. Collaborating closely with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Program Officer will coach and support the program team to implement and manage key programs while driving towards operational efficiency and effectiveness. They will also foster partnerships that advance the organization’s mission and impact.

The Chief Program Officer will manage a team of 15-20, with 4-5 direct reports.

This role is expected to travel, on average, 15-20% of the time, about one week a month.

The Chief Program Officer responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Program Development and Management: Oversee the implementation of programs to ensure they remain relevant, impactful, representative of organizational values, and responsive to local communities. Continuously improve program effectiveness through data-driven insights and feedback.
  • Team Leadership: Lead and mentor program staff, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment. Ensure team members have the resources and support necessary to achieve program objectives.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including program participants, partners, and community members. Represent the organization at program events and meetings to promote key initiatives.
  • Financial Oversight: Develop and manage program budgets, ensuring financial sustainability and compliance with funding requirements. Collaborate with the finance team to monitor expenditures and optimize resource allocation.
  • Systems Building: Develop and implement systems and processes to enhance program efficiency and scalability. Ensure consistent and effective use of technology and tools to support program delivery and evaluation.
  • Impact Measurement: Establish, collect and maintain robust data for tracking and reporting program outcomes and impact. Use data to inform decision-making, demonstrate program effectiveness, and secure funding support.

Candidate Profile

The Chief Program Officer (CPO) of Mikva Challenge will possess the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

A Team Builder and Coach

A leader with a demonstrated history of building and developing their direct reports, the CPO will foster an approachable and supportive team environment by working diligently to understand existing dynamics and to leverage individual strengths. The CPO will strategically develop the team through skill gap identification, professional development opportunities, and tailored training programs. With strong communication skills, this leader will foster open dialogue, mutual respect, and a culture of continuous improvement with each individual member of their team. Ultimately, the CPO will inspire and guide their team to achieve excellence, driving exceptional results for the organization.

An Engaging Collaborator 

The CPO will be both inspiring and inspired – quick to share vision and aspiration that galvanizes a team, and equally quick to share enthusiasm and celebration for what the team has itself created. Not afraid to share best practices and best failures, the CPO will have the ability to quickly build trust and will foster a culture of learning. This leader will be able to draw informed conclusions about potential synergies across Mikva’s portfolio of programs – employing a holistic approach to planning, operating and optimizing programs. The CPO will work thoughtfully to delegate authority to staff to accomplish the mission of Mikva’s programmatic efforts. They will demonstrate foresight in recognizing problems and vision in identifying and implementing solutions.

A Data and Systems Oriented Leader  

This leader will have the ability to build specific strategies focused on the achievement of outcomes and long-term goals to position the organization’s programmatic services for the future. The CPO will possess a strong track record with data collection with the ability to utilize systems and metrics that help plan for the future and proactively shift programmatic goals as needed. They will be highly decisive, setting priorities collaboratively and effectively, delegating responsibilities, ensuring accountability, and effectively allocating resources to ensure results. A great listener and sound problem solver with excellent reasoning skills, this executive has the ability to understand and deal with complexities with ease and creatively overcome obstacles to achieve goals.

Passion for Civic Engagement and the Mission of Mikva 

The CPO will embody the values and mission of Mikva Challenge and, as a result, will inspire and motivate others to develop youth to be empowered, informed, and active civic leaders who will promote a just and equitable society. An empathic, confident leader, the CPO will treat others with respect. The CPO will lead by example, understanding that empathy, humility, and a willingness to reflect on one’s own growth areas are essential qualities. The ideal candidate will understand the youth services and civic engagement landscape and will have an eye consistently focused on the future and how to best adapt the approach to the changing environment of social services. The CPO will be an individual of unquestioned integrity, ethics and values – someone who can be trusted without reservation.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $140,000 to $160,000.

Mikva Challenge offers a comprehensive package of benefits including choice of HMO or PPO health care plan including dental and vision; 401(k) retirement plan matched up to 3% of salary; generous paid vacation and sick leave; flexible spending account; short- and long-term disability; Life Insurance; and an Employee Assistance Program.

Contact

Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Marissa Delgado and George Theotokatos. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential.

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

Mikva Challenge is an equal opportunity employer and we highly value diversity in our workplace. Mikva Challenge provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.

Applicants from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized communities, including people of color, are strongly encouraged to apply.

About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group

Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the firm’s website.