Crankstart
POSITION DESCRIPTION: Program Director—Democracy & Environment
SAN FRANCISCO, CA January 20, 2026
aBOUT cRANKSTART
Crankstart is a San Francisco-based family foundation devoted to bolstering the foundations of a just society — wider access to better education, jobs with prospects for advancement, housing security, social welfare, and the protection of civil rights. Crankstart also supports the arts, basic science, and efforts to mitigate climate change. In 2025, we made over $250m in grants, with about 60% supporting efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Culturally, Crankstart operates with the efficiency of a lean team, while maintaining the rigor and professionalism of a much larger organization. We value curiosity, humility, excellence, and action.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Crankstart is currently hiring for a Program Director to lead our work on 1) Democracy / Voting; 2) Civil Rights; 3) Immigrant Justice; 4) Criminal Justice; 5) Environment/Climate Change; and 6) Basic Science.
The Program Director will shape and oversee the program areas outlined above, working with organizational, philanthropic, and academic leaders to co-design and monitor initiatives likely to drive measurable change at both systemic and population levels. You will lead a small team of Program Officers, collaborate closely with Crankstart’s two other Program Directors, and report to the Vice President of Programs. In this role, you will be responsible for producing a large volume of written material for Crankstart’s board each month and communicating verbally with Crankstart’s board during monthly board meetings. You will be responsible for recommending how over $100 million per year in funding (a significant portion of which has been committed for 2026) should be invested to achieve maximum impact in San Francisco, nationally, and in the case of our environment portfolio, internationally.
The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of professional experience, have held a top position (Executive Director, CEO, VP, or similar) for 5+ years, be seen as a leader in one of the following fields: democracy, immigrant justice, or criminal justice, have led collective impact projects, and have deep familiarity with impact litigation and legislative advocacy. We are looking for an individual who has successfully changed public systems, is creative and entrepreneurial, is relentlessly driven to serve marginalized communities, and doesn’t shy away from making difficult decisions. We are also looking for someone familiar with the systems and structures that impact the lives of San Franciscans, particularly San Francisco immigrants and those involved in the criminal justice system, and who has ideas for how they can be improved.
responsibilities
Strategy Development and Refinement (60%)
Within each program area you oversee, partner with community, organizational, philanthropic, and academic leaders, as well as directly impacted individuals, to identify challenges and opportunities where Crankstart investments can catalyze measurable and transformative change.
Co-design and/or identify initiatives likely to lead to change, both systemic and population level. These initiatives often include a blend of strategies, including research, direct services, communication campaigns, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and organizing.
For each initiative, identify a backbone organization, if applicable, and the organizations responsible for executing each of the initiative’s strategies.
Communicate initiative ideas, challenges, and updates frequently to Crankstart’s Vice President of Programs and use them as a thought partner and sounding board about both the initiative and the initiative’s fit for Crankstart.
Provide thought partnership to each collective impact initiative and hold grantees accountable for achieving established outcomes.
Learn from each initiative’s successes and challenges; share them with your colleagues and Crankstart’s board; and incorporate them into your philanthropic practice.
Ensure your budget is allocated across your program areas and across each program area’s collective impact projects so as to maximize impact.
Grantmaking and Relationship Management (25%)
Ensure each initiative and each participating organization has clear, measurable goals.
Communicate recommended renewals or wind-downs of initiatives and grantees to Crankstart’s CEO and board in succinct, clearly written memos.
Discuss these memos with Crankstart’s board in monthly board meetings, learning from their feedback and incorporating it into your philanthropic practice at Crankstart.
Communicate funding decisions to prospective, current, and past grantees with authenticity and diplomacy
Team Operations (15%)
Lead the Democracy & Environment team, including team-building, production of learning memos, and annual planning.
Provide structured supervision and thought partnership to the Program Officers who are part of your team.
Pilot and iterate on operational systems, processes, and tools that support the ongoing practice of team norms and incentivizing of efficient, strategic philanthropy.
QUALIFICATIONS
Have held a top position (Executive Director, CEO, VP, or similar) for 5+ years and are seen as a leader in one of the following fields: democracy, immigrant justice, or criminal justice.
Have 15+ years of professional experience, with at least 10+ years of direct professional experience in various roles across the democracy, immigrant justice, criminal justice, social justice, environment, and basic science ecosystem, and across segments (e.g., nonprofit, public, private, etc.).
Have led collective impact projects and changed public systems.
Have deep familiarity with impact litigation and legislative advocacy.
Have partnered with public agencies to achieve common goals.
Are creative, entrepreneurial, and adept at recognizing opportunities where transformational change is possible.
Are driven to advance justice in service of marginalized communities.
Are passionate about supporting and uplifting the work of nonprofit and community leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Are capable of prioritizing and making difficult decisions.
Have led strategic planning processes, including goal setting and budget forecasting.
Are an excellent writer, editor, and proofreader who can produce memos quickly and proficiently.
Are adept at using technology, including AI and Salesforce, to improve efficiency.
Have experience working on complex, long-term projects that involve a diverse range of stakeholders and types of people, both internal and external to an organization.
Thrive in a dynamic, startup environment - can shift gears quickly to adapt to changing priorities, and you enjoy doing a little bit of everything.
Location
This is a full-time, hybrid role located in the San Francisco Bay Area. A remote option is not available for this position. Candidates must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area (within a 50-mile radius of San Francisco) and be able to travel mostly in/around San Francisco and Oakland to build relationships with partners and grantees.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
At Crankstart, we use a leveling framework to ensure fairness in promotions and compensation. The compensation range for this position is $275,000 - $310,000. We offer exceptional employee benefits, including 100% health premium coverage for employees and their dependents, fully covered dental and vision plans, a 15% employer contribution to a 401(k) plan, generous vacation and paid holidays, an Employee Giving Alignment Program, and more.
eQUAL OPPORTUNITY sTATEMENT
Crankstart is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, age, or any other legally protected status. Crankstart also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees in any of these protected categories.
TO APPLY
Martha Montag Brown & Associates, LLC has been retained to conduct this search. Interested and qualified candidates should apply by submitting a resume and a targeted cover letter describing their interest, relevant qualifications, experience, and expertise via the candidate application portal. All correspondence will remain confidential. Questions about the search and application process should be directed to search@marthamontagbrown.com.
