Chief Programs & Policy Officer

Description

About Prosperity Now

Since 1979, Prosperity Now has been a trusted leader in strengthening financial security, expanding access to capital, and ensuring economic stability for businesses, families, and communities. We work across sectors to develop practical, scalable solutions that create lasting change. Through innovation, strategic investment, and collaboration, we build the infrastructure needed to sustain small business growth, housing opportunities, and financial well-being in an evolving economic landscape.

Position Summary

The Chief Programs & Policy Officer (CPPO) provides executive leadership and operational oversight for Prosperity Now’s integrated portfolio of applied research and policy, programmatic initiatives, capacity building and technical assistance, events and convenings, and national network engagement.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the CPPO is responsible for translating organizational strategy and programmatic priorities into coordinated implementation, high-quality deliverables, and measurable results. The CPPO ensures that programs and initiatives are effectively planned, appropriately resourced, successfully executed, and completed on time, within budget, and within established scope.

The CPPO serves as a senior organizational leader with direct responsibility for managing multidisciplinary teams, strengthening operational performance, and ensuring accountability across the Programs and Policy portfolio. The position requires exceptional project and portfolio management capabilities, sound executive judgment, and demonstrated success leading professionals across multiple disciplines and career levels.

A central responsibility of the CPPO is to help establish, refine, and institutionalize Prosperity Now’s organizational approach to project management. Working collaboratively with the COO, Chief of Staff, and Enterprise Integration function, the CPPO will help develop practical project management methodologies, standards, tools, and accountability practices that support effective execution across the organization.

The CPPO will serve as a principal executive partner in implementing these practices, ensuring that programmatic teams consistently apply agreed-upon standards while coordinating effectively with Enterprise Integration on organizational priorities, cross-functional dependencies, resource constraints, and emerging risks.

The successful candidate will be a decisive, solutions-oriented executive who combines strategic understanding with exceptional execution skills. This individual must be comfortable managing complexity, setting clear expectations, making difficult decisions, resolving challenges, and holding staff accountable for results. The CPPO must also be an effective collaborator with other senior executives and a credible external representative of Prosperity Now.

Working closely with the COO, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer (CSIO), Chief of Staff, and other organizational leaders, the CPPO advances Prosperity Now’s strategic priorities and organizational flywheel: Innovate, Incubate, Activate, Elevate.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• •Translate strategic priorities into actionable plans with clear deliverables, milestones, budgets, and accountability.
• •Develop and manage an annual Programs & Policy operating plan; serve on the senior leadership team.

Project Management & Portfolio Execution

• •Partner with the COO, Chief of Staff, and Enterprise Integration to establish and institutionalize project management standards, tools, and governance (including Asana).
• •Ensure every initiative has a clear owner, scope, schedule, budget, and performance measures; run regular portfolio reviews and intervene promptly on at-risk work.
• •Oversee grant- and contract-funded deliverables, contractors, and partners.

Applied Research & Policy

Oversee research and policy functions, ensuring high-quality, timely deliverables aligned with organizational priorities.

Programs, Events & Network Engagement

• •Oversee program design, technical assistance, and training, with clear standards for quality and evaluation.
• •Lead conferences and convenings, including the Prosperity Summit, and strategies that strengthen Prosperity Now’s national networks.

People Leadership

Lead and develop multidisciplinary teams; set clear expectations, address performance issues, and foster a culture of ownership and accountability.

Financial Stewardship & Performance

• •Develop and manage programmatic budgets with Finance and the COO; monitor budget-to-actual performance and resource allocation.
• •Use dashboards and KPIs to track execution, quality, and risk and drive continuous improvement.

Executive Collaboration & External Representation

• •Partner with the COO, CSIO, Chief of Staff, External Affairs, and Development on enterprise priorities.
• •Represent Prosperity Now with funders, policymakers, and partners, translating complex research and policy into clear messages.

Requirements

Qualifications

Required Experience & Education

• •Minimum of 12–15 years of progressively responsible professional experience, including significant senior leadership responsibility in nonprofit, philanthropic, public policy, government, or similarly complex mission-driven organizations.
• •Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary programmatic portfolios and managing teams with diverse technical expertise and professional experience.
• •Proven track record of translating organizational strategy into successful execution, including delivery of complex initiatives on time, within budget, and within defined scope.
• •Significant experience supervising directors, managers, and individual contributors, with demonstrated success building high-performing teams and addressing performance challenges.
• •Advanced project and portfolio management expertise, including experience establishing or strengthening organizational project management methodologies, systems, and accountability practices.
• •Demonstrated ability to lead project management adoption across teams and develop the project execution capabilities of managers and staff.
• •Experience overseeing or coordinating applied research, public policy, program implementation, capacity building, network engagement, or major convenings.
• •Strong financial management skills, including experience developing and managing complex programmatic budgets.
• •Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with C-suite executives, navigate organizational complexity, and exercise sound independent judgment.
• •Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated experience with public speaking, presentations, facilitation, and external stakeholder engagement.
• •Demonstrated success managing competing priorities, solving complex problems, and leading teams through organizational change.
• •Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

Essential Leadership Competencies:

• •Execution Excellence: Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into action, establish clear priorities, mobilize teams, and consistently deliver results.
• •People Leadership & Accountability: Ability to lead and develop professionals across career levels, set high expectations, delegate effectively, manage performance, and hold individuals and teams accountable.
• •Project & Portfolio Management Leadership: Exceptional ability to establish effective project management practices, oversee multiple complex initiatives, manage dependencies and resources, anticipate risks, and ensure successful completion of commitments.
• •Executive Judgment: Strong decision-making ability, organizational awareness, and professional maturity when working with senior executives and navigating competing priorities.
• •Solutions-Oriented Leadership: Resourceful, proactive, adaptable, and decisive in identifying practical solutions to complex ope