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Heartland Fund, part of the Rural Democracy Initiative (RDI), is seeking a Rural Democracy Policy and Program Senior Manager. This position requires a strategic thinker who is committed to building a thriving democracy and rural communities. They will develop and manage a portfolio of grantees, convene rural policy partners and drive key rural policy outcomes, and inform our strategy.
We are looking for a collaborative team player with experience building powerful civic, political, and/or policy infrastructure that advances community solutions, ideally for rural people and places. The successful candidate will be service-oriented, an excellent writer, able to manage competing priorities and deadlines, and balance many strategic considerations.
You will have an opportunity to help us enable equitable investment in rural communities, democracy, and climate solutions. This is a unique and dynamic position with opportunities for growth and impact as the Heartland Fund prepares to launch as an independent entity in 2027.
This is a remote position with a salary range of $85,000 to $100,000 and includes a generous benefits package.
About the Organization
As a funder collaborative, the Heartland Fund scales investment, supports local leaders, and builds long-term partnerships with rural and Native organizations to create thriving places where rural working people can determine our own futures, strengthening the entire nation. Heartland's grantmaking and programmatic investments support rural people working to transform their lives and communities toward shared prosperity, a healthy climate, and stronger democracy. We invest in building local capacity for issue advocacy, community organizing, economic development and local jobs, climate solutions, civic engagement, and sustainable urban-rural coalitions. We prioritize racial justice in all aspects of our work. In addition to grantmaking, Heartland also supports rural leaders and organizations through convening, research, and communications and storytelling.
Heartland Fund has three programs:
Rural Democracy builds civic power by investing in rural organizing infrastructure and leadership to ensure rural people have a meaningful say in the decisions that shape their lives.
Resource Rural (RR) mobilizes resources enabling rural communities to unlock public and private investment to create positive economic change in their communities.
Rural Climate Partnership (RCP) supports hometowns across America to accelerate climate solutions and build healthy local economies.
This position is with Heartland Fund’s 501(c)(3) Rural Democracy program that, alongside the 501(c)(4) Rural Victory Fund, comprises the Rural Democracy Initiative. RDI invests in civic engagement infrastructure in small towns and rural areas. Building power in these communities is essential to establishing an enduring pro-democracy, multiracial majority, and implementing the policies required for rural and small city communities to have vibrant, thriving futures.
Our coalition of rural innovators and aligned funders is working in more than 25 states across diverse regions. We support rural people working to transform rural America – and therefore the entire country – for decades to come.
Why Rural Democracy
Small town, small city and rural voters maintain disproportionate power to shape national policy and politics. Historically, a strong coalition of rural farmers and urban laborers advanced progress in this country, but in recent decades the leadership and funding infrastructure for progress has largely withdrawn from non-metro areas. At the same time, anti-democratic interests have invested heavily in rural voters. They’ve built organizing, policy, and communications machines to spread disinformation and ignite fears among rural electorates, promoting their own agendas to deepen divides.
Primary Duties & Responsibilities
The 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, where they will be responsible for cultivating trusting relationships, providing flexible resources, and assessing overall capacity needs. They will recommend timely investments that result in greater power and meaningful policy change for rural communities. They will also work closely with the Communications and Policy Director to co-lead and manage our bi-annual Rural Policy Action Summit and Rural Policy Action Report. Finally, they will build the capacity of our grantee network, communicate learning and success stories, and coordinate with key funding partners. The person holding this position will also 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.
Grantmaking & Program Management
Develop and implement grantmaking strategies for assigned priority states.
Manage a policy and communications-focused grantmaking portfolio in addition to state-based grantmaking.
Conduct research and facilitate outreach in specific geographies, communities, and issue areas to advance our strategy.
Lead outreach to existing and new grantees and partners, including check-ins, collecting reports, and participating in site visits.
Gather, review and organize grant proposals, reports, and accompanying materials.
Prioritize and recommend grants. Support grant docket preparation.
Assess impacts and opportunities in partnership with field and funding partners.
Rural Policy Development
Co-lead and manage the bi-annual Rural Policy Action Summit by working with grantee and partner networks to organize a 50-person convening to shape federal policy and learn from each other.
Project manage and contribute to the bi-annual Rural Policy Action Report, which outlines federal policies, legislation, and executive action to strengthen rural communities.
Serve as a thought partner to democracy staff team members around policy best practices.
Support the grantee network in advancing rural policy priorities through resources, coaching, and peer-to-peer learning.
Help amplify policy efforts by contributing to policy-focused communications.
Program Support & Management
Support the Senior Program Officer and Strategic Partnerships team to meet requests from funders, stakeholders, partners, and aligned organizations.
Participate in grantee data collection processes including our bi-annual civic engagement survey, capacity building surveys, and political landscape summary.
Monitor and update grantmaking data systems in partnership with the Grants Management team.
Advance program priorities through Program Team meetings, retreats, grantee surveys, and work and project plans.
Facilitate grantee access to resources, tools, and capacity building opportunities.
Communications
Help the team showcase grantee success stories and lessons learned by identifying persuasive case examples and timely news for email newsletters, annual reports, and policy memos.
Translate impact stories, photos, quotes, and anecdotes from grantees into compelling content that supports fundraising efforts, including grant proposals and reports for our funders and donors.
Qualifications
We realize that great candidates may not have everything on this list. If you believe you would be a great fit for this role, we encourage you to apply.
Heartland Fund is seeking a strategic and ambitious team member who is excited to work in an entrepreneurial, fast paced, and creative environment. The person should exhibit a high degree of professionalism, initiative, and independence