Managing Director

About Decolonizing Wealth Project

Since 2018, Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP) has ignited a global movement grounded in a simple but revolutionary idea: money can be medicine. We didn't just introduce this concept, our DWP’s Reparative Philanthropy™ Framework fundamentally transformed how philanthropy operates in the United States and beyond. This signature approach is at the heart of our work to transform wealth into collective wellbeing.

DWP was founded and is led by Edgar Villanueva, an award-winning author, and expert on wealth and spirituality. As CEO, Edgar and his thought-leadership remain central to our impact through three current strategies: sector transformation, storytelling and culture, and reparative giving. Our work has had significant influence and impacts in the philanthropic sector, including the facilitation of more than $1 billion disbursed towards community-led reparative efforts. Through its fund and giving community, Liberated Capital, DWP has granted over $30 million to support economic solidarity, wellbeing, and earth and climate efforts primarily impacting Black and Indigenous communities.

Headquartered in New York City, DWP's team members are based across the United States, operating collaboratively in a virtual space and meeting collectively in-person at least twice a year. The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and various departments routinely have virtual and in-person meetings. The team is a high-performing, innovative, and engaged group that works collaboratively. Our culture values clear communication, transparency, and the ability to deliver excellent service and work products in a fast-paced environment.

Position Summary

The Managing Director is a member of the Executive Office and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and reports directly to the CEO, partnering closely with him to execute his strategic vision. This position is largely internal-facing and will own the day-to-day so the founder can live in the thought-leadership, new business development, and public-voice lane. It blends the strategic-integrator work of a Chief of Staff with the operational leadership of a COO. Above all, this person holds authority so the founder's signature is not required on everything. They make and de-risk decisions, and bring the founder only what truly needs him, with clear options attached.

This position is largely internally facing and will run daily operations and the leadership operating rhythm, including annual planning and budget cycles, setting priorities, internal communications, directing clear roles and decision-flow across the team. This position also owns organizational health, including financial oversight (budget, cash flow, working with finance/bookkeeping), people and HR, technology and systems, compliance, and evaluation/impact tracking towards corporate goals and strategies. The Managing Director is supported by a full-time Operations Manager and an outsourced accounting firm for these functions.

What you'll own

• Lead and care for the team day-to-day, building a healthy, values-aligned culture in a small, distributed organization.

• Quarterback the build-out of the center, a cross-functional initiative, alongside program, development, and editorial.

• Protect the founder's time, energy, and focus, and act as a trusted thought partner and proxy.

The Managing Director oversees six senior and mid-level staff, providing direction and coaching to ensure that marketing and communications (including the CEO's thought leadership and organizational brand), fund development, donor management, and grantmaking functions operate in full alignment with organizational strategy. This senior leader is accountable for organizational excellence and efficiency, not through doing the work directly, but through developing the people and systems that deliver it at the highest level of impact and values alignment.

DWP has a clear and active strategic plan in motion that will inevitably require building more capacity, adding staff and reorganizing current resources and work processes for efficiency and scale. The role will serve as a key advisor to the CEO on organizational development and manage internal shifts to ensure clarity in individual and department roles and expected outcomes. The Managing Director will also ensure that the team is well grounded in the organization’s vision and strategies and support successful cross-departmental collaborations to be efficient and effective.

This role uniquely blends strategic leadership with operational execution, serving as a force multiplier for the CEO’s vision. The Managing Director will be responsible for translating vision into action, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, strengthening organizational systems and culture, managing key stakeholder relationships, and, most importantly, maximizing operational effectiveness and extending the impact of the CEO to ensure DWP is positioned for sustainable growth and increased impact.

The ideal candidate will have strong systems-thinking capabilities and a proven track record of driving organizational effectiveness while maintaining strong relationships across diverse stakeholders. They will have a deep understanding of nonprofit operations and knowledge about DWP’s core customers - donors and philanthropic organizations. Some knowledge of the philanthropic ecosystem in which DWP primarily lives and operates is preferred.

Understanding organizational design and development, communications and marketing, fundraising and grantmaking, is important. Managing individuals and teams is critical. They understand that their impact is most felt through the people and systems they support, and are energized by enabling the CEO to operate at his highest level, which largely occurs when staff are aligned and successfully contributing as expected. They find deep purpose in the internal work that makes external impact possible.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Rhythm

• Translate the CEO’s vision into operating plans, goals, and ensure the organization is laser-focused on operationalizing and monitoring his priorities.
• Build the infrastructure and team around the CEO as DWP’s brand and public face. Protect the CEO’s time, energy, and focus and act as a trusted thought partner and proxy.

Operational Excellence & Systems Management

• Oversee finance and operations, technology, learning and evaluation, and human resources, serving as the lead relationship with contracted operations vendors; producing, reviewing, and translating monthly finance reports for the CEO, and ensuring efficient systems, processes, and workflows that support DWP's growth and impact.
• Drive cross-departmental coordination and alignment, ensuring seamless collaboration between grantmaking, development, communications/storytelling, and operations teams. Serve as the decision filter - resolve what doesn't need the CEO, and tee up what does with framed options and a recommendation.
• Develop and maintain organizational dashboards, key performance indicators, and reporting systems to track progress toward strategic goals.

Team Leadership & Organizational Culture

• Enact and support the CEO's vision.
• Manage the senior leadership team, to deliver on organizational strategy and goals. Consult and support on key decisions.
• Oversee recruitment and onboarding, for any new staff.
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide coaching to staff, supporting their professional development and leadership growth as they pertain to their DWP roles, programs, and cross-departmental collaborations.
• Support organizational learning, including systems development, knowledge management, and team effectiveness.
• Work closely with the CEO to plan two in-person staff retreats annually.

Location & Schedule

Position Type: Full-time, exempt

Work Arrangement: This position is fully remote, with flexibility to work from anywhere in the United States, with a preference for New York City. DWP operates as a virtual-first organization with a distributed team across the country. The full team gathers in person at least twice per year for team retreats and strategic planning sessions, while leadership and departments may meet in person as helpful.

Travel: Position requires domestic and occasional international travel, estimated at up to 25% of the time, frequent enough to ensure regular in-person time with the CEO, and potentially higher for candidates not based near New York City (including team retreats, strategic meetings, conferences, and stakeholder convenings).

Schedule: While the position is primarily based within regular business hours, flexibility is required, including occasional evenings and weekends to support organizational events, convenings, and other mission-critical activities.

Requirements

Qualifications
Required Experience & Background

• 7 to 10 years in operations or management leadership, ideally in a mission-driven setting, including time as a #2 (Chief of Staff, COO, ED or equivalent). We welcome strong candidates from all sectors, including corporate and other fields.
• A track record running an organization or major function, with real financial fluency of nonprofit budgets, cash flow, and reporting.
• Proven track record of developing and executing organizational strategy, with demonstrated success in driving strategic initiatives from concept to completion.
• People-leadership strength and a gift for building just enough process without bureaucracy, particularly in a virtual environment.
• Strong alignment with DWP’s values around racial and economic justice and a clear analysis of where DWP sits within the philanthropic ecosystem.
• Direct experience in philanthropy or social impact is a plus.
• Strong project management expertise, with the ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives with competing priorities and tight deadlines.
• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in nonprofit management, public policy, business administration, or related field strongly preferred.

Essential Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinking and systems-level analysis, with the ability to see connections across organizational functions and anticipate future needs and solutions. Capacity and willingness to get into the weeds and get their hands dirty.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility with diverse stakeholders, including staff, funders, and community partners.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence and build consensus across diverse stakeholders.
• Strategic decision-making and direct communication skills, evidenced by the ability to hold firm lines, deliver candid feedback, and make decisions quickly.
• High emotional intelligence and steadiness under pressure and load.
• Comfort holding authority and making decisions on a founder's behalf - decisive, discreet, low-ego.
• Experience working on and/or leading national virtual team(s).

Technical Proficiency

• High fluency with Google Suite (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides) and project management tools (Asana or equivalent).
• Experience with Salesforce or other CRM systems for managing donor and stakeholder relationships.
• Proficiency with virtual finance and operations tools (Slack, Zoom, Expensify, NetSuite).
• Human Resource and People Management - particularly for remote work environments..
• Evaluation: experience with data analysis and reporting tools to track organizational metrics and communicate progress.

Benefits

Compensation & Benefits

Annual Salary Range: $225,000 to $230,000

Salary commensurate with experience. DWP offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package that supports the whole person, including:

Health & Wellness

• Generous 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for each team member and partial premium coverage for spouse and children.
• OneMedical account for accessible primary care (in available locations)
• Access to mental health care and telehealth services
• Access to short-term and long-term disability, FSA, and Dependent FSA accounts
• Access to individual and team healing experiences

Time Off & Work-Life Integration

• Generous paid time off: 10 days PTO plus most federal holidays
• Care-centered flexible sick leave policy

All-Team Breaks (DWP offices are closed, dates do not count against PTO)

• Winter Break: Two weeks beginning in late December through early January
• Summer Break: One week, typically in late June or early July

Financial Security & Growth

• 401(k) retirement program with employer contribution
• Professional development opportunities, mentorship, and support for continued learning

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please address:

• Your interest in and alignment with the CEO's and DWP's mission of reparative giving, wealth redistribution, and collective wellbeing.
• Relevant experience in strategic leadership, nonprofit management, team management, and/or philanthropy.
• Examples of how you've driven organizational planning and execution, managed complex projects, or supported executive leadership.
• Your approach to building inclusive, equitable organizational cultures and supporting team development.

Decolonizing Wealth Project is an Equal Opportunity Employer. DWP is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team that reflects the communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and people of color; people with disabilities; LGBTQIA+ individuals; and people from working-class backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

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