Vice President, Knowledge Management

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The California Endowment (The Endowment) is a private, statewide health foundation established in 1996 whose mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. We envision a California that leads the nation as a powerful and conscientious voice for wellness, inclusion, and shared prosperity.

Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, The Endowment has regional offices in Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno and San Diego, with staff working throughout the state. We challenge the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people’s health. We believe that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention.

We are seeking a strategic and equity-focused Vice President of Knowledge Management (VP of Knowledge Management) to lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive learning, evaluation, and knowledge strategy that strengthens The Endowment’s ability to improve health and advance racial equity in communities throughout California. This member of the leadership team will play a critical role in shaping how The Endowment captures, synthesizes, and applies learnings and insights in our grantmaking effectiveness, investments, communications, and operations. The VP will foster a culture of continuous learning and data-informed decision-making and will support The Endowment’s move towards trust-based philanthropy by ensuring that the lived experiences of impacted communities inform strategy, and that knowledge is used as a tool for systems change, accountability, and collective progress.

The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in equity-driven evaluation, learning, and knowledge management, as well as a successful track record leading cross-functional teams to harness data, insight, and community voice to drive impact. The Vice President of Knowledge Management should be a passionate advocate for the vision of The Endowment, a collaborative and equity-centered team builder, an adaptive and systems-oriented thinker, and a trusted organizational resource. They will be responsible for advancing enterprise-wide learning, evaluation, data strategy, and grants effectiveness, working in close partnership with leadership and staff across The Endowment.

The VP of Knowledge Management will have the opportunity to define and evolve this newly created position at The Endowment, shaping what learning, evaluation, and knowledge management can look like at a major philanthropic institution. 

Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, the VP of Knowledge Management will be based in one of The Endowment’s offices, with a preference for Sacramento or Oakland. There will be occasional opportunities to work remotely, and moderate domestic travel will be required.

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT

Building on more than three decades of work to expand access to affordable, quality health care for all Californians, The California Endowment is committed to creating a state that leads the nation in wellness, inclusion, and shared prosperity. Since our founding in 1996, we have pursued our mission to increase access to health care for underserved individuals and communities while advancing lasting improvements in the overall health of all Californians. To date, we have awarded more than 22,000 grants totaling over $2.9 billion to organizations serving diverse rural, urban, inland and coastal communities throughout the state.

OUR CORE VALUES

• We believe every Californian deserves health, wellness, and justice.
• We believe those who are most impacted by health inequities are best positioned to lead in the solutions.
• We are committed to diversity, inclusion, mutual respect and transparency.
• We value youth leadership and champion marginalized voices.
• We recognize the impact of trauma on both individual and community health outcomes.
• We value learning through action.
• We embrace strategies aimed at building power in communities of color and marginalized communities.

This is an exciting and pivotal moment for The Endowment. Brenda Solórzano assumed the role of President and CEO in 2024 with a bold vision to embed the principles of trust-based philanthropy into everything we do, at a time when the people, organizations, and communities we serve are contending with significant challenges brought by shifting federal policies, economic uncertainty, persistent racial and health inequities, political and civic polarization, and natural disasters. To achieve our vision, we must navigate change deftly and with care, respond nimbly and strategically to effectively tackle emerging challenges, leverage our influence to advance key narratives and drive positive change, and always maintain laser focus on a shared vision for the future. 

OUR APPROACH AND IMPACT

The Endowment’s 10-year, $2 billion strategic plan to advance a vision of a more equitable California began in 2021 and was built on the foundational belief that where we live, our race, and our income play a major part in determining our health status and life expectancy. The legacy of racial and economic segregation, anti-immigrant policies, and other historical factors are an undeniable reality that low-income communities and communities of color across California face. These realities can and should be changed, and The Endowment works closely with our grantee partners in pursuit of this change.

Now, as external threats to health care access, racial equity, and immigrant and LGBTQ rights intensify, TCE is doubling down on its legacy of bold action. With a sharpened focus on racial equity and community power building as the foundation for a healthy California, The Endowment has committed to increasing its endowment spending—providing up to $160 million in additional annual grantmaking over the next three years. This expanded investment ensures continued support for frontline partners, protects access to care, and drives urgent systems change in service of health for all.

More information about The California Endowment may be found at: www.calendow.org.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

The VP of Knowledge Management will shape and lead The Endowment’s endeavors to capture, translate, and disseminate relevant and actionable data, information, stories and learnings to inform and improve the work and impact of the foundation. They will design and implement a comprehensive knowledge management strategy that connects learning throughout our grantmaking, investments, operations, and communications systems and work. This leader will foster a culture of equitable evaluation, community-informed learning, and data-informed decision-making. They will ensure that the insights generated by The Endowment and its partners are synthesized, shared, and acted upon to inform strategic decisions, enhance transparency and accountability, and catalyze systems change. Through this work, The Endowment seeks to model how trust-based, equity-driven learning can inform the philanthropic knowledge management space and catalyze community-centered strategy, systems change, and real-world impact. 

Internally, the Vice President will drive organizational effectiveness by overseeing integrated learning agendas, cultivating meaningful knowledge-sharing across departments, and ensuring The Endowment’s work is guided by emergent learning practices. They will establish strong systems and processes that enable real-time insight capture, data analysis, and shared reflection, while also championing trust-based grants management aligned with The Endowment’s strategic framework. Externally, they will cultivate partnerships in the philanthropic and evaluation space to co-create knowledge, uplift community-based expertise, and advance field-wide learning grounded in equity.

Specifically, the VP of Knowledge Management can expect to engage with the following opportunities:

Impact and Learning

• Oversee the design and implementation of learning agendas and impact frameworks to assess how The Endowment’s grantmaking, convening, investments, and operational efforts contribute to systems change in health and racial equity.
• Build and lead a cohesive approach to equitable evaluation that centers community voice and incorporates diverse ways of knowing and learning.
• Manage a portfolio of internal and external evaluations that are timely, relevant, actionable, and aligned with strategic goals.
• Translate data, community insights, and research into meaningful narratives and guidance for decision-making across the enterprise.

Enterprise Knowledge Strategy

• Develop and implement a comprehensive knowledge management system that enables the collection, analysis, sharing, and use of insights across all levels of the organization.
• Collaborate with cross-departmental teams to ensure that knowledge practices inform strategy development, implementation, and refinement.
• Lead sense-making processes with staff, board, and grantees to understand progress and identify strategic shifts or adaptations.

Trust-Based Grants Management

• Serve as a champion for trust-based philanthropy, ensuring that grantmaking practices are streamlined, equitable, and rooted in partnership.
• Oversee The Endowment’s grantmaking effectiveness team in charge of the grants management systems, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and operational excellence.
• Establish efficient, responsive processes for grant record maintenance, payment tracking, and grantee support, emphasizing transparency and accessibility.

Cross-Functional Alignment, Collaboration, and Innovation

• Serve on the organization’s Leadership Team, contributing to enterprise-wide strategy, culture, and operations.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement among leaders and staff and with grantee partners, while also building internal trust and alignment around the role’s purpose especially as expectations and assumptions about knowledge work at The Endowment evolve.
• Collaborate across departments to enhance operational efficiency and ensure that knowledge systems support aligned decision-making and innovation.

Field Building and External Engagement

• Represent The Endowment in national and regional philanthropic learning spaces, contributing thought leadership and learning from the field.
• Engage with philanthropy colleagues, academic institutions, and community-based evaluators and leaders to advance shared knowledge and field-wide practices.
• Promote inclusive and accessible dissemination of insights to diverse audiences, supporting shared understanding and community empowerment.

Measurement, Evaluation, and Accountability

• Partner with leadership to identify the most meaningful indicators of progress, helping to define what success looks like in advancing health and racial equity – and building systems to track, share, and act on that data.
• Develop internal capacity for data analysis and storytelling that drives learning and accountability across the organization.
• Establish benchmarks and systems to track performance and impact aligned with The Endowment’s strategic goals.
• Collaborate with the communications team to amplify findings and lessons learned with key internal and external stakeholders.

Resource Management

• Build and lead a high-performing, collaborative team that reflects The Endowment’s values and embodies a culture of learning and inclusion.
• Provide mentorship, growth opportunities, and strategic direction to staff to improve learning, evaluation, data analytics, and grants effectiveness.
• Manage departmental resources and budget with efficiency and transparency, ensuring alignment with enterprise-wide goals and values.

While no one candidate will possess all the qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will be passionate about The Endowment’s mission and bring many of the following skills and experiences:

• Inspiring and equity-centered leader – A visionary leader with at least seven years of progressive leadership experience in knowledge management, evaluation, or emergent learning functions.
• Demonstrated commitment to The Endowment’s mission – Unwavering dedication to advancing health and racial equity for California’s marginalized communities through strategic, systems-level change.
• Equity-centered mindset – Deep understanding of anti-racist practices, community empowerment, and systems change work, with a particular emphasis on health equity.
• Strategic and integrative thinker – Proven ability to design and implement enterprise-wide knowledge, learning, and evaluation strategies that inform, adapt, and drive enterprise priorities and decision-making.
• Compassionate and effective team leader – Skilled in building and managing diverse, high-performing teams with a collaborative and inclusive approach. Demonstrated commitment to mentorship, growth, and staff development.
• Expert in equitable evaluation and learning – Extensive experience designing and managing equitable evaluation frameworks and learning agendas rooted in community voice and emergent learning principles.
• Proficiency in data systems and knowledge infrastructure – Demonstrated success in building and maintaining enterprise-wide knowledge management systems, data platforms, and visualization tools that inform strategy and operations.
• Trust-based philanthropy champion – Strong understanding of and experience implementing trust-based practices across grantmaking and organizational processes.
• Exceptional communicator, storyteller, and translator of insight – Skilled in synthesizing and conveying complex data, evaluation findings, and learning insights in accessible ways for internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborative cross-functional leader – Proven track record of building strong partnerships across departments and aligning learning and evaluation functions with grantmaking, operations, strategy, and communications.
• Innovative and adaptable problem-solver – A solutions-oriented mindset and a passion for innovation, technology, and process improvement.
• AI adapter – Facility with the evolving use of AI as a dynamic tool to inform and improve practice and work product. Ability to develop systems and guidelines to inform appropriate and secure use of AI in knowledge management practices throughout the organization.
• Change management leader – Experience in leading organizations and teams through change with empathy and clarity, while building support for new systems, strategies, and ways of working.
• Continuous learner – Committed to experimentation, iteration, and ongoing learning as essential tools for organizational and field-wide advancement.

Work Location: This role will be based in one of The Endowment’s offices – ideally in Oakland or Sacramento – with occasional opportunities to work remotely. The role will require moderate domestic travel and in-person meetings.

Salary and Benefits: The target salary range for this role is: $255,000 – 269,850. The Endowment offers a generous benefits package that includes health, dental, vision (company-paid), the opportunity to enroll in a health savings account (HSA), a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), a flexible spending account (FSA), and basic life and AD&D insurance. Employees are also eligible to contribute up to 75% of their salary to a 401(k) savings plan into which, after one year of employment, The Endowment will provide an 8% discretionary contribution in addition to matching dollar per dollar up to 7% of your salary. The organization also offers a generous PTO policy with accrual increasing based on years of service, and eleven paid holidays per year.

Additional information about the full range of benefits will be made available on offer.

This search is being led by Ellen LaPointe, Andrés Marcuse-González, and Ebony Breaux-Liang of NPAG. We invite applications with a resume and cover letter outlining your interest and qualifications via the portal on NPAG’s website. Should you have questions, candidate nominations, or if you need assistance or accommodations in the application process, please contact Ebony Breaux-Liang at ebony@npag.com.

The California Endowment is an equal opportunity employer and places a high value on diversity, equity, inclusion and to creating a work environment where the individual is valued and respected.