Oakland Thrives

Chief Executive

Reports To: Oakland Thrives Executive Team

Location: Oakland, California

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Application Deadline: March 13, 2026

About The Opportunity

Oakland Thrives seeks a visionary, equity-centered, and collaborative leader to serve as its next Chief Executive. This is a rare opportunity to guide a dynamic public–private partnership dedicated to bringing community leaders and policy makers together to make Oakland’s children, families, and communities the healthiest in the nation. The Chief Executive will lead Oakland Thrives into a new phase of impact, strengthening collaboration within and across cross-sector stakeholder tables to advance an equity-centered strategic vision for Oakland. Managing and partnering with a committed team, the Chief Executive will provide leadership across complex, large-scale, multi-year programs and public policy initiatives as well as budget management, fundraising, and communications. The Chief Executive must be a connector, convener, and systems thinker with the diplomacy and resilience to navigate complex public-sector environments while centering community voice and lived experience to ensure systemic barriers and gaps in Oakland are identified and addressed.

About OAKLAND THRIVES

Oakland Thrives, a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Center, promotes the well-being and equity for children, families, and communities in Oakland. We strategically mobilize action across city, county, school, and community partners to address critical areas of opportunity for Oakland’s children and families, including health, wealth, education, safety, and housing. Oakland Thrives is the implementing body of the Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority (YVJPA) which includes the County of Alameda, City of Oakland, Oakland Unified School District, Alameda County Office of Education, Peralta Community College District, and First 5 Alameda County. Oakland Thrives is a public/private partnership, including participation from business, nonprofit, philanthropy, and community leaders from across Oakland.

Oakland Thrives convenes leaders to plan and implement initiatives that create the conditions for Oakland’s children, families, and communities to be the healthiest in the nation. Oakland Thrives works across the city, at the systems level, on high-priority community needs in the areas of health, wealth, education, safety, and housing. Our current priority initiative is Rise East, a multi-year effort to improve the health and well-being of Black children and families in East Oakland. In addition to Rise East, Oakland Thrives and the YVJPA are currently working on coordinating a system response to achieve food security and improved accessibility and quality of mental health services across all of Oakland’s communities.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Oakland Thrives Chief Executive directs and supports all aspects of the Oakland Thrives Leadership Council and the Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority organization. The Chief Executive reports to the Oakland Thrives Leadership Council and the Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority Boards and works collaboratively with staff, community partners, vendors, and philanthropy. This includes provision of board support and strategic planning and implementation of the strategic vision of the Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority Board and Oakland Thrive Leadership Council. This position is also responsible for:

• Executive and human resource oversight of a high-performing, entrepreneurial team of eight, including four direct reports;
• Financial management of an annual operating budget of approximately $6 million;
• Fund development in support of Oakland Thrives and key collaborative initiatives including the 10-year, $100 million Rise East effort; and
• Communications and public relations, serving as the primary spokesperson and ambassador for Oakland Thrives.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

●     Strategic Leadership and Vision

○     Recommends, builds alignment around, and advances a clear, equity-centered vision for Oakland that aligns with Oakland Thrives’ mission to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities and balances stakeholder interests

○     Centers data-driven decision-making analyzing community needs and translating them into innovative shared solutions

○     Champions equity and ensures community voice and priorities are meaningfully integrated into strategy and implementation toward systems change

○     Anticipates emerging community needs, policy shifts, and funding trends to position Oakland Thrives as a trusted civic leader and innovation partner

●     Leadership Body Management and Support

○     Provides executive level support to the various leadership bodies associated with Oakland Thrives, including but not limited to:

■     Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority

■     Oakland Thrives Leadership Council

■     Oakland Thrives Executive Team

■     Rise East Steering Committee

■     Rise East Governance Advisory Team

○     Partners closely with Oakland Thrives Executive Team Co-Chairs, who are the direct supervisors, establishing and maintaining trusted relationships with each Co-Chair while also facilitating strong relationships, collaboration, and alignment among the Co-Chairs as a group

○     Facilitates strategic planning for the leadership boards of Oakland Thrives in setting organizational direction; prioritizing resources and initiatives; and evaluating outcomes and impact of the work and leads implementation of the Boards’ strategic vision

○     Ensures compliance with organizational by-laws and appropriate laws and regulations

○     Works with leadership to recruit and orient new members

●     Team, Human Resource, and Operational Management

○     Leads and supports a high-performing staff team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, learning, and care

○     Ensures an effective organizational staffing structure that supports growth strategies associated with significant initiatives

○     Recruits, hires, supervises, develops, and evaluates senior level staff

○     Supports volunteers and consultants retained for key initiatives

○     Provides oversight and direction for organizational operations and internal systems

●     Financial, Fund Development, and Fiscal Sponsorship Management

○     Oversees the Oakland Thrives budget and financial reporting ensuring financial sustainability, collection of YVJPA dues, and responsible budget management

○     Serves as Fiscal Sponsorship Project (FSP) Director and either directly, or through subordinate personnel, assures compliance with the Tides Center FSP agreement

○     Develops and oversees implementation of a fund development strategy for Oakland Thrives including directly cultivating and stewarding relationships with public funders, philanthropy, and corporate partners

○     Convenes and supports the development of strategic cross-sector public fiscal policy that seeks to sustain initiatives deemed impactful and support revenue and resource maximization in service to the equity centered vision

●     Program and Initiative Leadership

○     Convenes and mobilizes leaders from city, county, school districts, higher education, philanthropy, business, nonprofit, and community sectors to drive coordinated action on key programs and initiatives, supporting transparent accountability and problem solving through the use of data

○     Provides programmatic and policy leadership and direction across Oakland Thrives’ key priority areas

○     Facilitates a constructive shared learning, continuous improvement, and evidence-informed decision-making across programs and initiatives that is focused on problem solving, collaboration, and service to the public good

●     Communications, Public Relations, and Thought Leadership

○     Serves as the primary spokesperson and ambassador for Oakland Thrives

○     Develops and oversees implementation of Oakland Thrives’ overall communications strategy

○     Strengthens Oakland Thrives’ brand and visibility as a model for public–private collaboration and youth-centered systems change at the local, state and national levels

○     Supports alignment between public systems and community-based efforts to improve outcomes for Oakland youth and families

About The IDEAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Key Qualifications

• At least ten years of progressively responsible senior leadership experience managing teams in large-scale collaborative place-based initiatives and/or organizations across the public sector, nonprofits, and/or philanthropy; experience managing fiscal sponsorship, shared governance, or matrixed accountability structures a plus
• Significant experience in board management and stakeholder and community engagement including commitment to fostering participatory and equitable solutions
• Proven track record of working effectively with public-sector entities, including navigating political environments, intergovernmental partnerships, and public accountability structures
• Strong background in fundraising and resource development, including philanthropy, government, and public–private partnerships with awareness of funding landscapes relevant to community and systems-building and/or change work
• Experience working on one or more of the critical intersectional areas of opportunity for Oakland’s children, youth, families, and community well-being
• Strong ties to the Oakland community and/or to Alameda County with an innate understanding of Oakland’s/the region’s unique culture, systems, strengths, needs, and aspirations through lived experience reflective of the communities Oakland Thrives serves
• Experience leading organizations and teams including managing and developing senior staff; ensuring strong financial stewardship of complex budgets (with an understanding of public finance and the central role of fiscal policy in system building); overseeing operations; and fostering organizational growth
• A demonstrated equity lens and passion for connecting with community; understanding key assets and needs; and promoting well-being and equity for children, families, and communities in Oakland
• Effective communicator, connector, and convener with the political acumen and people skills to represent Oakland Thrives in public, civic, philanthropic, and community settings; build strong cross-sector relationships; and facilitate conversation to alignment to action across diverse stakeholders and power dynamics
• Ability to lead with humility, integrity, collaboration, and accountability while centering equity and community voice
• Strategic, systems thinker adept at translating vision into coordinated cross-sector action with an understanding of how to operationalize shared vision
• Ability to sustain personal resilience and lead others through long-term, multi-year change efforts managing complexity, ambiguity, and evolving priorities while maintaining momentum
• Proficiency in or the ability to quickly learn modern public administration techniques, governmental organization management, and compliance including relevant city, county, state, and federal laws, rules, regulations, and legislative processes
• Working knowledge of data-informed decision-making, shared measurement, accountability, and continuous improvement models
• Master’s degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field (e.g., MPA, MPH, MSW, MPP, MBA with a social impact focus, or equivalent) preferred or experience in excess of the minimum

Work Environment, Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time position requiring a minimum of one day per week in the office and up to four days remote. The Chief Executive must be physically able to participate in both in-person and remote meetings and events and evening and weekend work may be required.

This role has a competitive annual salary range of $255,000 - $285,000, commensurate with experience. The benefits package includes comprehensive health insurance alongside dental insurance, vision insurance, and a 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer contributions.

About The APPLICATION PROCESS

Oakland Thrives is partnering with Oakland-based Walker & Associates Consulting, a Black- and woman-owned executive search firm promoting equitable community impact, to lead this search. To apply, email a cover letter describing your interest and alignment with the role, a current resume, and a list of three professional references (references will not be contacted without prior notice) to oaklandthrives@walkeraac.com by Friday, March 13, 2026 at 5:00 pm PT.

Please submit materials in PDF or Microsoft Word format, preferably in one combined file, with the subject line “Oakland Thrives Chief Executive Application.”

Resume review begins immediately.

Questions or Nominations? Contact Jeannine N. Walker at jwalker@walkeraac.com.

Oakland Thrives is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. Oakland Thrives complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require accommodation to participate in the application process or perform the essential functions of the job, please contact us to discuss your needs