Managing Director

About Decolonizing Wealth Project

Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP) has been building a global movement since 2018 around a powerful idea: money can be used as medicine. Through its Reparative Philanthropy™ Framework, the organization has helped reshape how philanthropy functions in the United States and internationally, with a focus on turning wealth into collective wellbeing.

The organization was established and is led by Edgar Villanueva, an award-winning author and recognized voice on wealth and spirituality. As CEO, he continues to shape the organization’s impact through three main strategies: sector transformation, storytelling and culture, and reparative giving. DWP’s work has influenced the philanthropic field in major ways, including helping move more than $1 billion toward community-led reparative efforts. Through Liberated Capital, its fund and giving community, DWP has also distributed over $30 million to advance economic solidarity, wellbeing, and earth and climate initiatives, especially for Black and Indigenous communities.

Although headquartered in New York City, the team works remotely across the United States in a highly collaborative virtual environment, with in-person gatherings at least twice each year. Leadership and department meetings take place both virtually and face to face as needed. The culture is fast-moving, innovative, and highly engaged, with strong expectations around clear communication, transparency, and consistently excellent execution.

Position Summary

The Managing Director sits in the Executive Office and on the Senior Leadership Team, reporting directly to the CEO and working in close partnership with him to execute strategic priorities. This is primarily an internal leadership role that owns day-to-day operations so the founder can stay focused on thought leadership, business development, and serving as the public voice of the organization. The role combines the strategic coordination of a Chief of Staff with the operational leadership of a COO.

A major part of the job is carrying authority so the CEO does not need to sign off on everything. The Managing Director filters decisions, de-risks choices, and brings only the most important issues forward, supported by clear options and recommendations.

The position leads daily operations and the organizational rhythm, including annual planning, budget cycles, priority-setting, internal communications, role clarity, and decision-making flow. It also oversees organizational health across finance, people and HR, technology and systems, compliance, and evaluation and impact tracking tied to corporate goals and strategies. A full-time Operations Manager and an outsourced accounting firm provide support in these areas.

Core Accountabilities

The Managing Director is expected to guide the team day to day, strengthen a healthy and values-aligned culture within a small distributed organization, and help drive a cross-functional initiative referred to as the center, working across program, development, and editorial. The role also protects the founder’s time and serves as a trusted strategic partner and proxy.

This leader supervises six senior and mid-level employees and ensures that marketing and communications, including the CEO’s thought leadership and the organization’s brand, as well as fund development, donor management, and grantmaking, stay aligned with organizational strategy. Success in this role comes from strengthening the people and systems that deliver results, not from doing all of the work personally.

Because the strategic plan is already in motion, DWP expects continued growth, additional staffing, and changes to how work is organized for greater efficiency and scale. The Managing Director will advise the CEO on organizational development, lead internal transitions, clarify roles and expectations, and support collaboration across departments so the whole team works effectively and in line with the organization’s vision.

Overall, this is a highly integrative leadership role that turns strategy into action, coordinates cross-functional work, strengthens systems and culture, manages important stakeholder relationships, and expands the CEO’s capacity so DWP can grow sustainably and deepen its impact.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Rhythm

• Convert the CEO’s vision into practical operating plans and goals, then keep the organization focused on executing and tracking those priorities.
• Build the support structure around the CEO as the organization’s public and brand-facing leader, while protecting his time, energy, and attention and acting as a dependable proxy and thought partner.

Operational Excellence and Systems Management

• Lead finance and operations, technology, learning and evaluation, and human resources, while serving as the main contact for external operations vendors. This includes reviewing monthly financial reports, translating them for the CEO, and making sure systems and workflows are efficient and scalable.
• Coordinate work across departments so grantmaking, development, storytelling and communications, and operations stay aligned. Act as the decision filter by resolving matters that do not require CEO involvement and presenting the rest with recommended options.
• Create and maintain dashboards, key performance indicators, and reporting tools that show progress against strategic objectives.

Team Leadership and Organizational Culture

• Advance and reinforce the CEO’s vision across the organization.
• Lead the senior leadership team in delivering organizational strategy and goals, while offering consultation and support on important decisions.
• Oversee recruiting and onboarding for any new hires.
• Run performance reviews, coach staff, and support professional growth and leadership development tied to their roles, programs, and cross-functional work.
• Support organizational learning through systems improvement, knowledge management, and stronger team effectiveness.
• Partner with the CEO to organize two in-person staff retreats each year.

Location, Schedule, and Travel

This is a full-time, exempt position that can be performed remotely from anywhere in the United States, with a preference for candidates based in New York City. DWP operates as a virtual-first organization with a distributed national team. The full staff meets in person at least twice a year for retreats and strategic planning, and leadership or departmental groups may also meet face to face when useful.

The role involves domestic travel and occasional international travel, estimated at up to 25% of working time. Travel may be higher for candidates not located near New York City and may include retreats, strategy sessions, conferences, and stakeholder meetings. The schedule is generally aligned with normal business hours, but some evenings and weekends will be needed for events, convenings, and other mission-critical work.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will bring 7 to 10 years of leadership experience in operations or management, preferably in mission-driven environments, including experience serving as a #2 leader such as a Chief of Staff, COO, Executive Director, or a similar role. Strong applicants from corporate or other sectors are also welcome.

They should have experience running an organization or major function, along with strong financial fluency related to nonprofit budgets, cash flow, and reporting. A history of setting strategy and successfully carrying major initiatives from idea to completion is important, as is the ability to lead people while building the right amount of process without creating bureaucracy, especially in a virtual setting.

The role also calls for strong alignment with DWP’s commitment to racial and economic justice and a thoughtful understanding of where the organization fits within the philanthropic ecosystem. Direct experience in philanthropy or social impact is helpful. Strong project management skills are needed for complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, competing demands, and tight timelines.

A bachelor’s degree is required. A master’s degree in nonprofit management, public policy, business administration, or a related field is strongly preferred.

Essential Skills and Competencies

• Ability to think strategically at a systems level and connect work across functions while anticipating future needs and solutions.
• Comfort working deeply into details when needed and staying hands-on.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to establish trust with staff, funders, and community partners.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence others and build agreement across varied stakeholders.
• Clear, direct communication and sound judgment in decision-making, including the ability to set firm boundaries, give candid feedback, and act quickly.
• High emotional intelligence and steadiness under pressure.
• Confidence exercising authority on behalf of a founder while remaining decisive, discreet, and low-ego.
• Experience leading or contributing to fully virtual national teams.

Technical Proficiency

• Advanced comfort with Google Workspace tools, including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, plus project management platforms such as Asana or similar tools.
• Experience using Salesforce or another CRM to manage donor and stakeholder relationships.
• Working knowledge of remote finance and operations tools such as Slack, Zoom, Expensify, and NetSuite.
• Experience supporting human resources and people management in remote-work environments.
• Ability to analyze data and use reporting tools to track organizational metrics and communicate progress.

Compensation and Benefits

The annual salary range for this role is $225,000 to $230,000, with pay adjusted based on experience. DWP provides a comprehensive benefits package that supports the whole person.

• Health coverage: 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance for the employee, plus partial premium support for spouses and children.
• OneMedical membership for primary care access where available.
• Access to mental health support and telehealth services.
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage, along with FSA and Dependent FSA options.
• Access to individual and team healing experiences.
• Generous paid time off, including 10 PTO days and most federal holidays.
• Flexible, care-centered sick leave policy.
• Organization-wide breaks when offices are closed and these days do not count against PTO: two weeks in winter from late December into early January, and one week in summer, usually in late June or early July.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer contribution.
• Professional development support, mentorship, and continued learning opportunities.

Application Process

Applicants are asked to submit a resume and cover letter. The cover letter should explain interest in the position and alignment with the CEO’s and DWP’s mission of reparative giving.