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About National Kidney Foundation

Fueled by passion and urgency, the National Kidney Foundation is a lifeline for all people affected by kidney disease. As pioneers of scientific research and innovation, NKF focuses on the whole patient through the lens of kidney health. Relentless in our work, we enhance lives through action, education, and accelerating change.

Position Summary

Reporting to the SVP, Field Development and Community Impact, the Vice President (VP) of Field Programs is responsible for providing strategic vision, direction, and oversight of the organization’s field-based programs and operations. This role ensures alignment of national goals with regional and local execution, strengthens impact across communities, and builds a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation within the field network. The VP works closely with executive leadership, field staff, and cross-functional teams (development, communications, HQ programs and population health, etc.) to deliver high-quality, measurable programs that advance the mission.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute an integrated strategy for field programs that aligns with the organization’s mission, vision, and long-term objectives and grows programs across the communities NKF serves
• Drive standardization to build staff capacity and scale programs across regions through a defined rubric, while also allowing for local innovation and adaptation.
• Serve as a key member of the field services leadership team and national leadership team, contributing to organization-level decision-making.

Program Oversight and Impact

• Oversee planning, implementation, and evaluation of all field programs, ensuring quality, consistency, and measurable outcomes.
• Establish clear performance metrics and dashboards to track impact and outcomes at local, regional, and national levels.
• Partner with population health, scientific activities, and development teams to capture and communicate program success stories and impact to funders, partners, and stakeholders.
• Create and maintain a master calendar of field-based programs for the year.

Staff Leadership and Development

• Mentor local program directors and managers, fostering a culture of inclusion, accountability, and innovation.
• Provide ongoing professional development, training, and coaching to build capacity across the field organization.
• Ensure effective communication and collaboration between field staff and national headquarters.
• Lead and support program staff including directly managing the Director(s), Field Programs, and matrixed program staff deployed in local markets.
• Serve as primary partner/liaison between national and local markets to ensure teams are working in lockstep, including patient and professional programs and initiatives, scientific and population health programs and initiatives, and deployment of programs in local markets

Partnerships & Community Engagement

• Facilitate building and support maintaining strong relationships with local health systems, community organizations, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders.
• Develop and drive a strategy to strengthen and grow partnerships both nationally and locally that expand program reach, impact, and sustainability.
• Represent the organization externally as a thought leader and advocate for community-based kidney health initiatives.

Financial Stewardship

• Support and partner with development, corporate relations, scientific operations and population health teams to secure funding for field programs through grants, sponsorships, and local fundraising events.
• In collaboration with Regional VPs and Executive Directors, facilitate budget development and management for field operations, ensuring responsible allocation of resources.
• Identify opportunities to diversify revenue streams and drive growth at the field level.

Key working relationships:

• Serve as a member of the Field Services Executive Leadership Team to directly manage Senior Director, Field Programs, and matrixed program staff in local field offices.
• Collaborate with national programs and population health staff on program development, deployment and evaluation.
• Collaborate with field corporate development team on national funding strategies and implementation.

Candidate Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in nonprofit organizations, preferably in healthcare or related fields.
• 8+ years of experience leading community-based programs with a proven track record of scaling impact and increasing programmatic revenue.
• Demonstrated success in designing, evaluating, and scaling national or multi-site programs.
• Strong track record of managing and growing strategic partnerships to expand community impact.
• Proven ability to lead large-scale change initiatives with measurable results.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience managing teams and operations across multiple locations within a matrixed structure.
• Experience working with and supporting nonprofit advisory boards.
• Travel nationally as needed 20-25%.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

At the National Kidney Foundation, diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity apply to both our workforce and the communities we serve as they relate to kidney health and kidney disease prevention. It is the policy of NKF to provide equality of employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, qualified handicap or disability, national origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, age, gender, political affiliation or veteran status, or any other factor or reason prohibited by relevant local, state, and federal fair employment laws.