Managing Director of Programs, Outreach & Production

About this role

About CAC

The Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) exists to support transformation and inspire loving action in the world through the teaching of Christian contemplative wisdom and practices. Internally, we are working to create a healthy work environment that is grounded in the values of the tradition that we represent. Our mission drives us forward, but our team is at the heart of everything we do.

About the Job Opportunity

The Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) is seeking a Managing Director of Programs, Outreach & Production (POP) to oversee our organization’s full portfolio of offerings at a pivotal moment in our history.
CAC is entering its next era. We are an established organization with a rich history and far-reaching impact, and we have big hopes and dreams for scaling that impact. This role oversees Programs, Marketing & Communications, and Production & Events — the teams behind our publications, Daily Meditations, online courses, podcasts, events, and the mission-aligned offerings still to come. As Managing Director, you’ll ensure they work as one integrated ecosystem.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team reporting to the Deputy Executive Director, you'll help shape organizational strategy, major investments, and cross-functional priorities. You'll lead a team of Directors, each with a different specialty, and bring them together to do what they do best in service of our audience’s formation and the product journey.

This is an exciting opportunity for a leader who loves being in the work, gets lit up by building products and developing people, and wants to bring a hard-won skill set to an organization ready to make its next leap.

Who You Are

•  You are a product strategist who likes to experiment. Where others might see a disparate list of offerings, you see a journey. You naturally map how each one connects and where the people they serve go next. You’re comfortable rolling up your sleeves, testing something small, learning from it, and adjusting. That helps you know what to grow, what to rethink, and what to let go.
•  You are an experienced coach. Some of your proudest moments have come from helping a good manager become a great leader through coaching, clear expectations, and honest feedback. You don't shy away from the difficult conversations or the time it takes. In fact, you find this part of the job energizing.
•  You're steady in times of change and ambiguity. You've led teams through uncertainty and know how to stay grounded and gracious under pressure. You weigh data and feedback alongside experience and discernment, choose a path forward, and own the outcome.
•  You see how the pieces fit together. You notice when one team's priorities are pulling against another's, and you help find a shared way forward.
•  You're kind and candid. You say what needs to be said, with care, and you treat healthy conflict as a path to better decisions. When the group lands on a decision, you commit fully, even when it wasn’t your first choice.
•  You're drawn to work with deeper meaning. You don't need a background in the Christian contemplative tradition, but CAC's mission and vision speak to you on a profound level. You're committed to learning about the tradition and letting it shape how you lead.

What You’ll Do

Executive & Enterprise Leadership
•  Serve on the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategy, long-range planning, budgeting, and culture.
•  Translate organizational strategy into portfolio priorities, departmental roadmaps, measurable outcomes, and resource decisions.
•  Steward resources responsibly, balancing mission impact, financial sustainability, capacity, and audience needs.
•  Partner with executive leaders on cross-functional initiatives and organizational change.

Portfolio Strategy & Stewardship
•  Hold executive accountability for the health and long-term sustainability of CAC's offerings, including publications, Daily Meditations, online courses, podcasts, and events.
•  Strengthen portfolio management, product development, and lifecycle management practices across all offerings.
•  Lead portfolio planning and investment decisions, fostering innovation with discipline and recommending the growth, evolution, or sunsetting of offerings.
•  Set audience outcomes and success measures with your leaders, and use qualitative and quantitative data to adjust course.

Leading Leaders
•  Lead, coach, and develop the Directors of Programs, Marketing & Communications, and Production & Events.
•  Build leadership capacity through mentorship, succession planning, and strategic talent management.
•  Set clear expectations and accountability systems, support leaders through change, and address performance concerns directly.

Cross-Functional Integration & Execution
•  Ensure effective collaboration across the teams that develop, produce, promote, launch, and evaluate CAC's offerings.
•  Establish the systems, processes, and governance that improve visibility, prioritization, and execution across the portfolio.
•  Resolve competing priorities and dependencies, including fair allocation of shared production and creative capacity.

Qualifications

•  16+ years of progressive leadership experience and 8+ years of experience leading leaders and developing senior leadership teams.
•  Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Organizational Leadership, Business Administration, Product Management, Communications, Education, or a related field.
•  Strong portfolio management, strategic planning, product lifecycle management, and prioritization experience.
•  Exceptional leadership coaching, talent development, succession planning, and performance management skills.
•  Demonstrated experience leading complex organizational change and cross-functional transformation.
•  Demonstrated success directing multiple programs, divisions, or functions at once.
•  Strong systems thinking and experience making resource allocation and…