Hiring a Director of Finance & Operations
ABOUT HIDDEN LEAF FOUNDATION
Hidden Leaf Foundation is a family foundation that supports inner awareness within liberatory movements to advance a more just, ecologically healthy, and compassionate society. We believe that when organizations, leaders, movements, and funders cultivate inner awareness and tend to the spiritual as well as the strategic, the power we build together — and the change we create — are deeper, more lasting, and better able to heal the historical injustices that shape our relationships to each other and the earth. Hidden Leaf expresses this commitment through low-barrier, trust-based grantmaking to organizations committed to transformative change, by aligning our investments with our values, and by intentionally cultivating our own individual and collective awareness.
Hidden Leaf is recognized for its relational, community-centered approach at the forefront of progressive philanthropy. With transformative practices firmly rooted, a five-year grantmaking program in place, and a growing commitment to aligning resources with mission, Hidden Leaf has supported hundreds of frontline and intermediary organizations working to make radical, lasting change.
As Hidden Leaf strengthens its internal systems and prepares for its next chapter, the Director of Finance & Operations (DFO) will play a critical role in building the internal foundation that sustains this trust-based work — helping ensure that the organization’s financial health, operational clarity, and collective care continue to match the depth of its external commitments.
POSITION SUMMARY
Reporting to the Executive Director (ED), the DFO works closely with staff, board, key contractors, and external partners to ensure Hidden Leaf’s financial health, operational stability, and internal systems align with its mission and values. This role is responsible for stewarding Hidden Leaf’s internal infrastructure — spanning finance, investments, human resources, compliance, technology oversight, and day-to-day operational systems — so that Hidden Leaf can sustain its trust-based philanthropy and people-centered work for the long term. The DFO will build the durable systems, tools, and policies needed to hold the organization’s operations together cohesively, making it possible for Hidden Leaf’s small team to remain nimble and ultimately spend more time on mission-critical relationships and grantmaking.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Finance, Investments, and Compliance
Oversee day-to-day finance operations in partnership with the Foundation’s bookkeeping firm and audit/tax partners. Manage budgeting, forecasting, and routine financial reporting; support the ED with preparing board finance updates and strategic budget scenarios. Collaborate with ED on operations and investment budgets and present to the Investment Finance Committee and full Board for approval, articulating the strategic rationale underlying budgetary allocations. Partner with the ED to assess and adapt grantmaking and integrated capital (including community investments and deep impact investments) priorities in keeping with Hidden Leaf’s evolving strategies. Implement tools and procedures for ongoing tracking of budget adherence, providing regular financial updates and adjustments as necessary. Ensure appropriate systems and processes are in place for tracking grants, payments, reimbursements, and compliance deadlines
Operations & Systems
Lead operational matters and manage business activities to design safe, effective, legally compliant activities and processes consistent with the Foundation's culture, vision, and values. Partner with and advise the ED on organizational strategy, particularly as it relates to creating and implementing financial and operational policies, processes, and procedures. Proactively bring mission-aligned innovative ideas to the ED for current and long-term operations. Assess the Foundation's operational needs on an ongoing basis including identifying and implementing tools, resources, platforms, and staffing plans to meet identified needs. Support the full implementation of the grants management system and ensure backend operations align with program needs. Coordinate daily operations, onboarding, and knowledge-sharing among staff and contractors to minimize gaps when team members are unavailable.
Human Resources
Strengthen HR strategies, programs, and systems aligned with the Foundation's mission, culture, goals, and budgetary considerations. Establish a collaborative process to conduct regular needs assessments and generate innovative people management ideas. Serve as the primary point of contact for coordinating work scopes across key contractors (e.g., bookkeeping, admin support).
Technology & Cybersecurity
Partner with the ED and vendors to implement foundational cybersecurity policies and access management protocols. Ensure that technology tools and platforms are used effectively and consistently by the team.
Team Leadership & Collaboration
Build a culture of documentation, continuous improvement, transparency, and practical problem-solving that reflects Hidden Leaf's trust-based, relational approach. Serve as a thought partner to the ED and staff — translating day-to-day operational realities into practical solutions that support the Foundation's big-picture vision.
Key Qualifications
Passion for and understanding of social justice and environmental movements. Understanding of, experience with, and comfort with contemplative practices, with an openness to exploring how they can deepen relationships, trust, and collaboration in the workplace Authentically values-aligned with a passion for leading from the inside out, centering spirit, sharing power, moving forward collectively, and seeking justice. Demonstrated experience in nonprofit finance and operations — ideally within small, values-driven teams or philanthropic organizations. Strong skills in budgeting, forecasting, compliance, and internal controls. Experience designing and implementing simple systems, SOPs, and workflows. Proficiency with essential tools, including QuickBooks, Bill.com, Google Workspace, Dropbox, and project management platforms such as Asana — with the ability to quickly learn and adapt to new systems as needed. Comfort coordinating across vendors, remote staff, and contractors. Understanding of human resources with a commitment to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and open feedback. A stabilizer mindset — someone who balances responsiveness with structure, and who enjoys translating messy, manual tasks into clear, organized systems. Commitment to Hidden Leaf's mission, trust-based ethos, and a relational approach to leadership.
Compensation & Benefits
The DFO will work predominantly virtually from home or from a small office. For ease of communication and developing relationships with board, staff, grantees, partners, and contractors, Hidden Leaf is prioritizing applications from candidates based in the greater Bay Area.
This is a 0.75 FTE position with an annualized salary range of $150,000-$165,000. The expected compensation for this role at 75% time is approximately $112,500 - $123,750 annually, commensurate with experience. All candidates with the experience and skills to fulfill the role – regardless of compensation history or background – are encouraged to apply.
Comprehensive benefits provided to all staff include health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents; a retirement plan with employer contribution; generous paid time off and leave policies; a paid sabbatical of three months after five years; and annual discretionary grant and professional development budgets.
To Apply
To apply for the DFO role, please email your resume and cover letter to hiring@hiddenleaf.org by September 4, 2025. Our team will review all applications on an ongoing basis and if we believe your qualifications would make a great fit, we'll contact you to schedule an informational interview in early September.
Hidden Leaf Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people with lived experience in social justice movements to apply.
Leslie Lindo Joins the Hidden Leaf Foundation as Executive Director
Hidden Leaf Foundation is happy to announce the appointment of Leslie Lindo to the role of Executive Director. When Leslie steps into the role on January 28, 2025, she will be the third person to lead the Foundation -- following previous ED, Supriya Lopez Pillai (now President of Libra Foundation), and founding ED, Tara Brown.
Leslie brings decades of experience to the role, having dedicated her career to identifying and advancing solutions to address wealth disparities in economically and environmentally marginalized communities and to promoting approaches that are less extractive on social and natural ecosystems. Leslie’s extensive experience in community development and social impact investing, her deeply collaborative leadership style, and her lifelong commitment to contemplative practice make her distinctly suited to lead Hidden Leaf in pursuit of our mission to promote inner awareness within liberatory movements in order to advance a more just, ecologically healthy and compassionate society.
“This transition and search process affirmed Hidden Leaf Foundation’s priorities and direction,” said Alta Starr, board member. “Among the 500 applicants were numerous candidates who could have led us forward effectively as we deepen our investments in community asset-building and social justice movements and continue to center inner awareness in all that we do. The search committee, board, staff, and extended Brown family all experienced a sense of profound alignment with Leslie; we felt compelled by her shared vision and relational style as well as the relevant experience and leadership she would bring to the role.”
Most recently, as the Managing Director of the Olamina Fund at Candide Group, Leslie has been working to shift the power dynamics of traditional finance and increase access to capital in communities across the U.S. that have experienced exclusion from our economy. In her prior role as VP of Strategic Partnerships at Common Future, she brought together diverse stakeholders to help decolonize access to capital and promote equitable financing tools, democratize finance and governance structures, integrate entrepreneurial ecosystems, and advance shared ownership of land, housing, and business. Leslie currently serves on the board for RichmondLAND, Pacific Community Ventures, and Just Futures, and has served the executive committees of New Economy Coalition, Oakland Grown, and The Green Chamber of Greater Phoenix.
Leslie attributes her community-centered focus to her father, who dedicated his life to the economic empowerment of Black communities across the country by developing shared ownership models. Leslie's first step in this direction was establishing a nonprofit entity to gain site control of vacant buildings and lots to develop community-determined projects. Reflecting on the arc of her journey and decision to embrace this opportunity with Hidden Leaf, Leslie said, “I am excited to bring my personal and professional experiences to this leadership role. I see this role with Hidden Leaf as both a culmination and evolution of my life’s work. I feel a strong sense of alignment with Hidden Leaf’s values, in particular, its movement orientation, focus on trust-based relationships, and commitment to redistributing power. I’m inspired by the impact of centering transformative change in this work and the imprint it will leave for future generations.”
“We are delighted to welcome Leslie to the Hidden Leaf community!” said Tara Brown, board member. “We feel enlivened by the ease and joy Leslie exudes and look forward to supporting her leadership as she guides Hidden Leaf in promoting inner and outer transformation within movements.”
We would be remiss in making this announcement if we did not offer our deep gratitude to a number of individuals who made this search and transition possible. First, we want to thank Lorelei Williams for her powerful leadership as Interim ED for the last five months -- not only did Lorelei keep Hidden Leaf on a steady course, she advanced several critical programmatic and institutional projects. Second, we give thanks to Walker & Associates, and especially Jeannine Walker, for leading an inclusive, thoughtful and robust search process. Finally, huge gratitude to our search team members who provided a range of perspectives and put in countless hours to our intensive search: our Board (Karie Brown, Tara Brown and Alta Starr); Jenny George, our Program Officer; Taj James, financial advisor and partner; and Nathan Shara, somatics coach and institutional consultant.
Lorelei Williams Named Interim Executive Director
We are happy to announce the appointment of Lorelei Williams as the Interim Executive Director of Hidden Leaf Foundation. Supriya Lopez Pillai, who has led Hidden Leaf (HL) brilliantly for the last six years, is moving on to a new role as the President of Libra Foundation in mid-August, and Lorelei will help ensure HL’s ongoing institutional health and vibrancy through this transition. Working closely with our board and staff, she will support HL’s learning at this stage of its five-year grantmaking cycle, oversee day to day operations, ensure ongoing progress on community investments and funder engagement, and lay the groundwork for HL’s permanent Executive Director.
Lorelei brings with her a wealth of experience in promoting inner awareness within liberatory movements. She also knows Hidden Leaf well: for several years, Lorelei served as our grantmaking consultant and she developed a report documenting our programmatic impact and organizational evolution over our initial 20 years of operation. “We are excited that Lorelei is joining Hidden Leaf as our Interim ED. Lorelei brings so much to the role including her deep experience in social justice philanthropy, institution building, and transformative change,” shared Karie Brown, HL Board Chair. “We are grateful to Lorelei for stepping forward during this transition so that Hidden Leaf can continue its forward momentum as it embarks on its search for a permanent executive director.”
Prior to joining Hidden Leaf, Lorelei served as founding Executive Director of the Warner Music Group Social Justice Fund. Under her leadership, the Fund grew from its concept phase into a high-impact grantmaking institution operating across six global markets and stewarded $35M+ in grants in the areas of racial and gender justice, LGBTQ+ rights, criminal legal reform, arts and culture. Throughout her career, Williams has been deeply committed to resourcing global racial justice movements that integrate healing, organizing and advocacy.
“Having witnessed Hidden Leaf’s tremendous growth and impact over the years, it’s a pleasure to partner with its board, staff, and community partners in this time of transition,” Lorelei said. “As we face unprecedented political and planetary change, the practice of transformative movement building fueled by HL partners is more vital than ever. We must stay focused, build political, economic and spiritual power and remain undaunted in our fight for collective liberation.”
Please join us in welcoming Lorelei to Hidden Leaf.
And to give you a better sense of who Lorelei is and all she brings to the role, we are including a recent piece of her poetry.
Ancestral Intelligence
~ Lorelei WilliamsIn this season
of solar tantrums
bomb cyclones,
failed coups, toxic air
wildfires, genocide
we are warned:Keep watch. link arms.
resist. remember:
abeng, umkhonto, palenké.
conjure freedom.
plant trees. quilt. tend.
remember to rest.
breathe. wail. dance.
the fight is fierce
but the lineage, long.Remember: even
when you tire, rage,
grieve in disbelief,
you cannot predict the end.
politicians, pundits,
corporations, colonizers
do not have the last word.We have rewritten history
with blood memory
time and time again.
we are the phoenix rising,
the beginning and the end.
there is more to the story
if you pick up your pen.
Ancestral Intelligence
In this season
bomb cyclones,
failed coups, toxic air
wildfires, genocide
we are warned:
Keep watch. link arms.
abeng, umkhonto, palenké.
conjure freedom.
plant trees. quilt. tend.
remember to rest.
breathe. wail. dance.
the fight is fierce
but the lineage, long.
Remember: even
grieve in disbelief,
you cannot predict the end.
politicians, pundits,
corporations, colonizers
do not have the last word.
We have rewritten history
time and time again.
we are the phoenix rising,
the beginning and the end.
there is more to the story
if you pick up your pen.