Nova Games Foundation, founded by Mark Cerny and Geoff Keighley, seeks a Founding Executive Director who will operationalize the organization, launch its grantmaking, and guide it through its initial three years. The Executive Director will be responsible for developing and implementing the infrastructure needed to operate the Foundation so that it can successfully solicit and accept grant applications, select finalists, issue grants, mentor the grant recipients, and promote them and their work.

The Executive Director will work closely with the founders to develop the programmatic strategies to fulfill the Foundation’s mission and ensure their effective and efficient implementation; be responsible for all operational aspects of the organization, including the responsible stewardship and control of its finances, risk management, governance, and legal and regulatory compliance; and represent the organization in engaging with varied audiences, including universities, media, and grant recipients.

The mission of the Foundation is to support the next generation of talent as they work to create video games centered around art, literature, and education. The Foundation was created to identify talented students and recent graduates of university games programs and, through grants, mentoring, and promotion, enable them to lead the creation of video games that reflect their unique perspective and vision.

The Foundation is a nonprofit corporation in its inception stage. The founders are fully funding the organization and are seeking to have the Executive Director in place by April 2026 to operationalize the Foundation and allow the annual grantmaking to begin with the acceptance of applications in December 2026.

For more information, including core competencies and qualifications, please refer to the full prospectus.