Located in Washington, D.C., the Senior Program Officer (SPO) will report to the Deputy Director of Policy, Systems and Giving by All.
The SPO will contribute to the efforts of the Philanthropic Partnerships Team to encourage philanthropy in the United States and internationally. This individual in this role will strategically develop and manage one or more portfolio of grants and contracts requiring high-level grant management skills, monitoring and evaluation within the Giving by All initiative, which increases understanding of donor behavior and encourages innovation for giving. The SPO will partner closely with team leadership to set the overall goals for the initiative and closely monitor progress towards those goals for continuous refinement and improvement of strategy.
Areas of Responsibility:
- Develop, manage, resource, and implement a program area that aligns with foundation strategy and is operationally integrated with other foundation programs. Contribute to the design of new strategies, collaborations and implementation plans to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.
- Negotiate, execute, and manage a complex portfolio of grants and performance-based contracts. Review letters of inquiry and grant proposals and provide clear, concise and insightful written analyses and recommendations for funding.
- Consult with grantees and other partners to maximize impact of projects and ensure grants are meeting strategy goals. This may include: site visits, providing operational guidance and convening meetings of key stakeholders.
- Develop and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders in the field, including for-profit companies. Support network of grantees and partners through communications, connections and convenings.
- Represent the foundation to key program-related external constituencies, as appropriate, on committees related to area of expertise and responsibilities of the position and in public events.
Educational Background:
Advanced degree with 7+ years of experience, or equivalent experience
Skills/Experience:
- Demonstrated track record of thought leadership and innovation in philanthropic sector. Significant exposure to issues related to the practice of philanthropy and/or the operations of charities.
- Proven ability to lead and influence others in a constructive manner and to build and sustain collaborative relationships.
- Familiarity with the global landscape of philanthropy channels, players and infrastructure, particularly but not limited to PPT (Philanthropic Partnership Team) focus geographies including the US, China, India and the Middle East.
- Experience as technical resource to teams and leadership on impact and decision analyses.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to effectively synthesize information to reach diverse audiences and build consensus.
- Knowledge methods of impact evaluation, operational research, and modeling.
- Strong quantitative analytic skills.
- Creativity and ability to easily adapt to changing environment
- Intellectual quickness, curiosity, discipline, resourcefulness and resilience.
- Discretion in managing confidential and sensitive initiatives and relationships
- A sense of humor and flexibility to adapt to a very dynamic environment
- A deep commitment to and passion for the overall mission of the Philanthropic Partnerships Team, and an approach consistent with the foundation’s guiding principles
- Ability to travel up to 30% domestically and internationally
Education and Experience
- Experience developing and managing complex partnerships with multiple parties across sectors
- Demonstrated experience in innovation—creating something new (org, product, program, initiative, etc), taking risks, continually assessing progress and adapting approach dependent on data and feedback.
- Previous grantmaking experience is a plus, particularly experience managing a portfolio of philanthropic investments towards a common set of goals
Job Function:
Organization Info
Listing Stats
Post Date:
Sep 26 2018
Active Until:
Oct 26 2018
Hiring Organization:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
industry:
Nonprofit