The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Postsecondary Success strategy seeks to transform colleges and universities to ensure that many more students, particularly students of color and low-income students, obtain quality, affordable credentials offering value and mobility. This strategy will assist in meeting the nation’s workforce development needs by working to close attainment gaps by race/ethnicity and income. We are currently seeking an exceptional candidate for Program Officer, Advising Solution. This critical role will have responsibility for assisting with strategic investments and portfolio management in Advising redesign, IPAS (Integrated Planning and Advising Systems), and other related technology enabled student retention and student success interventions to further the Advising portfolio impact. The Program Officer (PO) will report to the Deputy Director (DD) and support the Senior Program Officer (SPO) as follows:
Areas of Responsibility:
- Plans, manages and implements a wide range of activities in support of understanding developments and opportunities in the advising technology market and Advising solution development.
- Prospect and develop high impact and strategic investment opportunities (often complex, multi-stakeholder investments including RFPs and potential PRI investments), grants management and cross foundation and external relationship management to further the Advising portfolio’s impact.
- Contribute to both development and coordination of key investments related to this portfolio as well as interfacing with relevant place-based and policy and advocacy program officers.
- Support the management and development of a portfolio of grants and contracts related to the Advising Solution that best leverage the Foundation’s prior investments in this space, strategic vision, and future vision with respect to the success of this approach and the broader goal of institutional transformation.
- Provide research and market analysis and develop and provide recommendations and insights required for effective, strategic grant making.
- Carrying out research and literature reviews, landscape analyses and other analytical reviews as assigned. Prepare and write briefs and synthesize existing literature. Provide written analysis and presentations and summaries of key topics for the SPO and Foundation Management.
- Consult with grantees and external stakeholders to achieve desired impact of grants; conduct site visits when appropriate, provide technical guidance, convene meetings (internal and external) and apply and evaluate milestone-based performance objectives to achieve successful outcomes. Nurture and optimize relationships with key partners.
- Manage internal processes and portfolio progress while ensuring appropriate documentation, grant budgeting and reporting. Improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Educational Background:
Bachelor’s and MBA/M.Ed. or other relevant advanced degree with 5+ years of higher education or education technology experience.
Skills/Experience:
- Excellent knowledge and ability in gathering and interpreting market information and analysis, vendor and market trends and analysis of supply-side dynamics especially in the Advising and advising technologies solution area (that is the relevant technical area/expertise)
- Experience with research methodologies and/or the deployment of data informed strategies, artificial intelligence, chatbots, or other predictive analytics approaches commonly deployed in service of student success, improved retention, degree planning, and better student advising.
- Experience with and understanding of higher education student services functions, advising delivery, career planning, and/or implementation of retention and student success strategies.
- Thorough quantitative, analytical, writing, and verbal skills essential for communicating progress and stewardship with a broad and diverse audience including senior foundation leadership.
- Experience with higher education information technology infrastructure and campus enterprise IT solutions – related skills might include systems architecture and design, enterprise IT adoption and implementation, student success and IPAS technology design or development
- Effective as a collaborator. You relish the opportunity of working as an effective member of a team and contributing to the foundation’s broader collective success and to improving both the PS strategy and the Solution team’s performance.
- Solicits and values feedback. Growth mindset and ability to adapt in a dynamic and feedback rich environment.
- Strategic thinker and doer – able to wrestle with complex and multi-dimensional problems and bring ideas to fruitful execution and implementation
- Derives energy and by working with critical stakeholders and partners across the PS strategy and in the field.
- Ability to work with efficiency, diplomacy, discretion, and integrity.
Education and Experience
- Higher education or strategic philanthropy experience required
- Highly preferred: experience in the implementation or execution of advising redesign program or related student success and student retention program or enterprise technologies on a campus or within a higher education system
- Highly preferred: knowledge and/or experience in selecting, evaluating, licensing, and working with the information technology providers that serve U.S. higher education institutions. In particular, enterprise data systems and student success platforms currently being utilized to redesign student supports and undergraduate advising.
Job Function:
Organization Info
Listing Stats
Post Date:
Oct 24 2018
Active Until:
Nov 24 2018
Hiring Organization:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
industry:
Nonprofit