The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success (PS) strategy supports colleges and universities transforming their institutions to dramatically improve credential attainment and eradicate equity gaps for low income students and students of color. Building on decades of work identifying evidence-based innovations that reduce loss and accelerate momentum for students, and work with college networks that test and improve their application in change initiatives, we are poised to engage hundreds more colleges in institution transformations that will change the trajectory of students’ lives while meeting our nation’s workforce development needs. An open “Intermediaries for Scale” RFP will identify the service organizations that will join us in this effort before the close of 2019.
As we expand partnerships with intermediaries, develop investment strategies that strengthen and connect those intermediaries, and contribute to the field’s collective learning about how to quickly and efficiently generate value for students, we envision a higher education system where intermediaries work together to:
- Understand the experiences of low-income students and students of color
- Surface and improve key student success strategies or innovations
- Integrate multiple innovations with institution capacities to transform colleges and universities
- Use institution networks to spread knowledge, tools, and resources to many more institutions
- Support local adaptation while maintaining integrity to evidenced-based policy and practice
- Collect and analyze progress data about institution practice and student outcomes
To take these steps towards impacting students at much greater scale, our team seeks a candidate for Senior Program Officer (SPO), Delivery Networks & Scale. You will lead, at the strategy level, the “intermediaries for scale” investment portfolio, and provide team leadership in support of transformation networks for the PS team. You will co-design network strategies and investment approaches to serving approximately 400 colleges and universities in the US higher education system and manage up to four high-potential partners developing delivery networks that change institutions, drive student success, and close gaps in student success by race and income.
- Develop, plan, and execute a wide range of activities in support of the PS strategy; includes regular, collaborative strategic planning for the “intermediaries for scale” portfolio
- Synthesize and document key findings from multiple disciplines (higher education and others) to inform PS approach to investing in network intermediaries and developing their capacity for work at scale; provide research and analysis to support leadership decisions related to networks and scale
- Co-develop complex and interdependent investment opportunities; manage critical relationships and investment planning with multiple colleagues and shared partners
- Provide clear, concise and insightful written analyses and recommendations; includes reviewing letters of inquiry and grant concepts or proposals; offer leadership and consultation to internal colleagues regarding intermediary partner selection, diligence, development, and evaluation of efficacy
- Manage complex grant agreements, including external relationships with up to four key partners in the PS strategy; offer guidance as organizations develop their own capacity to achieve programmatic goals
- Conduct site visits, convene meetings, evaluate milestone-based performance; provide technical guidance to selected partners on localization and adaption at scale, integrated solutions at scale, and the sequencing and stages of goals and time to impact when working at scale
- Manage internal processes and portfolio progress while ensuring appropriate documentation, grant budgeting and reporting; work closely with PS colleagues to continuously improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.
- Draft and edit progress and final reports for existing investments; make recommendations based on learning and impact progress
- Represent PS objectives and activities to foundation leadership; represent the foundation with partners who may include public and private entities, grantee organizations, other funders, universities, think tanks, or government agencies
- Lead and collaborate with foundation colleagues in related program areas to take advantage of cross-team and cross-sector investment; lead and serve alongside colleagues in building improvement networks and learning communities that are unequivocally focused on student success
- Experience growing change initiatives from proof of concept to greater scale
- Knowledge of and experience with higher education institutions, membership organizations, technical assistance providers, and the collaborations that support them in improving student success
- Proven commitment to race and income equality; knowledge of student success strategies that close attainment gaps by race and income in education
- Proven diplomat and collaborator in complex and demanding environments
- Commitment to straight-forward, open, and transparent interactions; extremely clear and consistent communications with variable audiences
- Highly self-activating and efficient; goes to where the work is, and brings others along