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Senior Program Officer, Network Manager

This job is no longer available

Washington, D.C., USA
Full-time

The Senior Program Officer, Network Manager role reports to a Place-Based Delivery Deputy Director. Responsible for developing and managing a portfolio of complex grants focused on testing and validating the hypothesis that secondary school (grades 6-12) leadership teams who engage in data-driven continuous improvement can improve student outcomes (middle school and high school indicators predictive of post-secondary readiness and success). In this model – which we seek to prove and refine – intermediary organizations (i.e. school districts, non-profits, education regional service centers, CMOs, technical assistance providers, etc.) work with networks of schools to identify root causes of problems faced, develop clear and measurable goals, and use improvement cycles to adopt promising practices that strengthen key school elements and drive student results.

While this role is anchored in investing in and supporting school networks, the portfolio also includes making connections to other components of the K-12 strategy: interventions, tools, and new approaches; and enabling supports for scale and sustainability.

This senior level role is an ideal for someone who enjoys relationship building, problem-solving, work-related travel, teaching, learning and coaching while also bringing along stakeholders across the K-12 team and in the field. It is great for inquisitive, multi-taskers who have worked an idea all the way through to implementation at an organization, institution or system.

Areas of Responsibility: 
  • Contribute to the design, integration and improvement of strategies, collaborations and implementationplanstoensurelong-termsustainabilityandimpactofinvestments.
  • Manage external relationships and portfolios to maximize impact of investments, projects, and leveraging learning. This role is responsible for high quality interactions and clear and consistent communications with grantees and partners in the field including strategic relationships with K-12 leaders as well as other funders and shapers of K-12 reform. This may include: site visits, providing strategic thought partnership, joint planning, coordination and convening meetings of key stakeholders.
  • Review letters of inquiry and grant proposals; provide clear, concise and insightful written analyses andrecommendationsforfundingincludingdraftingandeditingproposalsummariesandprogress reports for existing grants for review by Foundation leadership.
  • Manage internal processes and portfolio progress while ensuring appropriate documentation for formative performance management purposes, grant budgeting and reporting. Prepare and codify knowledge from the network intermediary work in conjunction with our intern knowledge management partners to allow for learning across the place-based delivery team as well as k-12 division. Provide written analysis of key topics for Foundation management.
  • Support the intermediary development pipeline and support processes as requested and needed.
Educational Background: 
Master’s Degree with 10+ years of relevant work experience.
Skills/Experience: 
  • Demonstrated successful multi-year experience as a senior leader in the public-school sector with an emphasis on the secondary school level (grades 6-12), serving low-income, black or Latino youth, advancing an equity agenda, and working with multiple schools or school networks. Especially interested in individuals who have run regional or local non-profit “school improvement organizations” with a record improving secondary school level outcomes and organizational growth.
  • Deep knowledge across one or more educational areas such as: middle/high schools, school-level leadership team development, continuous improvement processes, strong instructional systems, student-centered learning environments and family-community-school relations.
  • Operational and/or consulting experience supporting organizations in strategic planning and/or organizational development and growth.
  • Exceptional analytical, writing and verbal skills for communicating with a broad and diverse audience, including stakeholders across the practice, policy, community and political sectors.
  • Ability to prioritize, focus and achieve results, including strong ability to source and analyze data and ability to rapidly learn, organize, and synthesize information.
  • Problem-solving capacity that makes connections across various strands of work.
  • Ability to effectively work and lead in a highly dynamic matrixed organization across a range of internal and external colleagues and partners. Ability to lead through influence, as opposed to relying on formal authority.
  • Superior judgment and ability to maintain professional, upbeat attitude and sense of humor under tight deadlines. Ability to stay calm and poised under pressure and remain focused in a rapidly changing environment.
  • Senior level experience designing, leading and/or supporting secondary schools is required (i.e., school districts, technical assistance, and curriculum provider).
  • Hands-on engagement directly supporting schools and systems that serve low-income, Black and Latinx students.

Organization Info

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Overview
Headquarters: 
Seattle, WA, United States
Annual Budget : 
More than $500M
Founded: 
2007
About Us
Mission: 

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

We work with partner organizations worldwide to tackle critical problems in four program areas. Our Global Development Division works to help the world’s poorest people lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. Our Global Health Division aims to harness advances in science and technology to save lives in developing countries. Our United States Division works to improve U.S. high school and postsecondary education and support vulnerable children and families in Washington State. And our Global Policy & Advocacy Division seeks to build strategic relationships and promote policies that will help advance our work. Our approach to grantmaking in all four areas emphasizes collaboration, innovation, risk-taking, and, most importantly, results.

Programs: 
  1. Global Health
  2. Global Development
  3. United States
  4. Global Policy & Advocacy

Listing Stats

Post Date: 
Apr 19 2019
Active Until: 
May 19 2019
Hiring Organization: 
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
industry: 
Nonprofit