Program Operations Officer

Role Title  

Program Operations Officer

Grade Level 

Level D, Grade 8 

Reporting To

Team Manager, Operations and Administration  

Team Name 

Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF)

Opportunity Description 

The Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF) is the impact investment and private-sector-engagement arm of the Open Society Foundations.  SEDF makes debt, equity and guarantee investments—typically Program-Related Investments (PRIs)—into businesses, funds, platforms and non-profits that advance the mission of the Foundations to support open societies and build vibrant and inclusive democracies. SEDF is a mission driven investor focused on catalytic change, particularly in areas of market and political failure and risk.

SEDF’s current investment portfolio includes $395M in committed capital across 38 investments. Current priorities, which sometimes evolve alongside Open Society’s strategies, include climate change, independent media, public-interest technology, and human rights, including, but not limited to, reproductive rights. Within our active portfolio we also steward important investments in agriculture, public health, women’s empowerment, and microfinance for marginalized communities.

SEDF makes investments that range in size from $1M to $100M and is active—directly or indirectly—across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. In advancing its investment, policy and market shaping goals, SEDF forges partnerships with institutions across the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

Role Purpose 

SEDF is seeking a Program Operations Officer (POO) for its New York office. The role supports SEDF’s CEO and various functions of the CEO office, and is supervised by SEDF’s Team Manager, Operations and Administration.

Program Operations Officer play an important role in enabling SEDF’s overall performance. In this case, the POO will support the SEDF CEO, while taking on additional responsibilities, as needed, to support larger SEDF activities and functions. As such, the Program Operation Officer should be proactive, anticipatory, flexible, efficient, energetic and excited to take on new challenges and responsibilities. They should have a strong sense of how to prioritize issues/tasks, navigate them independently, and elevate questions/issues internally as needed in a timely manner.

Tasks include, but are not limited to, proactively coordinating schedules/calendars and travel logistics, planning meetings/events, updating and maintaining databases, contributing to workflow processes, undertaking research, writing summary materials, memos and/or designing presentations in various formats. In addition, the Program Operations Officer will lead ad-hoc administrative or operational projects requiring significant responsibility and autonomy on a range of independent and collaborative activities.

Working closely with the SEDF CEO, members of SEDF’s leadership team and senior internal and external partners and stakeholders, the POO must exercise significant maturity and discretion.

Key Responsibilities

Administration

• Manage complex calendars and scheduling for the SEDF CEO

• Process business expenses, payments and invoices in accordance with OSF policies and procedures

• Coordinate travel arrangements and documentation

Communications

• Interact as ambassador for CEO office by email, Chat, Phone, Video, etc. with SEDF/Open Society Foundation and external contacts and stakeholders.

• Establish and nurture professional relationships with SEDF/OSF and external colleagues, exercising considerable discretion when needed.

Data and Database Management

• Contribute to ongoing data management functions (database entry, data reports, file storage).

• Contribute to producing SEDF reports, including by harnessing and utilizing SEDF data sources.

Logistics / Arrangements

• Support CEO and broader SEDF logistics and events planning

Materials Preparation

• Produce a variety of professional materials (research briefs, documents, graphs, visuals, slides) using established templates/formats and newer formats and media.

Project Management

• Implements projects following established procedures with limited supervision. This includes effective management of time, budget (if relevant) and stakeholders.

Broader CEO Support

• Staff some CEO meetings (prepare materials in advance, engage in some follow up)

• Undertake and lead occasional research projects

• Write and produce various CEO and broader SEDF materials, memos and presentations as needed

Key metrics 

• Execution of all administrative support functions to support functions of Senior Leadership and activities and processes of teams 

Key internal relationships 

CEO, Senior Leadership in New York, MD, Investments, Team Manager, Operations and Administration, key administrators of other OSF functions 

Key external relationships 

Critical SEDF external investment relationships 

Qualifications 

Experience

 Essential: 

• Multiple years of experience as a project manager, executive assistant, administrative lead, research assistant or similar role — ideally at a large, fast-paced company or organization.

• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office suite, comfortable learning new proprietary software systems.

• Experience using data and project management platforms (e.g. Salesforce, Asana, etc.)

• Ability to establish processes, systems and workflows, and ensure adherence to procedures and follow-up

• Experience with data management systems/practices, and data visualization techniques

• Experience with record keeping, budget management, and finance administration

• Ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds within a complex organization

• Experience interacting with senior leadership of an organization

• Strong and sophisticated communications skills

• Excellent command of spoken and written English. Fluency in additional languages is a plus.

• Cross-cultural experience, including working across multiple locations is an added advantage

• Commitment to Open Society’s core values of humility, collaboration, respect, inclusivity and integrity.

• Ability to work in a hybrid work structure

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Intermediate work experience or sufficient experience in a subject area or specialized field

• Previous experience as a program or project manager or Executive Assistant, similar role

• Demonstrable administrative or operational experience at a large organization; experience of working across multiple locations will be an added advantage

Personal Competencies

• Record-keeping and note-taking abilities

• The role requires the ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds within a complex organization

• Strong PowerPoint and excel skills

Desirable: 

• Knowledge of Salesforce platforms and databases, Asana 

• Project management experience

Languages: 

•  Excellent knowledge of English  

• Knowledge of other languages would be an asset 

 The salary range for this role in the U.S. is $64, 700 – $113, 200 (USD). The final offer is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set and level of experience.

Competitive rates of pay apply.

Open Society Foundations is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and to building a diverse staff that reflects the movements, issues and communities that our mission serves. Candidates from all underrepresented backgrounds, identities and communities are encouraged to apply.   

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.