Program Officer Civic Engagement and Government

tendersglobal.net

Job Description

The PO would also be a self-starter who can work well independently and in teams; intellectually curious; and a strong communicator who excels at active listening, produces cogent and polished writing and is comfortable with public speaking. The ideal PO is also strategic, possesses strong analytical skills and the ability to assess opportunities, challenges and institutions with which to engage.

Responsibilities:

The PO will inform our work on strengthening community-based infrastructure which is critical to expanding democratic participation and that ensures communities have greater voice and power to shape the policy decisions that impact their lives.They will also collaboratively develop a portfolio primarily focused on building the field’s ability to develop and deploy effective inside/outside strategies. In addition, the PO will:

Manage, monitor and coordinate a grants portfolio, including: long-term grant planning; identifying and working with prospective grantees to develop proposals for grant recommendations (including helping determine the goals for a grant, its activities, expected results, indicators of success and budget); conducting organizational assessments; undertaking periodic reviews of progress with grantees; and reviewing financial and narrative reports.
Work collaboratively with other team members to develop, define and implement program strategies to achieve significant and scalable impact toward team goals.
Continually scan the fields related to democracy in the US, organizing practice, field infrastructure, and strategy, follow key developments and debates, keep abreast of the academic and popular literature, share key findings and lessons among colleagues and the field.
Develop grant-making activities in a team-oriented context, with a ‘grantee-in-the-driver’s-seat’ orientation, that are aligned to the strategic goals of a thematic area and support a connected ‘ecosystem’ of work where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Promote engagement with grantees to review opportunities, challenges and advances and encourage collaboration, learning, exchange and strategic partnerships.
Represent the Foundation and its work to the government, media, academic, business, philanthropic, and civic leaders through meetings, updates, speeches, blog posts, briefings and interviews, with guidance from the CEG Director.
Promote and participate in fostering open-mindedness and a culture of learning – including learning and evaluation activities to guide the evolution of programmatic work – seeking to continually ask hard questions, gather independent and rigorous data and evidence about effectiveness of the foundation and grantees’ strategies, and help adapt practice as needed.
Write and communicate in a lucid and accessible manner; develop and implement grant-making approaches that support the use of strategic communications as part of the program strategy.
Contribute to the thinking and work of colleagues in the CEG team and foundation overall and advancing team building and team effectiveness.

Qualifications:

BA/BS plus a minimum of 8 years leading social justice strategies and/or subject-matter expertise related to the ideas and approaches outlined above, or equivalent combination of education/experience. This includfes significant experience with demonstrable impact in communities of color and/or other historically disadvantaged communities.
A strong sense of how to apply racial and gender justice analyses to strategy is required; an understanding of comparative perspectives on political systems is preferred.
Familiarity and experience working with social justice concepts and frameworks such as racial equity, gender analyses, disability justice, economic justice, intersectionality, and implicit and structural bias.
The PO must be curious about the intersections of grassroots organizing and power, structural democracy reform, and the value and impact of government in protecting rights and providing public goods.
Proven experience and substantive knowledge in the formal and informal structures, practices, and processes of democracy and community engagement, ranging from civic participation and community organizing to formal democracy reforms and approaches to co-governance.
Demonstrated experience as a connector and convener across relevant sectors and parties, including grantees, practitioners, government officials, scholars, and civil society players.
Exceptional leadership presence internally and externally, but with a flexible, collaborative, team orientation.
Demonstrated ability to be a productive member of a community of people at work, respecting differences while working toward shared goals, comfort with periods of ambiguity, constructive participation in ongoing organizational development.

Source: https://fordfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FordFoundationCareerPage/job/New-York-USA/Program-Officer–Civic-Engagement-and-Government_R1077

To help us track our recruitment effort, please specify on the application form/indicate in your cover letter where (tendersglobal.net) you saw this job posting.

Next Senior Admitting Worker »

Previous « Head of Human Resources, 37.5 hours per week. Temporary until 31.3.25. Home based working in the north west of England

Program Officer Civic Engagement and Government

Job Description

Recent Posts

Regional Climate and Anticipatory Action Specialist (Asia Pacific)

Overseas Conflict Adviser

International Consultant

Postdoctoral fellow in computational biology

SENIOR HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER

Head of Mission Iraq and North-East Syria (f/m/d)