The Program Officer, Literacy, will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the foundation’s literacy initiatives in New York City. This newly-established position offers an exciting opportunity to identify, co-create, and steward the implementation of grantmaking strategies aimed at helping more young New Yorkers become voracious readers. As our point person in the NYC and national literacy community, you will assume leadership of executing Carmel Hill Fund ‘s (CHF) literacy strategy, developing deep relationships with peers and partners, and will identify, manage, and support all active and potential partnerships. In collaboration across the CHF team and notably the Executive Director, you will source, recommend, and manage multi-year grants and philanthropic partnerships, establish co-funding opportunities with peers, develop and oversee impact measurement strategies, and provide additional support to grantee partners to help them succeed. Where possible, your efforts will be informed by and/or co-created with educators, parents/caregivers, and young people.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Program Officer, Literacy will collaborate with the Program Officer, Adolescent Mental Health to develop and implement cross-functional programs and leverage opportunities focused on combating or dismantling systemic barriers. The Program Officers will also collaborate with the Grants Manager to design and implement grantmaking practices that align with the Fund’s values and approach.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Program Development & Grantee Partnership

• Lead the development and enhancement of innovative, evidence-based grantmaking programs that empower youth and young adults to achieve their full potential.
• Develop multi-year strategic initiatives and build productive partnerships to advance literacy, particularly developing voracious readers, based on best practices, insights, as well as new ideas, through a combination of outreach, convening, and collaboration building.
• Identify and/or design potential grantee programs; engage grantees through research, site visits and conversations using sufficient communication methods to establish interest and mission alignment.
• Develop funding recommendations for the Executive Director and/or Trustee approval, execute the grantmaking process in partnership with the Grants Manager, and effectively steward approved grants to monitor impact and support the grantees’ success.
• Establish organizational priorities and goals as well as appropriate KPIs to monitor grant effectiveness and evaluate grants; synthesize and integrate the learnings to iterate CHF’s program strategy.
• Identify, prioritize, and explore key capacity building needs of grantee partners along with potential supports to elevate their impact and efficiency.
• Stay up-to-date on the landscape of youth literacy challenges and opportunities in NYC, relevant public policies, and the latest research that may impact grantee programs and CHF strategy.
• Nurture and promote thought leadership and, where appropriate, serve as a resource to grantee partners in their development of policy recommendations, advocacy efforts, and/or proposals to support programmatic goals.

Stakeholder Engagement & Field Building

• Cultivate, nurture, and sustain trusting relationships with field leaders (NYC Public Schools and Library administrators, nonprofit leaders, researchers, elected officials, advocates, philanthropic peers, etc.) to inform program development, implementation, and management, as well as to learn and stay informed of field advancements and context.
• Directly advocate with sector leaders, influencers, and government officials to advance CHF’s mission and vision.
• Represent CHF at community events, conferences, and meetings to raise awareness of the organization’s mission and focus areas, periodically convening key coalition and working group meetings.
• Develop and execute nimble communications tactics to share CHF’s impact, insights, and the work of partners with other stakeholders.

Organizational Strategy and Leadership

• Partner with the Executive Director in shaping organizational strategy, setting a bold vision for our literary programmatic strategy with input from the broader CHF team.
• Facilitate opportunities for collaboration across CHF areas of focus, coordinating with the Foundation’s other program to explore cross-program funding opportunities to support young New Yorkers.
• Develop and monitor the annual budget for literacy grantmaking and associated expenses in collaboration with the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.
• Contribute to internal knowledge management through documentation of critical grantee work.
• Contribute to the development of a grantmaking and grants management workflow that efficiently supports due diligence and the execution of grant agreements, payments, and reporting with an eye towards reducing the burden placed on grantee partners.
• Serve as a culture builder and carrier helping to make CHF a best-in-class organization where all colleagues feel like they belong, are learning and growing with support from their supervisors and peers, and where their contributions are helping to advance our mission.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to any future internal team members and/or external partners, promoting professional growth and development while fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture.

Prefered Skills and Experience

• Deep understanding of the educational landscape and literacy challenges, preferably in New York City.
• Passion for educational equity, a commitment to making a positive impact for historically under-resourced communities, and a track record of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within an organization.
• Minimum of 10+ years of professional experience, including 5 years of experience in program development and management, preferably in literacy or education-focused initiatives.
• Strong leadership skills with experience in team building, management, and cross-sector convening.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, and effectively communicating key ideas (in writing and presenting) from multiple sources to inform short- and long-term strategies.
• Experience bringing an idea to fruition and working with multiple internal and external stakeholders to make it happen.
• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Public Administration, Social Work, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.