About The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Arthur M. Blank is recognized for his values-based
Blank Family of Businesses (BFOB) and as one of America’s leading
philanthropists through the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. All
his industry-leading businesses, including the foundation, operate
on six core values: Put People First, Listen and Respond, Include
Everyone, Innovate Continuously, Lead by Example, and Give Back to
Others.
After 27 years and over $1 billion in giving, the foundation has
committed to significantly escalating the impact of its
philanthropy over the next 10+ years. This milestone coincides with
deeper participation among the next generation of Blank family
members on the board and in advisory capacities, partnering around
their shared core beliefs, as well as the Jewish value of tikkun
olam (“heal and repair the world”).
The Board has selected five collective areas of giving, which
include Environment, with a focus on addressing climate change
through clean energy and natural climate solutions; Democracy, with
an emphasis on strengthening the structures and relationships that
lead to good governance; Mental Health and Well Being, with a focus
on creating opportunities for young people to live connected and
purpose-filed lives; Youth Development, with a focus on workforce
development; and Atlanta’s historic Westside, with a focus on
affordable housing and economic mobility. Geographically, much of
the work prioritizes the Southeastern and Western regions, with a
particular focus on Georgia and Montana.
The foundation prioritizes respect, relationships and results, and
we focus on outcome-driven strategies that diligently employ
measurement and evaluation strategies to learn and improve.
About the Role: As a Senior Program Officer for Environment, you will play a key
role in executing the foundation’s Energy strategy. The strategy
works to accelerate the deployment of clean electricity and its
positive impact on people’s lives in the Southeast and West through
supportive public policy and programs. You will support the
Managing Director in implementing the strategy by managing a
portfolio of grants from inception to completion. More specific
responsibilities fall into two primary areas described below.
Responsibilities: Grantmaking, portfolio management and operations (70%)
- Under the supervision of the Managing Director, support the
implementation of the foundation’s Energy strategy. - Source new grantee partner opportunities in line with the
approved strategy and desired outcomes. - Draft memos, grant analyses, recommendations and summary
reports. - Manage a portfolio of grants from inception to completion.
- Work with the Foundation’s Finance Team to learn and use
Cybergrants to manage grants. - Act as a resource and thought partner for grantees and other
partners. - Monitor grant budgets and ensure compliance with foundation
practices and protocols. - Explore collaboration opportunities with other
foundations. - Stay abreast of the clean energy field’s evolution and trends,
including philanthropy. - Work with the Foundation’s Effective Philanthropy team to
review evidence and data, ensuring alignment with the Energy
strategy. - Develop and refine measurement and evaluation for grants and
the portfolio
Field Leadership (30%)
- Organize foundation-sponsored meetings of grantees, partners
and field experts. - Effectively represent the Foundation and the work when meeting
with current and potential grantees, attending public forums and
conferences, and when interacting with nonprofit, governmental and
private sector leaders, elected officials, academics,
collaboratives
Candidate Profile:
The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following abilities,
skills, and attributes:
- A commitment to, and interest in, the Foundation’s vision,
mission and values. - A track record of success as a results-oriented thought leader
and program manager within a philanthropic, nonprofit, organizing,
academic or government context. - Relevant experience in clean energy policy and the electricity
sector. - Innovative, strategic and analytical thinker skilled in
understanding and meeting challenges. - Comfort with using evidence to inform programs or grantmaking
approaches in the field. - Commitment to supporting and promoting diversity, equity,
inclusion and belonging. - Possess an inquisitive spirit and commitment to continuous
improvement. - Intellectual curiosity and humility with an appreciation for a
diversity of points of view. - Possess a balance of intellectual and emotional intelligence,
strong people skills and the ability to multitask and prioritize
effectively.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required, master’s degree or equivalent
experience is a plus. - 7+ years of experience and expertise in policy, non-profit
and/or philanthropy organizations. - Strong skills in project management and writing.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications: Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and SharePoint. - Ability to handle private and confidential matters discreetly
and respectfully.
Working Conditions:
This is an in-person position based at the Arthur M. Blank Family
Office in Atlanta, Georgia. The role requires some travel to
offsite meetings. Computer use requires hand/wrist motion and
visual focus, occasionally involving lifting items weighing 5 – 20
lbs.
Salary and Benefits:
The Foundation offers a highly competitive and comprehensive salary
and benefits package
FOUNDATION GIVING & OPERATIONS
AREAS
Communications
Develops and executes communication strategies to advance the
foundation’s mission through storytelling.
Democracy
Increases effective, responsive governance by elected leaders in
Montana and Georgia through electoral reforms and increasing
cross-partisan contact among legislators.
Effective Philanthropy
Provides internal advisory services to all programmatic and
founder-led initiatives on program strategy, monitoring, learning
and evaluation.
Environment: Energy
Accelerates the deployment of clean electricity and its positive
impact on people’s lives in the West and Southeast.
Environment: Land
Focuses on increasing the protection of native grasslands and the
adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices across the state
of Montana.
Finance & Grants Management
Manages all foundation accounting, finance, business, and legal
activities and oversees and implements foundation grantmaking
processes.
Founder Initiatives
Oversees a large portfolio of Founder Initiatives, including
founder’s discretionary and legacy grants, the seven associate-led
giving committees, West Creek Ranch programming in Montana and
sponsorships.
Mental Health & Well-Being
Learns and experiments with grants along a continuum from crisis to
stability to flourishing to enhance the lives of those who are
disconnected from the support they need to live a life filled with
belonging and purpose and emotional well-being.
Atlanta’s Westside
Increases legacy residents’ economic mobility and their ability to
choose to stay in a thriving, historic Westside neighborhood,
specifically in English Avenue and Vine City.
Youth Development
Learns to better understand the opportunities and challenges on the
ground with workforce development for young people, ages 14-24, in
Georgia and Montana, primarily in high-poverty, rural
communities.