The Organization
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a nonpartisan, private charitable foundation that advances ideas and supports institutions to promote a better world. For more than 50 years, the foundation has supported efforts to advance education for all, preserve the environment, improve lives and livelihoods in developing countries, promote the health and economic well-being of women, support vibrant performing arts, strengthen Bay Area communities, and make the philanthropy sector more effective. The foundation’s assets are more than $9 billion, with annual awards of grants and gifts totaling over $400 million. A 14-member board of directors provides overall direction for the foundation. For more information about the Hewlett Foundation, please visit www.hewlett.org
Position Overview
The Effective Philanthropy Group, launched in 2012, is designed to work collaboratively with all programs and administrative departments on issues across the foundation, providing support in the areas of strategy, evaluation, organizational learning, organizational effectiveness grantmaking, and philanthropy grantmaking. It is a hybrid team that includes both internal functions and external grantmaking functions. For more information on the Effective Philanthropy Group, please go to our web page, which includes a video about our team.
About the Position
The Hewlett Fellowship provides an opportunity to inform and enrich an individual’s understanding of philanthropy and of specific subject matter by being an integral part of one of the foundation’s programs or the Effective Philanthropy Group. In addition, over a three-year term, fellows will have the opportunity to learn from staff across the organization and from each other. Over the course of the term, program fellows may be assigned to support a particular initiative as well as work across the program or group in a variety of activities. These may include assisting teams with tracking implementation markers to ensure alignment with that team’s strategic goals and outcomes, and collaborating with other members of the team toward maintaining the high quality of the program’s work. Fellows work closely with the program/group director, program officers, and others to help implement ongoing grantmaking activities as well as offer project-related support.
The Fellow will have opportunities to support the Effective Philanthropy Group as a whole, as well as its five individual pillars. The Fellow may also work directly with other programs and administrative staff. Examples of likely responsibilities include: managing one or two grants within the Philanthropy grantmaking portfolio, conducting analyses of grant reports, doing field and desk research in support of the strategy, evaluation and organizational learning functions, supporting the development of approaches for tracking progress and evaluating aspects of the organizational effectiveness (OE) program strategy and diversity, equity and inclusion OE grants, and tracking progress of the Effective Philanthropy Group’s engagements with and consultations to the various programs. Duties will be prioritized based on need and the Fellow’s skill set. The Fellow will report to the Evaluation Officer and work with the Director and other members of the group.
Qualifications
• Work experience in at least one of the group’s pillars: strategy, evaluation, monitoring, organizational learning, capacity-building, or philanthropy.
• A strong desire to learn about effective philanthropy and a proven ability to grasp new concepts quickly.
• Solid research and critical thinking skills; the ability to frame issues, think creatively, and conduct rigorous analysis.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with a track record of consistently meeting deadlines.
• Strong communication skills and demonstrated capability to present information in a clear, concise, and compelling manner both orally and in writing. Data visualization interest and skills a plus.
• Independent initiative and ability to self-manage.
• A sense of humor, and a collegial spirit in sharing ideas and being willing to receive constructive feedback.
• Personal integrity, excellent judgment, and flexibility.
• Proficiency with technology tools and applications including MS Office.
• An undergraduate or advanced degree.
• A minimum of five years of professional work experience.
Physical Demands/Work Environment
The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to spend extended periods of time at a computer.
How To Apply
Please send a resume and cover letter explaining how your skills fit this position to the attention of Human Resources, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Email: employment@hewlett.org (Subject Line: [Your Name] – Fellow, Effective Philanthropy Group)
Additional information on the foundation can be found at www.hewlett.org
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse pool of candidates.