Posted on Posted by

Metro Washington, DC

Program Officer, Washington Area Women's Foundation

The Organization

Washington Area Women’s Foundation is a community-supported foundation that invests in the power of women and girls of color across the Washington, DC metropolitan region. Women and girls of color make change happen. While too often unsung, the work of women and girls of color have advanced human rights and gender, racial and economic justice in our communities for decades. The Women’s Foundation believes that by increasing resources to, and recognizing the leadership of, women and girls of color, they will ignite needed change. We advance this theory of change by:

  • Making grants to organizations that are actively pursuing gender, racial, and economic justice, and awarding women and girls of color directly; and
  • Centering the voices and lived experiences of women and girls of color to influence policymakers and the local philanthropic sector to advance systems and institutional change with a gender, racial and economic justice lens.

Position Overview

Reporting to the President & CEO, the Program Officer directly manages The Women’s Foundation’s Early Care and Education Funders’ Collaborative (ECEFC) and early education grant portfolio, and supports the advocacy efforts of Grantee Partners.  The Program Officer oversees grantmaking to organizations and provides support directly to Grantee Partners with technical assistance and additional fundraising.

Learn more about the ECEFC here.

The Program Officer is visible within the greater philanthropic and nonprofit community, serving as a spokesperson and partner for advocates and philanthropic colleagues around early care and education, the childcare crisis, and the largely women of color and immigrant women local early education workforce in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. Specifically, The Women’s Foundation and the ECEFC’s work supports gender and racial justice in Washington, DC, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland, the City of Alexandria in Virginia, and Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia. The position requires the ability to stay current on early education policies, issues, and challenges at both the local and state levels across these jurisdictions.

The Program Officer is a member of The Women’s Foundation program team, working directly with the President & CEO and another Program Officer colleague, and collaboratively with the Director of Communications, development staff, and operations and finance staff. The Program Officer also works closely with the ECEFC voting members, and in particular, with the ECEFC co-chairs.

General Responsibilities:

Contribute to refining the strategy and executing activities of The Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative (ECEFC).

  • Facilitate and coordinate the ECEFC, including building relationships with members, providing strategic guidance, managing the grant making process, and developing and executing learning opportunities for members and Grantee Partners.
  • Build collaborative relationships within and outside The Women’s Foundation (e.g. with existing Grantee Partners, prospective partners, experts in the community, policy makers, and philanthropic partners) that advance The Women’s Foundation goals.
  • Work with grantee partners to achieve desired impact of grants, conduct site visits, and provide technical assistance.
  • Manage the administrative aspects of annual grant cycles for the ECEFC, including project budget development and management.
  • Evaluate the impact of the ECEFC’s investments and develop content to communicate impact internally and to the public.
  • Represent The Women’s Foundation on relevant advocacy coalitions and philanthropic collaboratives in alignment with the ECEFC’s investment priorities.
  • Monitor research, trends and partner recommendations to enhance The Women’s Foundation staff and board understanding of relevant issues related to early care and education and support Grantee Partner advocacy and policy change efforts. This may include writing blogs, attending rallies, public speaking, meeting with policymakers, or testifying at public hearings.
  • Work with the communications staff to develop external communications including online and social media content, newsletters, impact statements, and The Women’s Foundation’s #AskHer interview series content.
  • Cultivate and steward donors who support early education systems change, and in particular believe in the power and leadership of the early care and education workforce.
  • Assist with fundraising for the Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative, in particular contributing to applications for funding and grant report content.

Qualifications:
The Women’s Foundation seeks candidates who are passionate about our mission and align with our values to:

  • Learn and adapt our practices to serve a changing world;
  • Be honest, transparent and accountable to our community;
  • Encourage diversity in community, thoughts, and ideas; and
  • Practice kindness and intentionality in all we do.

Candidates must be committed to gender and racial justice, regardless of where they are on their own individual learning journey.

Strong candidates for the program officer position will:

  • Have experience working in/with the early education workforce and/or on early care and education policy;
  • Have experience working in partnership with diverse stakeholders toward shared goals;
  • Have experience with local early education policy advocacy and/or community organizing, preferably in Maryland, Virginia and/or Washington, DC;
  • Have an understanding of and/or interest in trust-based philanthropic principals and participatory grantmaking;
  • Have a connection to the Washington, DC metropolitan region. Growing up and/or currently living in the region is strongly preferred;
  • Have strong oral and written communication skills, alongside strong listening skills;
  • Be able to conduct their work primarily in English. Additional language proficiency is a plus;
  • Be successful working in a remote environment with file sharing, databases, and other technologies;
  • Be comfortable working independently and handling all aspects of program implementation from administrative to strategic.

Compensation:
We offer our employees a total rewards model, pairing a compensation package that reflects our organizational values, culture, and mission with meaningful and significant work content, a supportive environment, and work-life flexibility.

The salary range for this position is $68,000-$75,000. The Women’s Foundation compensation package also includes comprehensive, 100% paid medical, dental and vision insurance for employees, generous paid time off, and flexible work hours within a 36-hour work week.

People with lived experience relevant to the position program area and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to candidates with strong ties to the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

To Apply:
Please email your resume and cover letter to jobs@wawf.org with the subject line “Program Officer–ECE.”  Only complete applications will be considered.  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but no later than March 7, 2022.

Sign up