Seattle, WA

Program Officer, Marguerite Casey Foundation

The Organization

MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward people who are excluded from sharing in the resources and benefits of society, and who have the vision and capacity to build a truly representative economy.

We imagine a world where our democracy and economy truly represent the contributions, dreams, and desires of communities that have been historically excluded from sharing in the resources and benefits of society. People should be more than just represented in our democracy and economy—their representation must include their ability to shape them.

Position Overview

The Marguerite Casey Foundation has reimagined the role of the Program Officer (PO) — shifting away from supervising the work of grant recipients to meet Foundation priorities, and toward supporting the leadership of grant recipients in whatever ways help them build greater power. Building on the foundation of general operating support grants made to all grant recipients, POs at MCF are responsible for bringing the promise of our MCF grantmaking strategy to life: helping social justice leaders and innovators gain the freedom and space they need to lead.

The Program Officer reports to the Vice President of Programs. Their main responsibilities include: supporting our grant recipients to increase their influence, resources and assets, and to build the personal and organizational capabilities necessary to win greater power and shift who holds power and ownership in our society. The PO will serve as an internal and external leader for the Marguerite Casey Foundation, serving as a catalyst for opening up access and opportunity for grant recipients in multiple domains. Their success is measured by their ability to build trust, understanding and proactive supportive relationships with our grant recipients, and by the results they deliver for them.

The primary supportive role the Program Officer plays is maximizing access to financial capital for MCF grant recipients. They must bring savvy and skill, collaborating within philanthropy and across a range of relationships they will build and grow in other sectors, including academia, the private sector, and beyond. While the PO co-manages the prospecting process for new grant recipients and makes recommendations for funding with the support of other Programs staff, the majority of their time is spent in pursuit of opportunities for existing grant recipients.

**This job posting may be used for more than one position.

LOCATION: Currently, all staff members are working remotely in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. When it is safe to do so, POs will be expected to be able to report to our office in Seattle, WA frequently, and to operate generally on Pacific Standard Time.

DURATION: Program Officers at MCF will be limited to a maximum term of five (5) years.

APPLICATION PERIOD: We will be accepting applications until Friday, May 7, 2021.

Requirements

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

  • Support leaders and organizations in our grantmaking portfolio in building the personal and organizational capabilities to become more powerful in accordance with their own strategies and goals.
    • Work in close partnership with grant recipients to identify desired areas of individual and organization growth tied to their ability to build power.
    • Co-create a plan to support those areas of growth in partnership with grant recipients, setting clear responsibilities, timelines and metrics for that support.
    • Research and identify resources, break barriers to entry and overall aid in the process of grant recipients accessing key resources in philanthropy and the broader sector to hone the skills of leaders and organizations.
  • Work in close partnership with grant recipients in their journey to build their social power in accordance with their direction and strategies. This includes but is not limited to helping secure meaningful validation, endorsement, investment and defense of their leadership and work.
    • Organize people with influence across sectors—academia, journalists, business—to help build greater momentum for the ideas and innovations of grant recipient leaders.
    • During strategic moments such as moments of crisis or opportunity, and following the direction of grant recipient leaders, aid in increasing their public visibility and influence while positioning them as leaders not just for the social justice sector for society at large.
  • Support grant recipient leaders and organizations in securing greater financial resources with fewer restrictions to increase their freedom and ability to lead and build power.
    • Raise additional resources for grant recipients from other foundations, other institutions and/or individual donors. This might include working to increase revenue for organizations by a significant percentage of their overall budget, in service of expanding their power, funding their experiments or scaling their ideas and projects.
    • Help build the fundraising profile of key leaders in alignment with their target prospects (e.g., issue funders, individual donors).
  • In order to successfully perform the first three responsibilities, the PO must build and manage deep relationships and trust with our grant recipients in order to identify best ways to be of service to them and their leadership.
    • Meet with grant recipients at least twice a year, depending on their capacity and interest, in order to understand their work.
    • Provide relevant updates, analysis, and tools that might be useful to advancing their leadership and work.
    • Ensure that the Foundation accurately represents the work of grant recipients in internal reports, Board documents, and across the organization.
  • Co-manage our prospecting process for new grant recipients throughout the year with the support of other Programs staff.
    • Research and analyze social, political and cultural landscape and the role of the leaders and organizations building power.
    • Build and implement a transparent and time-bound process to consider new leaders and organizations that reflects our values and strategies.
    • Work with the grants management team within the Programs team to fulfill the Foundation’s due diligence, legal and grantmaking responsibilities.
  • Identify and help coordinate the MCF and/or philanthropic response to needs that cannot be served by servicing individual grant recipients one at a time, but require investments in social justice infrastructure that will benefit leaders and organizations across the sector.
    • Research and analyze the landscape and work of organizations to produce analysis and updates of social, cultural, and political trends and opportunities for building infrastructure that enables grant recipients to become more powerful.
    • Craft, implement and lead innovative partnerships and solutions that meet the needs of the sector under the clear direction of leaders and organizations in the portfolio.

How To Apply

Visit: https://apply.workable.com/mcf/j/E247B7A543/

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