Program Officer, LA N’ Sync

Overview

Full-Time; Exempt

This is an in-office position, requires on-site work (5) days per week.

Only applicants who reside in the Los Angeles Region and submit a cover letter will be considered. 

***CCF IS A MANDATORY VACCINATION EMPLOYER***  

California Community Foundation’s mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. We envision a future where all Angelenos have the opportunity to contribute to the productivity, health and well-being of our region. And we believe that our common fate will be determined by how successfully we improve the quality of life for all our residents. The impact we help create is of, by and for Los Angeles, because the community is our foundation.

CCF seeks to build a strong and diverse community. We strive to be an employer of choice – offering a competitive compensation package, development opportunities and a rewarding environment. CCF believes in equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or other protected status. We consider qualified applicants in a manner consistent with federal, state, and local laws.

Position Summary: 

Reporting to the SPO, Public Policy and Strategic Partnerships, the program officer enables CCF to invest its resources (i.e., competitive grants and program-related investments–PRIs) in an accessible, fair, and thoughtful manner. The position requires leadership skills and significant experience in: strategy development, program design and management; nonprofit capacity building; donor relations; and public policy analysis.   Work experience related to the foundation’s priority issue areas in Los Angeles is essential. This position is responsible for overseeing the coordination and management of LA n Sync efforts and priorities including, but not limited to, workgroup and advisory board coordination; grants management; advocacy and public/private partnership development; communications; convenings; fundraising; budget and contracts; forecasting; and strategic planning.  

Major Responsibilities: 

• Strategy Development, Program Design and Management: Designs, develops and implements the overall portfolio strategy, goals, grantmaking and other activities in key priority issue areas of the foundation. Reviews and revises portfolio goals, strategies, outcomes and indicators periodically, and oversees the evaluation of selected grants and grant clusters. Maintains depth and expertise in the foundation’s areas of interest, and major policy reform efforts and initiatives that impact these issues in Los Angeles and California. Strategizes with SPO on strategic direction, ensuring goals are met. 
• Portfolio Management: Ensures that CCF’s grants and PRI funds are invested in grantees and communities to achieve common outcomes and maximum impact. Reviews, analyzes and provides recommendations on grant proposals. Conducts due diligence including analysis of financial information, site visits and interviews with other funders and relevant agencies. Works with CCF’s program-related investment (PRI) intermediaries to ensure disbursement of PRI funds. Monitors grant investments, produces grant agreements, reviews progress reports and payment requests, and maintains ongoing communications with grantees.  Works with grantees to strengthen their organization capacity to adapt to changes in the nonprofit environment, including their ability to report results by using effective outcome measures. Prepares and presents written and oral analyses of grant requests, drafts issues briefs and prepares quarterly and year-end portfolio reports for CCF staff, Board of Directors (“Board”), donors, and/or committee members. Assists in the development of an annual budget and tracks compliance. Oversees all consultant and vendor contracts and tracks compliance.
• Workgroup, Advisory Board and Convening Coordination: Creates agendas for workgroup, advisory board and stakeholder convening meetings. Advises on actionable items and decisions that come out of meetings and communicates with relevant stakeholders to ensure tasks are completed. Develops, in concert with meeting co-hosts (if any), topics of discussion and meeting priorities for convenings. Develops invite list and works with participants, as needed. Helps facilitate discussion, tracks action items and follow-up. 
• Advocacy and Public-Private Partnerships: Engages partners across academia, nonprofit, philanthropy, public, and private sectors in Sync efforts and priorities in order to further its goals and form collaboratives. Meets with local leaders and organizations in regards to grants and advocacy efforts. Educates and informs public about LA n Sync and its goals and priorities. Engages elected officials and staff to inform around Sync activities and priorities. Represents Sync at conferences and summits, as needed.
• Research and Special Projects: Manages the redesign and upgrade of the Sync website. Conducts research and analyzes trends on issues or concerns of importance to CCF through written materials, interviews, community meetings, computer networks, or other useful vehicles. Presents findings in written and/oral formats. Designs, manages and facilitates special projects for CCF, ensuring a thoughtful and reasonable process, timely preparation and coordination of key activities and materials for review panels, advisory committees, and CCF’s Board of Directors.
• Community Relations and Outreach: Represents CCF on relevant committees, commissions, task forces and boards. Assumes leadership roles in professional networks and collaborations related to CCF’s priority issues and philanthropic activities. With the program associates, works directly with grantseekers to provide clarification of CCF priorities, direction regarding application procedures, and feedback on proposals. Assists with the overall communication strategy. Writes and coordinates the delivery of quarterly newsletters.  Develops communication outreach for grant opportunities and other partnership development.  
• Donor Relations: Leads project working teams and collaborates with Development, Donor Relations and Communications staff to strategize on messaging, fund development and impact analysis for discretionary funds. Prepares information for donors and/or meets with donors to refine their giving preferences. May also staff one-time, periodic or ongoing grantmaking processes associated with donor-advised funds and supporting organizations. Updates potential Sync funders regarding strategic planning.
• Resource Development: Responsible for annual and multiyear fundraising efforts that supplement Field of Interest and Unrestricted grantmaking budgets in a particular priority funding area of CCF. Prepares a written plan to guide immediate and long-term resource development efforts that include an audit of current and potential resources and establishing annual fundraising benchmarks.  Assists in the creation and implementation of a fundraising strategy along with the advisory board and SPO. Ensures coordination of programming and funding as well as compliance with the reporting requirements of funders.
• Project Management and Delegation: In collaboration with department supervisors and other officers, delegates projects to and assists in the supervision of program associates and program assistants to manage and accomplish the work of the department and the foundation in an efficient and effectively planned manner. Ensures that foundation databases are accurate, updated in a timely manner and are effectively utilized.  Manages workload to ensure sufficient time is allotted to knowledge acquisition and to achieve mastery of department processes and technology.
• Internal Integration of Work: Identifies opportunities for and integrates the functions and skills of civic engagement, marketing and communications and development and donor relations into their grantmaking to increase focus on systemic change.  Engages with internal and external resources to secure necessary competencies. Coordinates work between departments and with external vendors, as necessary.  Identifies and pursues opportunities for internal integration of work across functions and departments to make connections and leverage the strengths and efforts of CCF.  
• General: As appropriate, assists other departments and works as a member of interdepartmental teams to ensure the effective and efficient operations of CCF.  At all times, demonstrates cooperative behavior with supervisors and coworkers.  Other duties as assigned, dependent on organizational needs and employee skills. 

Qualifications: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function assigned satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. 

• Experience: 3-5 years of related grantmaking and/or program design and management experience required with a minimum of five years working in the nonprofit, public and/or philanthropic sector. Experience in managing consultants and project working teams to achieve results is essential.
• Education: A Master’s level degree in a field related to the primary funding areas of the foundation preferred.
• Technical Knowledge: Demonstrated analytical capabilities and substantive knowledge of best practices in fields of interest to the foundation, familiarity with the public policy and legislative process, public and private funding streams related to the foundation’s domains of work, and a working understanding of outcome measures and evaluation methodologies aimed at assessing program effectiveness.
• Community Knowledge: Knowledge of the Los Angeles County nonprofit community, familiarity with the geography and diverse neighborhoods throughout the region, and experience in working effectively with diverse and broad-based community constituencies.