Job Title:       Program Officer (Full-time, exempt)
Job Number: 12-05-3900

Local Grantmaking
For more than 40 years, the Packard Foundation has supported an array of nonprofit organizations in geographic areas that are significant to the Packard family. These include the five California counties that surround the Foundation’s headquarters in Los Altos, California— San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito—as well as Pueblo, Colorado, the birthplace of David Packard. Our goal in supporting these communities is to help make them stronger and more vibrant places where families can thrive and reach their potential. To achieve this goal, the Local Grantmaking Program focuses its resources on areas that reflect the priorities of the Foundation and the interests of our founders. The areas for which grants are made include the arts, food banks and homeless services for families with children, after-school youth services, programs that support children from birth to three,  environmental education, and family planning and adolescent reproductive health services. Annually, the Local Grantmaking Program makes an estimated 150+ new grants per year which is expected to total approximately $14M in 2012. Program grants range from funding for general operations, to targeted projects, and a limited number of strategically focused community initiatives. Further, Foundation grants for capacity building and program-related investments are also leveraged to support active grantees.

Local Grantmaking Program Officer Position
The Local Program Officer Position presents the right candidate with a dynamic opportunity to provide both day-to-day support for a portfolio of grants potentially bound by specific geographic location and program focus areas. The position, to a lesser extent, also provides an opportunity for a candidate to develop and work on special strategic initiatives on select community or emerging issues. The Program Officer will serve as one of three Program Officers on a seven person team. The Program Officer will report to the Local Grantmaking Director and have responsibility for the following duties:

• Managing a diverse portfolio of recipient organizations in several of the five counties
• Working with the Director to continue to develop, evaluate, and refine a portfolio of grants
• Working with Foundation grantees and prospective grantees on all aspects of the grantmaking process, including development of proposals or new initiatives
• Monitoring the activities of funded organizations and projects, and reviewing and analyzing grantee reports
• Working with intermediary organizations, such as arts councils and community foundations, to devise effective regranting programs and/or strategies
• Nurturing and strengthening collaborative, supportive relationships with nonprofit organizations, other community leaders and funders
• Facilitating connections and partnerships across nonprofit organizations and institutions in the five-county region
• Monitoring community issues and trends in the Foundation’s focus areas and five counties
• Providing technical assistance to grantees and/or recommending helpful resources in conjunction with the Foundation’s Organizational Effectiveness Program
• Identifying opportunities for Program-Related Investments (PRI) for grantees working in conjunction with the Foundation’s PRI Program
• Coordinating relevant information and potentially collaborating with staff in other Foundation programs
• Contributing to the development and refinement of methods and systems to assess the impact of grants and funded programs
• Representing the Foundation at meetings, forums, and public presentations, as appropriate
• Preparing high quality written materials for Board review
• Carrying out other duties as assigned

The successful candidate for the Program Officer position will have a good understanding of professional grantmaking in a foundation environment, understanding of work in the nonprofit sector, and a strong desire to work with and support the Foundation’s grantees. Additionally, we anticipate that the successful candidate may have philanthropic or nonprofit experience working in the Foundation’s Local Grantmaking target regions, particularly San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Knowledge of nonprofit capacity building would also be highly desirable. The Foundation seeks an experienced professional who has:

• Solid knowledge of community-based or placed-based grantmaking, community issues, or nonprofit capacity building
• Strong strategic and analytical skills and creative problem-solving ability, combined with political savvy
• Strong written communications skills, along with highly effective, oral communications and engaging presentation skills
• Ability to learn, understand and work on a breadth of issues, in addition to the ability to work in depth on issues
• Excellent organizational skills and judgment
• Strong interpersonal skills (characterized by a facilitative style) and an ability to develop and maintain work relationships
• A demonstrated ability to prioritize work, manage time effectively, multi-task, and meet deadlines
• Ability to be sensitive to local community and nonprofit needs while fulfilling day-to-day Foundation and grantmaking duties
• An ability to be flexible and/or an ability to be comfortable with a certain level of ambiguity
• An attitude of humility and a genuine desire to support the Foundation’s mission
• Demonstrated track record of successfully interacting with diverse audiences
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information effectively and confidentially
• Ability to represent the Foundation to persons outside the organization and to interact with all staff in a professional, courteous, culturally sensitive, and tactful manner
• Excellent grasp of technology and computer skills, including working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• Ability to travel in the local grantmaking area (~30%) balancing time in the field with internal Foundation needs

Physical Demands
Candidate must have the ability to communicate via voice telephone, read and understand written communication, and generate written communication manually and using a computer. Candidate must also have the ability to sit at a desk for 2-3 hours at a time, lift and move documents and supplies not to exceed 25 lbs., and bend to file and retrieve documents.

Education and Experience
An undergraduate degree with a minimum of 5-8 years of related work experience. A graduate degree is highly desired.

Benefits and Compensation
The Foundation offers an excellent benefits package and a salary that is commensurate with experience. The salary range for the position is $80,000 (minimum); $110,000 (midpoint); and $140,000 (maximum).

To Apply
Please send an email referring to job number 12-05-3900 in the subject line along with a resume and one-page cover letter explaining how your skills and background fit the position to jobs@packard.org.
No phone inquiries please.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse pool of applicants.

The Foundation uses an outside firm to check the accuracy of information supplied by applicants.

Principal applicants only.