Program Officer

Sitka Foundation; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits package

Professional development support

Paid vacation

Job summary

The Sitka Foundation in Vancouver is seeking a Program Officer (Grants and Impact) to lead grants research, facilitation, and direct grantmaking within a portfolio focused on local stewardship for nature. The role also heads Sitka’s internal impact evaluation program and supports the Foundation’s overall philanthropic work.

Engagement includes participatory grantmaking, relationship building with partners, and ensuring CRA compliance. The position is full-time, hybrid in downtown Vancouver.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of grants/programs management experience in philanthropy.
• Degree in biodiversity-related field; advanced degree is a plus.
• Experience with monitoring, measurement, evaluation and learning.
• Strong relationship management and networking skills; facilitation a plus.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Ability to travel or work evenings for conferences, visits, meetings and events.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain a MEL framework for the Foundation's strategy.
• Lead grant portfolio management from genesis to closure and manage relationships with grant partners.
• Support administrative and operational tasks for the philanthropy team.
• Synthesize evaluation lessons for storytelling and learning.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to align with Sitka’s goals.

Skills

Grants management

Relationship management

Communication

Writing

Interpersonal skills

Research

Listening

Self-initiative

Education

Biodiversity-related degree

Advanced degree

Tools

Fluxx

Google Suite

Microsoft Office

Job description

Reports to

Executive Director

Outline of Organization

The Sitka Foundation ("Sitka" or "the Foundation") is a private foundation with a mission to catalyze the conservation of the environment and the protection of biodiversity. It is based in Vancouver, B.C., with grants in international, national, and regional domains. This position will work closely with the British Columbian granting programs.

Outline of Position

Sitka is looking to fill a new, permanent, full-time position to join the philanthropy team. The Program Officer (Grants and Impact) will work with the Foundation’s granting team to research, facilitate and direct grantmaking in general and with a specific portfolio of established grants focused on local stewardship for nature, biodiversity journalism, and engagement of conservation leadership. This position will also lead Sitka’s internal program of impact evaluation and will support the Foundation’s philanthropic programs overall.

• Manage a portfolio of grants to manage in its entirety (from genesis to closure) and lead relationships with grant partners, reporting to an assigned portfolio budget.
• Participatory grantmaking and trust-based philanthropic practices are core to this portfolio
• Management of wrap-around support is also crucial to the success of this portfolio (legal, consultants, facilitation, event planning, storytelling, etc.).
• Support other work of the philanthropy team - operationally and relationally.
• Work with grant partners in ways that support Sitka’s core values: efficient and transparent grantmaking, caring, collaborative and transparent, with deep listening skills.
• Research creative opportunities in the charitable sector that align with Sitka’s goals.
• Monitor grants to ensure compliance with CRA’s charitable rules and regulations.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) (25%)

• Design, implement, and maintain a comprehensive evaluation plan and MEL framework for the Foundation's current strategy.
• Share the story of learning (e.g. via accessible reports and impact narratives for internal stakeholders, the board, and grant partners) and represent the Foundation at external events.

General Foundation Support (15%)

• Support the philanthropic team with administrative or operational elements during internal, board, and external meetings and events.
• Synthesize evaluation and portfolio granting lessons for strong reflection and storytelling.
• Apply an integrated approach when using capital-based tools to achieve the mission of the organization with other members of the Foundation (e.g. grants, investments, etc).
• Lead ad hoc, strategic and learning projects generally aligned with the grants portfolio.
• Positively contribute to the Foundation’s curious and hard-working team.

Position Requirements

• Demonstrated experience in grants program management (5-7 years as a program/grants manager with preference in the philanthropic sector).
• A degree in a field related to biodiversity, supported by a deep understanding of solutions to the biodiversity and nature crisis, particularly in Western Canada, is a strong asset. An advanced degree is an additional asset.
• Experience with monitoring, measurement, evaluation and learning.
• Good relationship management and networking skills. Facilitation skills are an asset.
• Skilled in gathering input from grant partners and the application/synthesis of learning.
• Strong understanding of the environmental funding landscape in BC and how it is impacted by government, industry, and philanthropy.
• Exceptional communication, organization, and interpersonal skills.
• Superb listening, writing, and research skills with self-initiative and creativity.
• Comfort working in small teams with high independence and a demonstrated ability to manage multiple demands, external relationships, and utilize diverse tools to solve complex problems.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Proficiency in Google Suite, Microsoft Office and (helpful but not essential) experience with grants management software (Sitka uses Fluxx).
• Ability to travel or work evenings for conferences, grant visits, meetings and events.
• Eligible to work in Canada.

Compensation and Benefits

The position is based in a family office in downtown Vancouver. The office follows a hybrid model with a regular in-person and remote work cadence. Compensation (in the range of $120,000 - $140,000) is commensurate with experience and includes a health benefits package, professional development support, and paid vacation.

This recruitment is being led by Gerard Search on behalf of The Sitka Foundation.

We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity and will only contact those under consideration for the role.

The Sitka Foundation recognizes that structural barriers shape experiences and opportunities and will take this into consideration when screening and selecting candidates for this position. For applicants with disabilities, accommodations during the hiring process are available on request. The Foundation strongly encourages applications from underrepresented groups.