Program Officer (Grantmaking)

Equality Fund; Ottawa; Remote; CAD 87,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A nonprofit organization is seeking a Program Officer to enhance grantmaking mechanisms and analyze trends in women's rights globally. This full-time role allows for remote work within Canada, requiring strong grantmaking skills and an understanding of feminist movements. Candidates need to have at least 5 years of relevant experience, proficiency in English and Arabic, and a commitment to gender equity.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

4 weeks paid vacation

Parental leave top up

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of programmatic grantmaking experience.
• Knowledge of global feminist issues related to women, girls and trans rights.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills in English and Arabic.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to equality fund's grantmaking mechanisms.
• Analyze trends related to women's rights and feminist movements.
• Build trust-based relationships with diverse audiences.

Skills

Public Health

Program Management

Analysis Skills

Writing Skills

Job description

Overview

Position: Program Officer (Grantmaking)

Status: Full-time indefinite

Team: Global Programs

Reports to: Director Program Strategy

Language(s): English, Arabic

Location: Remote within Canada, Southwest Asia, North Africa or Central / Eastern Europe

Starting Salary Range: CAD

Deadline for Applications: 1 September 2025 11:59pm ET

About the Equality Fund

The Equality Fund is transforming the way that resources and power flow into the hands of women, girls and trans people worldwide. Designed by feminists for feminists, it resources feminist movements through global grantmaking, gender-lens investing, policy advocacy and feminist philanthropy. Launched in 2019, the Equality Fund has activated $100 million to date and supports more than 1000 organizations in over 100 countries.

The Opportunity

Under the leadership and supervision of the Director of Program Strategy on the Global Programs team, the Program Officer will contribute to Equality Fund's grantmaking mechanisms, including systems, policies and practices, and analyze trends related to women's rights and feminist movements. The focus includes advancing gender equity in Southwest Asia, North Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The successful candidate will bring knowledge of regional and thematic trends in women, girls and trans rights, with competencies in grantmaking design and implementation, feminist and participatory approaches, and partnership development and relationship building. The Program Officer liaises with grantee partners, organizes capacity-building opportunities, and represents EF work across the ecosystem. This role supports grantmaking compliance, including financial and narrative reporting to donors and other stakeholders, and contributes to key program deliverables such as work plans, budgets and reports.

SCOPE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Partnerships in Grantmaking

• Maintains knowledge of trends in EF geographies and thematic specializations; supports feminist grantmaking, accompaniment, amplification, knowledge building and mutual learning. Areas include LGBTQI movements, youth, disability movements and climate justice.
• Supports programming and collaborations within EF and with external partners and stakeholders to advance women's rights and feminist organizations, strengthening the feminist funding ecosystem.
• Oversees and manages designated grantmaking portfolios, including grantmaking plans, writing and drafting docket materials, receiving and reviewing grant reports, and collaborating with grants operations and finance teams.
• Provides ongoing support and accompaniment to grantee partners.
• Acts as liaison for grantee partners and maintains strong, flexible relationships in the field to inform EF work.
• Advances voices of grantee partners in discussions of resourcing feminist movements and gender equity to diverse audiences including philanthropy, policy makers and the international development sector.
• Represents EF with external partners and stakeholders, including in affinity groups, meetings and conferences as required.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Contributes to EF's feminist monitoring, evaluation and learning systems in collaboration with the Learning and Impact team.
• Documents progress, lessons learned and success stories, and reports to funders in collaboration with the Learning and Impact team and GP staff.
• Supports other program needs as required.

Other horizontal organizational activities

• Leads in documenting and disseminating program experiences and lessons learned, contributing to organizational communications needs.
• Participates in onboarding of new staff and mentors team members across multiple time zones.
• Acts in accordance with policies around nurturing a safe, respectful work environment and upholds the code of conduct.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of programmatic grantmaking experience, preferably in a similar program officer role; other relevant experience in international development programming for gender equity is an asset.
• Knowledge of global feminist issues related to women, girls and trans rights, including current trends in gender equity and social justice.
• Substantive knowledge of Southwest Asian and North African feminist movements and networks; Central and Eastern Europe and Balkans knowledge is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate intersectional analysis and awareness of power dynamics.
• Proven ability to build trust-based relationships.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills in English and Arabic are required.
• Ability to work with diverse audiences including activists, donors and community members.
• Strong digital proficiency (GSuite, MS Office) and experience with databases/reporting tools; CRM experience is an asset.
• Knowledge of monitoring, evaluation and learning with quantitative and qualitative methods is an asset.

Core Competencies for Adaptive Leadership

• Adaptive competencies, including self-awareness, systems thinking, collaborative problem-solving and accountability.
• Adaptable and open to change; curious and proactive in improving processes.
• Strong administrative and organizational skills; attention to detail.
• Team player with clear, respectful communication across time zones.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively under tight deadlines.
• Commitment to Equality Fund values: anti-racism, anti-oppression, intersectionality, feminist leadership, accountability and radical love.

Requirements

• Must be legally eligible to work in the country of residence (Canada, Southwest Asia, North Africa or Central / Eastern Europe).
• Able and willing to travel to Canada and within regions EF has partners for up to 3–4 weeks per year.
• Willing and able to work remotely on computer-based work.
• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required.

Our Environment of Care

• We offer a flexible and virtual work environment.
• We are guided by values: anti-racism, anti-oppression, intersectionality, feminist leadership, accountability and radical love. We share power and create space for everyone to lead.
• Comprehensive compensation and benefits package, with no waiting period, including 4 weeks paid vacation, paid sick time, parental leave top up, medical benefits, life insurance, Group RRSP, and more.
• We are committed to a safe and respectful workplace and do not tolerate harassment or abuse of any form.
• Equality Fund is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and provide accessible accommodations on request.

Selection Process

• Equality Fund does not employ AI in screening, recruitment or selection.
• We do not conduct informational interviews during hiring to ensure fair access to information for all candidates.
• The People, Equity and Culture team conducts initial screening; applications should detail relevant experience. This process takes about 1 week from the deadline.
• Qualified candidates may have 15–30 minute phone screenings.
• The hiring committee may conduct first-round interviews; questions may be provided in advance. Candidates may submit questions in advance.
• Second-round interviews may include an assignment.
• Selected candidate will receive an Employment Agreement to review and return.

Join Us

We strive to respond to all applicants, but may only follow up with those selected for an interview.

Consent to the Use of Personal Information / Consentement à l'utilisation des informations personnelles

I acknowledge that the personal information I provide as part of my job application to Equality Fund will be used solely for recruitment, evaluation and selection for available positions within Equality Fund. The information collected includes, but is not limited to: name, contact details, professional and academic background, references. I understand that I can withdraw my consent at any time, though withdrawal may affect the processing of my application. For details on data collection and protection, please refer to the Equality Fund privacy policy.

Pour plus de détails sur la manière dont nous collectons et protégeons vos informations personnelles, veuillez vous référer à notre politique de confidentialité.

Required Experience: Senior IC

Key Skills

Public Health, Program Management, ICD Coding, Military Experience, Analysis Skills, Research Experience, Security, Economic Development, Counterintelligence, Program Design, Program Development, Writing Skills

Employment Type : Full-Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1

Monthly Salary: 87,000 - 90,000