Nonprofit Foundation Program Officer

Next City; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Next City, a Houston-area foundation, seeks a Program Officer to manage a portfolio of grants advancing health equity and community well-being.

You will translate the foundation’s strategic framework into actionable grants, collaborate with grantees and partners, and monitor trends to inform strategic investments and impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or above preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years in grantmaking, program design or related philanthropy/public sector work.
• Experience with health-related community foundations or NMDOH-adjacent initiatives preferred.

Responsibilities

• Establish and sustain trust-based relationships with grantees, funders, and health partners to advance strategic priorities.
• Manage a defined portfolio of grants and initiatives, evaluating organizational and financial health and optimizing investments.
• Monitor trends in community health centers, reimbursement models, and policy changes to inform strategy.
• Collaborate with applicants and partners to develop outcome-focused, sustainable investments that advance health equity.
• Co-develop cross-sector strategies with internal and external leaders to strengthen grantmaking impact.
• Translate strategic framework into actionable grant plans and partnerships that deliver measurable results.

Skills

Grantmaking

Program design

Policy analysis

Systems-thinking

Health equity

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master’s degree or higher

Tools

Fluxx

Job description

Nonprofit Foundation Program Officer

Houston, TX

Our client, a Houston-area foundation focused on community health, has an opportunity available for a Program Officer. This role advances the foundation's strategic framework by managing a portfolio of grants and initiatives that address the root causes of health inequities in Texas. This Program Officer translates high-level vision into actionable strategies that are outcome-focused, sustainable, and responsive to emerging opportunities.

Responsibilities:

• Establish and maintain ongoing, trust-based relationships with grantee partners, peer funders, and leaders from non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH) support organizations and health care, as well as collaborators across the foundation's divisions. This includes working together to identify and respond to emerging opportunities and challenges and recommending foundation engagement that advances long-term progress on the foundation's strategic priorities.
• Manage and shape a defined portfolio of grants and initiatives that advance the foundation’s Strategic Framework, including assessing organizational and financial health, evaluating sustainability, and applying discernment to recommend the most strategic investments; contribute to the long-term vision, scope, and impact of the foundation’s work. For community health centers and safety-net providers, assess operational performance, reimbursement strategies, financial sustainability, and organizational capacity to inform grantmaking recommendations and strategic engagement.
• Monitor and analyze trends affecting community health centers and safety-net providers, including payor mix, reimbursement policy, value-based care, health coverage changes, uptake of non-medical drivers of health concepts, and emerging models of care. Synthesize these trends to assess their implications for the foundation's grantmaking strategy and long-term philanthropic approach.
• Work directly with grant applicants, grantee partners, partner organizations, and the foundation's colleagues to develop and steward outcome-focused investments that advance health equity and the goals of the foundation’s Strategic Framework.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the foundation and with external leaders to co-develop strategies and grantmaking approaches that address systemic drivers of health inequities, integrating learning and evaluation to capture insights, share lessons, and strengthen future investments.
• Translate the high-level vision and strategies of the foundation’s Strategic Framework into clear, actionable plans, grantmaking approaches, and partnerships that drive measurable progress toward intended outcomes.
• Serve as a key voice within the Grants team to inform, design, and implement strategies that deliver on the foundation’s Strategic Framework. Demonstrate adaptive leadership by navigating complexity, adjusting strategies in response to changing circumstances, and supporting grantee partners and colleagues in times of uncertainty.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree or above preferred
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in work related to the Foundation's Action Areas - Health and Health Care Services, Healthy Communities, Health Policies - or closely related work in philanthropy, nonprofit, or public sectors, with direct involvement in grantmaking, program design, policy, or systems-change efforts.
• Experience in community health center and safety-net provider operations, health care finance, clinic administration, or clinic strategy.
• Experience with grantmaking, impact investing, community development finance, health care finance, or other mission-aligned capital strategies preferred. Demonstrated interest in learning and applying innovative philanthropic tools to advance community health is expected.

Strategic & Analytical

• Ability to translate high-level vision into actionable plans, grants, and partnerships.
• Strong systems and policy thinking skills; ability to identify root causes and levers for long-term change.
• Demonstrated judgment and discernment in grant stewardship, with the ability to assess organizational and financial health, weigh competing uses of funds, and recommend the most strategic investments.
• Creative and analytical thinking, with the ability to synthesize complex information and generate actionable insights.
• Knowledge of community health clinic operations and financing, including revenue streams, reimbursement models, payor relationships, adoption of NMDOH concepts, and organizational challenges that impact sustainability and service delivery. Ability to apply this knowledge in evaluating funding opportunities and developing strategic grantmaking recommendations.
• Knowledge of and/or willingness to learn about federal and state policy, funding and regulatory environments that shape the governance, management and operations of a community health center, including those of the federal Health Resource Services Administration and Texas Health and Human Service Commission.
• Experience with impact investing or other innovative philanthropic financing approaches, including the ability to assess opportunities that complement traditional grantmaking and advance long-term sustainability - preferred.
• Prior experience as a grantmaking Program Officer, with responsibility for managing a portfolio of investments and partnerships - preferred.

Relational & Collaborative

• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trust-based relationships with grantee partners, peers, and colleagues, grounded in humility, respect, and openness.
• Skilled convener and collaborator, fostering cross-sector/cross-divisional teams and partnerships, and aligning diverse perspectives toward shared goals through active listening and creative problem-solving.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, with the ability to act as a thought partner internally and externally, balancing multiple perspectives and maintaining a constructive approach even when navigating complexity or deadlines.
• Ability to serve as a trusted thought partner to executive leaders of community health centers and safety-net providers while maintaining strong relationships across a diverse portfolio of nonprofit and community-based organizations.
• Demonstrated experience working with diverse communities, organizations, and sectors to advance health equity and address non-medical drivers of health.

Learning & Adaptive Leadership

• Ability to integrate learning and evaluation into practice, applying insights to strengthen strategy and investments.
• Skilled at navigating ambiguity and demonstrating adaptive leadership in changing circumstances.
• Growth mindset, openness to feedback, and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Curiosity about emerging health delivery and financing models and the ability to translate sector trends into actionable grantmaking and strategic opportunities.

Operational & Organizational

• Strong project management and organizational skills, with experience managing multiple priorities, meeting deadlines, and balancing independent work with collaboration.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex ideas clearly and succinctly for different audiences.
• Experience preparing clear, compelling reports and presentations for boards, leadership teams, and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with grants management software (e.g., Fluxx) preferred.