Program Associate, U.S. Jobs & Economic Opportunity (RF)

The Rockefeller Foundation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Rockefeller Foundation is seeking a Program Associate to advance Jobs and Economic Opportunity in the United States. The role blends project management, grants oversight, research, and coordination to support strategy development and learning across portfolios.

You will support the team in scoping partnerships, managing grants and contracts, and coordinating communications for leadership and external stakeholders, while advancing a growing U.S. portfolio.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years' experience in a related field (e.g., government, nonprofit).
• Strong analytical, research and writing skills.
• Open to candidates who do not have a degree if they have equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Strategy Development: Contribute to development of the team emergent strategy and support strategy processes.
• Project Management: Design and maintain tools and systems; assist with grants and projects as needed.
• External Engagement: Scope partnerships, execute and manage grants, contracts, and impact investments; represent the Foundation at events.

Skills

Economic opportunity

Communication

Decision-making

Project management

Team collaboration

Strategic thinking

Partnership building

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Job description

Program Associate, U.S. Jobs & Economic Opportunity (RF)

The Rockefeller Foundation is seeking a Program Associate to further the foundation's work to advance Jobs and Economic Opportunity in the United States. This is a new portfolio building on The RF's legacy and most recent work on youth employment, transportation, and job quality. The Program Associate will join a team responsible for strategy development, exploratory grantmaking and ongoing learning.

Program Associates have a mix of project management, grants management, research, team coordination, project-based work, and foundation-wide responsibilities.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Strategy Development: Contribute to the development of the Jobs & Economic Opportunities team's emergent strategy.
  • Support project management for the team's strategy development process
  • Conduct research and analysis to refine and vet potential strategic directions and identify potential partners and advisors
  • Work with team to deploy a range of tools in service of rapid learning (grantmaking, event participation, expert engagement)
  • Draft materials documenting the team's strategy development process and presenting its recommendations for key meetings with Foundation leadership and advisors.
• Project Management: Support overall team project management by designing and maintaining team tools and systems; support the management of specific grants or projects as needed.
  • Design team meeting agendas, capture key takeaways and action items
  • Maintain and monitor team progress against its 2018 objectives and key results - supporting the team's participation in The RF's Business Process Review
  • Create a suite of tools and to support the team's internal management and external communications (one page overview of the portfolio, timelines, budget trackers, grantmaking and grantee deliverable schedules, calendar of events and communications, etc.)
  • Prepare communications collateral such as team updates, briefing reports, talking points, etc. for the President's office and other key stakeholders
  • Coordinate specific projects or grants as needed, including drafting grant memos, managing project timelines, and serving as a resource to partners and grantees
• External Engagement: Support the team to scope new partnerships, execute and manage grants, contracts, and/or impact investments.
  • Monitor developments in the field - stakeholders, events, research, policy movements, important upcoming events, etc.
  • Identify and present partnership opportunities aligned to the team's learning agenda and emerging strategy
  • Support the team to scope new partnerships, execute and manage grants, contracts, and/or impact investments (e.g. conduct diligence, structure partnerships, prepare requisite documentation, liaise with colleagues across the grants management, legal, monitoring and evaluation teams)
  • Support team to manage partnerships by facilitating check in meetings, reviewing grantee reports, and providing guidance and/or technical assistance as needed
  • Represent the Foundation at key external events and meetings
  • Scheduling one's travel, preparing one's expense reports as well as managing files, mail, correspondence, etc.
  • Other duties including: helping to develop budgets, contributing to written narratives and analyses of RF work, and serving on various internal Foundation committees and / or task forces.

Supervision Received:

This position would report into and receive moderate supervision (weekly check-ins, ongoing touchpoints as needed) from the Managing Director.

Supervision Exercised:

This position does not have any supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications & Skills:

• Content knowledge: Minimum two years of experience in economic opportunity, such as in inclusive economic development (urban, rural, or regional), workforce development, high-road business practices, human resources, labor organizing, or impact investing
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal abilities; good listening skills; writing and verbal skills; assertiveness in presenting ideas
• Decision-Making: Ability to evaluate risks and opportunities; uses analytical and problem-solving skills; takes initiative and rives for results; able to prioritize
• Execution: Strong project management skills; meets deadlines; sense of urgency and responsibility; ability to multi-task and work under pressure; detail oriented
• Integration: Accesses functional and substantive expertise organizationally; demonstrate inclusiveness as part of a team that values diversity and collaboration
• Leadership: Ability to think innovatively and creatively; negotiation skills; demonstrates accountability
• Partnership and Relationship Building: Strong professional representation of the Foundation, interpersonal abilities, intercultural knowledge and appreciation, strategic partnership building
• Strategic Ability: Anticipates future opportunities and consequences, demonstrates innovative approach to work, ability to organize chaos into coherent plan

Education, Training and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree preferred - we are open to considering candidates who do not have a degree if they have an equal number of years of directly relevant experience
• At least 3 years' experience in a related field (e.g., government, nonprofit, etc); strong analytical, research and writing skills

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Direct experience working in diverse geographic areas across the US
• Prior experience in or familiarity with philanthropy/grantmaking (either as a grantee or grantor)

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and to compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status or liability for service in the United States Armed Forces.

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer