Program Officer, Elections & Democracy – National Program

Carnegie Corporation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 145,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Andrew Carnegie Foundation, historically known as Carnegie Corporation of New York, seeks a Program Officer to grow the National Program in democracy and elections. The role emphasizes identifying funding opportunities, strategy development, and portfolio management under the Program Director.

The ideal candidate has deep research background, publications, and strong writing; expects travel and onsite work; fluency with AI tools for grantmaking.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in political science, public policy, or a related field preferred.
• Deep grounding in the research, policies, and reform efforts in democracy and elections.
• Exceptional writing: precise, persuasive, board- and public-ready.
• Willingness to travel and work onsite.

Responsibilities

• Advance National Program's goals that focus on structural reforms to American elections (such as proportional representation and ranked-choice voting).
• Stay current on trends, emerging research, public policy developments, and practice in elections and democracy, and how they connect to the program’s strategy.
• Proactively identify prospective grantees and partners and assess proposals received by the Foundation.
• Review and strengthen proposals; assess budgets, staffing, workplans, and expected outcomes.
• Present funding recommendations with clear-eyed critique of strengths, weaknesses, and risks.
• Serve as a spokesperson for the portfolio, the program, and the foundation: represent Carnegie externally; speak and publish on relevant issues; and organize and participate in meetings, conferences, and other field-wide activities.
• Support the ongoing improvement of the Foundation’s strategy.
• Conduct site visits; support and monitor active grants, engaging grantees directly and assessing progress and impact.
• Coordinate across education and democracy work, including on AI's role in either field.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Presentation

Listening

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree in political science/public policy

Tools

AI tools

Job description

The Andrew Carnegie Foundation, historically known as Carnegie Corporation of New York, seeks a Program Officer to grow the National Program in democracy and elections. The role emphasizes identifying funding opportunities, strategy development, and portfolio management under the Program Director.

The ideal candidate has deep research background, publications, and strong writing; expects travel and onsite work; fluency with AI tools for grantmaking.