Senior Program Director (THF)

The Harder Foundation; Tacoma (WA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Harder Foundation seeks a Senior Program Director to lead and advance its grantmaking program in the Northwest and beyond. The role requires building strong relationships with grantees and partners, guiding strategy, and ensuring accountability and transparency in program delivery.

Ideal candidates will have deep experience in environmental philanthropy, policy awareness, and proven leadership in conservation initiatives, with willingness to travel frequently.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in environmental grantmaking or equivalent leadership roles.
• Strong relationships within the environmental grantmaking community.
• College degree related to the grant making program.
• Deep knowledge of environmental policy and the Western USA conservation community.
• Excellent research, writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Foundation’s grant programs and grantee portfolio.
• Develop and build relationships within the grantee network.
• Monitor and evaluate grant progress toward program goals.
• Manage grant processes per Foundation policies.
• Suggest gradual evolution to Foundation programs as needed.
• Represent the Foundation in philanthropic and conservation communities.

Skills

Environmental grantmaking

Leadership

Project management

Interpersonal skills

Travel willingness

Education

College degree related to grant making

Environmental policy knowledge

Job description

• Do you have a love for wild places, affinity for wildlife and have a strong desire to preserve and protect the environment for members of all communities?
• Do you have a demonstrable background in environmental grantmaking and enjoy being empowered to make a difference?
• Are you self-motivated, comfortable working independently and naturally inclined to collaborate with others to achieve maximum results?
• Are you a creative thinker, agile and responsive to opportunity, imaginative in your problem solving yet humble and reflective with your results?
• Are you goal oriented and strategic?

If your answers to these questions are affirmative, then we encourage you to apply to The Harder Foundation for its open full-time Senior Program Director position to oversee our Grantmaking Program.

The Harder Foundation is a small, private family-led foundation operating in the Northwest for almost 40 years. Over this timeframe, the Foundation has consistently maintained its conservation vision of protecting public lands, rivers, watersheds, estuaries and nearshore ecosystems. To advance this vision, the Foundation empowers its program staff to develop and carry out grantmaking strategies with minimal direct supervision by its Trustees. Moreover, the Foundation has a well-cultivated reputation of being more influential than our modest grant dollars would normally allow. It has earned this reputation through active engagement in advancing organized collaborative campaigns of state and regional environmental organizations with common goals and complementary strategies. A Harder Foundation Program Director is expected to have a thorough understanding of the science, policy and politics in our major program areas. She/He is expected, also to become a trusted collaborator among grantees, funding partners and conservation advocates.

We are searching for a Senior Program Director to manage and gradually advance the Foundation’s Grant Program. The successful candidate will live or be willing to relocate to the Northwest, but the location within this geography is flexible. She/He will need to manage multiple grant programs, dozens of grantee relationships and continue our long history of collaboration within the NW environmental community. To achieve program goals the director will need to become trusted by colleagues and able to leverage support from various other grant making sources. More importantly, she/he will need to embody the core values of humility, empathy, integrity, transparency and accountability. Ideally, the successful candidate will find the Foundation "the" place to build one’s career for many years.

Key Responsibilities are ….

• Assume management of the Foundation’s grant programs and existing grantee portfolio
• Represent, develop and build our relationships within our grantee network
• Monitor and evaluate grant program progress and work to ensure continued advancement as defined by our Program Goals
• Manage the grant process according to the Foundation’s policies and procedures
• Suggest any gradual evolution to the Foundation’s programs as circumstances may warrant
• Represent the Foundation in the philanthropic and conservation communities, cultivating a diverse and trusted network of partners to ensure strong collaboration when and where appropriate
• Work with the Foundation’s President to maintain clear, consistent and effective communication with the Foundation’s Board of Directors, including making several board presentations each year

Qualifications most important are …

• 10+ years within the field of environmental grant making or equivalent experience and leadership roles in conservation, environmental advocacy or issue organizing
• Demonstrable personal relationships within the environmental grant making community
• College degree in a field that relates to our grant making program
• Deep knowledge of environmental policy, politics and the overall make-up of the conservation community (particularly in the Western USA)
• Strong project, time and budget management skills
• Overall understanding of philanthropy, the environmental foundation community and the administration of small foundations.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently within our geographic funding area and nationally as required for meetings, seminars, etc.
• Good interpersonal skills, sense of humor, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and most importantly possess sound judgement
• Excellent research, writing and communication skills

Compensation and Job Particulars are …

• This is a full-time position
• Compensation will depend upon experience and qualifications

Harder Foundation, as an equal opportunity employer, values diversity of thinking, background and perspective amongst its team. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.