Senior Program Officer (BASCT)

The Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust in midtown Manhattan is seeking a Senior Program Officer to oversee a $12M policy and advocacy portfolio focused on immigration, the social safety net, health care, and reproductive rights. This role reports to the CEO and sits on the management team.

The successful candidate will develop forward-looking grantmaking strategies, partner with staff and Trustees, and shape the portfolio while advancing the Trust’s mission and impact.

Qualifications

• Experience in philanthropy, particularly policy and advocacy grant making.
• Track record of strategic leadership and framing of a grant making portfolio.
• Desire to be part of the senior leadership team and collaborate across functions.
• Ability to maintain tact, discretion and confidentiality in a family foundation context.
• Intellectual agility and ability to analyze emerging issues in program priorities.
• Ability to develop clear program strategy while remaining nimble to Trustee interests.
• Experience overseeing complex budgets related to grantmaking.
• Experience developing learning, monitoring and evaluation processes.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills with diverse audiences.
• Interest in mentoring and developing staff.
• Proactive initiative and collegiality in a small team.
• Bachelor’s degree; 5 years of foundation experience and 10-15 years of relevant professional experience; Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute well-researched strategies for the program aligned with mission and approach.
• Oversee all aspects of grantmaking: screening, recommendations and grantee relations.
• Stay abreast of field developments to identify needs, gaps and opportunities.
• Write strategy and background papers for Trustees.
• Analyze program performance and report progress to CEO and Trustees.
• Engage with peer funders and professional associations.
• Develop and host convenings and events to advance program goals.

Skills

Grantmaking

Policy & advocacy

Strategic leadership

Communication skills

Integrity & judgment

Program strategy

Budget management

Monitoring & evaluation

Collaboration

Proactive initiative

Mentoring

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s Degree preferred

Job description

About The Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust

The Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust (the “Trust”), a family foundation, supports advocacy for social change that promotes human dignity and contributes to a more just, democratic and environmentally sustainable world. A year ago, the Trust hired its first Chief Executive Officer. It now is in the process of expanding its staff, building out its organizational infrastructure and developing and refining its philanthropic strategies.

The Trust is seeking a skilled and experienced grant maker to serve as its Senior Program Officer, overseeing, shaping and building a $12M policy and advocacy portfolio that is focused on immigration, the social safety net, health care and reproductive rights. Reporting to the CEO, the Senior Program Officer will be a member of the Trust’s management team and will serve as an ongoing thought partner to the CEO, bringing best practices and experience from previous foundation roles.

This is a full-time position located in the Trust’s offices in mid-town Manhattan.

Candidate Profile

Strong candidates will have meaningful experience and an existing network in grant making as well as a desire to work in an entrepreneurial setting and contribute to the Trust’s overall development and organizational growth. Effective partnership and collaboration with Trust staff and Trustees will be pivotal; the Senior Program Officer will be expected to demonstrate a high level of integrity and excellent professional judgment.

Successful candidates will have previously served in a foundation program role and will be enthusiastic about developing and executing forward-looking strategies for the portfolio that reflect priorities identified by the Board. The selected candidate will bring a deep sense of the needs of the field and the dynamic environment for the work, as well as strategic knowledge of high-impact funding opportunities.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include (but are not limited to):

Grantmaking:

• Develop and execute well-researched strategies for the program that are aligned with organizational mission, vision and approach
• Oversee all aspects of the grant making process in the program described above, including identifying and screening prospective grantees, developing and presenting grant recommendations and ongoing grantee relationship management
• Stay abreast of developments in the field to identify emerging needs, gaps and opportunities and identify implications for the program and the Trust
• Write strategy and background papers to present strategies and proposed grantees to CEO and the Trustees
• Analyze program performance and communicate progress regularly to the CEO and Trustees
• Engage with peer funders and professional associations and other partners in relevant fields
• Develop and host convenings and other events in support of program goals and identify learning opportunities for board and staff

Leadership:

• Serve as an effective and collaborative member of the Trust’s senior leadership team, helping to conceptualize and execute organization-wide initiatives and systems and staff development and training
• Support the CEO in overseeing grant making operations, providing insight and drawing from previous experience to develop and implement strategic solutions that advance the organization as a whole
• Participate in the development, implementation, and refinement of the Trust’s grants management, evaluation and other internal processes and systems
• Contribute to the development of external publications, blogs and social media to amplify the visibility of the Trust and/or its grantees

Qualifications

Competitive candidates will demonstrate the following professional and personal qualifications:

• Experience in philanthropy, particularly with policy and advocacy grant making
• Demonstrated track record of strategic leadership and framing of a grant making portfolio
• Desire to be part of the senior leadership team at a growing organization and a commitment to working collaboratively to create systems and determine solutions to problems
• Ability to maintain tact, discretion and confidentiality as needed for a family foundation
• Intellectual agility and the ability to analyze, think critically and understand emerging issues relating to programmatic priorities
• Capable of developing a clear program strategy while remaining nimble and responsive to Trustee interests
• Comfort overseeing complex budgets related to grantmaking
• Experience with developing learning, monitoring and evaluation processes
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills; able to quickly gather, synthesize and summarize information in a clear manner with a variety of audiences from grantees to Trustees to staff
• An interest in mentoring and supporting professional development of other staff, as needed
• Proactive approach with demonstrated ability to exercise initiative
• Goodwill, a sense of humor and a commitment to collegiality in a small team
• Bachelor’s degree; 5 years of foundation experience and 10-15 years of relevant professional experience required; Master’s Degree in a related field (e.g., Law, Public Policy, Journalism) is preferred

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

The Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust deeply values equity and inclusion and is committed to the recruitment and retention of individuals of underrepresented backgrounds, including (but not limited to) gender identity and expression, race, religion and sexual orientation.