SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER (BF)

The Barr Foundation; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Barr Foundation is seeking a Senior program leader to guide the Clean Energy initiative in Boston, MA. You will shape grantmaking strategy, manage budgets, evaluate proposals, and collaborate with communications and policy teams to maximize impact.

You will partner with the Director of Climate to advance program goals, oversee grants from proposal to completion, and drive learning and collaboration with grantees and field partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead and guide Clean Energy grantmaking strategy and communicate grants.
• Partner on the team to assess the environment and adjust strategy as needed.
• Maintain broad knowledge of trends, practices, and policies impacting the program.
• Develop an annual budget and work plan; track resources and contracts.
• Scout and identify potential grantees; conduct due diligence for fit and risk.
• Support proposal development to strengthen strategic scope, budgets, and workplans.
• Collaborate with Communications to amplify grantmaking through strategic communications.
• Evaluate proposals, conduct site visits, monitor active grants and progress reports.
• Prepare grant analyses and reports for Foundation leadership with context and risk.
• Oversee learning and evaluation of grants and clusters in partnership with program staff.
• Lead or support field-building convenings and collaborative opportunities for grantees.
• Coordinate with Climate Resilience and Mobility strategy teams and other program units.
• Build strong relationships with grantees, experts, and partners across philanthropy.
• Organize meetings of field experts to share best practices and strategies.
• Provide leadership in the philanthropic field through public speaking, writing, and panels.
• Commission papers and program-related reports to inform new approaches and best practices.
• Work with Communications to disseminate information to advance field knowledge.

Job description

ABOUT THE POSITION

Key Responsibilities

Planning and Strategy

Provide leadership for the Clean Energy strategy through the following responsibilities:

• Work with the Director of Climate to create, guide, implement, and communicate grantmaking strategies

that will have a strong impact in areas important to the Clean Energy strategy and the Climate Program.

• Serve as a thought partner on the team by continually assessing the environment and bringing new knowledge that will inform course adjustments of the strategy.
• Maintain a wide breadth and depth of knowledge about the current trends, professional practices, and policies pertinent to the program.
• Under guidance of the Director of Climate, develop an annual budget and work plan showing the activities and resources that will support the key initiatives under the Clean Energy strategy; track and manage budgets and relevant contracts.

Grantmaking

Develop and manage a significant portfolio of grants through the following responsibilities:

• Scout and identify potential grantees and field-building opportunities and conduct preliminary due diligence to ascertain fit and potential risks.
• Work with potential grantees in proposal development to help design requests that are strategic and pivotal to an organization’s development; improve the quality of proposals; and evaluate and provide feedback on the feasibility and clarity of proposal budgets, staffing, workplans, and anticipated project outcomes as related to proposal goals and institutional capability.
• Collaborate with the Communications team to identify targeted opportunities to complement and augment our grantmaking with strategic communications – strengthening grantee capacity to share learnings, contribute to public understanding and debates on clean energy issues, and generating positive attention

for their work, ideas, and voices of their staff and communities.

• Evaluate proposals, conduct site visits, monitor, and manage active grants, assess their progress (including financial and programmatic reports), and communicate actively with grantees. Work with Foundation’s grants management team to administer grants from start to finish.
• Develop and present quality grant write-ups, written analyses, and reports for Foundation leadership, reflective of rigorous evaluations of grant recommendations, including context for proposed projects, organizational assessments, strategy alignment, how recommendations advance the Program’s agenda and risk assessments.
• Manage learning and evaluation of grants, grant clusters and strategies, in collaboration with the Foundation staff who are leading the learning and evaluation activities.
• Lead or support convenings, workshops, or other opportunities for learning and collaborative work among grantees and other partners.
• Coordinate and collaborate with staff engaged on Climate Resilience and Mobility strategies and on other Barr program teams, as needed. Field Leadership
• Cultivate strong working relationships with grantees, outside advisors, experts in the field, public sector partners, and colleagues in philanthropy.
• Organize meetings and convenings of field experts to share best practices, encourage collaboration, and explore strategies for collective impact.
• Provide leadership in the philanthropic field through public speaking engagements, writing, panel discussions, and use of social media, etc.
• Commission papers and program-related reports that broadly contribute to the Foundation’s understanding of new approaches, best practices, and issues relevant to the program’s interests.
• Collaborate with the communications team to disseminate information with the goal of advancing field knowledge.

COMPENSATION

$140,000 - $160,000