Senior Program Officer, Democracy & Elections

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

Job summary

The Andrew Carnegie Foundation is seeking a Program Officer to grow the National Program in democracy and elections. The ideal candidate will identify funding opportunities, develop strategy, and manage a portfolio of grants under the direction of the Program Director.

You will stay current on trends, identify prospective grantees, review proposals, present funding recommendations, and represent the foundation at meetings and conferences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Deep grounding in democracy and elections research, policy, and reform.
• Strong professional network with researchers, funders, policymakers.
• Exceptional writing: precise, persuasive, board- and public-ready.
• Willingness to travel and onsite work.
• 8+ years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Advance National Program goals, including structural reforms to elections.
• Stay current on trends, research, policy developments, and practice in elections and democracy; connect to strategy.
• Identify prospective grantees and partners and assess proposals received by the Foundation.
• Review and strengthen proposals; assess budgets, staffing, workplans, and outcomes.
• Present funding recommendations with critique of strengths, weaknesses, and risks.
• Represent Carnegie externally; speak and publish on relevant issues; organize meetings and conferences.
• Support the ongoing improvement of the Foundation’s strategy.
• Conduct site visits; monitor active grants; engage grantees and assess impact.
• Coordinate across education and democracy work, including AI’s role.
• Contribute to a collaborative, high-performing team and provide guidance to colleagues.
• Take on other duties as needed.

Skills

Democracy & elections research

Grantmaking experience

Strategic thinking

Excellent writing

Willingness to travel

AI tools in grantmaking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree in political science/public policy (preferred)

Job description

The Andrew Carnegie Foundation is seeking a Program Officer to grow the National Program in democracy and elections. The ideal candidate will identify funding opportunities, develop strategy, and manage a portfolio of grants under the direction of the Program Director.

You will stay current on trends, identify prospective grantees, review proposals, present funding recommendations, and represent the foundation at meetings and conferences.