Senior Program Officer, Private Foundation Services

Greater Cincinnati Foundation; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 87,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a Senior Program Officer to lead grantmaking services for Private Foundations. This influential role requires a strong client service orientation, as you will act as a trusted advisor to both trustees and donors. You will cultivate relationships with nonprofits, assess community needs, and guide organizations through the grant lifecycle. Your expertise in interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and strategic thinking will be essential in ensuring impactful funding decisions. If you are a motivated self-starter with a passion for philanthropy, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in nonprofit or business settings.
• Strong grantmaking experience preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Manage grantmaking processes for Private Foundations.
• Build relationships with nonprofit organizations and donors.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Attention to Detail

Time Management

Collaboration

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

CRM Software

Job description

Salary Range

$87,500 - $98,000

The Senior Program Officer, Private Foundation Services (“Senior Program Officer”) is responsible for managing and delivering high-quality grantmaking services on behalf of Private Foundations (PFs) and designated donor advised funds held at GCF. This role serves as a trusted advisor and partner to PF trustees and GCF donors, helping them achieve their philanthropic goals through strategic and effective grantmaking.

Reporting to the Vice President of Community Impact, the Senior Program Officer works closely with each client to provide personalized support, adapting their approach to align with the unique mission, values, and priorities of each foundation or donor. A strong client service orientation, initiative, and attention to detail are essential to success in this role.

As the primary liaison to the nonprofit community for Private Foundations, the Senior Program Officer plays a highly visible and influential role. This role involves building strong relationships with nonprofit organizations, identifying opportunities for grantmaking, understanding community needs, and serving as a knowledgeable resource throughout the grantmaking process.

The Senior Program Officer also guides nonprofit organizations throughout the grantmaking lifecycle—from initial concept development and proposal preparation, to review and presentation for funding consideration, and post-grant follow-up and evaluation where appropriate. Through this work, the Senior Program Officer ensures that funding decisions remain mission-aligned and impactful.

Essential Job Functions (Duties/Responsibilities):

• Serve as Primary Relationship Manager for Private Foundation Clients
• Assist PF clients in creating grantmaking strategies to accomplish their philanthropic goals.
• Proactively develop, cultivate, and sustain relationships with PF clients, GCF donors, and prospects.
• Develop a meaningful rapport with leaders of each client’s board to ensure an effective working relationship.

• Lead the grantmaking processes for Private Foundations
• Review all proposals to ensure that required information has been provided. Where needed and appropriate, conduct additional research into the relevant field of interest and/or nonprofit organization.
• As appropriate, conduct site visits and participate in interviews for each assigned proposal.
• Provide written analyses (if applicable) and recommendations for funding to relevant private foundation boards of trustees, and/or individual and family donor advisors, for each proposal. This often requires attending board of trustee or family meetings.
• Once private foundation grants are approved, work with the grants manager or appropriate financial institution to ensure timely and accurate processing of grant payments.

• Assessment and evaluation:
• Supervise grants manager to ensure that paper and digital grant files are complete, accurate and current. Maintain statistical information regarding grantmaking activity.
• Determine the most appropriate level and type of evaluation for each PF grant and, if desired, for assigned GCF donors. Work with each grantee to establish the measurable outcomes, measures and benchmarks of success.
• Monitor implementation of grants by requesting and reviewing written evaluations, where appropriate, and by conducting site visits to a representative number of grant recipients.
• As requested by private foundation trustees and GCF donor advisors, develop reports, with assistance from other GCF staff, to aggregate evaluation results and document community impact.

• Support Individual/family donor advisors
• For selected and assigned donor relationships, work with Philanthropic Advisors to understand donors’ grantmaking interests and determine how best to support them.
• Upon request by either a donor or a member of the Philanthropic Services team, or as part of a structured donor service strategy, provide donors with specific grantmaking opportunities.
• Assist donors where needed and appropriate to execute specific grants.
• Other duties and special projects as assigned.
  

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal skills - professional, courteous and customer-centric while building relationships across diverse audiences
• Strong detail orientation/attention to detail and organizational skills
• Ability to function well in a high-paced environment under tight deadlines.
• Ability to collaborate with cross functional teams
• Solutions oriented with aptitude for process/quality improvement and intellectual curiosity
• Strong time management skills with the ability to prioritize while maintaining a high standard of performance and delegating when appropriate.
• Highly motivated, action-oriented self-starter with the ability to manage workload independently.
  
  
  

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• Minimum 7 years of experience in a nonprofit or business setting
• Grantmaking experience is strongly preferred but not required
• Proven experience in working closely with donors and/or high net worth individuals
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), experience with CRM and the agility to learn and adopt new technologies
  
  
  

Physical Requirements:

Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.