Program Officer, Racial Justice

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Deadline to Apply: Friday, May 26th

Summary

The Racial Justice Program Officer (PO) will lead and coordinate the Ford Foundation’s efforts to advance racial justice across all of its U.S.-focused programs by supporting grantmaking portfolios to mainstream racial justice work, organizing learning opportunities, and taking responsibility for a number of core anchor grants. Reporting to the Director of the Office of the Vice President (VP) for US Programs, the PO will also manage external relationships, track needs and opportunities in the racial justice field and support convenings with grantee, funder and government partners. In addition, the PO will identify and foster intersectional connections, coordination, and education opportunities between racial justice, disability inclusion, and gender justice within the foundation.

Responsibilities

Program Strategy & Management

• Support grantees to advance outcomes through guidance on subject-matter, assessment of impact risk, and access to networks
• Recommend, develop, and participate in strategy and learning activities to guide the evolution of the racial justice portfolio and of programmatic work
• Report regularly on the progress of the strategies and recommend strategy adjustments to deepen the impact of the Foundation’s social justice change effort
• Assess challenges facing grantee organizations and networks, and ensure that the racial justice portfolio helps to meet those needs in areas such as leadership and governance, financial sustainability, racial/gender/disability justice practice, and cybersecurity, through convenings and other forms of technical assistance
• Recommend and participate in learning and evaluation activities to guide the evolution of programmatic work
• Lead and develop Racial Justice grant-making strategies, in a collaborative team-oriented context, across multiple program area(s), regional strategies, and lines of work
• Co-manage the Racial Justice grants portfolio ($10-15M/year for 2023-2027), including annual grant planning, grantee site visits, reviewing financial and narrative reporting, preparing grant status reports and other key aspects of the grant life cycle
• Work with and provide direction to Program Assistants and Grant Managers as needed, to advance the goals of the defined program and to ensure timely grant approval, payment and processing of grantee reports
• Develop and implement convenings to benefit grantee partners and the field.

Program Leadership and Communication

• Provide targeted content expertise to foundations and donors interested in centering racial justice analyses in grantmaking who are unaffiliated with existing efforts in the field
• Collaborate with peers, Directors, and Officers of the Foundation to promote learning, exchange and strategic partnership
• Provide support to Ford’s Board of Trustees in their ongoing work to deepen their understanding of racial justice in the context of social change, as requested

Internal Learning and Capacity Building

• Focus on building internal capacity towards institutionalization and sustainability of embedding a racial justice analysis within Ford
• Manage and create strategic learning opportunities to sustain and deepen US Program’s staff’s understanding of what it means to embed a racial justice analysis and approach across issues and identities, as well as intersections with gender justice and disability justice in our grantmaking

Requirements

• Exceptional leadership presence – internally and externally.
• Racial justice subject-matter expertise and knowledge of how racial justice analyses connects with diverse social justice issues
• Ability to work independently and to collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders in a participatory manner
• Knowledge of racial justice advocacy across multiple identity constituencies
• A minimum of 8 years leading social justice strategies
• Deep understanding of organizational change and social change theory
• A master’s degree in relevant field of study or BA and equivalent experience
• Demonstrated ability to be a productive member of a community of people at work, respecting differences while working toward shared goals, comfort with periods of ambiguity, constructive participation in on-going organizational development.
• Exceptional communications skills - strong active listening skills, constructive verbal and written skills, strong public presentation skills, including experience in strategic communications for social impact

Preferred Qualifications

• A track record of donor advocacy including learning events and knowledge sharing and experience with events planning
• Experience and knowledge of grantmaking, portfolio management and development of grantmaking strategy
• Fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by major racial/ethnic groups in the United States is a plus (e.g.Spanish, Arabic, Chinese)
• Experience working in a similar advisory role with funders, nonprofits and other stakeholders

Physical Requirements

This position is primarily a sedentary role. However, the person in this position may need to occasionally move about inside the office to liaise with internal staff, access files, office machinery and a copy machine/printer.

The Ford Foundation is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its programs, and operations. As part of this commitment, the Foundation will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact [email protected].

SALARY: The Ford Foundation is committed to practicing salary transparency. The minimum salary for this position is $165,000 and the maximum is $185,000.

LOCATION: This position is based in the foundation’s New York office. We operate in a hybrid model and require staff to be in the office three days per week.

Alignment to Culture and Values

• Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and core values of equity, openness, collaboration, trust, accountability and urgency
• Action-orientated and entrepreneurial self-starter who can work well independently and in teams
• Discretion and ability to handle confidential issues
• Personal qualities of humility, capacity for self-reflection, and a sense of humor

Benefits

• Tuition Reimbursement
• Three weeks’ paid vacation in first year of work; four weeks in subsequent years
• Generous parental leave (maternal and paternal) during new child’s first year (born into family or adopted)
• Retirement savings account with matching company contributions of up to 13%
• Office closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Hybrid Workplace and Flexible Work Arrangement policies
• Medical and dental benefits for employee and immediate family on first day of work
• Professional development initiatives for growth

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at The Ford Foundation, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law. The Ford Foundation does not discriminate against formerly incarcerated individuals.