Regional Program Officer, Northeast

Department

Programs and Advocacy

Reports to

Director, National OTL Network

Location

Fully Remote. Program Officer must reside in the Northeastern Region: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey; preference for candidate residing in Boston area

FLSA Status

Exempt

Benefits and Compensation

Schott Foundation offers a competitive benefits package that includes medical and dental coverage, FSA/HRA benefits, vacation and paid holidays, retirement plan with employer contributions after 18-months employment, and other benefits. The starting salary is expected to be $108,000 – $115,000 annually depending on experience.

Position Overview

The Regional Program Officer is a member of the foundation’s programs and advocacy team and will work in all aspects of Schott’s regional programs and advocacy strategy including, but not limited to, working closely with grantees and external stakeholders to cultivate and support effective campaigns focused on building systems to provide all students an opportunity to learn, and supporting the capacity of foundation partners through grantmaking, policy, communications, and networking supports.

Responsibilities

Grantmaking and Knowledge Management (30%)

• Manage grant funds within their portfolio
• Lead regional grantmaking relationships and processing on behalf of the foundation
• With support of the National OTL Director, manage local and regional resourcing strategy. Identify priorities, gaps, and trends in program resourcing areas and make recommendations accordingly to ensure excellent stewardship of the foundation’s resources and the advancement of the foundation’s and community goals
• Contribute to Schott Foundation’s efforts to develop and maintain deep, current, relevant knowledge of education justice and the philanthropic landscape in the region. Establish and maintain relationships with individuals and organizations that can provide information and insight to enhance the organization’s effectiveness.
• Provide routine briefings to the National OTL Director and SVP of Programs
• Support the continued growth and development of the OTL Network within the region
• Assist in monitoring regional education policy activity, including legislation, ballot initiatives, and referenda relative to campaigns and grantee activity
• Maintain written and electronic records of all Schott Foundation meetings, correspondence, grant requests, forms, and financial transactions for assigned programmatic initiatives
• Oversee regional convenings for grantee partners and allied organizations (as needed)
• Manage elements of the grantmaking process for OTL and other portfolios as assigned, including: research and identify promising projects and grantees; conducting screening, review and due diligence, leading ongoing reporting and assessments.

Movement Building, Technical Assistance and Grantee Engagement and Support (30%)

• Identify technical assistance needs of regional grantees and work with the Programs, Communications Associate and other team members as needed to coordinate the delivery of technical assistance in communications, policy research and analysis, and fundraising as necessary to regional grantee partners
• Assist with programmatic innovation efforts, including campaign support, policy advocacy, capacity building, grantmaking, and movement building
• Act as the foundation’s key staff representative for fiscal sponsor relationships with key projects in the region
• Manage the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of regional program related activities

Regional Donor Cultivation (25%)

• Organize, manage, and support regional funders briefings as necessary
• Collaborate with Development staff on proposal development and grant reporting
• Collaborate interdepartmentally on regional special initiatives and events
• Identify and cultivate relationships with regional funders, funder collaboratives, and consortia

Program Communications and External Relations (5%)

• Develop and maintain partnerships with other regional institutions to extend the impact of the foundation’s grantmaking and campaign resourcing strategies
• Assist with external communications, including developing where appropriate, regional specific information for website content, newsletters, public presentations, and articles for sharing information about the foundation’s programmatic achievements and activities
• Represent the Foundation externally at regional events and convenings

Program Administration (5%)

• Contribute to the collaborative process of developing goals, objectives, and operational plans for the OTL Network
• Participate in annual planning and budgeting for the Programs team and, when appropriate, for the organization as a whole
• Contribute to the Programs team’s development of criteria for regional portfolio assessment and evaluation of activity results and outcomes

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

• Other duties as assigned by the National OTL Network Director

Key Qualifications

• Excellent leadership, strategic thinking, and planning skills
• Substantive knowledge of preK-12 education, social justice, organizing, and/or movement building. Preferred: Deep prior experience with grassroots nonprofits working in the education equity and justice arena
• Outstanding communication (speaking and writing), interpersonal, organizational, language, and computer skills
• Individual must reside in the Schott Foundation’s Northeastern Region
• Strong project, time, and budget management skills. Able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously without sacrificing attention to detail. Ability to thrive when working under deadlines is a plus
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; Master’s degree preferred
• Passion for providing students an opportunity to learn in traditional public education systems.
• Appetite for and sensitivity to working with diverse communities across race, class, ethnic, political, and geographic boundaries. Deep understanding of racial, gender, and ethnic dynamics locally and nationally
• Strong record of achievement and relevant experience in the nonprofit, public, or private sector
• Great sense of humor
• Intellectually curious with strong research and analytic skills; willing and able to research topics, cull insights from large and multiple sources of knowledge and develop accessible recommendations
• Energetic, flexible, self-starting team player with a direct, honest, and respectful approach to problem solving. Ability to foster collaboration and a strong sense of community among staff
• Excellent listener and able to connect readily with grantees
• Substantive knowledge of regional philanthropies in education, democracy, and/or racial justice. Preferred: Demonstrable current relationships with these philanthropies
• A minimum of six years in education, philanthropy, or community organizing is preferred

Travel

The Schott Team currently operates virtually with staff located throughout the United States. This position requires regular travel to participate in various organizational meetings, attend conferences, and otherwise participate in job-related events. The employee is also expected to travel to staff retreats and board meetings up to six times a year.

Physical Demands and Work Environment Factors

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will sit for long periods of time and may use repetitive wrist and hand motions involved in typing and computer work as well as in sorting and handling documents. The employee is regularly required to reach, with hands and arms, and engage in light work that includes moving objects up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision as the employee will have close visual contact with a computer monitor daily.

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at the Schott Foundation for Public Education, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.

How to apply:

• The subject line of your electronic submission must read “Regional Program Officer, Northeast.”
• Submit a detailed resume and cover letter to [email protected]. Materials must be attached in one combined PDF including both the cover letter and resume.
• Your cover letter must include a detailed description of your current relationships within philanthropy and your substantive experience with and understanding of grassroots organizations in the Northeast region.

The recruitment is open until filled. The priority review deadline for applications is Friday, August 18, 2023.