Principal Responsibilities
Client & Program Strategy (30%)
- Serve as a programmatic advisor to client foundations, offering strategic guidance and recommendations grounded in sector trends, foundation-specific priorities, and fluency in relevant funding areas.
- Provide input into the development and refinement of grantmaking strategies and guidelines as required by and specific to each client foundation.
- Manage grantee relationships for multiple foundations, ensuring high-quality service delivery and alignment with each client’s goals and practices.
- In collaboration with the Director and client team, advise on opportunities to increase the impact of existing projects and identify new initiatives aligned with client priorities.
Grantmaking (30%)
- Manage complex, multi-issue, or multi-geography grant portfolios requiring strategy alignment and deep content fluency.
- Represent clients within the nonprofit community during community events and site visits.
- Coordinate workflow and grant review assignment process with Program Officer(s).
- Conduct due diligence on prospective grantees, including site visits, financial analysis, and organizational assessments as needed.
- Prepare and present grant recommendations consistent with each foundation’s grantmaking guidelines, including strategic rationale and impact assessment, for board review and action.
- Review final board dockets, ensuring accuracy and alignment with strategy and policy.
- Collaborate with grantee partners to understand their needs and support them in monitoring organizational, program, and project goals.
Team Leadership (25%)
As lead staff person for client foundations, the Senior Program Officer has the following responsibilities for each assigned foundation:
- Coordinate team activities and ensure timeliness and high quality of work throughout the grantmaking process.
- Oversee preparation and distribution of all board and committee materials including agendas, meeting materials, and presentations.
- Work with board and/or foundation leadership and committee chairs to develop agendas for board and committee meetings; facilitate board meetings (in most cases) and committee meetings as appropriate.
- Ensure there are open channels of communication across all team members and departments, clear expectations regarding workflow, and necessary resources are in place to support high-quality service provision.
- Work with Grants Managers to ensure board materials, board meeting coordination, and other grants management functions are carried out effectively.
- Work with Accounting department to ensure financial compliance with established board policies.
- Oversee day-to-day work of Grants Managers and Program Officers, as it relates to assigned client foundations, providing performance feedback and support as needed; and
- Coordinate with team members’ supervisors about performance concerns, workloads, special projects, and professional development as appropriate.
External Engagement (10%)
- Represent client foundations and PFS in external philanthropic networks, funder collaboratives, speaking engagements, and sector initiatives.
- Build and maintain relationships with peer funders, nonprofit leaders, and sector experts to the degree required by specific clients.
- Stay current on trends, best practices, and emerging issues in philanthropy and assigned funding areas, serving as a resource to clients and colleagues.
General (5%)
- Support Director of Client Services in strategic advising and mentorship to Program Officers and other junior staff, fostering programmatic learning and professional development.
- Contribute to internal knowledge sharing and cross-team collaboration on philanthropic best practices.
- Support PFS-wide initiatives, working groups, or special projects assigned.
- Manage own calendar, correspondence, travel, and other daily administrative tasks except where specifically the responsibility of other staff.