The Organization
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Duke Endowment is seeking nominations and applications for a Program Officer of Higher Education. Reporting to the Director of Higher Education, Susan McConnell, the Program Officer will play an integral role in supporting the Endowment’s work in Higher Education.
Under the new leadership of President Rhett Mabry, the Endowment continues to fulfill the legacy of James Buchanan Duke through its work to help people and strengthen communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds, and enriching spirits. In pursuit of that vision, the Program Officer Higher Education will support the Endowment’s work to support academic excellence, making education more affordable for qualified students, and developing engagement opportunities that serve local, national, and international communities as well as students.
The Program Officer Higher Education will be a critical partner to the Director of Higher Education and assist the Director in various program functions; confer with grantees on a wide range of matters pertaining to programs and grants; and prepare and present grant recommendations to Trustees.
The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree and five to seven years of demonstrated experience working in higher education or related sector. S/he will bring strong project management and relationship management skills and will be a collegial, collaborative, and accessible team member. The ideal candidate will have a strong consultative and highly developed interpersonal and relational skills, along with significant maturity, judgment, and people management skills. Experience in, or close partnership with, philanthropic or other grantmaking entities is preferred.
The search is being conducted by Tamar Datan and Nureen Das of NPAG. For details on how to apply, please see instructions at the end of this document.
THE DUKE ENDOWMENT
Since 1924, The Duke Endowment has worked to help people and strengthen communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds, and enriching spirits. Located in Charlotte, N.C., the Endowment seeks to fulfill the innovative legacy of James Buchanan Duke, one of the great industrialists and philanthropists of the 20th century. Mr. Duke established the Endowment with $40 million. In 1925, it was expanded with an additional $67 million from his estate. Adjusted for present value, Mr. Duke’s total gifts would amount to almost $1.4 billion today.
The Endowment has awarded over $3.3 billion in grants since its inception, including nearly $1.5 billion to Duke University. With assets of $3.4 billion, the Endowment is one of the nation’s largest private foundations. Today, more than 83 percent of total spending goes directly to grantmaking. In addition to investing in four main program areas (child care, health care, higher education, and rural church), the Endowment operates a fellowship program to cultivate emerging leaders in philanthropy. The Duke Endowment’s four program areas include:
· Nurturing Children: By expanding opportunities for vulnerable children in North Carolina and South Carolina, The Duke Endowment hopes to help them lead successful lives as they mature. The Endowment works through accredited organizations and other select nonprofit groups to help children who are without the benefit of family support, or are at risk of losing such support, reach developmental milestones and prepare for successful transitions to adulthood. Focusing on advancing evidence-based, nationally recognized practices that promote child well-being, the Endowment supports early intervention, collaborative approaches, and projects that help organizations serve children and their families more effectively.
· Improving Health & Wellness: As the health care field continues to evolve into a comprehensive, service-delivery system, and as advancements in medicine and medical education allow people with chronic diseases to live longer lives, a variety of barriers to health remain. The Duke Endowment aims to remove those barriers and improve the lives of individuals in North Carolina and South Carolina, seeking lasting change by working to expand prevention and early intervention programs, improving the quality and safety of services, and increasing access to care.
· Fostering Excellence Through Education: In an increasingly competitive global environment, the need for exceptional educational experiences is critical. The Duke Endowment works through select colleges and universities (Davidson College, Duke University, Furman University, and Johnson C. Smith University) to support undergraduate programs, scholarships, professorships, and faculty with the goal of educating people whose future contributions will benefit society. The Endowment focuses on academic excellence, making education more affordable for qualified students, and developing engagement opportunities that serve local, national and international communities as well as students.
· Strengthening Communities Through Strong Rural Churches: United Methodist Churches have deep roots across North Carolina and play pivotal roles within rural districts. In addition to being centers of weekly worship, baptisms, weddings and funerals, these churches are home to community events, food pantries, and child care centers. By developing rural United Methodist churches and supporting their clergy leaders, the Endowment aims to expand church outreach across North Carolina and works collaboratively with the North Carolina and Western North Carolina conferences of the United Methodist Church and Duke Divinity School to help rural churches serve their neighbors.
Higher Education at The Duke Endowment
In an increasingly competitive global environment, the need for exceptional educational experiences is critical. The Endowment works through select colleges and universities to support undergraduate programs, scholarships, professorships and community and civic engagement initiatives with the goal of educating people whose future contributions will benefit society.
The Endowment focuses on academic excellence, making education more affordable for qualified students, and developing engagement opportunities that serve local, national and international communities as well as students.
Higher Education grants are limited to the following North Carolina and South Carolina institutions:
· Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina
· Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
· Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina
· Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, North Carolina
The Endowment engages in deep partnerships with these institutions, offering support across a wide variety of areas, from capital projects to endowed professorships, community and civic engagement, college advising, environmental sustainability, student health and well-being, and more.
Position Overview
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE PROGRAM OFFICER
Under the direction of Susan McConnell, Director of Higher Education, the Program Officer will support the Endowment in its work in the sector. Specifically, the Program Officer will:
· Consult with grantees on preparing grant requests; help prepare and present grant recommendations to the Program Area Committee.
· Review and analyze information, trends, and grantee characteristics related to topics of importance and possible new program initiatives.
· Prepare summaries, white papers, and reports to share with various audiences, including Endowment Trustees, other program areas, the Endowment-supported schools, and/or the higher education sector.
· Develop new program initiatives and policy guidelines for funding (including future payments and end of projects).
· Participate in the comprehensive evaluation of the impact of grant making activities and in end-of-year grant evaluations.
· Represent the Endowment in relationships with grantees, other funders, and philanthropic organizations at state and national meetings.
· Assist with convening and facilitating meetings and conferences for grantees.
· Participate in intra-Endowment committees/special projects as appropriate.
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
While no one individual may possess all ideal qualities listed, the Program Officer Higher Education is expected to have the following personal characteristics and professional experience:
· Graduate or professional degree and at least five to seven years’ experience in the higher education or related sector.
· Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, when relating to internal staff, grantees and other external constituents.
· Strong analytical skills; ability and drive to analyze and synthesize data, and to organize and process significant interrelated information.
· Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, meet deadlines and take initiative to pursue work, assist others and resolve problems and issues.
· Interpersonal skills that will allow the position to build relationships with all levels of an organization.
· Working knowledge of finance and accounting, and applications to grantmaking.
· Knowledge of the political, social and economic environments in which the program area and its grantees operate, and of philanthropies/foundations in general.
· Initiative to contribute and share ideas, and to engage others to learn from diverse perspectives and opinions.
· Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and ability to operate various office equipment.
How To Apply
TO APPLY
Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format) and where you learned of the position should be submitted to: TDE-POHE@nonprofitprofessionals.com
The Duke Endowment is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values diversity. Employment opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
NPAG is an executive search and consulting firm dedicated to serving the mission-driven community. We partner with global mission-driven clients to deliver highly-tailored, innovative, and strategic senior and executive-level search services. www.nonprofitprofessionals.com