The Organization
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies (Schusterman) strive for a future in the United States and Israel that lives up to their ideals and achieves more just and inclusive societies. We work to advance racial, gender, and economic equity in the U.S. and foster a more joyful and diverse Jewish community. Our culture is built on a foundation of principles that guide our attitudes, behaviors and interactions in the workplace. We look for people to join our team who are trustworthy, excellent, risk-takers – and who are committed to equity. Learn more about us!
The North Star of our Education Grantmaking team is supporting efforts to ensure Black and Latino students from low-income backgrounds can access a high-quality, culturally relevant K12 education that empowers them to achieve social and economic liberation. We focus on improving the instructional core towards ensuring engaging, affirming and meaningful grade-level instruction by funding national non-profits and specific school systems and state efforts. We work deeply with grantees to enhance their individual success as well as sector-wide improvement, and support communities of practice, partnerships and coalitions to foster learning and increase systems-level impact.
Position Overview
The Senior Program Officer, Education Grantmaking (SPO) is a member of the Education Grantmaking team and will be based in Schusterman’s Washington DC, New York NY, or Oakland, CA office (DC is preferred). The SPO will collaborate with the Senior Director of the Policy and Public Understanding (PPU) sub-portfolio to develop and execute policy agendas that aim to ensure that more students experience a grade-level, engaging, affirming education, assess potential investment opportunities, manage grantee progress and learnings, provide strategic support to grantees to reach their goals, manage internal priority-setting for teamwide policy goals and tracking of progress against those goals.
The PPU sub-portfolio is designed to support policy and communications in service of our programmatic goals and our grantees. Thus, the SPO will work closely and collaboratively with staff in other Education sub-portfolios (High Quality Instructional Materials, Professional Learning, Teacher Workforce, School System Partnerships and Research) to identify needs, opportunities and learnings and to foster connections across the issues and geographic areas they support. The SPO will also work closely with members of our foundation-wide Communications and Policy and Advocacy teams. The SPO will have exposure to and work with leaders across the foundation and multiple types of field-leading organizations.
The SPO reports to the Senior Director of the Policy and Public Understanding sub-portfolio.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Job responsibilities include but will not be limited to:
Policy & Strategy (30%)
-Supports the Senior Director in developing, documenting, monitoring and revising PPU sub-portfolio strategies to advance the Education Portfolio’s goal of more Black and Latino low-income students experiencing a grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful education, with particular focus on K-8 literacy, high quality instructional materials and aligned professional learning, and educator diversity;
-Supports the development and implementation of policy initiatives, including gathering input from teammates, grantees across sub-portfolios, and diverse practitioners and researchers, building understanding of the context and needs of states and districts we support, conducting policy analysis, and identifying strategies and grantees to maximize impact;
-Builds a strong understanding of the Education Portfolio’s goals and grantees and connections across sub-portfolios, to inform strategy, policy, communications and grantmaking efforts;
-Coordinates with the foundation-wide communications team on media grants, communications research, owned and paid media, and grantee communications support;
-Coordinates with the foundation-wide policy and advocacy team to make use of opportunities and assets to advance education goals;
Grantmaking (70%)
-Conducts grantmaking including conducting due diligence, market and organizational analysis, writing investment recommendations,and developing grant terms and milestones
-Manages grants to achieve impact, including strategic thought partnership, fostering connections across grantees around shared goals, ongoing engagement and support, and monitoring progress
-Manages multiple projects and deadlines across multiple teams and stakeholders with strong project plans, good tracking systems and a steady focus on purpose, execution and quality;
-Maintains grants and knowledge management systems to ensure grant requirements are fulfilled and key information is shared and stored for relevant internal and external audiences, including written updates on grantee reports, check-ins, and other key materials;
-Communicates clearly and persuasively in writing and conversations with teammates, Schusterman leadership, and leaders of current and potential grantees;
-Stays up to date on relevant research and activities in the field through reading, meetings and conversations with field leaders, and synthesizes this information to inform grants management, to shape sub-portfolio strategy and to identify and act on connections across sub-portfolios.
COMPETENCIES NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL
-Understanding of K-12 education policy development and implementation, particularly at the state and district levels
-Demonstrating a commitment to racial equity, diversity and inclusion
-Ability to focus on specific policy goals, analyze and plan, and develop coalitions towards a common policy goal
-Simultaneously managing multiple—and sometimes competing—projects and timelines efficiently
-Demonstrating initiative, problem-solving and driving tasks through to completion
-Demonstrating good listening skills, and clear and proactive oral and written communication
-Building productive relationships with colleagues across the organization, in other foundations, and with staff at grantee organizations
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
The following qualifications are representative of the high level of demonstrated skills, maturity, judgment and ability to work with a wide range of constituencies required of Schusterman employees:
-10+ years of relevant work experience in education policy, advocacy or large-scale practice change. Previous experience in the philanthropy sector is a plus.
-A Bachelor’s degree. An advanced degree or comparable, relevant professional experience is preferred.
-Experience in K-12 education policy development and/or advocacy.
-Proven ability to distill key insights from large amounts of data and information.
-Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, and an ability to learn financial modeling and operational analysis.
-Ability to write and speak clearly and concisely to summarize key points and recommendations regarding complex issues and decisions.
-A successful record of building cooperative working relationships, while being viewed as a trusted partner and collaborator within an organization and with external stakeholders
-Excellent project management skills and attention to detail while managing multiple priorities.
-Ability to thrive in a small collaborative setting, where teamwork, passion, positivity and resourcefulness are highly valued.
-A high level of personal responsibility, integrity, trust, and accountability.
-PC skills (with proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint), as well as a thorough knowledge and comfort of basic web skills required. Experience with Fluxx a plus.
-Ability to travel up to 25% required.
COMPENSATION
Competitive hiring range of $135,000- $163,000 based on experience and on Schusterman’s commitment to internal equity. A strong benefits package is also offered. Schusterman encourages ongoing professional development and supports activities aligned with one’s individual career growth plan. Schusterman will not cover relocation expenses for this position.
How To Apply
To apply, please visit this posting on Schusterman’s career page: https://grnh.se/b794208a2us