Program Officer - Early Childhood

The Ford Family Foundation•Roseburg, OR

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Ford Family Foundation is seeking a Program Officer for its Children, Youth and Families (CYF) Department. This role focuses on supporting early care and education strategies in rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. The Program Officer will contribute expertise in early childhood education and systems that impact young children (birth through transition to K-12). The work involves grantmaking, field-building, and policy engagement to ensure rural children have strong starts and bright futures. Key areas of focus include financially resilient early education programs, state and local policies that meet rural families' needs, and strengthening the early childhood workforce. This position reports directly to the Director of Children, Youth and Families and offers a salary range of $103,000 - $116,000, depending on experience.

Requirements

A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in the field of early care and education.
A bachelor’s degree required.
Strong knowledge of early care and education systems.
Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: early childhood development (birth to five), childcare, preschool, and other care and education support settings.
Experience in building and maintaining relationships with early educators, parents, community, technical experts, and advocacy organizations.
Commitment to rural issues and community-based efforts.
Outstanding interpersonal skills, including an approachable style, humility, compassion, empathetic listening skills, and the ability to connect with diverse stakeholders.
Ability to thrive in a collaborative, collegial, and team-oriented environment where a willingness to “roll up your sleeves” to get the job done is central to the culture.
Comfort with ambiguity and the challenge of forging a path forward when information is imperfect and milestones may not be clear.
Exceptional project management skills.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with a confident presence across social media, radio, and conference engagements.
Skilled in crafting and delivering concise, impactful content that makes complex ideas accessible and engaging for diverse audiences.
Good judgment and discretion, especially in external-facing roles.
Skillful handling of multiple relationships is critical.
Currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in early childhood, education, or other relevant field preferred.
Experience in public policy related to early childhood is a plus; desire and commitment to learning required if new to policy work.
Familiarity with or direct experience in the rural communities of Oregon or Northern California would be an advantage.

Responsibilities

Strategically deploy philanthropic resources, including grants, convening, research, technical support, and policy engagement, to advance outcomes for children birth to five in rural communities.
Serve as a lead contributor to strategy development, including work plans, initiatives, and budgets aligned with early education priorities.
Provide leadership for cross-foundation efforts supporting early care and education.
Maintain deep knowledge of early childhood research, policy, and best practices, with a focus on rural contexts.
Champion early childhood development and systems-level investment in rural communities at state and national levels.
Build and sustain strong, trust-based relationships with grantees, partners, and community leaders.
Engage with regional, state, and national partners, including regional Early Learning Hubs, the Department of Early Learning and Care, and a variety of early care and key education partners.
Strengthen connections across public, private, nonprofit, and community systems impacting early education.
Represent the Foundation in communities and forums statewide as a champion of early care and education and systems improvement.
Contribute and collaborate across Foundation departments to more deeply integrate and align efforts.
Build and manage a portfolio of grants.
Prepare grant recommendations for review at the appropriate staff, committee, or board level.
Coordinate complex projects and develop, implement, manage, and evaluate strategic community programs.
Partner with evaluation experts to design a method for monitoring, checking, and adjusting the effectiveness of the Foundation’s investments; create and maintain systems to track progress and ensure that timelines and benchmarks are met.