Program Officer, Philanthropic Services

Whittier Trust Company•Pasadena, CA

1h•$100,000 - $130,000•Onsite

About The Position

Whittier Trust is the oldest privately owned multi-family office headquartered on the West Coast, providing exceptional client service and highly customized investment solutions for high-net-worth individuals and their families. Our dedicated professionals work with clients and their families to deliver a broad array of services including investment management, fiduciary, philanthropic, and family office. Our founding family’s century-long history of entrepreneurship continues to guide our activities for clients today. Entrusted with private family assets, our teams employ a consulting approach to tailor solutions for complex family situations. Whittier Trust attracts professionals who have a desire to grow while building their skills in the service to our clients. Our organization is flat, nimble, and uniquely attuned to the needs and desires of both today’s entrepreneurs as well as legacy family members who may be several generations removed from the wealth creators. Our corporate culture is one of client-focus, collaboration, performance and accountability, family orientation and long-term career satisfaction. Employee turnover is low because of a high level of engagement and career fulfillment. The Program Officer will support the strategy and operations of the Young Adults Forward Fund as the relationship lead for a portfolio of grantees. The Program Officer will be responsible for grantmaking, capacity building, project management, community engagement and progress towards collective outcomes for the fund.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited 4-year university required
Ability to execute skilled judgement in the best interests of the fund for the present and future
Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with individuals of diverse backgrounds and beliefs
Ability to set vision and motivate partners towards a shared strategy
Ability to lead a team towards a common vision and set of outcomes
Minimum of five years of experience managing or leading mission-driven programs; preference for experience in a relevant field (housing, homeless services, youth development, economic opportunity and/or mental health)
Experience with grantmaking or complex project management to achieve results
Previous experience with developing and working with program budgets and understanding of nonprofit financial models
Experience in managing project working teams and/or consultants to achieve results
Excellent analytical skills, organizational skills and attention to detail
Ability to lead and manage projects, prioritize work effectively and adjust to multiple demands
Excellent writing, math and oral communication skills with the ability to write clear concise analyses and narratives
Ability to prepare and deliver effective presentations and to comfortably interact with diverse audiences
Excellent ability to facilitate group discussions towards collective understanding and consensus
Demonstrated mastery in one or more strategic focus areas of the family fund (i.e. housing, economic mobility, mental health, strategy development, evaluation, etc.).
Demonstrated analytical capabilities and substantive knowledge of best practices in fields of interest to the foundation, familiarity with nonprofit financial statements, loan and mission-related investment programs, public policy and legislative process, public and private funding streams related to the foundation’s domains of work, and a working understanding of outcome measures and evaluation methodologies aimed at assessing program effectiveness.
Experience and strength in tracking expenses against a budget and performing analytics on spending by category. Familiarity with nonprofit financials as well as social capital markets (government and private funding).
Knowledge of the Los Angeles County nonprofit community, familiarity with diverse neighborhoods throughout the region, and experience in working effectively with diverse and broad-based community constituencies.
Internet competency and strong computer proficiency, including mastery of the Microsoft Office software suite and a familiarity with database software, is required. A willingness and ability to learn appropriate database, spreadsheet and other computer programs.
Ability to work well independently and as team member.
Ability to take initiative and follow tasks through to completion.

Nice To Haves

Master’s level degree in a field related to the job preferred

Responsibilities

Managing grantmaking, program-related investments, relationships and projects related to a common set of strategic outcomes and budget
Effectively communicating status of portfolio and potential improvements to team and donor family
Overseeing grant and program-related investment opportunities and maintaining long-term supportive relationships with partners
Cultivating new relationships and advancing funding opportunities towards meeting fund objectives
Working to strengthen organizational capacity of grantees and sector
Evaluating portfolio grants and outcomes to guide and advance fund objectives
Serving as a thought-partner and content expert to team, donor family, grantees and other partners
Ensuring that grants are strategically aligned and invested to achieve maximum impact towards shared outcomes
Conducting due diligence of organizations including review and analysis of grant proposals, organizational documents, financial information, site visits and interviews with other funders and relevant agencies
Making funding recommendations to team and donor family
Producing grant agreement data, reviewing progress reports and payment requests, and maintaining ongoing communications with grantees
Working with grantee partners to report results by using effective outcome measures to assess the impact of grants
Preparing and presenting written and oral analyses of grant requests, issue briefs, and portfolio reports for team
Implementing mission, vision and strategic objectives of the Young Adults Forward Fund
Tracking progress towards strategic objectives, designing new objectives as necessary and course correcting while driving towards common outcomes
Collaborating with varied breadth of internal and external partners to achieve strategic objectives
Communicating results to multiple audiences and spurring collective action towards common objectives
Driving strategy by maintaining depth and expertise in the fund’s areas of interest
Providing excellent service and support to donor family, grantees and other partners
Creating and strengthening relationships with grantees, partners, consultants, and various constituency groups, including service providers, policy and advocacy organizations, government agencies, local and state-level elected policymakers, civic and business leaders, etc.
Representing the team at events and on relevant committees, commissions, and boards
Engaging community members and prospective grant seekers to provide clarification of fund priorities and processes
Communicating, presenting and facilitating expertly with team, donor family, partners and other stakeholders about fund priorities, activities, and progress
Responding to external requests for information about the fund and its priorities
Working in collaboration with partners to produce relevant materials for systems change and/or sector-wide work
Conducting, proposing, and monitoring research related to fund’s strategy and donor interests
Utilizing research and evidence base to guide strategies and inform partners
Building on research projects to identify solutions related to collective outcomes
Ensuring that research is disseminated and presented to appropriate stakeholders
Designing, managing, and facilitating special projects and collective impact work
Strategically convening stakeholders to develop and accomplish a shared agenda that moves forward fund objectives
Planning and facilitating meetings with team, donors and external stakeholders
Representing the fund at community events and meetings with foundation partners, constituencies, and stakeholder groups
Planning and supporting events as needed