Program Officer

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation•Menlo Park, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (Hewlett or the Foundation), based in Menlo Park, California, seeks a collaborative and strategic leader to serve as a Program Officer in its Education Program. At a pivotal moment for both the Foundation and the broader field, this individual will help advance an evolving strategy focused on strengthening human connections and expanding rich learning experiences for all students, particularly those furthest from opportunity. Working closely with the Education Program Director and a highly collaborative team, the Program Officer will contribute to shaping and implementing this strategy while engaging with a diverse set of partners across the education ecosystem. This is a unique opportunity to join a highly respected foundation at a time of strategic evolution and to contribute to work that seeks to strengthen public education and its role in supporting thriving communities, a healthy democracy, and a vibrant economy. The Program Officer will bring deep knowledge of public education, ideally grounded in firsthand experience in schools and school systems, and an understanding of how to cohere and align instructional practice, community and systems leadership, and cross-sector partnerships to improve academic and life outcomes for students. They will bring a nuanced understanding of the realities of educational improvement, and the ability to identify high-leverage strategies to help close the gap between aspiration and implementation in public education. The successful candidate will advance Hewlett�s vision of deeper learning, a blend of strong academic knowledge with the skills, mindsets, and dispositions that young people need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. The Program Officer will work closely with districts, states, and networks that are working with key civic institutions, community-based organizations and employers to expand rich learning experiences and strengthen human relationships, especially in an increasingly AI-centric world. The candidate will work with the education program team and its partners to build non-partisan coalitions committed to improving public education at scale. Through this work, we seek to enable high quality learning opportunities for all students, especially those furthest from opportunity. To advance the Foundation�s goals, the Program Officer will work closely and build strong relationships with school and systems leaders and their local, state, and national partners on the improvement of instructional practice. The Program Officer will bring knowledge, understanding, and expertise of educational implementation at the state, district, and school levels. The Program Officer will have knowledge and experience with efforts to better connect schools and communities � and broaden students learning experiences � through such strategies as career-connected learning and civic-learning. The Program Officer will also collaborate with colleagues focused on complementary strategic priorities such as improving teacher preparation and career advancement, strengthening school and systems leadership, and leveraging enabling environments such as state, local and national policy and ascendent technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Requirements

Deep commitment to equitable, high-quality public education, supported by experience in education practice, policy, or system improvement
Significant experience working with education organizations and leaders, with a strong understanding of how to drive systemic change across classrooms, schools, and systems
Knowledge of leading-edge instructional practices, pedagogical trends, and contemporary research on teaching and learning
Experience supporting educators to improve practice, gained in settings such as philanthropy, school or system leadership, nonprofits, government, or community/state organizing
Prior classroom, building, or system-level (district, state, federal) leadership experience
Understanding of factors contributing to disparate educational outcomes and experience addressing equity issues in practice
Ability to lead and manage research or analytical projects related to grantmaking, including executing work with limited staff support
Demonstrated ability to set clear objectives, evaluate progress, and independently manage complex projects
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Commitment to collaboration and authentic partnership with colleagues, grantees, and field leaders
Alignment with Hewlett�s Guiding Principles
Comfort working in a highly collaborative, relatively flat organizational structure, balancing autonomy with teamwork
Growth-oriented leadership style, including experience or interest in mentoring and supervising staff and working closely with embedded team members (grants, legal, communications)
Adaptable, flexible, highly relational, and grounded in humility, integrity, and a positive, collegial spirit
Independent initiative, openness to diverse perspectives, and receptiveness to feedback
Ability to work from the Hewlett Foundation�s Menlo Park office

Nice To Haves

A graduate degree in a relevant field
Foundation grantmaking experience
Willingness to take smart risks and pursue outcomes-driven work

Responsibilities

Advance grantmaking aligned with program strategy and the Foundation�s goal of expanding high-quality learning for all students.
Manage a portfolio of grants, including design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and stewardship of financial and programmatic resources.
Build and maintain strong relationships with grantees, partners, and leaders across the education field.
Contribute content expertise, professional networks, intellectual curiosity, and cultural awareness to inform program strategy.
Engage in national conversations on improving educational opportunities and share best practices related to impact, sustainability, and scalability.
Work collaboratively within a highly collegial team, sharing plans and insights to strengthen alignment and learning.
Develop and refine evaluation approaches; commission and manage third-party evaluations to test strategic assumptions and inform decision-making.
Represent the Foundation externally at conferences, meetings, site visits, and foundation-hosted convenings.
Collaborate with grantees to refine approaches, maximize resources, and advance program objectives.
Prepare briefing materials, reports, presentations, blog posts, and other written materials to inform internal and external audiences.
Support the implementation of an aspirational, outcomes-driven strategy focused on improving teaching, learning, and student experiences.