Program Officer, Democracy
About The Position
The Andrew Carnegie Foundation is seeking a Program Officer to grow its National Program by identifying, developing, and recommending funding opportunities in democracy and elections. The role contributes expertise and research to program strategy, identifies promising grantees and partnerships, and manages grants and other projects under the direction of the Program Director. The National Program connects education and democracy, supporting work that prepares young people for citizenship and rewarding careers and strengthens democratic institutions. The Democracy portfolio backs nonpartisan efforts involving rule-of-law protections, structural electoral reform, election administration, immigrant civic integration, civic learning, and collaboration across differences. This position particularly advances structural reforms to American elections, including proportional representation and ranked-choice voting.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Deep grounding in research, policies, and reform efforts in democracy and elections.
- Strong professional network and demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with researchers, practitioners, funders, policymakers, and other field leaders.
- Proven ability to collaborate with people and organizations in the field.
- Exceptional writing skills, including producing precise, persuasive work suitable for boards and the public.
- Ability to turn scattered data and research into clear recommendations.
- Strong strategic thinking, leadership, presentation, and listening skills.
- Willingness to travel.
- Work onsite.
- At least 8 years of relevant experience.
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree in political science, public policy, or a related field.
- Recognized expertise demonstrated through publications and speaking experience.
- Working fluency with AI tools and their application to grantmaking and internal workflows.
Responsibilities
- Advance National Program goals focused on structural reforms to American elections, such as proportional representation and ranked-choice voting.
- Stay current on trends, emerging research, public policy developments, and practices in elections and democracy, and assess their connection to program strategy.
- Identify prospective grantees and partners and assess proposals received by the Foundation.
- Review and strengthen proposals, including assessing budgets, staffing, workplans, and expected outcomes.
- Present funding recommendations that clearly evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and risks.
- Represent the portfolio, program, and Foundation externally; speak and publish on relevant issues; and organize and participate in meetings, conferences, and other field-wide activities.
- Support ongoing improvement of the Foundation’s strategy.
- Conduct site visits, support and monitor active grants, engage directly with grantees, and assess progress and impact.
- Coordinate across education and democracy work, including on AI’s role in either field.
- Contribute to a collaborative, high-performing team and provide guidance and support to colleagues as appropriate.
- Take on other duties as needed.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
