Program Officer

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation•Chicago, CA

6d•$195,000 - $235,000•Onsite

About The Position

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation invests in creative thinkers and problem solvers working to ensure that people, communities, and the planet can flourish. Together with its partners, Hewlett is harnessing societys collective capacity to solve our toughest problems from the existential threat of climate change to persistent and pervasive inequities, to attacks on democracy itself. A nonpartisan philanthropy, the Hewlett Foundation has made grants in the U.S. and globally for nearly six decades based on an approach that emphasizes long-term support, collaboration, and trust. Globally, Hewlett makes grants to address both longstanding and emerging challenges like its efforts to advance gender equity and governance, reimagine the economy and society, and reduce the growing threat of climate change. U.S. efforts prioritize strengthening democracy, advancing education for all, and supporting community-led conservation. In the San Francisco Bay Area Hewlett calls home, it makes grants to support meaningful artistic experiences in local communities and support regional foundations working on critical issues such as housing. Hewletts grantmaking also invests in advancing racial justice and in strengthening the effectiveness of its grantees, and of philanthropy itself. The Hewlett Foundations assets are approximately $13.9 billion with annual awards of grants totaling more than $600 million. More information about the Hewlett Foundation is available at: www.hewlett.org The Foundation has approximately 130 employees, in programmatic, operational, and investment roles, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Across the organization, its employees are challenged with meaningful work, have the resources for ongoing professional development and learning, and contribute to a collegial and engaging environment where they can thrive. Hewlett is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion as part of its guiding principles and encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. Launched in 2020, the Economy and Society Initiative (ESI) aims to move beyond the outmoded intellectual paradigm of neoliberalism and foster a new common sense about how the economy works and the aims it should serve. To date, the Hewlett Foundation has committed more than $100 million to support a range of academic thinkers and institutions, think tanks, organizing leaders, and other efforts. In 2026, the Initiatives annual grantmaking budget is $20 million. By funding efforts across the ideological spectrum, ESI seeks to support the development, translation, and transmission of ideas that could form a new intellectual paradigm for years to come. To learn more about the Economy and Society Initiative, please click here . The Role The Foundation seeks a strategic and outcomes-driven Program Officer for its Economy and Society Initiative. As a key member of the ESI team, this Program Officer will engage in grantmaking within the initiatives strategy, serve as a thought partner to the Director, build and maintain strong relationships with grantees, and actively monitor progress and engage in strategic planning for ESIs strategy. The Program Officer will also be deeply engaged in building and nurturing networks of practitioners and funders working to shape a new economic paradigm. The Program Officer will report to the Director, Jennifer Harris, and work collaboratively with a dynamic ESI team and colleagues across the foundation to advance the initiatives goals, focusing on grantmaking to support a growing field developing the ideas that will make the economy better suited to answering societys biggest challenges, from delivering faster, fairer growth, to hastening the energy transition. Working in tandem with Hewlett Foundation staff, grantees, and other partners, the Program Officer will contribute to field-building efforts among nonprofit organizations and fellow funders. This work is more critical than ever and now is a unique moment to catalyze new funders and voices and develop the ecosystem further.

Requirements

Demonstrated commitment to learning and collaboration, working in authentic partnership, an unwavering commitment to Hewletts Guiding Principles , and a passion for improving society.
Deep interest and diverse work experience in areas broadly relevant to the Economy and Society Initiative, including economic policy and political economy.
Relationship builder, with meaningful experience partnering productively across the political and ideological spectrum.
Strong and persuasive oral and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex themes for multiple audiences/settings (academia, think tanks, career, and elected officials, etc.).
Analytic mindset, with experience researching, processing, and organizing complex information in a highly dynamic environment.
Ability to present ideas in a pragmatic, compelling manner while also being rigorous and striving to wrestle challenging issues.
Experience with strategy development, including goal setting, initiative development, resource allocation, and implementation through project management with multi-disciplinary teams.
Ability and comfort with working both autonomously and in collaboration with colleagues and partners.
Excellent time management, project management, and organizational skills.
Exceptional personal and professional integrity, judgment, and the highest work standards.
Emotionally intelligent and good at managing up and across complex stakeholder environments.
Someone who brings flexibility, good humor, high energy, and humility.
An undergraduate degree is required

Nice To Haves

A relevant advanced degree or equivalent professional experience in law, political science, economics, policy, or related disciplines is a plus.

Responsibilities

Partner with the ESI team to implement the initiatives strategy, conduct research and evaluation, and engage in grantmaking for the initiatives portfolio.
Continually learn about and track trends and evolutions in the field of post-neoliberal economic thought and policy debate in the U.S. and globally identifying new opportunities for the foundations grantmaking.
Establish and maintain trust-based, aligned, productive relationships with grantees and peer funders.
Organize foundation-sponsored meetings of grantees and field experts.
Develop reports and briefing papers that contribute to the foundations understanding of new approaches, best practices, and program issues.
Represent the foundation at appropriate meetings, conferences, and site visits, as well as in all interactions with prospective and current grantees.
Partner to develop strategy, grantmaking, and evaluation plans with the Director, other ESI team members, and Hewlett colleagues working across programs, including those in Communications, Effective Philanthropy, Finance and Accounting, Grantmaking, Analytics, and Operations, and Legal.
Identify and guide potential grantees through the foundations proposal process, including its compliance-related procedures and financial controls.
Oversee active grants, including tracking grantees progress, responding to financial and programmatic reports, and advising on grant renewals.
Travel domestically and internationally to attend grantee meetings and conferences.

Benefits

The Hewlett Foundation is committed to providing compensation that is competitive within the philanthropic sector.
Hewlett offers a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits .
Relocation support will be provided for candidates who are located outside of the Bay Area.

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