Senior Program Officer, School-Age Children

Robin Hood Foundation•New York, NY

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Robin Hood is the largest poverty-fighting organization in New York City, founded in 1988. It partners with top nonprofits to provide essential services like legal aid, housing, meals, workforce development, and education. Robin Hood's innovative, metrics-based approach serves as a model for charities nationwide. The organization covers all administrative and fundraising costs, ensuring donations directly support those in need. Robin Hood is expanding its impact by focusing on sustainable poverty reduction, influencing public policy, raising its thought leadership profile, and fostering collaborations. Currently, the organization is focused on helping families recover from the pandemic, getting children back on track, and aiding New Yorkers in returning to work. Robin Hood also collaborates with city and state government to fund innovative programs and policies that promote economic opportunity in New York City, acting as a catalyst for households experiencing poverty and bringing diverse groups together to develop and spread effective strategies for economic mobility.

Requirements

Seven or more years of relevant experience in education, government, public policy, nonprofit management, philanthropy, or a related field.
Demonstrated ability to translate strategic thinking into documented plans and follow-through, not just insight.
Comfort independently organizing and managing complex work, including the ability to pivot through ambiguity.
Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, including the ability to work with quantitative and qualitative data, evaluate the strength and limitations of research studies, and apply sound reasoning to grant recommendations.
Working knowledge of nonprofit operations, financial analysis, and benefit-cost principles, with the capacity to develop deeper expertise.
Clear, direct, and persuasive written and verbal communication, including the ability to develop grant recommendations, strategy memos, and presentations for senior audiences.
Track record of building trusting relationships with diverse stakeholders, including nonprofit leaders, government partners, researchers, and peer funders.
Genuine commitment to equity and to improving economic mobility outcomes for low-income New Yorkers, including the ability to foster inclusive working environments and seek out diverse perspectives.

Nice To Haves

Experience in postsecondary pathways, dual enrollment and early college credit, college access and persistence, or career-connected learning at a program, policy, or strategy level.
Fluency with the New York City education landscape, including NYCPS, CUNY, SUNY, and the charter sector.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of grants, including monitoring performance through analysis of outcomes data, site visits, and review of management and financial reports.
Build relationships of trust and mutual respect with nonprofit leaders to support them in delivering on their mission.
Develop clear, well-reasoned grant write-ups and present recommendations to Robin Hood's Board Committee, distilling key information into compelling written arguments for funding or defunding.
Co-create annual contract goals with community partners that balance ambition with realism and align with Robin Hood's mobility milestones.
Lead transparent conversations with grantees around performance, course corrections, and transitions, demonstrating the ability to balance empathy with accountability.
Apply strong fiscal analysis to diagnose potential financial challenges faced by nonprofits and to forecast risk based on trends in the field.
Translate insights from the field and portfolio into documented strategies with clear goals, milestones, and timelines.
Independently organize, plan, and manage the design and execution of individual and shared deliverables, navigating ambiguity to move work forward.
Contribute to the evolution of the school-age portfolio strategy, particularly around postsecondary pathways, by developing a coherent set of grants tied to a compelling theory of change for influencing the field and achieving results at a scale beyond the outcomes of any individual grant.
Apply benefit-cost analysis and similar analytic frameworks to grant recommendations and contribute to the ongoing refinement of Robin Hood's approach to measuring college access and persistence outcomes.
Support the team's work to strengthen progress monitoring and measurement to understand our larger portfolio impact.
Proactively build relationships with promising organizations, researchers, and peer funders, including before specific funding opportunities exist.
Maintain a documented pipeline of prospective investments aligned to school-age strategic priorities.
Contribute ideas to the team's pipeline of system-level investment concepts, and partner with Robin Hood's Development, Marketing, and Engagement team to translate portfolio insights into donor-ready briefs.
Identify emerging models, research, and opportunities in postsecondary pathways and adjacent areas.
Conduct structured diligence on scaling-ready models and synthesize findings from research studies, weighing their strengths, limitations, and practical implications.
Represent Robin Hood with NYCPS, NYSED, CUNY, SUNY, peer foundations, researchers, and sector coalitions, building Robin Hood's profile as a thoughtful partner in K-12 education work.
Participate actively in sector convenings and conferences and bring back insights that sharpen the team's strategy.
Over time, position yourself as a recognizable voice in the field on postsecondary pathways, economic mobility, and high school design, communicating Robin Hood's perspective with clarity and confidence.
Partner with the Development, Marketing, and Engagement team on donor engagement and funder reporting.
Coordinate with Robin Hood's Policy team, Learning and Technology Fund, and other program teams where portfolios or partners intersect.
Contribute to Robin Hood's organizational priorities, including the exploration of AI-enabled workflows and use cases in grantmaking.
Support the onboarding of new staff and contribute to a strong, collaborative team culture, modeling open dialogue and constructive feedback.