Senior Program Officer

Democracy Fund•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Democracy Fund champions leaders and organizations who defend democracy and challenge our political system to be more open, just, resilient, and trustworthy. We believe that experimentation, learning, and adaptation are key to the health and resilience of any system, whether it is our organization or the American political system. As grantmakers, we focus on listening and being of service to our grantees, who are visionaries and our collaborators, and on ways we can more deeply embed diversity, equity, and inclusion as values central to the success of our work and mission. Since we believe in the power of human connection, we follow a hybrid work model that balances remote flexibility with purposeful collaboration. While we prefer applicants residing in the Washington, D.C. metro area (DMV) to facilitate regular in-person engagement, we may consider candidates residing in other locations for exceptional applications if we already have staff in those states. Remote candidates are required to travel to the D.C. office for all mandatory all-employee retreats (2–3 times per year) and periodic team-building sessions a few times a year. All required travel expenses will be fully covered by the foundation. The Reimagine and Rebuild program supports the people and projects who are building the vision and the pathway towards the democracy we need. This means investing in creative leaders, rigorous analyses, and bold actions necessary to catalyze and realize trusted information systems, responsive and equitable public institutions, and a new conventional wisdom and culture that can move us towards an inclusive multi-racial democracy.

Requirements

A passion for strengthening American democracy.
A deep commitment to racial equity and justice.
A high level of integrity that embodies and reflects Democracy Fund values.
A minimum of 8 years of experience working in pro-democracy systems and organizations.
Significant professional experience in some or all of the following fields related to community-centered media policy, national media reform, culture change, rebuilding civic spaces, and building narrative power.
Significant grantmaking or related experience and ability to analyze and assess organizations and their contributions to the fields in which we work.
Established relationships with communities and the field from working in or funding institutions at the intersection of culture, community, and public information.
Proven track record of successful project management and working across diverse teams.
Strong external communications and relationship building experience.
Experience handling confidential information.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the willingness and ability to communicate and collaborate with diverse leaders and stakeholders from across the political spectrum and different walks of life.

Responsibilities

Execute and ensure high quality grantmaking and learning that drives progress towards program goals and outcomes.
Lead grant development and manage individual grants through the grantmaking process.
Develop and manage strong and healthy grantee engagement and relationships in partnership with other Program Officers.
Drive network building and clusters of activity through grantee support and field activities such as convenings, research, information gathering, and building and participating in funder collaborations. This includes travel to conferences, grantee events, and other relevant gatherings across the U.S..
Manage philanthropic partnerships activities in collaboration with program leadership.
Manage and contribute to effective team and organization systems and processes.
Support the creation of communications materials about grantees, our work, and for other external audiences including peer funders.
Support and contribute to strategy implementation, recommending approaches, pivots, and efforts that align with DF and program strategy.
Manage portfolio(s) of grants, including cultivating strong and healthy grantee relationships and support grantees’ resilience and success. Create opportunities to build strong connectivity among program grantees, and across programs when relevant.
Lead exploration, development, and assessment of grants for the program, including shaping and preparing grants for consideration, and handling every stage of the grant process. Delegate tasks to other team members when appropriate.
Build general mastery of the activities and priorities of grantees and the field and ably explain in depth to internal and external partners.
Contribute to program and organization’s learning and impact practice through grantee engagement and field-wide system sensing, recommending shifts or opportunities for impact to program leadership. Ensure learning that is relevant to other program teams is shared consistently with peer Program Officers.
Develop, manage, or execute non-grant related tactics, projects, and interventions where needed, including but not limited to contracts and sponsorships that support grantees’ work or furthers the program’s mission.
Manage contracts for external consultants to ensure strong work products are produced and used by the organization and field.
Contribute to cross-programmatic activities and working groups, with opportunities to co-lead internal and external efforts that align with role and strategy.
Facilitate increased visibility of grantees’ work, and support dialogue and collaboration with and between grantees and partners in the field through communications, convenings, and network building activities.
Cultivate meaningful opportunities to socialize Democracy Fund’s and grantees’ work through participation in convenings and conferences, publishing written pieces and other communications and partnerships activities.
In collaboration with External Affairs team, build, and develop donor guides and other materials to support philanthropic partnerships activities that align with strategy and goals.
Build collaborative relationships, peer networks, or formal and informal partnerships with funders, intermediaries, and other partners, including relevant pooled funds and funder collaboratives.
Represent Democracy Fund at events and in partnerships in a manner consistent with our mission and values to drive funding aligned with the goals of Democracy Fund and our grantees.
Contribute to team administration and processes and support budget record keeping.
Contribute toward a team culture that values collaboration, positivity, and transparency and that drives impact through continuous improvement and learning.
Manage budgets for special projects, including for convenings, consultants, and other activities to support grantees.
Mentor and lead Program Officer(s) and Program Coordinator, serving as first point of contact for grantmaking, learning, influence, communications, and philanthropic partnerships activities.