The Walton Family Foundation is seeking a skilled, highly motivated, and entrepreneurial individual to join the foundation as a Program Officer. This individual must have a passion for, and knowledge of, K-12 education reform generally, with a preference for individuals who have an understanding of policy design and implementation for areas aligned with the Foundation’s theory of change.
This position will be located in the foundation’s Jersey City, NJ office.
About the Walton Family Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. The children and grandchildren of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. The Foundation’s giving is focused on three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. The Foundation also invests in areas of deep personal interest to individual family members.
Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, with offices in Washington, D.C., Jersey City, New Jersey and Denver, Colorado, approximately 110 staff conduct the day-to-day operations of the foundation.
K-12 Education Program
We believe children must have access to a high-quality education that works for them in order to have a lifetime of opportunity.
We:
• Support the growth of schools that transform the lives of children, especially those from low-income communities;
• Collaborate with schools of all kinds – public charter schools, district schools and private schools – on bold ideas for change;
• Support excellence in teaching by helping educators do their best for students; and
• Believe in the uniqueness of each child, school and community, and that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.Learn more about the K-12 Education Program strategy here: https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/~/media/documents/k12-strategic-plan-overview-4222016.pdf
What you will do
The Program Officer will manage a diverse portfolio of local and national grantees, as well as manage strategic projects and initiatives. Specific duties include the following:
• You will help shape investment plans aligned with the K-12 Education strategy, develop and track budgets, and be held accountable for yearly progress in meeting objectives
• You will manage relationships with grantees and potential grantees including seeking and performing due diligence on proposals aligned with the K-12 Education strategies
• You will shepherd proposals through the foundation’s approval process, as well as provide guidance to and work with grantees to achieve significant impact
• You will identify potential new partnerships and opportunities including identifying prospective grantees and funding partners
• You will assist grantees in developing and implementing maintenance, monitoring, and funding strategies that lead to the achievement of strategic goals
• You will work with Foundation evaluation staff to implement and refine the Foundation’s monitoring and evaluation program.
• You will manage workflow and processes with grantees, across Foundation offices, and with family members
• You will review budgets for appropriate expenditures, review legal documents, monitor grantee operations, review financial and narrative reports and ensure timely payments.
• You will manage outside consultants as necessary: develop RFPs, solicit proposals, develop work plans, oversee contracts and ensure high-quality deliverables.
• You will ensure a positive experience for family members through superior customer service; be proactive in anticipating needs and provide accurate, timely resolution of issues when they arise.
• Other projects and assignments as requested by the K-12 Education team, Foundation leadership, and/or family members.
Who we are looking for
Personal attributes that support your success
The Program Officer should ideally possess the following attributes:
• You have the ability to give and receive feedback graciously
• You know how to build effective relationships and networks to achieve results
• You are a self-directed and decisive problem solver who can also be flexible
• You are a superior communicator who treats everyone with respect
• You have an intellectual agility and the ability to analyze, think critically, and understand emerging education reform issues
• You have proven skills at organization and time management
• You have exceptional attention to detail
• You have the ability to anticipate issues and problems in advance and propose possible solutions
• You possess unquestionable ethics and personal integrity
• You are an effective team member who is also able to act independently
• You are willing to travel up to 30% of the time
The Walton Family Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status of protected veteran, among other things or status as a qualified individual with a disability.
Basic Qualifications
• A Bachelor’s degree; relevant master’s degree or higher preferred.
• At least 5 years of work in a professional, K-12 reform environment, with significant practitioner experience in state or local policy.
• Strong written communication skills with experience in producing both brief and longer written products in a timely fashion for internal and external audiences.
• Public speaking experience with the ability to convey complex issues to internal and external audiences.
• Knowledge of economic, financial and accounting principles (e.g., experience navigating financial statements, an organization’s budget); familiarity reading legal documents
Additional helpful experience includes:
• K-12 teaching, administration, or other education reform experience.
• Federal, state or district-level education policy.
• Legislative advocacy.
• Management/strategic planning consulting.
• Nonprofit management.
• Grant development and management.
