Associate Program Officer - Home Region

Job Description

The Walton Family Foundation (WFF) is seeking a skilled, highly motivated and entrepreneurial individual to join the foundation as an Associate Program Officer – Home Region. The position calls for a solid understanding of the Home Region geographies (Benton and Washington Counties) and WFF grantees. The foundation seeks to recruit individuals with a demonstrated commitment to an inclusive quality of life, superior interpersonal and communication skills, a respectful but analytical approach to the work of grantees, and a proven ability to work effectively as part of a team.

About the Position
The Program Officer will help manage a diverse portfolio of non-profit grantees. Program Officers work in a small, entrepreneurial team. Specific duties include the following:

Refine and implement various strategies within the Home Region’s 2025 Strategic Plan. This position will support several initiatives with the new 2025 Strategic Plan, including Community Leadership and Capacity Building Strategy, which seeks to strengthen individuals and organizations in Northwest Arkansas to allow them to drive sustained impact and build a vibrant and inclusive region. This role will also take on increasing responsibility within the Inclusive Shared Spaces and Experiences, which focuses on creating the conditions that support and inclusive, connected community through the development of shared spaces, social experiences, and relevant cultural offerings. A key function for the role will be engaging community partners and grantees, especially those within and explicitly serving communities of color and low-income populations, to execute against the overall strategic goals.
Help manage relationships with grantees, potential grantees, and other partners. This will include performing due diligence on proposals, shepherding proposals through the foundation’s approval process, conducting site visits, providing guidance, and working with grantees in any way that will achieve significant impact. In addition, continue to build new relationships with a broad network of other partners who can leverage the foundation’s goals.
Effective team member. The success of the foundation’s Home Region strategy is built on a strong team culture that values partnership that provides support as well as honest and respectful feedback. Team members are held to high performance expectations that includes a mindset focused on personal and professional development.
Other projects and assignments. These may be requested by the foundation’s board, Executive Director or Director of the Home Region Program.

Who we are looking for

Qualifications required for your success
• Bachelor’s degree required, relevant master’s degree or higher preferred.
• At least five years of work in a non-profit, philanthropic, or program development role;
• Excellent written skills and experience in producing both brief and longer written products in a timely fashion for internal and external audiences.
• Oral communication skills, with experience in public speaking that emphasizes conveying complex issues to internal and external audiences.
• Proven skills at organization and time management.
• Demonstrated capacity to work as part of a team, as well as independently.
• Demonstrated experience in, and commitment to the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.

Personal attributes that support your success
• You are helpful, a team player, and show respect while collaborating with others
• You are results oriented and exercise sound judgment in your work
• A lifelong learner, who is inquisitive and solves problems with bold thinking and innovation
• A visionary who plans for the future with imagination and wisdom
• You are dedicated to achieving excellence and work with others to tackle the tasks at hand

About the Walton Family Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation is at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in 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. To learn more, visit Walton Family Foundation.

About the Home Region Program
The Home Region’s purpose is to honor the Walton Family’s shared values and commitment to communities in the Home Region by creating opportunity and enhancing quality of life for all. The Home Region’s annual grant budget is in excess of $50 million.

Learn more about the Home Region Program strategy here.

Compensation and Benefits
The Walton Family Foundation offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary that is commensurate with experience.

The Walton Family Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. 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, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, relevant master’s degree or higher preferred.
• At least five years of work in a non-profit, philanthropic, or program development role;
• Excellent written skills and experience in producing both brief and longer written products in a timely fashion for internal and external audiences.
• Oral communication skills, with experience in public speaking that emphasizes conveying complex issues to internal and external audiences.
• Proven skills at organization and time management.
• Demonstrated capacity to work as part of a team, as well as independently.
• Demonstrated experience in, and commitment to the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.