The Racial Justice Program Officer (PO) will lead and coordinate the Ford Foundation’s efforts to advance racial justice across all of its U.S.-focused programs by supporting grantmaking portfolios to mainstream racial justice work, organizing learning opportunities, and taking responsibility for a number of core anchor grants. Reporting to the Director of the Office of the Vice President (VP) for US Programs, the PO will also manage external relationships, track needs and opportunities in the racial justice field and support convenings with grantee, funder and government partners. In addition, the PO will identify and foster intersectional connections, coordination, and education opportunities between racial justice, disability inclusion, and gender justice within the foundation.
Responsibilities:
Program Strategy & Management:
Lead and develop Racial Justice grant-making strategies, in a collaborative team-oriented context, across multiple program area(s), regional strategies, and lines of work
Recommend, develop, and participate in strategy and learning activities to guide the evolution of the racial justice portfolio and of programmatic work
Co-manage the Racial Justice grants portfolio ($10-15M/year for 2023-2027), including annual grant planning, grantee site visits, reviewing financial and narrative reporting, preparing grant status reports and other key aspects of the grant life cycle
Assess challenges facing grantee organizations and networks, and ensure that the racial justice portfolio helps to meet those needs in areas such as leadership and governance, financial sustainability, racial/gender/disability justice practice, and cybersecurity, through convenings and other forms of technical assistance
Support grantees to advance outcomes through guidance on subject-matter, assessment of impact risk, and access to networks
Develop and implement convenings to benefit grantee partners and the field.
Recommend and participate in learning and evaluation activities to guide the evolution of programmatic work
Work with and provide direction to Program Assistants and Grant Managers as needed, to advance the goals of the defined program and to ensure timely grant approval, payment and processing of grantee reports
Report regularly on the progress of the strategies and recommend strategy adjustments to deepen the impact of the Foundation’s social justice change effort
Program Leadership and Communication:
Provide targeted content expertise to foundations and donors interested in centering racial justice analyses in grantmaking who are unaffiliated with existing efforts in the field
Collaborate with peers, Directors, and Officers of the Foundation to promote learning, exchange and strategic partnership
Provide support to Ford’s Board of Trustees in their ongoing work to deepen their understanding of racial justice in the context of social change, as requested
Internal Learning and Capacity Building:
Manage and create strategic learning opportunities to sustain and deepen US Program’s staff’s understanding of what it means to embed a racial justice analysis and approach across issues and identities, as well as intersections with gender justice and disability justice in our grantmaking
Focus on building internal capacity towards institutionalization and sustainability of embedding a racial justice analysis within Ford
Requirements:
A minimum of 8 years leading social justice strategies
Racial justice subject-matter expertise and knowledge of how racial justice analyses connects with diverse social justice issues
Knowledge of racial justice advocacy across multiple identity constituencies
Deep understanding of organizational change and social change theory
Ability to work independently and to collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders in a participatory manner
Exceptional leadership presence – internally and externally.
Exceptional communications skills - strong active listening skills, constructive verbal and written skills, strong public presentation skills, including experience in strategic communications for social impact
Demonstrated ability to be a productive member of a community of people at work, respecting differences while working toward shared goals, comfort with periods of ambiguity, constructive participation in on-going organizational development.
A master’s degree in relevant field of study or BA and equivalent experience
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience and knowledge of grantmaking, portfolio management and development of grantmaking strategy
A track record of donor advocacy including learning events and knowledge sharing and experience with events planning
Experience working in a similar advisory role with funders, nonprofits and other stakeholders
Fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by major racial/ethnic groups in the United States is a plus (e.g.Spanish, Arabic, Chinese)
