Program Associate, Environment & Science

The David And Lucile Packard Foundation Program Associate

Founded in 1964 by David and Lucile Packard, the Packard Foundation is a family philanthropy dedicated to supporting leaders and organizations around the world working to invest in children and families, protect and restore the natural world, and create just and inclusive societies.

For more than six decades, the Foundation has advanced scientific innovation, championed reproductive health and rights, conserved and restored our natural world, and invested in the well-being of children and families. To achieve lasting change, we also strive to address root causes of longstanding problems, including building a thriving, resilient U.S. democracy; advancing racial justice in the United States and gender equity globally; and supporting a strong civil society around the globe.

Inclusive collaboration is the heart of our approach. We believe that actively listening to and learning from people with a wide range of views is the best way to create solutions that match the scale and urgency of the challenges we face. We are dedicated to supporting community-based solutions shaped by the knowledge and experience of the people whose lives are most affected and informed by data. We recognize that meaningful solutions require patience, urgency, and supporting the conditions for transformational change. We are committed to addressing complex issues over the long term while making tangible progress today.

Our vision : A just and equitable world where both people and nature flourish.

Our mission : We work with people and communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, resilient natural world.

Our values : Equity, Integrity, Belief in Individual Leadership, Thinking Big, Respect, and Effectiveness.

Position Summary

This role will be responsible for leading, developing, and implementing the operations for grantmaking portfolios within the Field Support portfolio. The goal of the Field Support portfolio is to strengthen infrastructure that advances our priorities across the Environment and Science goal area. We fund organizations and platforms that grow the fields of practice and philanthropy in support of ocean, climate and science progress. This role will partner closely with the Field Support Program Officer, the Environment and Science Vice President, and other staff across the Foundation to ensure effective implementation of our portfolio and a positive experience for our grantees. The successful candidate will be adept at building trust and growing respectful working relationships, have an eye for details and systems / process improvement, and be committed to the Foundation's mission, vision, and values.

Primary Duties And Responsibilities

Grantmaking & Initiative Operations :

• Process and execute all grants within an assigned portfolio, including creation of grant files, initial due diligence, set up and track payments and reports on various timelines, and ensure accurate and timely set-up, review, and submission of files and information within the grantmaking system through each step of the grant lifecycle, leveraging developed expertise in research, legal compliance, grantmaking systems, and financial grantmaking requirements
• Work with Program Officers and the E&S Vice President on the development of grantmaking plans as needed; support and / or lead the implementation of plans leveraging knowledge of prior work with grantees, identification of opportunities for collaborations across the Foundation, and with an in-depth understanding of budgets, timelines, and grantmaking requirements
• Proactively identify, develop, and lead implementation of operational processes and tools for initiative collaboration and planning, with an eye towards equity, effectiveness, and easing grantee burden to better serve the Foundation's grantees, partners, and goals
• Serve as a Fluxx Grants Management System expert on the initiative team, with working knowledge of the back-end database structure, fields, and user-interface, along with grant file requirements and associated rationale for those requirements; develop Fluxx dashboards to enable effective creation and team tracking of grants
• Work in close partnership with Grants Officers to ensure accuracy and adherence to grantmaking policies, procedures, processes, and timelines. Utilize existing tools to track portfolio budgets in partnership with the Grants Officer and goal / initiative colleagues
• Be aware of current research and policy changes within the relevant issues areas and geography; in partnership with Grants Management, support Program Officers and Associate Program Officers with development or refinement of processes as needed
• As needed, support the quarterly Board docket preparation process for the initiative team; draft other written materials as needed, such as correspondence with grantees and briefing documents for site visits
• Support and occasionally lead training and adoption for Field Support team, as it relates to internal systems, processes, and policies; onboard new staff to grantmaking practices
• Provide coverage for the Environment and Science Operations Team on contracts and event planning as needed

Grantee Partnership :

Organizational Collaboration & Process Improvement :

Qualifications

Education :

Experience :

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

Compensation And Benefits

The position is full-time. The salary range for this position is $88,000 - $106,000 annually. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors, including without limitation individual education, experience, tenure, certification, skills,