The Libra Foundation Senior Program Officer Position Description & Candidate Profile The 360 Group 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94105 T 415-692-5243 F 415-692-5243 www.the360group.us
Senior Program Officer Location San Francisco, CA Reports to Executive Director The Opportunity Founded in 2002, The Libra Foundation is a family foundation that has been based in Chicago, and is now moving its headquarters to San Francisco. The Libra Foundation is governed by a six-member family Board and has assets of approximately $260 million; over time, the Foundation will have a small staff. Over the past 14 years, The Libra Foundation has done significant grantmaking in progressive causes and movements, with a multi-generational family being closely involved with the Foundation, setting its strategy and interacting with many of the Foundation s grantee partners. The Libra Foundation funds social and economic justice organizations that integrate human rights into their work, supporting national organizations and local and regional groups on matters of national significance. The Libra Foundation is particularly interested in the following areas: Women s rights, with an emphasis on reproductive rights and the elevation of women s rights as human rights Environmental justice, with a focus on human rights, promoting social justice, and mitigating the impacts of climate change Social justice and drug policy reform, with an emphasis on criminal justice reform, economic equity, and fair immigration policy The Foundation is entering a new chapter in its evolution; while the family remains very engaged in the work of the Foundation (and in this era, is ever more committed), the move of the Foundation to San Francisco marks the beginning of Libra 2.0. Having recently appointed a new Executive Director, the Foundation will heighten its support of advocacy and civic engagement efforts and is currently in the process of building out its team. This role represents a great opportunity to help shape a philanthropic enterprise and set of initiatives that stand to move big issues in creative ways. Position Responsibilities The Senior Program Officer will be a thoughtful, engaged contributor to The Libra Foundation s growing team, reporting to the Executive Director. The successful candidate The 360 Group 1
will be actively involved in driving philanthropic strategy, identifying and supporting partners, and working with the family to make real progress on these complicated, important issues. While the Senior Program Officer will possess extensive experience in a specific body of work, this person in the Senior Program Officer position will experiment with the craft of grantmaking, customizing it for this family foundation environment. The Senior Program Officer will assist in shaping and directing programs, and ensuring that the intellectual resources needed are in place. For example, one of the Foundation s key goals is to use knowledge from grantees and the field to inform strategy and grantmaking to advance the work on the Foundation s program areas, which will be a primary responsibility of the Senior Program Officer. It is important to note that, given a small environment, the Senior Program Officer will have responsibilities that are at once heady and prosaic the Foundation needs someone who can think creatively about social change and, at the same time, ensure that the grantmaking process and due diligence is appropriately executed, all while working sensitively with the team, family and grantee partners. More specifically, the responsibilities of the Senior Program Officer will include: Strategic planning, program development and evaluation Collaborating with the Executive Director and Trustees to develop, test, and refine the Foundation s strategic plan Developing and applying grant guidelines reflective of the strategic plan Formulating strategies for partnership with other grantmakers, nonprofits, and community organizations to respond to the needs of grantees and the communities the Foundation serves Developing grantmaking strategies and a grants portfolio, and managing a grants budget Periodically assessing program objectives and making recommendations to the Executive Director and Board regarding changes or modifications of program design and goals Working closely with the Executive Director to maximize opportunities for crosssector grantmaking Identifying the need for consultants in program development, planning the scope of work and managing contracts As appropriate, articulating the Foundation s role in promoting public policies that strengthen the program area The 360 Group 2
Working with grantees and the Executive Director to develop evaluative models to assess the effectiveness of various projects and initiatives supported by The Libra Foundation, and measuring progress towards the Foundation s goals Proposal review, processing, and grant monitoring Identifying opportunities for partnership with a wide range of constituencies, inviting and reviewing proposals, conducting due diligence Preparing concise written and visually compelling presentations for Board dockets With the Knowledge and Grants Manager, keeping applicants informed of the status of their proposals during the review process Reviewing and responding to reports from grantees, monitoring and evaluating their progress, particularly those with multi-year funding commitments from The Libra Foundation Maintaining an ongoing and helpful relationship with grantees and serve as a resource Working with the Knowledge and Grants Manager and finance team to ensure that grant files are complete and contain required documentation, but also to help glean insights about the Foundation s work Internal collaboration and supervision Serving as an information resource for the staff and Board of the Libra Foundation, responding to requests for research and insight as needed Working closely with Knowledge and Grants Manager to maintain grantmaking and grant monitoring process and special projects as needed Hiring and managing consultants Professional and community relations Establishing relationships with central institutions and prominent leaders in the field, and identifying new, emerging and innovative organizations doing groundbreaking work in Libra s areas of focus Developing prospective projects in partnership with the nonprofit community, colleagues in philanthropy, and government, where applicable The 360 Group 3
Convening focus groups, learning circles, and other events among potential grantees, existing grantees, and colleagues in philanthropy and other sectors Remaining abreast of trends and best practices in philanthropy and program area by attending conferences and seminars, and reading relevant literature, research and analysis Actively participating in appropriate professional organizations, philanthropic affinity groups, and other relevant associations and entities Profile of the Successful Candidate As The Libra Foundation expands its grantmaking, the Senior Program Officer will be a critical part of the team and the organization s success. The successful candidate will be well equipped to work effectively with a broad range of diverse groups, ranging from the Board of Trustees to grassroots practitioners, as evidenced by excellent listening and communication skills, balanced and reasoned approaches to problems, ability to inspire trust and confidence, and flexibility and openness to differing points of view. In addition, the Senior Program Officer will be able to develop strategic approaches to complex social policy especially in such a complicated political environment and synthesize complex information into straightforward recommendations. Ultimately, the Senior Program Officer will have used the skills to move an agenda, and will be eager to embrace Libra s issues and apply those skills with zeal. More specifically, the Foundation seeks a professional who has: A passion for the three program areas and an analysis about their evolution and intersections An energetic, entrepreneurial nature that combines intellectual curiosity with analytical skills and political savvy An affinity for leadership and partnership, as evidenced by a track record of forward, participatory thinking and the development of strategy and vision for the future, with a bias toward innovation that brings new ideas to fruition and implementation The ability to forge pragmatic, collaborative solutions in environments characterized by ambiguity and complexity A communicative and collaborative interpersonal approach, demonstrated through strong written and oral skills as well as strong listening skills An inclusive, consensus-building leadership style both in and out of the public spotlight that simultaneously inspires Board members, staff, clients, benefactors, The 360 Group 4
and partners in the community, honoring equity and inclusion A robust network in the areas where The Libra Foundation works Experience in moving theory to convening, and convening to action The successful candidate will likely have: Cross-cultural perspectives on Libra s issues Experience working in social movements, nonprofits or philanthropy Start Timeframe We seek to have someone in place by early 2018. To Apply All applications are held in strict confidence. Please submit your credentials and letter of interest to The 360 Group through our private applicant portal at: https://the360group.crelate.com/portal Applications should be directed to the attention of Vincent Robinson, Managing Partner. No calls, please. To be considered, The 360 Group urges interested candidates to apply as soon as possible; applications submitted before 5:00pm Pacific time on January 16, 2018 will receive priority consideration. At The 360 Group, we know that a richly diverse mix of professionals makes organizations more effective. Using that principle as our North Star, we make diversity a hallmark of our firm, and all of our search engagements. The 360 Group 5