The Chicago Commitment team invests in people, places, and partnerships to advance racial equity and build a more inclusive Chicago. We want more people, particularly from historically marginalized communities, to see their power and influence affect the decisions that shape our city. We invest in resident-driven economic development, creating vital communities. We contribute to civic partnerships, helping to solve the city’s greatest challenges. We ensure all Chicagoans can experience the city’s vibrant arts and cultural offerings. Overall, we are committed to making connections between people who share our goals, amplifying the voices of leaders from across the city, and expanding the capacity of organizations to achieve their missions.

The Program Officer, Chicago Commitment, works with the team’s Director and colleagues on all aspects of the strategy’s grantmaking in Chicago to ensure its success. The Program Officer will apply their expertise in relevant field(s) to the development and implementation of grantmaking strategies. In this role, the Program Officer will be called upon to consistently produce high-quality work; build effective peer relationships; work with other departments proactively; anticipate potential issues and propose solutions; offer assistance and service to team members; and present ideas for improvement and be able to create project plans to execute these improvements.

Job Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Possess a strong grounding in Chicago and a commitment to the Foundation’s engagement in its hometown; this element of the position is mandatory

• Experience in some of the strategic areas of the Chicago Commitment team’s grantmaking, including Culture, Equity and the Arts; Civic Partnerships (with a current focus on gun violence prevention); Vital Communities; and Advancing Leadership

• Experience promoting the leadership of community-based and other civic leaders, and in implementing effective strategies for leadership development, particularly in the context of building organizational and sector capacity.

• Experience in organizational development, strategic planning, capacity building, and/or financial management

• Participate in the design, implementation, refinement and/or adaptation of grantmaking strategies and in planning future program strategies; assist in the design of new initiatives

• Identify prospective grant recipients and work with prospective grant recipients to develop proposals that advance grantmaking strategies

• Review and evaluate proposals

• Conduct background research and due diligence, prepare grant recommendations for administrative and Board consideration, and respond to unsuccessful proposals

• Monitor the performance of grants, including research grants, and the implementation of grant strategies; participate in evaluating the grant portfolio

• Manage a caseload of active grants, review periodic reports and maintain accurate records and constructive contact with grant recipients

• Organize meetings of prospective and current grant recipients, program advisors, and others in relevant fields

• Keep abreast of current events, developments, and issues in the field in order to maintain a balanced and objective perspective and approach to grantmaking.

• Write extensively for internal and external purposes

• Build and sustain relationships with colleagues across the Foundation, and with leaders, actors and organizations in relevant fields, including the public and commercial sectors

• Represent the Foundation at conferences and other public events, including as a speaker or panel participant

• Experience with participatory grantmaking processes desired but not mandatory

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serve on internal Foundation committees as appropriate

• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Graduate training and at least five years’ experience working as a policy professional, a researcher, or a practitioner in a relevant field; previous grantmaking or grant seeking experience is desirable

• Solid grounding in the theory, history, and trends in a relevant area of work; a strong grasp of relevant empirical research and theoretical literature; and a good understanding of the substance and dynamics of public policies relevant to the work of the team

• Able to make effective connections among research, policy, and practice and to work productively with community-based organizations, government, and academic institutions; working knowledge of relevant government policies and programs

• Understand how to embed community voices, lived experience, diversity, equity, and inclusion in grantmaking

• Able to consider inequities, structural drivers, and power dynamics in the work of the team both internally and externally

• Excellent analytical and communications skills, including writing and public speaking

• Experience in strategic communications and project management.

• Self-confident, collegial, and diplomatic, with an appreciation of the role of a grantmaking institution

• Computer literate, with a high level of comfort with new applications

• Other essential skills include: effectiveness in interpersonal relations with a proven ability to work as part of a team; the ability to organize and convey problems and issues clearly and succinctly; ease with and openness to people who hold diverse views; and a talent for managing multiple tasks with significant initiative

The position is hybrid and based in Chicago, Illinois.

Annual salary for this for role will start at $120,700.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

The work environment is an office setting. Intermittent physical activities will include bending, reaching, sitting, and moving around the office during working hours. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable a person with physical disabilities to perform the job.

Looking for more jobs near me. Find your favorite job now by visiting our jobs page.