Job Description

Summary:

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the nation's largest independent foundations. The Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur invests in solving some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., revitalizing local news, expanding who creates, uses, and benefits from artificial intelligence, and strengthening the well-being of Native communities. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program and the global 100&Change competition, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsive democracy as well as the vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. The Foundation also has offices in Nigeria and India.

The Office of the President at the MacArthur Foundation is responsible for ensuring the Foundation delivers on its philanthropic mission of helping to build a more just, verdant, and peaceful world, by enabling the President to perform at a high level internally and externally and ensuring efficient and effective operations related to the Board of Directors, grant-making, budgeting, and internal leadership and organization.  The President’s Office also implements strategic grant-making and special initiatives that are in alignment with the Foundation’s mission and the President’s vision.   

The Program Officer, President’s Office, works with the team’s Director and colleagues to ensure the strategic, effective and efficient implementation of grantmaking and special initiatives sponsored by the office.  The Program Officer will be called upon to produce, sometimes under pressure, and consistently deliver high-quality work.  They must have the gravitas to represent the President well and the ability to build effective relationships internally and externally.  This person must be able to move grants and initiatives from concept through implementation, taking initiative, displaying leadership, collaborating with others, anticipating potential issues, and proposing creative solutions. The Program Officer is expected to be highly skilled in strategy and program development, planning, organization, and project management. All President’s Office team members serve as extensions of the President, holding the highest standards and executing with rigor and intention.    

This role is term-limited for an initial period of 5 years, with the possibility of an extension.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participate in the design, implementation, refinement and adaptation of grant-making strategies

• Support the Director, President’s Office, in managing the grant-making budget

• Identify prospective grant recipients and work with prospective grantees to develop proposals that meet internal standards and align with institutional goals and values

• Conduct background research and due diligence, prepare grant recommendations for the President’s consideration, review and evaluate proposals, and respond graciously to unsuccessful proposals

• Monitor the performance of grants and the implementation of grant strategies

• Build and maintain relationships with grantees in the portfolio while managing the administrative cycle of a grant, including reviewing reports and maintaining records.

• Organize meetings and convenings of prospective grantees, program advisors, and others in relevant fields

• Write extensively for internal purposes

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

• Assist in the design and implementation of special initiatives

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

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serve on internal Foundation committees as appropriate

• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and six to ten years working as a policy professional, researcher or practitioner in a relevant field; previous grantmaking or grant seeking experience preferred; graduate training is desirable

• Able to make effective connections among research, policy, and practice and to work productively across sectors

• Experience working in and deep knowledge of the non-profit and/or government sectors

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

• Experience in project management and strategic communications

• Self-confident, collegial, and diplomatic, with an appreciation of the role of an executive office internally and externally

• Computer fluent, 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; a talent for managing multiple tasks with significant initiative; ability to anticipate and prevent problems, as well as to problem solve creatively; attention to detail; and quick turn-around time.

The position is hybrid and based in Chicago, Illinois.

Annual salary for this role will start at $120,700. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and a comprehensive benefits package to support your life, health, and well-being.

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.  Requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered to enable a person with disabilities to perform the job.  Reasonable accommodations are also available during the interview process.