Program Officer, Global LGBT Social Justice Portfolio at the Arcus Foundation

Arcus Foundation

Program Officer, Global LGBT Social Justice Portfolio

Location: New York City, U.S.

Founded in 2000, the mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes. The Foundation has offices in Kalamazoo, Michigan, New York City and Cambridge, UK.

The Arcus Foundation is a leading global foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues. Specifically, Arcus works to advance LGBT equality, as well as to conserve and protect the great apes. The Arcus Foundation has two major program areas with active grantmaking and operating activities around the world. These include the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Rights Program and the Great Apes Program. For more information about the Arcus Foundation please visit www.arcusfoundation.org. 


Summary Description

As part of a cross-discipline and integrated program team, the Program Officer will be responsible for developing, monitoring and coordinating grantmaking activities for the Arcus Foundation’s Social Justice Portfolio. The goal of this global and domestic portfolio is to advance and bridge efforts that develop and support capacity development of key grantee partners, organizing, advocacy and policy development, research, coalition building, and public education.

In particular, the Program Officer will work toward supporting the development of a diverse, unified and effective social justice movement that includes strategies at the intersections of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status and age.

The Program Officer will develop grantmaking strategies, identify prospective grantees, solicit, review and respond to grant proposals, and prepare recommendations for Arcus Foundation funding.

The Program Officer will be expected to provide intellectual leadership in the fields of Social Justice and LGBT Equality and work closely with other Arcus Foundation program staff, communications, finance, grants management and senior leaders whose work relates to the central mission of the portfolio.

The Program Officer is expected to collaborate broadly with scholars and practitioners, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and other donors on issues of common program concern and to develop and implement strategies to leverage the Foundation’s investments through partnerships with donors and funders.

Core Responsibilities

Grantmaking and Grants Management 
As part of a cross-discipline and integrated grantmaking team, the Program Officer will: 
• Meet with potential grant seekers and current grantees to hold meetings on strategic ideas, structure grantee convenings, review proposals, summarize projects for Board meetings, plan and conduct site visits and oversee past grants 
• Ensure that Foundation grants are achieving intended purposes and are aligned with the Foundation’s goals and outcomes
• Implement the Arcus monitoring strategy and gather data on measures and benchmarks to enable the Foundation to assess the impact of its grantmaking in these areas 
• Engage in periodic evaluation of the Foundation’s work in these areas to document accomplishments, lessons learned and progress towards outcomes set by the Foundation’s Board of Directors
• Participate in and be an active member of the Arcus Program Team to provide input into the Foundation's overall grantmaking processes, guidelines and systems and to contribute to collaborative learning processes

Leadership in the Field

In order to promote the Arcus Foundation as a leader in the field, the Program Officer will:
• Connect the Arcus Foundation with global and domestic fields of social and racial justice and LGBT equality
• Help build relationships among funders and existing Arcus grantees
• Leverage additional resources from other donors and corporations to support Arcus Foundation program strategies and develop creative mechanisms for collaborative grantmaking
• Fund or engage in research, policy analysis and other projects that deepen the field’s knowledge of social justice and LGBT issues.
• Engage in speaking, writing, public advocacy and other strategies that promote the Foundation's values and goals

Qualifications

• Advanced training in law or public policy, or other relevant field
• Minimum 5 years professional experience in social justice and LGBT rights issues in the U.S. and internationally
• Excellent analytical, oral presentation, writing, and interpersonal skills
• Fluency in a second language
• Familiarity with philanthropy and nonprofit sector issues in the U.S. and developing countries are highly desirable
• The ability to work closely with colleagues in a collaborative team environment and with grantees of diverse backgrounds and perspectives is critical
• Excellent people skills, high energy, strategic and actionable thinking and commitment level are required

Salary

Salary is based on experience and on the Foundation’s commitment to internal equity. A generous benefits package is provided.

Application Process
Please send resume and cover letter to hr@arcusfoundation.org. Indicate "Program Officer, Global LGBT Social Justice Portfolio” in the subject line. Mailed applications should be sent to:

Human Resources 
Arcus Foundation 
44 West 28th Street, 17th Floor 
New York, NY 10011