Senior Program Officer, Policy Development, College Ready
Date: Jan 14, 2012
Location: Washington, DC, US
Position Title Senior Program Officer, Policy Development, College Ready
Division U.S. Program
Department Policy and Advocacy
Location Washington D.C.
Foundation Overview
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Group Summary
The US Program Advocacy and Policy Team works to advance the Foundation's US Program goals, with a particular focus on developing policy, finance and issue advocacy strategies and grants to support the scaling and sustainability of the Foundation's work in K-12 Education, Post Secondary Success, US Libraries, and the Pacific Northwest. The team also manages a range of large, visible and inter-related policy grantees working on complementary issues, requiring considerable political and policy sophistication.
Responsibilities
The Senior Program Officer, Policy Development will work with the USP Program Advocacy and Policy Team and will guide the foundation's investments supporting college readiness standards and related policy development initiatives . In this capacity, the Senior Program Officer will drive a set of strategies that help states to meaningfully implement the Common Core State Standards. Specifically, the Senior Program Officer (SPO) for Policy Development will be embedded with the College Ready Work team and will:
- Create overarching framework for state technical assistance on policy advocacy associated with Common Core implementation. Work with other SPOs at the foundation on the Advocacy and Policy, College Ready Work, States,Districts and Network, and Post-Secondary Success teams to execute grant portfolio against this framework.
- Manage internal processes and portfolio progress, while ensuring appropriate documentation, grant budgeting and reporting in support of both the US Program Advocacy and Policy and College Ready Work deputy directors.
- Collaborate with US Program Advocacy and Policy colleagues to track program, resource and public opinion shifts on key education issues related to college ready work and develop responsive grant strategies to maximize opportunities and minimize risks.
- Write informative briefings and other materials on key issues for the US Program Advocacy and Policy leadership team and foundation leadership, in consultation with US Program Advocacy and Policy and College Ready Work Deputy Directors as appropriate.
- Provide strategic thought partnership to critical federal, state and multi-state grantees on policy issues related to College Ready Work. These grantees may be in the SPO's grant portfolio or may sit elsewhere on the US Program Advocacy and Policy and College Ready Work teams.
- Independently, and in consultation with colleagues, envision and conceptualize complex investment opportunities and design component features; develop new approaches, strategic partnerships, collaborations and implementation plans to ensure long-term sustainability and impact, including building external capacity to accomplish initiatives.
- Develop actionable milestones and metrics for individual grants and for portfolio in line with dashboards established by the US Program Advocacy and Policy and College Ready Work teams.
- Review, refine and align an existing portfolio of relationships, grants and approaches to optimize resources and results.
- Prospect for both solicited and unsolicited potential new grant opportunities, analyze their feasibility, shape specific opportunities, present recommendations internally, and negotiate grant agreements.
- Represent the foundation to the public: bring together disparate and powerful individuals and groups; mobilize them to take action on complex and highly visible problems; navigate and negotiate in highly charged situations.
- Ensure effective relationships with key stakeholders inside and outside the foundation, including the foundation's programmatic teams, business partners, grantees, vendors, and others.
Qualifications
- Prior experience operating at the state level and, preferably, also in an education-oriented multi-state organization.
- Significant work experience in a cross-cutting role inside a state agency or in an advocacy or technical assistance arm of a multi-state organization.
- Significant experience informing state accountability policy, preferably at the agency level.
- An experienced manager with a minimum of 10 years experience.
- An advanced degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent work experience required.
- Demonstrated ability to target critical business problems and apply appropriate decision making/technology/methodologies.
- Extensive project contribution and management experience and an ability to effectively prioritize projects, completing in a timely manner with outstanding attention to detail.
- Must be able to take rough concepts and develop concrete work plans, listen and understand issues from a number of perspectives so that communications sent out are clearly and thoughtfully articulated.
- Exceptional analytical, organizational and communication skills in positions requiring communication with a broad and diverse audience at all levels of the organization.
- Must be skilled in group problem solving and working to resolve problems with complex concepts in a dynamic setting.
- Must possess strong judgment with a demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks with competing priorities. Ability to manage confidential information and situations with efficiency, flexibility, diplomacy, while cultivating trust within the team.
- Superior writing and presentation skills with extensive use of tools within the Microsoft office suite.
Reports to: Deputy Director, Policy, US Program Advocacy & Policy
Requisition Number 2461BR
Division U.S. Program
Department Policy and Advocacy
Location Washington D.C.
Foundation Overview
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Group Summary
The US Program Advocacy and Policy Team works to advance the Foundation's US Program goals, with a particular focus on developing policy, finance and issue advocacy strategies and grants to support the scaling and sustainability of the Foundation's work in K-12 Education, Post Secondary Success, US Libraries, and the Pacific Northwest. The team also manages a range of large, visible and inter-related policy grantees working on complementary issues, requiring considerable political and policy sophistication.
Responsibilities
The Senior Program Officer, Policy Development will work with the USP Program Advocacy and Policy Team and will guide the foundation's investments supporting college readiness standards and related policy development initiatives . In this capacity, the Senior Program Officer will drive a set of strategies that help states to meaningfully implement the Common Core State Standards. Specifically, the Senior Program Officer (SPO) for Policy Development will be embedded with the College Ready Work team and will:
- Create overarching framework for state technical assistance on policy advocacy associated with Common Core implementation. Work with other SPOs at the foundation on the Advocacy and Policy, College Ready Work, States,Districts and Network, and Post-Secondary Success teams to execute grant portfolio against this framework.
- Manage internal processes and portfolio progress, while ensuring appropriate documentation, grant budgeting and reporting in support of both the US Program Advocacy and Policy and College Ready Work deputy directors.
- Collaborate with US Program Advocacy and Policy colleagues to track program, resource and public opinion shifts on key education issues related to college ready work and develop responsive grant strategies to maximize opportunities and minimize risks.
- Write informative briefings and other materials on key issues for the US Program Advocacy and Policy leadership team and foundation leadership, in consultation with US Program Advocacy and Policy and College Ready Work Deputy Directors as appropriate.
- Provide strategic thought partnership to critical federal, state and multi-state grantees on policy issues related to College Ready Work. These grantees may be in the SPO's grant portfolio or may sit elsewhere on the US Program Advocacy and Policy and College Ready Work teams.
- Independently, and in consultation with colleagues, envision and conceptualize complex investment opportunities and design component features; develop new approaches, strategic partnerships, collaborations and implementation plans to ensure long-term sustainability and impact, including building external capacity to accomplish initiatives.
- Develop actionable milestones and metrics for individual grants and for portfolio in line with dashboards established by the US Program Advocacy and Policy and College Ready Work teams.
- Review, refine and align an existing portfolio of relationships, grants and approaches to optimize resources and results.
- Prospect for both solicited and unsolicited potential new grant opportunities, analyze their feasibility, shape specific opportunities, present recommendations internally, and negotiate grant agreements.
- Represent the foundation to the public: bring together disparate and powerful individuals and groups; mobilize them to take action on complex and highly visible problems; navigate and negotiate in highly charged situations.
- Ensure effective relationships with key stakeholders inside and outside the foundation, including the foundation's programmatic teams, business partners, grantees, vendors, and others.
Qualifications
- Prior experience operating at the state level and, preferably, also in an education-oriented multi-state organization.
- Significant work experience in a cross-cutting role inside a state agency or in an advocacy or technical assistance arm of a multi-state organization.
- Significant experience informing state accountability policy, preferably at the agency level.
- An experienced manager with a minimum of 10 years experience.
- An advanced degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent work experience required.
- Demonstrated ability to target critical business problems and apply appropriate decision making/technology/methodologies.
- Extensive project contribution and management experience and an ability to effectively prioritize projects, completing in a timely manner with outstanding attention to detail.
- Must be able to take rough concepts and develop concrete work plans, listen and understand issues from a number of perspectives so that communications sent out are clearly and thoughtfully articulated.
- Exceptional analytical, organizational and communication skills in positions requiring communication with a broad and diverse audience at all levels of the organization.
- Must be skilled in group problem solving and working to resolve problems with complex concepts in a dynamic setting.
- Must possess strong judgment with a demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks with competing priorities. Ability to manage confidential information and situations with efficiency, flexibility, diplomacy, while cultivating trust within the team.
- Superior writing and presentation skills with extensive use of tools within the Microsoft office suite.
Reports to: Deputy Director, Policy, US Program Advocacy & Policy
Requisition Number 2461BR
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Senior Program Officer, Policy Development, College Ready
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