Program Officer
- Employer
- Stanford Impact Labs
- Location
- California, United States
- Salary
- Salary Commensurate with experience
- Closing date
- Nov 25, 2021
View more
- Position Type
- Programs, Grant Administration, Grant Making, Program Administration and Management
- Fields
- Education, Philanthropic Advisors, Research
- Employment Type
- Full Time
The world’s biggest social problems are complex, multi-faceted, and pervasive. No academic center, company, or organization can solve systemic issues – such as economic inequality, inequitable access to health care and education, and racial discrimination – alone. We need leaders with different skills and experiences to come together to generate fresh insights, evidence, and action to make progress.
Stanford Impact Labs – a major new initiative at Stanford University – invests in mission-driven teams of researchers and practitioners from government, business, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy. These teams – or impact labs – work together on social problems they choose and where practical progress is possible. With our support, they rapidly develop, test, and scale new solutions to social problems that affect millions of people worldwide. Learn more at our work and impact at https://impact.stanford.edu/.
WHAT YOU’LL DOStanford Impact Labs is seeking an inaugural Program Officer to manage a portfolio of grantees putting science to work for society. Reporting into the Director of Investments & Accountability, this role will be joining Stanford Impact Labs at a unique time of dramatic growth in the organization; supporting the organization to build the systems for a replicable investment model; and laying the groundwork for building the case toward substantial national investment in R&D on social problems.
In this role, you will:
-
Lead due diligence of grants,
including reviewing proposals by assessing their scientific
contribution, quality of team and partnerships as well as their
pathway from science to impact.
-
Independently manage a portfolio of
multiple grantees, including by developing tailored key performance
indicators for each grantee, supporting grantee learning and
continuous improvement; and conducting ongoing portfolio
monitoring.
-
Evaluate grantees performance,
proactively identifying barriers to impact and work with grantees
to overcome those barriers, in close collaboration with the Program
Manager.
-
Represent Stanford Impact Labs with
both internal and external stakeholders, including faculty members,
lab partners (which include policymakers in leading municipal,
state and federal government agencies, as well as non-profits),
among external experts (including practitioners and affected
communities) as well as public & private funders that are
current or potential future supporters of labs.
-
Review and analyze trends across
Stanford Impact Labs’ investments. Identify issues and recommend
solutions to improve Stanford Impact Labs’ investment
process.
-
Support the design, implementation,
and on-going evaluation of an investment process to allocate grants
to people, projects and labs that deploys our limited resources to
where it can most effectively improve outcomes on people’s
lives.
-
Support the continued development and
delivery of Stanford Impact Labs’ approach to shared governance in
our investment process, including by sharing power and voice with
practitioners and affected communities.
-
As a new initiative within the
university, this role requires the ability to take on new
assignments and projects as they arise. Of relevance to this role
is the expansion of funding, grantee programming and replication of
SIL’s model.
WHO YOU ARE
-
You have experience funding,
supporting or directly implementing change within US
local, state, federal governments or large social sector or
community organizations. You understand what it takes to go from
idea to action and have 5-10 years of professional experience.
You’re a
problem-solver, committed to supporting the teams we
invest in. You have a strong understanding of the pathways from
research to impact and know what roadblocks teams face--because you
have faced those roadblocks before. You have demonstrated
creativity, problem solving, critical analysis, initiative,
judgment and decision-making skills.
You thrive in a dynamic,
open, and collaborative work environment. You are at home
in a lean start-up environment with the ability to stay focused and
nimble in the face of rapid change. You believe in collaboration
and including a diversity of views, experiences, and perspectives.
You have solid planning and organizational skills and excellent
interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
You are a catalyst for racial
and social justice work. You care about social inequities
and systems of oppression. You have a demonstrated track record of
working effectively across lines of difference. You are committed
to centering equity and inclusion in programs and practices.
You have a passion
for Stanford Impact
Lab’s approach and the real-world implementation of research
insights through equitable partnerships. You bring a social science
mindset to the work.
-
You have experience operating
at the intersection of research and practice with US local, state,
federal governments or large social sector organizations.
You have demonstrated experience putting social science insights to
work for society; either by participating in multiple
researcher-practitioner partnerships, or by overseeing or funding
multiple partnerships.
You have an understanding of
research design & how research can respond to society’s largest
problems. You can quickly assess the strength and
credibility of different research designs in answering different
types of questions.
-
Advanced degree (Masters or
PhD) in economics, public policy, or other social science
discipline. This may include graduate-level coursework in
research methods, even if a degree was not
conferred.
Profiles for a successful candidate would likely have the following skill sets or background: a) philanthropy professionals who have experience in building and supporting grantmaking portfolios b) management consultants with public sector consulting experience; c) professionals who have effected change within municipal, local, state or US federal governments, or large social sector or community organizations.
No candidate will meet every requirement. We encourage
applications from people who are a good fit - through work
experience, volunteering, and other personal experiences - and who
will grow and thrive in this position.
Stanford Impact Labs is an equal opportunity organization working to address some of the world’s most challenging social problems. To that end, we particularly encourage people with lived experience of those social problems to apply for open positions. Please submit your resume and a cover letter through the Stanford Career Portal.
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