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WASH Program Officer

Employer
The Osprey Foundation
Location
Maryland, United States
Salary
Salary Commensurate with experience
Closing date
Apr 5, 2023

WASH PROGRAM OFFICER
JOB DESCRIPTION

 THE ROLE

The Osprey Foundation is seeking a Program Officer to join its Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) team. The Program Officer will help to manage the foundation’s relationships with WASH grantees and other partners by analyzing existing and potential grants, assessing actual and potential developments in the WASH sector, representing the foundation at relevant events, and contributing to the foundation’s WASH strategy, budgeting and administrative activities.

The Program Officer (PO) will report to the Managing Director of the WASH team, Louis Boorstin, who is based in the Washington, DC area, and will collaborate with Lauren Maher Patrick, Program Officer on the WASH team, who is based in Massachusetts. This is either a full-time or part‑time position (minimum half-time) with occasional travel required.  This is a remote position; a location on the east coast of the US is preferred, but not required.

THE FOUNDATION

The Osprey Foundation is a family foundation that acts as a catalyst for empowered, healthy, and fulfilled lives.  We approach our work mindful of the communities impacted by our work and the systems that need to be addressed to create meaningful, lasting change. We actively listen to our partners, who are sometimes in the early stages of their endeavors, and we provide them with the funding they need to pilot innovations and implement lasting approaches.  Our partners work in various countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as in the United States.  We primarily focus on water, sanitation, and hygiene as well as cleaner cooking, with other initiatives in international health, interfaith relations and social justice.

 THE WASH PROGRAM

Osprey’s WASH program has four main elements, all of which are pursued from a systems-change perspective: 1) Supporting systems strengthening that promotes sustainable access to WASH services at scale (as opposed to one-time investments in hardware); 2) Seeding innovative and scalable models that create game-changing improvements in the way WASH services are delivered to the poor; 3) Catalyzing innovative and scalable financing structures; and, 4) Advocating for change within the sector through collaboration with other WASH funders, support for catalytic events, and sharing of effective methods. Osprey supports select WASH initiatives, NGOs and social ventures with grants, impact investments and expert advice on strategy, funding and operations.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

I.Grantee management

The foundation strives to be accessible and supportive to its grantees and investees, typically providing feedback and guidance in addition to funding.  The PO will have primary responsibility for Osprey’s relationship with a number of grantees, a role which entails:

  • Managing communications with grantees, answering their questions, and seeking further information to enhance the foundation’s understanding of their activities and its ability to provide useful feedback.
  • Communicating with colleagues on the WASH team about the status of grants by providing updates as/when needed and by preparing internal written reviews of proposals and annual reports from grantees.
  • Visiting country programs and/or headquarters of grantees periodically to learn more about their activities and to provide them with our reflections on their strategies and operations.

All of this work is undertaken in the context of Osprey’s WASH strategy and is underpinned by the PO’s capacity for analyzing each grantee and adding value to their programs.  Grantee management constitutes the majority of the PO’s work.

II. Sector knowledge and relationships

To enhance the impact of Osprey’s WASH program, the PO will stay current on actual and potential developments in the sector (and the international development field more broadly) through learning and relationship building.  This type of engagement informs the management of existing grants, the identification of new grants, and the refinement of our WASH strategy.  It also presents opportunities for the WASH team to share our own learning externally.  Relevant activities include:

  • Participating in webinars and conferences on behalf of the foundation as both a participant and a speaker.
  • Reading/watching relevant written and multimedia reports, articles and videos.
  • Preparing presentations and written material describing Osprey’s activities and funding approaches.
  • Cultivating strong relationships with other WASH funders (particularly through the WASH Funders Group that Osprey helped to found), sector experts, and other partners.

The PO will be expected to share back with colleagues on the WASH team the knowledge gleaned and the opportunities identified from these engagements.

III.  Strategy, budgeting and administration

Along with other members of the team, the PO will participate in the operations of the WASH program by:

  • Participating in monthly WASH team meetings led by the President of the foundation in which we share updates on recent contacts with grantees and other partners as well as takeaways from engagements in external events.
  • Coordinating management of grants and impact investments with others on the WASH team and with external support colleagues (Arabella Advisors, WMS Partners).
  • Keeping electronic records on grants and budgets up-to-date through the use of a dedicated grants management system (Foundant) and other tools.
  • Contributing to annual program planning and budgeting as well as to periodic reviews and revisions of the foundation’s WASH strategy.

 Other activities

The PO may be asked to undertake other activities consistent with the foundation’s objectives, which could include working in other areas of international development such as sustainable energy.

 QUALIFICATIONS

  • Minimum 7 years of relevant work experience, preferably in WASH and/or related sectors in international development. In-country experience in the developing world is highly desirable. (Candidates with deeper experience will also be considered as long as they understand the nature of the work expected, as described above.)
  • Proven experience in relationship management and senior-level interactions. The PO will often be the sole representative of the foundation in meetings, calls and emails, and must conduct such interactions in a fully professional and constructive manner while also raising potentially sensitive issues.
  • Familiarity with systems change / systems strengthening approaches is a plus.
  • Experience with making and/or receiving grants and impact investments is highly desirable.
  • Knowledge of finance and the ability to understand financial statements is a plus.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to look at familiar situations in new ways and to identify and assess potential innovations.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to stay organized, manage multiple tasks, prioritize, and meet deadlines.
  • Ability to work well with colleagues, including an open communication style and openness to receiving and giving feedback.
  • Must have a sense of humor, remain calm under pressure, and exhibit humility.
  • Knowledge of foreign languages would be a plus.
  • Familiarity with relevant software programs and ability to learn new ones.
  • Minimum educational level of a bachelor’s degree with a preference for a graduate degree, preferably in relevant disciplines.
  • Discretion and maturity in all confidential matters.

LOCATION - This is a remote position; a location on the east coast of the US is preferred, but not required.

 COMPENSATION

Compensation package will be commensurate with experience and will be based in part on comparable positions in the non-profit and small foundation sectors as well as the location of the Program Officer.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send a cover letter (1 page preferred; 2 pages maximum) and CV to info@ospreyfdn.org with the subject line “Program Officer Application”. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023 by 5:00 pm EDT.

 

The Osprey Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.

 

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