Position Title: Program Officer, Francophone West Africa         

Department: Programs                                            

Reports to: Executive Director

Location: New York, NY                                            

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Foundation for a Just Society (FJS) envisions a world without discrimination — where people are equally valued regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, economic status, or sexual orientation.

Through direct grantmaking, capacity building, strategic communications, and leadership in philanthropy, we advance the human rights of women, girls, and LGBTI people globally — with particular focus in Central America, Francophone West Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the US Southeast. 

POSITION SUMMARY

The Program Officer will serve as the key point of contact for organizations in Francophone West Africa (particularly Burkina Faso and Senegal) seeking funding, reviewing grant requests, managing a diverse portfolio of grants, evaluate regional grantmaking strategies, and manage an in-country Francophone West Africa regional consultant. The Program Officer will contribute to the implementation of our grantmaking, capacity building, strategic communications, evaluation and monitoring programs. This position requires international and domestic travel. 

The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, analytical, highly adaptive, technologically savvy, an independent problem solver, meticulous, collegial, and thrives in a dynamic environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct Grantmaking

• Contribute to the development of in-depth knowledge and strategic analysis of assigned regional area(s), including current issues and key resource people and organizations, and a clear understanding of how they fit into our Theory of Change.
• Oversee all stages of grantmaking in regional portfolio(s), including solicitation, due diligence, assessment and evaluation, recommendations for funding, docket writing, and presentation to the executive director and Board of Directors.
• Monitors grant implementation and evaluates performance, including following up on grantee inquiries and site visits.
• Prepare internal status reports and contributes programmatic analysis for the program team and Board of Directors.
• Attends Board Meetings to present recommendations and provide information and updates; interacts with the Board of Directors throughout the year.
• Recruit and manage external consultant resources.
• Adhere to foundation grant management system and grantmaking procedures, including preparation of all relevant documents.

Capacity Building

• Field emergent capacity building requests from current grantee partners
• Develop a field-level capacity building approach for regional portfolio(s)

Strategic Communications

• Work with the communications team to build the communications capacities of grantee partners and the women’s and LGBTI rights fields.
• Contribute to the advancement of our communications strategy, as guided by the communications team.
• Act as an ambassador for the foundation to external audiences.

Leadership in Philanthropy

• Contributes to developing grantmaking policies and programmatic collaborations that analyze regional issues, trends, best practices, lessons learned, and strategies pertaining to women’s and LGBTI rights and philanthropy
• Represents the foundation professionally by responding to inquiries, attending meetings and conferences, and participating in collaborations and affinity groups.
• Develops partnerships with other institutions to extend the impact of our grantmaking.
• Works with our program team to contribute to the design and implement overall learning, monitoring and evaluation plans for the grantmaking program and each proposal recommended for funding.

REQUIREMENTS

• Demonstrated commitment to and deep alignment with our vision, values, and Theory of Change
• Deep understanding of intersectional justice work, with an emphasis on the leadership of women and LGBTI people from marginalized communities.
• Knowledge, of, passion for, and firm grounding in grassroots and global women’s and LGBTI rights movements, particularly in our priority regions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; clear understanding of how to research an issue area and effectively communicate findings.
• Demonstrated ability to engage in strategic and analytical thinking and planning with a strong attention to detail.
• Experience moving a project from conceptualization to completion, including the coordination of planning and logistics for meetings and convenings.
• Experience working as an effective member of a highly collaborative team and independently. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• BA/BS required, Master’s degree highly preferred.
• Minimum 5–10 years of professional experience in women’s and LGBTI rights work in Francophone West Africa (particularly at a grassroots level) and in the field of philanthropy.
• French fluency
• Excellent research, written and oral communication skills

COMPENSATION + CULTURE

FJS offers relocation support, a competitive salary, excellent benefits, generous vacation, and a collegial working environment. We employ a small staff and are dedicated to promoting an environment of collaboration and work-life balance.

FJS deeply values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of individuals of underrepresented backgrounds, including gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

HOW TO APPLY

Email a concise and compelling cover letter, two relevant writing samples, and your resume in one PDF to [email protected] by September 30, 2016. Please include “FWA Program Officer – YOUR NAME” in the subject line.

All applications must be received via email. No phone inquiries please.