ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Foundation for a Just Society (FJS) envisions a world where all people are equally valued and lead self-determined lives. FJS advances the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people and promotes gender and racial justice by ensuring those most affected by injustice have the resources they need to cultivate the leadership and solutions that transform our world.

FJS makes grants to local, national, regional, and global organizations and networks with an emphasis on Francophone West Africa, Mesoamerica, South and Southeast Asia, and the US Southeast. FJS supports efforts that advance long-term, structural change and meet immediate needs that enable women, girls, and LGBTQI people most affected by injustice to be leaders, strategists, and agents of change.

POSITION SUMMARY

The program assistant provides administrative and project management support to the director of programs and program team. In addition, this position provides grantmaking support to the director of programs and the global program officer. The program assistant plays an essential role in supporting the smooth running of the program team, and the implementation of the global grantmaking strategy.

The ideal candidate for this position is highly adaptive, technologically savvy, an independent problem solver, meticulous, collegial, and thrives in a dynamic environment. They have high-level administrative experience and a working knowledge of and commitment to women’s rights and LGBTQI movements globally. This position is based in New York.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Administration and Project Management (60%)

●     Develop an efficient system for managing the director of programs’ calendar for meetings, appointments, and scheduling.

●     Make travel arrangements for the director of programs.

●     Maintain contact lists and other filing systems (online and offline).

●     Schedule and arrange logistics for all program team meetings, retreats, site visits, and events.

●     Reconcile expenses for the director of programs.

●     Coordinate and liaise, as needed, with program staff and the finance team in processing contracts and payments.

●     Document and keep track of action items, deliverables, and deadlines related to ongoing organization-wide projects involving the director of programs.

●     Keep track of and help to prioritize ongoing tasks requiring the director of programs’ attention.

●     Assist the director of programs in developing project timelines and ensuring that staff adhere to those timelines.

Grantmaking Support (40%)

●     Serve as a point of contact and information resource for grantee partners on logistical and administrative matters.

●     Assist the director of programs and global program officer with solicitations for proposals, including gathering additional information from grantee partners.

●     Review proposals, reports, and related documents submitted by grantees for accuracy, completeness, and adherence to appropriate protocols.

●     Support the global program officer and director of programs in drafting write ups that synthesize funding requests and make the case for funding grantee partners’ work.

●     Assist with grants monitoring and ensure that grantee partners submit required documentation on a timely basis.

●     Update and maintain the accuracy of grantmaking information including by logging and tracking information in the grants database.

●     Support the director of programs and global program officer in tracking the regional budget. 

Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

●     Demonstrated commitment to the foundation’s vision and mission and deep alignment with its values.

●     Bachelor’s degree in social sciences or related field (gender studies, anthropology, sociology, or international development).

●     At least two to three years of experience in administrative roles within human rights and social justice nonprofit or philanthropic sectors; proven track record in executing the responsibilities of this position.

●     Strong administration and project management skills with attention to detail.

●     Effectively manages competing priorities and can re-prioritize tasks, as needed.

●     Takes initiative, is self-motivated, and has a desire to learn and improve skills.

●     Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with a team.

●     Experience with grantmaking processes at a public or private foundation strongly preferred.

●     Familiarity with gender justice, women’s, girls’ and LGBTQI rights, and global trends within these fields.

●     Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a small team-oriented environment while also carrying out responsibilities with considerable independence.

●     Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English.

●     Critical thinking and problem solving skills.

●     Willingness to embrace critical feedback with a positive attitude.

●     Eligibility to work in the United States.

Benefits