Program Officer Job Description National
About the Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing
Founded in 2000, the Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO) is a dynamic association of social justice funders and youth organizing practitioners dedicated to advancing youth organizing as a strategy for youth development and social change. FCYO’s mission is to increase resources to the field of youth organizing and promote the leadership of low-income young people and young people of color in social justice organizing. Our goals are focused on the following program areas:
-
Infrastructure Development: To build a more powerful and connected youth organizing field with shared strategies to engage more young people, expand power, and address pressing issues
-
Grantmaking & Capacity Building: To strengthen the organizational capacity of and provide direct resources for youth organizing groups
-
Funder Advocacy and Communications: To increase knowledge and awareness of youth organizing and develop a core of aligned funders committed to expanding resources for this work
To date, FCYO has:
-
Developed and disseminated eleven installments of the Occasional Papers Series, one of the most referenced resources on youth organizing, and conducted national field scans on the trends, challenges and opportunities in the field;
-
Distributed over $6.5 million in grants to youth organizing groups and intermediaries through our grantmaking programs;
-
Influenced numerous foundations to fund youth organizing, and supported foundations in developing their own grantmaking strategies;
-
Organized historic national gatherings and meetings of youth organizing groups to network, provide peer support, and share effective practices and resources.
Position Summary
FCYO seeks a visionary and knowledgeable candidate with a commitment to supporting youth- led social justice to fill a new Program Officer (PO) position. The PO will co-design and lead a new grantmaking initiative, provide oversight to an annual capacity building program, and lead some of our Youth CORE field infrastructure activities including our webinar series and Learning and Exchange Fund. The PO will also support other FCYO activities including fundraising, administration, and funder advocacy. The ideal candidate brings a strong analysis of social justice issues, experience with the youth organizing field, some experience with philanthropy, strong writing skills, and the ability to work in a team and independently. The PO will work closely with FCYO’s Executive Director and other staff members. FCYO staff work remotely, so the PO can be based anywhere in the US. Some travel is required.
Responsibilities:
Grantmaking
The PO will co-design and lead a new national grantmaking initiative focused on supporting youth organizing groups in building power and sustaining the long term engagement of youth leaders. This will include working with FCYO’s Executive Director and field and funding partners to design the initiative and identify new funding partners. Additionally, the PO will lead the process of selecting grant partners, support a learning community among selected organizations, design and oversee capacity building for grant partners, and manage grant partner relationships.
Capacity Building
FCYO runs an annual capacity building initiative designed to help a cohort of 8-12 youth organizing groups strengthen their organizations. Past initiatives have focused on financial management and digital organizing. This year’s initiative will focus on helping youth organizing groups integrate youth development supports for youth leaders into their work and reach new funders to support that work. The Program Officer will help design this initiative, select technical assistance providers, lead the process of selecting the cohort, oversee the project, and ensure lessons are shared with the broader field.
Field Infrastructure
FCYO’s Youth Community Organizing Resource Exchange (Youth CORE) project creates regular opportunities for youth organizing groups from across the country to come together to learn from each other and build relationships. The PO will organize a webinar series that allows youth organizing groups to share tools and resources. In addition, the PO will lead our new Learning and Exchange Fund which will provide small grants to youth organizing groups to visit each other, attend trainings, or engage in shared learning projects.
Additional Responsibilities:
In addition to the primary responsibilities above, the PO will participate in fundraising and perform limited administrative tasks. The PO will also provide limited support to other FCYO programs including funder advocacy, communications, and field convenings.
Qualifications:
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in social justice work with significant experience with youth organizing and knowledge of the national youth organizing field.
- Strong social and racial justice analysis and understanding of movement building strategy.
- Experience designing and implementing capacity-building initiatives for youth organizing groups desired.
- Experience in philanthropy preferred.
- Experience managing consultants, grantees, and strategic partners.
- Strong analytical and writing skills required.
- Strong oral communication skills; comfortable presenting information at meetings and conferences, and representing FCYO in the broader community.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and communicate effectively and professionally with a diverse range of people.
- Fundraising experience desired.
- Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects effectively.
- Outstanding creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Periodic national travel required
- Must be flexible to work some evenings and weekends around convenings and conferences
Location: FCYO staff work remotely and can be based anywhere in the country.
Job Type: Full-Time, salaried.
Start Date: Oct 1, 2016
Compensation: Salary is commensurate with experience. Benefits include medical, dental, vision and long and short term disability coverage; 401K; generous paid vacation and sick time off; and other types of paid leave.
More information about FCYO can be found at www.fcyo.org. FCYO is a project of and fiscally sponsored by Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. FCYO is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from women, people of color, and members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities.
This job description is intended to convey information essential to understand the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the position.
Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter by September 9, 2016 to Will Buford, Operations and Development Manager, at [email protected]. Please put “Program Officer” in the subject line. No phone calls please.
Be the first to comment
Sign in with