About the David and Lucile Packard Foundation:

The Packard Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of children, families, and communities—and restoring and protecting our planet. Guided by the principles of our founders, we think big and serve with humility.

Our grantees are making positive change all over the world and in our own backyard. We are known for our work protecting the climate, oceans, and land and for advancing reproductive health and rights. We also work hard to ensure that all children and families have what they need to succeed. Our capacity-building projects help non-profit leaders build more powerful and impactful organizations and movements.

People join the Packard Foundation because they believe in our mission. They stay for the community of talented and thoughtful colleagues who care deeply about making a meaningful impact. Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion is central to all our endeavors. We are committed to continually improving our efforts to lift up diverse voices, to advocate for justice and to foster inclusivity -- both within the Foundation and in our grantmaking.

The organization lives the values it supports. Our green headquarters is net zero energy and LEED® Platinum. Our bathrooms are gender neutral. Employees get a full week of paid time each year to volunteer with a non-profit of their choice. The Foundation also has a generous donation matching program for staff.

There is much work to do in the world and our local communities. At the Packard Foundation, we are committed to doing it with the highest levels of integrity, effectiveness and caring.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse candidate pool. To learn more about the Foundation, please visit www.packard.org.

About the Department:

The Conservation and Science Program is focused on the challenge of sustainability, finding development paths that meet human needs while protecting and restoring the ecological systems upon which all life depends. We invest in action and ideas that conserve and restore ecosystems while enhancing human well-being. Within the Conservation and Science Program, the climate team focuses on strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from deforestation (particularly in Indonesia) and from the use of bioenergy. The climate team also supports work on energy-related emission reductions in the U.S. and China through regranting partners.

About the Role:

The Program Associate is responsible for developing and leading the operations for an important piece of our climate grantmaking and works in partnership with the climate strategy Program Officers, other Foundation staff, and our grantees.

This position reports to the Program Budget Manager and joins a team of passionate individuals committed to developing effective processes and strong, trust-based relationships, to ultimately support the needs of our grantees. This Program Associate role partners closely with the two Program Officers on a day-to-day basis to ensure effective implementation of the climate strategies with the grantee at the center. Initially the role may start remotely, but will require working onsite at the Foundation offices in downtown Los Altos, California once the Foundation offices reopen.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Grants Operations & Grantee Support

• Build strong relationships with grantees to support the creation and submission of grant proposals, reports, and other required information, following Foundation guidelines, processes, and requirements, and working collaboratively to resolve issues as they arise
• Develop and lead operational processes & systems within strategy team with an eye towards effectiveness and easing grantee burden
• Manage a portfolio of ongoing grants, payments, and reports on various timelines and ensure accurate and timely review/submission of files and information within the grantmaking system through each step of the grant lifecycle, leveraging developed expertise in Foundation legal compliance, grantmaking systems, and financial grantmaking requirements
• Facilitate the development and management of strategy grant & operations budgets, developing team processes for ensuring accurate grant budget tracking throughout the year using existing tools
• Learn and understand the climate strategies to inform work with grantees; support and participate in strategy refinement and monitoring, evaluation, & learning as needed

Administrative Operations

• Participate in meetings with external audiences to produce collaborative work products by drafting agendas, preparing supporting materials, taking notes, and contributing to discussions
• Organize and coordinate scheduling for meetings with both internal and external participants and occasionally plan and manage logistics for team travel to conferences, convenings, and grantee sites, including travel for executives / trustees

Organizational Partnering & Initiatives

• Partner closely with two Climate Program Officers, one based locally and one internationally, to ensure effective and aligned team operations, grantmaking, and grantee support
• Exhibit and maintain trust-based and productive relationships with a wide range of organizations and individuals, including grantees, re-granters, funding partners, and foundation employees
• Coordinate regularly with international advisors & partners to meet program needs
• Collaborate with team members in on-going learning and process improvement, incorporating external and internal feedback to constantly improve how we do our work
• Participate in, and/or lead cross-Foundation initiatives, as appropriate, to achieve Foundation goals
• Pursue ongoing professional development opportunities and participate in Foundation-wide training sessions

Qualifications:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong operations and project coordination/management skills and experience, including the ability to develop and implement projects, processes, and systems, both independently and with colleagues
• Ability to coordinate across multiple stakeholders, both internal and external to the organization, to understand needs, negotiate priorities, and develop alignment; Ability to establish and maintain positive and productive working relationships with all people
• Great attention to detail and the ability to complete tasks with a high degree of accuracy and dependability
• A track record of being able to meet tight, sometimes simultaneous, deadlines with a keen ability to prioritize, adapt to changing needs, and partner with others to meet common goals
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A desire to grow your own cultural competence and dedication to actively participating in the Foundation’s work to integrate justice and equity into all facets of our work
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and a willingness to learn and become proficient with systems including Fluxx and Microsoft SharePoint
• Ability to coordinate among different time zones and be available for periodic early morning or evening calls
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally to conferences and grantee sites, both domestic and potentially international
• Ability to be consistent and dependable for full-time work and be available to work overtime when occasionally required
• Ability to work effectively remotely until the Foundation offices reopen

Experience

Experience of related cross-functional operations, partnering, and project management experience required.

Passion for conservation, as well as experience in the nonprofit sector, experience in grantmaking processes and familiarity with best practices, either through a foundation or grantee perspective, is desirable but not required.