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Senior Program Officer | Ecosystems Operations and Performance

Salary
Competitive
Employment
Full Time
Real Estate Field
Location
Kansas City
 MO
Postal Code
64110
Country
United States

This job is no longer active.

Description


The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist . Based in Kansas City, Missouri, the Kauffman Foundation is among the largest foundations in the United States with an asset base of approximately $2 billion.

 

The Foundation’s vision is to foster "a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement of their communities." In service of this vision, we focus our grant making and operations on two areas—education and entrepreneurship—which our founder, Ewing Kauffman, saw as two ends of a continuum. A quality education is the foundation for self-sufficiency, preparing young people for success in college and in life. Many young adults will work in businesses started by entrepreneurs. Some will become entrepreneurs themselves, providing jobs and wealth for society.

 

Our mission:

To help individuals attain economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success, consistent with the aspirations of our founder, Ewing Marion Kauffman.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

 

The Senior Program Officer (SPO), Ecosystems Operations and Performance will manage grants and initiatives related to the Kauffman ESHIP Communities program. The ESHIP Communities program is a multi-year initiative to develop, test, measure, and scale effective ways of strengthening communities through inclusive entrepreneurship that leads to increased business starts and growth.  Based in Kansas City, MO and reporting to the Senior Director of Entrepreneurship, the SPO will lead operational processes, provide programmatic oversight on strategic milestones, and manage associated budgets and timelines related to the ESHIP Communities program. Additionally, the SPO will support the Senior Director of Entrepreneurship by being responsible for supervising and developing three Kansas City, MO based program officers on the Ecosystems team.

 

The SPO will ensure that this work is informed by and coordinated with efforts being undertaken to develop research, data and policy related to entrepreneurial ecosystems. This individual will work collaboratively with program officers and associates on the Evaluation, Knowledge Creation and Research, Policy, and other relevant Kauffman teams.

 

Specific responsibilities include: 

 

National Strategic Program Execution

 

Program and Project Management

 

  • Manage all aspects related to the program and project management of Kauffman’s ESHIP Communities program.
  • Grow, develop and manage national partnerships that can extend, scale, and enhance the program’s goals.
  • Integrate entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs), entrepreneurs, community leaders, and others to help regions across the country increase entrepreneurial starts and successes for a wider range of demographics, and to ensure broad dissemination and adoption of the tools developed.
  • Report on clearly defined program outputs/outcomes as approved by the Senior Director.
  • Maintain a dynamic operational program management plan with status updates and a scorecard for the Senior Director.
  • Assist in managing a team of program officers to ensure effective coordination and reasonable workflow among team members.
  • Manage forecast spending and budget planning related to the ESHIP Communities program.

 

Grantmaking and Grants Management

  • Relationship lead for key strategic grants and agreements within the scope of ESHIP Communities, including connecting and collaborating with people and processes to ensure program development and execution at scale.
  • Identify and rigorously assess potential grantees based on strategic fit, financial and organizational capacity, and scalability.
  • Work collaboratively with the Grants Administration and Operational Effectiveness team in all aspects of moving a grant request from intake to commitment letter.
  • Develop clear, concise and insightful written analysis and recommendations for funding.
  • In collaboration with prospective grantee and internal departments establish goals, metrics, and payment and reporting schedules for each grant.
  • Provide regular oversight and monitor grantee performance through ongoing conversations and formal reporting on metrics, budget, and learnings. Identify grantee challenges, develop recommendations for necessary scope revisions, and modify grant to ensure advancement of strategic objectives.
  • Upon grant closure, provide clear and insightful written analysis on strategic and operational learnings to improve our work going forward.
  • As directed by the Senior Director of Entrepreneurship, report grant status updates, prepare reports and information for board meetings, and collaborate with other areas in the Foundation.

 

Team Development and Supervision

 

  • Develop, support, coach, and supervise a team of three program officers.
  • Facilitate program officers’ strategic planning and project management work, by supporting program officers in ways that help them meet deadlines on program plans and associated activities.
  • Communicate expectations, work with associates to set performance goals, monitor results, and provide constructive, candid, balanced and timely feedback on day-to-day work.
  • Identify and provide learning, growth and development opportunities for program officers. 
  • Recommend any additional resources, practices or procedures to the Senior Director to support the ESHIP Communities program.

 

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

 

Education: Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, political science, public administration, business, economics or related area of study preferred or equivalent years of experience. MBA, Masters and other advanced degrees in related discipline preferred.

 

Work Experience: Minimum five years of progressive experience in public or private sector or non-profit, entrepreneurship support organization or in a political or research think tank setting; academic or entrepreneurial endeavor preferred.

 

 

Travel: This position may require up to 50% business travel depending on execution phase of the programmatic work.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

 

Qualified candidates for this position must be highly motivated, capable of self-directed work, detail-oriented and able to work collaboratively across teams and departments.  Incumbents must exhibit a keen sense of responsibility and enjoy working with multiple demands, shifting priorities and constant change.

 

A successful candidate profile:

 

  • National program manager skill set that includes strategic planning and execution experience.
  • Strong process and program management and analytical skills preferred.
  • Highly motivated, capable of self-direction, detail-oriented with the ability to work independently, collaboratively, and persuasively within a prescribed strategic framework.
  • Ability to process complex concepts and strategies to communicate and package into clear and understandable language at all levels of the foundation.
  • Ability to easily and quickly move from the macro to micro perspective and vice versa.
  • Excited by complexity, motivated by mission and solving problems, intellectually curious and willing to try new things.
  • Proven track record in coaching, developing and leading teams.
  • Solid interpersonal, consensus-building, persuasion and leadership skills with the ability to quickly establish and develop credibility, particularly in the field of entrepreneurship, with diverse external and internal audiences at all levels of organizations.
  • Focused, steady, not distracted and comfortable presenting business cases, models and scenarios.
  • Experience in organizational capacity planning and budgetary and fiscal management.
  • Experience in understanding and managing grantee budgets in order to identify grantee capacity for success as well as potential risks.
  • Ability to construct logical narratives and arguments that connect grant outcomes to overall departmental goals.
  • Excellent communications skills: well-developed verbal skills, writing and listening skills, and strong presentation skills.
  • Ability to maintain a calm and competent demeanor in uncomfortable or difficult situations.
  • Conversant with tracking of key performance measurements used to inform program strategy, design, and effectiveness, working in collaboration with the Foundation’s evaluation and research and policy departments.
  • Proven organizational skills and the ability to successfully manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting or exceeding deadlines.
  • Strong analytical skills with an ability to assimilate new information and processes quickly.
  • Solid judgment and decision-making abilities.
  • Should have a personal values system that encompasses the highest standards of humility, humor, stewardship, respect, excellence, openness and professional ethics reflective of the Kauffman Foundation.
  • Strong computer literacy skills, including project management, word processing, spreadsheets and related business solutions tools.

 

All of the statements in this position description are intended to describe the general nature of the work being performed and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. This document describes the position currently available.  The organization reserves the right to modify job duties or job descriptions at any time.

 

 

COMPENSATION

A competitive compensation package, including base salary and an outstanding benefits package will correspond to the experience level, credentials, and skills of the candidate.

 

NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Kauffman Foundation firmly supports the principle and philosophy of equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, creed, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected category pursuant to applicable federal, state or local law.

 

 

 

 

Job Sector


 

Experience


5+ to 7 years


This job is no longer active.

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