Program Associate, Education

About the Foundation

The Heising-Simons Foundation is a family foundation based in Los Altos and San Francisco, California. The Foundation and the Heising-Simons Action Fund, its affiliated 501(c)(4) organization, work with its many partners to advance sustainable solutions in climate and clean energy, enable groundbreaking research in science, enhance the education of our youngest learners, and support human rights for all people.

The Foundation’s grantmaking is guided by the values of humility, courage, justice, opportunity, sustainability, innovation, relationships, and integrity. Since its first grant in 2008, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion across over 3,800 grants.

The Opportunity

The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program seeks a Program Associate to project manage and support grantmaking.

The goal of the Foundation’s Education program is to engage in grantmaking that contributes to equitable access to high-quality Early Childhood Education (ECE), and positive learning experiences for children and families who have been most disenfranchised by the current ECE system.

This full-time (37.5 hours per week) exempt (salary) position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Program Associate reports to a Program Officer within the Education Program and works collaboratively with the entire program team.

The successful candidate must live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, the Foundation has a flexible hybrid approach to work, allowing staff to work from home or the office while maintaining a regular in-person cadence for community building, learning, collaboration, and direction setting. The Education Team meets in person at least quarterly and as needed to fulfill departmental objectives. The Foundation’s approach to hybrid work will continue to evolve and may change as soon as January 2025.

Primary Responsibilities

Provide grants administration support.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for grantees and grantseekers once they are prepared to submit grant proposals, reports, and other deliverables as a part of the grant cycle.
• Work with Grants Management, program officers, and program manager to develop and advise on workable solutions for legal and other grants compliance issues.
• Represent the Foundation in the contracting process with external vendors and manage the contracting process and negotiation, as necessary.
• Understand and implement the Foundation’s grantmaking and contracting policies, procedures, and deadlines to ensure compliance.
• Ensure team members and grantees are aware of upcoming grantmaking deadlines, including grant start and end dates, due dates for deliverables and reports, and changes to grant timelines and scopes of work.
• Maintain grant files throughout the grant life cycle.
• Conduct research to inform the due diligence process and grantmaking decisions by analyzing organizations’:
• websites for information about their mission, staff, board members, and recent projects or accomplishments.
• financials to conduct an initial assessment of financial stability.
• proposal materials to conduct an initial assessment of legal compliance.

Provide project management and administrative support for two Program Officers, and others as needed.

• Plan, monitor, and advise program officers on assigned grantmaking workflows, budgets, and deadlines.
• Draft and finalize materials, including grant summaries, memos, spreadsheets, presentations, and other documents in concert with program officers and program manager, as applicable.
• Prepare contracts, monitor expenditures, and submit invoices expenses Finance for payment.
• Plan and attend convenings, site visits, and other external events hosted by the team, in partnership with the program coordinator.
• Lead planning and logistics for complex, multi-stakeholder meetings with the support of the program coordinator and Foundation’s office services team, as needed.
• Prepare team agendas, take notes, and track decisions and next steps in coordination with the program director or program manager, as needed.

Support and contribute to the program’s strategy development, learning, and evaluation.

• Represent the Foundation and communicate the program’s strategy and grantmaking guidelines to a variety of stakeholders.
• Conduct research, analyze data, and prepare presentations and reports to inform program officer, program director, and board decisions, in partnership with the program manager.
• Develop and implement project plans and timelines for strategy development, learning, and evaluation activities, in partnership with program manager.
• Assess current research, policy changes, and trends in the program’s area of focus and in philanthropy by reviewing news and professional publications and by attending related conferences, meetings, and other events.

Foundation-wide Responsibilities

• Contribute to a positive, inclusive, and dynamic organizational culture.
• Participate in Foundation-wide activities, such as committees, internal culture-building, training, and strategic planning.
• Provide regular feedback to supervisor and colleagues both informally and as a part of the annual review process.
• Train new team members.

Desired Experience & Attributes

• 3+ years of relevant experience in grantmaking, education, or non-profit work.
• A strong interest in or familiarity with early education, policy, and advocacy.
• An ability to plan, prioritize, and anticipate workflows, manage competing timelines, and coordinate across team members and projects to meet deadlines.
• Solution-oriented and comfortable taking initiative and asking questions.
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficient in all Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with grantmaking and grants databases, preferably Salesforce, highly desired.
• Excellent attention to detail and follow-through.
• Flexible and willing to assist others, when needed.
• A sense of teamwork, community, humor, and integrity.

Application Process

The Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse pool of applicants. Foundation policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, military service, legally protected medical condition, reproductive health decisions, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified applicants with disabilities may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.

Our success is dependent on our ability to build teams that include people with different experiences and expertise and who can challenge each other’s assumptions with new viewpoints and bring different perspectives to the team. We encourage women, people of color, formerly incarcerated individuals, immigrants, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and others with diverse perspectives and experiences to apply.

Please upload a cover letter that describes your relevant experience and interest in this position, as well as your resume, here: https://app.trinethire.com/companies/391013-heising-simons-foundation/jobs/97689-program-associate