Program Officer, Ocean Habitats & Communities – Packard Foundation

Department Overview

The Environment and Science (E&S) team supports work to achieve the Foundation’s three goals, with a particular focus on the goal of protecting and restoring our natural world. To do this, we champion bold climate solutions, an ocean that sustains us, and scientific innovation and discovery to secure the health and future of people and our planet. Across our globe, the fate of both people and our natural world are inextricably linked, and all solutions must account for both.

Contributing to the Foundation’s ‘Protect and Restore the Natural World’ goal area, the goal of the Ocean initiative is to protect and restore the ocean for people and nature now and in the future. Taking a ten-year outlook, the initiative focuses on three drivers of ocean health decline and harm to communities that rely on the ocean: climate change, illegal and unsustainable fishing, and habitat loss. The Foundation supports solutions to address these interlinked drivers and their root causes through work that elevates the needs and leadership of ocean-reliant communities. The Ocean Initiative supports partners from global to local levels, including in specific communities in Chile, Indonesia, and the U.S.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Ocean Initiative Director, the Program Officer (PO) will execute on all aspects of strategic grantmaking and field leadership for core aspects of the Ocean Initiative related to the Ocean Habitats and Communities (OHC) portfolio. The goal of the OHC portfolio is to protect and restore ocean habitats through equitable approaches to conservation and stewardship, resulting in positive biodiversity and human wellbeing outcomes. Area-based conservation (ABC) is the primary focus of the OHC Portfolio given the opportunity to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises. ABC includes marine protected areas (MPAs), other effective conservation measures (OECMs) and Indigenous and traditional territories (ITTs). Under this portfolio, the Foundation supports power-building and capacity-strengthening of ocean-reliant communities that advance ABC; advancing human-rights based approaches to marine area-based conservation; and advancing knowledge and communications to understand and elevate the importance of equitable marine ABC and associated stewardship.

This position will serve on an integrated and multidisciplinary team. The role blends subject matter expertise in area-based conservation with exceptional interpersonal and collaboration skills as both a key point of contact for external and internal partners.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Grantmaking & Strategic Leadership

• Working with the Ocean Initiative Director, lead the development and implementation of the strategy one or more dimensions of the Ocean Habitats and Communities portfolio.
• Lead all aspects of annual grantmaking for approximately $5M in yearly grants, assessing opportunities, evaluating the impact of investments, and managing diverse recipient organizations
• Enable grantee partners to achieve impact through specific policy and programmatic objectives; provide expertise and technical assistance, as appropriate
• Clearly and consistently communicate with grant recipients, staff, and other partners in a transparent, timely, and respectful manner
• Partner with the Foundation’s grantmaking teams, advisors, and grantees to ensure effective grantmaking and operations of the strategy and that deadlines and budgets are met or readjusted as needed
• Manage the grant proposal process and contribute to the shaping of proposals as needed
• Manage complex processes involving multiple institutions and individuals in a team arrangement
• Review and resolve legal, financial, and technical issues raised by specific grants and grant reports
• Produce high quality and timely Board docket materials, including strategy documents, dashboards, presentations, etc.

Field Leadership

• Organize foundation-sponsored meetings of grantees and field experts
• Refine portfolio strategies, as appropriate; identify and cultivate new opportunities for grantmaking; and research and conduct analyses in areas of strategic priority
• Ensure that strategic communications and monitoring and evaluation are fully integrated into the portfolio’s grantmaking strategies; maintain a dynamic learning environment for grantees and staff to understand evaluation & learning data to support strategy modifications over time; and synthesize and share lessons
• Collaborate with the Foundation Board, staff, nonprofit leaders, and other key internal and external stakeholders to provide strategic leadership, identify gaps, and develop effective solutions
• Effectively represent the Foundation and the initiative when meeting with current and potential grantees, giving presentations and attending public forums and conferences on topics of relevance, and when interacting with nonprofit, intergovernmental and private sector leaders, elected officials, academics, collaboratives, and journalists
• Provide external leadership in the field through writing, collaboration, and thought leadership in funders collaboratives, as well as other meetings and convenings that are relevant to the Ocean Initiative
• Help to achieve the initiative goals through outreach and direct engagement with individuals and organizations – in the NGO, public, and private sectors – to promote change and to build strategic partnerships

Qualifications

Education

• A Bachelor’s degree is required for this role; an advanced degree in a related or complementary field is preferred.

Experience

• Deep expertise in area-based conservation, including in the U.S. and/or global level
• 7 – 9 years of experience in applying conservation strategies to advance equity and biodiversity outcomes
• Experience with movement building and Indigenous and/or community-led strategies, desired but not required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• A commitment to, and interest in, the Foundation’s Vision, Mission & Values
• Track record of success as a results‐oriented thought leader and program manager within a philanthropic, nonprofit, management consulting, academic or government context
• Innovative, strategic, and analytical thinker skilled in understanding and meeting ever evolving challenges
• Highly skilled and persuasive communicator with exceptional written, oral, interpersonal and presentation skills
• Proven ability to build effective partnerships and networks and sustain collaborative relationships at multiple levels both internally and externally
• Self‐directed and decisive, plus flexibility and capacity to give and receive feedback graciously
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a team‐based and collegial workplace
• Deeply committed to inclusion and creating a workplace that is supportive of difference; experience with diverse teams and success at navigating cross‐cultural communication
• Ability to travel and work outside of typical work hours (i.e., early mornings and/or late evenings) when required to accommodate various time zones
• Devoted to growing own cultural competence and willing to actively participate in the Foundation’s efforts to integrate justice and equity in all facets of our work.
• Administratively self‐sufficient