Program Associate, Environment

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, seeks a Program Associate to support the Environment Program’s Climate and Energy portfolio.

About the Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation invests in creative thinkers and problem solvers working to ensure that people, communities, and the planet can flourish. Together with our partners, we are harnessing society’s collective capacity to solve our toughest problems — from the existential threat of climate change to persistent and pervasive inequities, to attacks on democracy itself. A nonpartisan philanthropy, the Hewlett Foundation has made grants in the U.S. and globally for nearly six decades based on an approach that emphasizes long-term support, collaboration, and trust.

Globally, we make grants to address both longstanding and emerging challenges like our efforts to advance gender equity and governance, reimagine the economy and society, and reduce the growing threat of climate change. Our U.S. efforts prioritize strengthening democracy, advancing education for all, and supporting community-led conservation. In the San Francisco Bay Area we call home, we make grants to support meaningful artistic experiences in local communities and support regional foundations working on critical issues such as housing. All of our grantmaking also invests in advancing racial justice and in strengthening the effectiveness of our grantees, and of philanthropy itself. The Hewlett Foundation’s assets are approximately $12.8 billion with annual awards of grants totaling more than $600 million. More information about the Hewlett Foundation is available at: www.hewlett.org

The foundation has approximately 130 employees, in programmatic, operational, and investment roles, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Across the organization, our employees are challenged with meaningful work, have the resources for ongoing professional development and learning, and contribute to a collegial and engaging environment where they can thrive. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion as part of our guiding principles and encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

About the Environment Program

The Environment Program focuses on climate change and clean energy, as well as Western conservation. We are committed to clearly identifying our goals and measuring progress toward them. Our team is made up of 12 program staff, plus additional staff from the communications, grants management, and legal departments. Additional information about the Program is available here and the Climate and Energy portfolio here.

About the Position

The Program Associate reports to the Program Officer overseeing the foundation’s climate related work on China, on industrial emissions, and on artificial intelligence. This role will administer grants, manage the portfolio’s budget, sustain relationships with key partners and stakeholders, and contribute to strategy development, implementation, and evaluation.

The Program Associate will work directly with the program’s grantees, and manage all administrative aspects of the grantmaking process, including communications regarding proposals, budgets, and grant reports. The Program Associate may also research issues, programs, and organizations related to portfolio and to the Program’s climate and energy strategies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Program Associate’s duties will include, but not be limited to:

Grants Administration and Contracts

• Manage a high volume of grants through the full grant lifecycle, from the proposal application process, to grant reporting and closing of grants.
• Implement processes to plan, coordinate, and track communications, timelines, and documents related to grants. Ensure grants meet reporting requirements and deadlines.
• Stay up to date on legal compliance issues that the grant portfolio presents and continue to develop expertise in managing complex compliance issues.
• Act as liaison to the grants management and legal officers for relevant program grant processing, including those related to scheduling reports and payments, grantee tax information (domestic and foreign), and the resolution of legal issues.
• Organize, compose, and manage communications with current and potential grantees.
• Manage, track, and forecast the portfolio’s annual grants budget.
• Track the status of approved grants or contracts through completion of payment process and closure.
• Prepare consulting agreements and serve as point of contact for consultants, including processing of invoices and other foundation administrative processes, as needed.
• Support the Program in funder convenings, meetings, and maintaining funder relationships.
• Work with Program to effectively prioritize workload, triaging deliverables to meet deadlines.

Programmatic and Strategic Support

• Support the Program Officer on strategic initiatives.
• Participate in meetings with Program Officer to provide strategic support and thought partnership.
• Research and prepare background information for meetings and presentations, and compile reference materials, as needed.
• Travel to and participate in select US and international climate events, conferences, convenings, and grantee visits in support of the portfolio’s needs.
• Participate in teamwide projects, such as team retreat preparation, grantee convenings, and assisting with new staff onboarding as needed.
• Support the foundation and Environment team’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Qualifications

We know some strong candidates may not have all the qualifications listed below. Please consider applying if you have most of the following:

• 2-5 years’ experience providing complex administrative support.
• Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree desired.
• Demonstrated ability to work across cultural contexts.
• International work experience desired.
• Excellent administrative and project management skills and experience, including the ability to plan and manage projects both independently and with colleagues.
• Experience in budget management.
• Strong commitment to the environment and combatting climate change, prior experience in climate policy a plus.
• Ability to meet tight, sometimes simultaneous, deadlines with a keen ability to prioritize and partner with others to meet common goals.
• Ability to work as a contributing member of a team to deliver philanthropic services in a clear, efficient, collegial manner.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Experience in MS Office: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Adobe; experience with Salesforce a plus.
• Experience in web-based document management tools and practices; willingness to learn new software tools and use them for program support.
• Proficiency with problem-solving, analysis, and applying an appropriate level of judgment.
• Experience with grants processing and grants database a plus.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Positive attitude, sense of humor, and a commitment to being part of, and building, a positive work environment.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The position is based in Menlo Park, California. Staff are working in a hybrid environment and currently expected to work from the Hewlett Foundation office at least 2-3 times per week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays are required). While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to spend extended periods of time at a computer.

Compensation and Benefits

The Hewlett Foundation is committed to providing compensation that is competitive within the philanthropic sector. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this role starts at $95,000-$115,000. Offers are based on the candidate's years of experience and our practice of maintaining salary equity within the foundation.

To Apply

Please apply online and submit a resume and cover letter explaining how your skills fit this position.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation embraces the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, both internally in our hiring process and organizational culture, and externally, in our grantmaking and related practices. We are an equal opportunity employer, and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.