Program Officer - Economic Mobility, Crankstart (Hybrid/San Francisco, CA)

ABOUT CRANKSTART

Crankstart envisions a vibrant, thriving Bay Area, where our region’s prosperity is shared, strengthened, and realized by all who live here. We are a family foundation, based in San Francisco, working with others to address social issues and their underlying causes. Our main interests are education; a thriving democracy; economic mobility; housing security; the environment; and the basic sciences. In 2023, we made over $200m in grants, with 60% going to nonprofits in the San Francisco Bay Area. Crankstart has 13 core team members of diverse backgrounds. We value authenticity, collaboration, learning, commitment, and hope.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Crankstart is hiring a Program Officer to support our philanthropic and community engagement efforts related to Economic Mobility.

The Program Officer manages multiple grant portfolios in the Economic Mobility strategy area, with a focus on four strands of work: 1) workforce development, 2) extending access to safety net benefits, 3) strengthening financial protections for low-income groups, and 4) expanding access to community spaces, arts, and culture. This role will focus on workforce development, employer-based workplace training programs, and apprenticeships.

You lead ongoing development, prioritization, and implementation of discrete funding activities to further the impact of our giving. You identify and meet with organizations to conduct due diligence and make funding recommendations to your team and the Board while demonstrating our values and remaining grantee-centered. You ensure the impact of Crankstart’s investments is appropriately measured, analyzed, and reported to senior foundation staff and the Board.

You collaborate with other programmatic staff to maintain strategic and organizational alignment across issue areas and drive projects focused on ensuring our grantmaking processes are running smoothly for everyone involved. You ensure the voices, inputs, and lived experiences of our grantee partners, community leaders, and grantee beneficiaries (e.g., students, clients, residents, etc.) are at the center of our decisions and practices.

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about advancing economic opportunity, strengthening social mobility, and breaking economic barriers; has experience in workforce development, employer-based workplace training programs, and apprenticeships; is analytical and data-focused; has experience with collective impact efforts and efforts to advance policy priorities or other forms of structural change; is excited to move quickly and learn; is excellent at managing multiple projects; and is enthusiastic about being part of a nimble, dynamic team. We will also consider high-capacity generalist candidates with private-sector consulting experience who are interested in applying their analytical skills to advance social justice through a grantmaking role in economic mobility.

This position reports to the Program Director - Education and Economic Mobility. This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco, CA. Candidates must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area (within a 50-mile radius of San Francisco). A remote option is not available for this position.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Grantmaking and Relationship Management (60%)

• Identify and research nonprofit and community organizations that would be strong grantees for our funding priorities, including reviewing and analyzing proposals and reports.
• Coordinate and facilitate conversations with prospective and current grantees to learn more about their work and invite their feedback on Crankstart’s work.
• Bridge conversations between the nonprofit sector and the private sector.
• Convene workforce leaders to develop a shared agenda for diversifying and supporting various workforce pathways.
• Write and present recommendations for new and/or renewed funding to the team and the Board, answering key questions about why we should support or continue to support a local nonprofit, initiative, or community organization.
• Use a trust-based approach to philanthropy/grantmaking where transparency, communication, results, data analysis, and mutual accountability are prioritized.
• Plan and coordinate check-ins with grantees and other key partners (e.g., peer funders, local elected officials, etc.)  through email, video calls, site visits, and phone calls to understand their needs and identify patterns across portfolios.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for grantees.
• Scope and drive special grant projects with multiple stakeholder groups (e.g., a Request for Proposals, grantee convening, etc.) in collaboration with other program team members at Crankstart.
• Independently organize, allocate, and distribute resources within a portfolio in response to emerging needs or opportunities.

Measurement, Evaluation and Learning (20%)

• Ensure information is being collected so that Crankstart can evaluate the impact of our investments and how we can further support strategic priorities.
• Monitor, analyze, and present outcome data in a way that conveys the successes and challenges of our investments.
• Drive strategic alignment across portfolios by proactively surfacing needs, insights, and trends across the Economic Mobility ecosystem that may impact grantmaking strategy and practice.
• Scope and lead strategic learning and evaluation projects to evaluate philanthropic impact and effectiveness of funding activities, using historical data from Crankstart’s grants to date and research from the field.
• Participate in and occasionally facilitate annual strategic planning processes to support team understanding of the Economic Mobility issue areas.

Team Operations (20%)

QUALIFICATIONS

• Six+ years of professional experience, with at least 3-5+ years of direct professional experience in various roles across the Economic Mobility ecosystem and across segments (e.g., nonprofit, public, private, etc.).
• Required:

• • Prior experience and expertise leading an economic mobility-focused non-profit, public or private sector workforce development organization or initiative.
    or
  • Private sector consulting experience as a high-capacity generalist.

• Experience and demonstrated interest in workforce development, employer-based workplace training programs and apprenticeships are highly desirable.
• A results orientation, strong analytical skills, and an interest and excitement in a data-oriented approach.
• Excellent written and verbal skills.
• Skilled in partnering with community organizations and sharing direct, constructive feedback.
• Skilled and comfortable with a trust-based approach to philanthropy/grantmaking where transparency, communication, results, data analysis, and mutual accountability are prioritized. Adept at giving constructive feedback and occasionally disappointing news to grantee organizations.
• Prior experience working on complex, long-term projects that involve a diverse range of stakeholders and types of people, both internal and external to an organization.
• Thrives in a dynamic startup environment; can shift gears quickly to adapt to changing priorities and enjoy doing a little of everything.
• Experience participating in end-to-end organizational strategic and operational planning processes, including goal setting and budget forecasting.
• Passionate about advancing social justice, hungry to make a difference and recognize that big and small tasks add value.
• Possesses lived experience with California’s racially and economically diverse communities.

LOCATION

This is a hybrid role. Candidates must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area (within a 50-mile radius of San Francisco) and able to travel to Crankstart’s San Francisco office at least 3x a week and occasionally travel nationally to build relationships with partners and grantees. A remote option is not available for this position.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The starting salary for this role is $165,000 - $175,000. Crankstart offers a competitive salary based on experience and a benefits package including medical and dental, a 15% 401k match, generous vacation and paid holidays, and an Employee Giving Alignment Program.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

Crankstart is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, age, or any other legally protected status. Crankstart also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees in any of these protected categories. We continue to prioritize the health and safety of our employees and partners. Consistent with that commitment and in light of the substantial and growing body of evidence that vaccinations remain the most effective protection against the spread of COVID-19, we require that members of our workforce be fully vaccinated.

TO APPLY

Martha Montag Brown & Associates, LLC has been retained to conduct this search. Interested and qualified candidates should apply by emailing a resume and substantive cover letter to search@marthamontagbrown.com. All correspondence will remain confidential.