Children and Family Program Officer

<div class="prose-job-description“>

Position description

Founded in 1964 by David and Lucile Packard, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (the Foundation) is a family philanthropy dedicated to supporting leaders and organizations around the world working to invest in children and families, protect and restore the natural world, and create just and inclusive societies. For more than six decades, the Foundation has advanced scientific innovation, championed reproductive health and rights, conserved and restored our natural world, and invested in the well-being of children and families. The Foundation’s goals are to:

• Build Just Societies: support a strong civil society and inclusive institutions and governance to build just and equitable societies for all people.
• Protect and Restore Our Natural World: champion bold climate solutions, an ocean that sustains us, and scientific innovation and discovery to secure the health and future of people and planet.
• Invest in Families and Communities: prioritize the importance of children having a healthy start and promoting resilient and vibrant communities where children and families thrive, so they have the power to shape their lives.

To achieve lasting change, the Foundation also strives to address root causes of longstanding problems, including building a thriving, resilient U.S. democracy; advancing racial justice in the United States and gender equity globally; and supporting a strong civil society around the globe.

Inclusive collaboration is the heart of the Foundation’s approach, with the belief that actively listening to and learning from people with a wide range of views is the best way to create solutions that match the scale and urgency of the challenges we face. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting community-based solutions shaped by the knowledge and experience of the people whose lives are most affected and informed by data, recognizing that meaningful solutions require patience, urgency, and supporting the conditions for transformational change. The Foundation is committed to addressing complex issues over the long term while making tangible progress today.

The Foundation’s Vision, Mission and Values are as follows:

• Vision: A just and equitable world where both people and nature flourish.
• Mission: We work with people and communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, resilient natural world.
• Values: Equity, Integrity, Belief in Individual Leadership, Thinking Big, Respect, and Effectiveness.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES INITIATIVE

As the Packard Foundation advances its goal to “Invest in Families and Communities,” it recognizes that ensuring a strong, healthy start for children is foundational to thriving families, resilient communities, and a more equitable society. Yet across the United States, too many families face systemic barriers to accessing the health care, economic supports, and early learning experiences necessary for healthy pregnancies, safe births, and optimal health and development. These challenges are compounded by persistent racial and economic inequities that result in disproportionately poor outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and Latino families.

The Children and Families initiative is focused on improving maternal and child health outcomes and ensuring that all families, particularly those facing the greatest barriers, have access to the supports they need during pregnancy and early childhood. The initiative is grounded in the belief that when families are supported early, children are more likely to thrive and reach their full potential. To advance this goal, the Foundation supports strategies that strengthen and better connect the community systems that serve families, including health care, child care, and economic supports, as well as champion policies designed to better assist all families. By improving how these systems function individually and together, the initiative seeks to reduce disparities, improve outcomes, and create a more coherent and accessible support ecosystem for families. CFI funds nationally with focused investments in California, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

THE PROGRAM OFFICER ROLE

Reporting to the Children and Families Director, this Program Officer will lead a grantmaking portfolio that focuses on protecting and advancing coverage and equitable access to quality health and nutrition services under Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, nationally. Funding priorities include federal, state, and grassroots advocacy; research and policy analysis; litigation to preserve beneficiary rights; narrative change and communications; and innovation to better support the health and well-being of young children, mothers, and expectant families.

The Program Officer will manage a portfolio that supports policy development, advocacy, implementation, and systems change at the national level. They will assess opportunities for investment, shape grantmaking strategies, and build relationships with philanthropic partners, policy experts, advocates, and community-based leaders working to strengthen and connect systems of care for expectant families, mothers, and young children, prenatal to 3 years. This role requires a strong understanding of how public systems and policies impact family well-being, along with the ability to translate complex, evolving policy landscapes into clear, actionable funding strategies. They will be comfortable navigating ambiguity and working across sectors, balancing long-term systems change with near-term opportunities for impact.

The ideal candidate is a strategic and analytical thinker who brings a deep commitment to equity and to improving outcomes for families, particularly Black, Indigenous, Latino, and low-income communities. They are a strong communicator and collaborator, able to work effectively with internal colleagues, external partners, and grantees to advance shared goals. They will also bring a thoughtful, nonpartisan approach to this work, with the ability to engage across diverse perspectives and stakeholders.

OPPORTUNITIES

Grantmaking and Strategic Leadership

• In partnership with the Director, lead the development and implementation of strategy for a national portfolio focused on strengthening systems and policies that support children and families, including Medicaid and SNAP.
• Lead all aspects of annual grantmaking including assessment of opportunities, recommendation of proposals, managing relationships with grantee partners, and evaluating of impact.
• Support grantee partners in advancing policy and systems change, providing strategic guidance and technical insight, as appropriate.
• Manage the grant proposal process through its lifecycle in partnership with the program associate and contribute to the shaping of proposals, as needed.
• Clearly and consistently communicate with grant recipients, staff, and other partners in a transparent, timely and respectful manner.
• Manage complex processes involving multiple stakeholders, institutions and cross-functional teams.
• Review and address legal, financial, and operational considerations related to grants and reporting.
• Develop clear, concise, and high-quality materials for senior leadership and the Board, including strategy documents, updates, and quarterly docket materials.

Strategic and Field Leadership

• Convene and engage grantees, policy experts, advocates, and peer funders to advance shared priorities and strengthen the field.
• Integrate communications, learning, and evaluation into grantmaking to support continuous improvement and shared learning.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to advance cross-initiative alignment and identify opportunities for greater impact.
• Represent the Foundation and the Children and Families Initiative externally with credibility and clarity across a wide range of audiences, including meeting with current and potential grantees, giving presentations and attending public forums and conferences on topics of relevance, and when interacting with nonprofit, government and private sector leaders, elected officials, academics, collaboratives and journalists.
• Contribute to the broader field-building efforts through partnership, collaboration, and thought leadership.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

While no one candidate will possess all the qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will be passionate about The David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s mission and bring many of the following skills and experiences.

Experience and Education

• A minimum of 7 years of experience in child and family policy, public systems, or related fields, with a focus on advancing outcomes for children and and/or program advancement, development, and implementation relevant to children, families, and the communities in which they live.
• Expertise in the core issues of the Children and Families initiative, preferably working across sectors (nonprofit, government, philanthropy, or research), with an understanding of how policy, systems, and implementation intersect.
• Bachelor’s degree required; an advanced degree is strongly preferred.

Field Knowledge and Experience

• Strong understanding of public systems and policies that impact young children and families, including Medicaid, SNAP, and related public benefit programs.
• Familiarity with national and/or state-level policy landscapes, including the ability to navigate evolving political and funding environments.
• Experience translating policy, advocacy, or systems strategies into actionable initiatives, investments, or programs.
• Track record of success as a strategic thinker and program-leader within a philanthropic, nonprofit, management consulting, academic or government context.

Skills, Abilities, and Qualities

• A commitment to the vision, mission, and values of the Packard Foundation.
• 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
• Ability to build effective partnerships and networks externally, as well as sustain collaborative relationships both internally and externally.
• Self-directed and decisive combined with flexibility and capacity to give and receive feedback graciously.
• Thrives in a team-based and collegial workplace.
• Committed to inclusion and deeply values creating a workplace that is supportive of difference; brings experience with diverse teams and success at navigating cross-cultural communication.
• Devoted to growing own cultural competence and willing to actively participate in the Foundation’s efforts to integrate justice and equity into all facets of our work together.
• Administratively self-sufficient
• Leads with humility and a learning mindset.

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on geopolist.com