POSITION DESCRIPTION
JAMES IRVINE FOUNDATION - SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRACY
San Francisco, CA
April 1, 2014
The Opportunity
The James Irvine Foundation is seeking a senior public policy professional with substantive
knowledge about California policy issues and political processes at the state and local levels to
serve in a newly created Senior Program Officer role. Reporting to the Program Director for
California Democracy, the Senior Program Officer will work in strategic and creative partnership
with the Program Director and the rest of the California Democracy program team to advance
the program’s goals. The Senior Program Officer will assist in planning and strategy
development of all components of the California Democracy program, while having
implementation responsibility for several principal components:
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Managing the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards, in collaboration with the
Program Director and program team;
Overseeing a portion of the California Democracy grants portfolio;
Exploring additional opportunities to improve California’s democracy.
The Senior Program Officer will undertake initial screening of potential grantees, arrange and
attend meetings with current and prospective grantees, conduct site visits, prepare docket
materials and monitor active grants. The Senior Program Officer will represent the Foundation
at key events and build relationships in the fields related to the California Democracy program
and work with all Foundation staff to advance the mission of the Foundation. The position is
based at Foundation headquarters in San Francisco, CA.
The California Democracy Program
The Senior Program Officer will spend approximately half their time on public policy
grantmaking and the other half overseeing the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards.
Public Policy Grantmaking
Building on a history of grantmaking in governance reform and civic engagement arenas, the
Foundation recently identified a set of opportunities for near-term progress and the team is
prioritizing grantmaking at this time in these four areas:
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Elections Policies and Practices. To achieve a California electorate more representative of
the state’s population and help election systems statewide operate effectively and based on
best practices.
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Voter and Civic Engagement. To achieve a California electorate more representative of the
state’s population and public decision-making informed by a broad cross-section of
Californians.
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Ballot Initiative Reform. To improve voter information about ballot measures and enhance
the system’s responsiveness to the public’s interests.
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Immigrant Integration. To achieve full access for immigrants and their families to
educational, economic and civic participation opportunities.
The California Democracy team also actively explores additional opportunities to improve
California’s democracy. In determining issues to prioritize, they consider:
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The issue’s significance for California’s democracy;
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How the issue can expand opportunity for democratic participation, particularly among
traditionally under-represented populations including low-income, ethnic and immigrant
communities;
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Opportunity for progress, given the political environment, momentum in the field and
other factors;
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How the grantmaking could foster new relationships and networks among groups working
to build a healthy democracy;
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Approaches informed by a cross-section of perspectives, across boundaries of
demographics, regions, political affiliations, and sectors.
The James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards
The California Democracy team also manages the Leadership Awards program, which annually
recognizes and supports individuals who are advancing innovative and effective solutions to
significant state issues that are responsive, collaborative and forward-looking. For more
information, please visit the Foundation website: www.irvine.org/leadership.
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Key Responsibilities
The following are the Senior Program Officer’s key responsibilities:
1. Strategy Development and Leadership
 Assist the Program Director in examining and refining the priorities and strategies of the
California Democracy program and James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards.
 Develop and manage strategic relationships with field leaders, and share insights that
inform the work.
 Remain well informed of current research, activities and trends in the issues related to
the priorities of the California Democracy program area.
 Support the development and implementation of evaluation plans to track the impact of
the work and allow for continuous learning.
 Communicate the goals, priorities and strategies of the California Democracy program
and the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards to external audiences.
2. Manage Leadership Awards
 Assess leaders’ accomplishments, capacity and potential in partnership with a team.
 Write and edit high-quality materials for the Selection Committee and the public.
 Guide strategies for working with policymakers and encouraging their participation in a
Sacramento event.
 Manage consultants and coordinate efforts of consultants and staff.
3. Grantee Partnerships and Investments
 Identify organizations with strong potential for partnership; conduct due diligence and
recommend grantee partners with effective track records, internal capacity and
strategic skills to advance the program’s goals.
 Monitor the performance of an active grantmaking portfolio while also prospecting for
new partners to expand and deepen impact.
 Coach and advise grantee partners and promote collaboration and coordination, as
appropriate.
 Craft and negotiate performance milestones with grantee partners to support success.
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 Prepare written materials that communicate the alignment of grantee activities with
program goals and strategies, including grant recommendations, context papers and
other materials as needed.
 Convene grantees and others in the field, as appropriate to advance collective action and
offer robust networking and learning opportunities for partners.
4. Collaboration with Colleagues to Execute California Democracy Program and Foundationwide Efforts
 Support and collaborate with colleagues within the California Democracy team and
across the foundation.
 Participate in cross-program teams and institution-building efforts and activities.
 Maintain an in-depth knowledge of the priorities, strategies and selection criteria for the
California Democracy program and a working knowledge of the Arts and Youth programs.
Qualifications
Core Competencies
The ideal candidate should have:
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A minimum of eight years of work experience in state or policy-making institutions or
nonprofit organizations addressing state or policy issues including five years of experience
in a senior leadership role within an organization.
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Substantive knowledge about key California policy issues and political processes at the state
and local levels, including prior experience working in the public or non-profit sector in
Sacramento on policy issues.
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A deep commitment to and track record of working with disadvantaged communities.
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The ability to work across the political spectrum and respect for the diversity of
perspectives.
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A strong record of building effective relationships in varied environments with diverse
constituencies.
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Experience in guiding program design, policy and communications efforts.
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A Bachelor’s degree is required; a Master’s degree is preferred, with a preference for a
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degree in public policy, public affairs or political science.
Skills and Abilities
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Demonstrated ability to plan and think strategically, set realistic goals and objectives, and
balance multiple priorities.
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Excellent written and oral communication skills; excellent judgment in communicating
within a variety of settings.
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Enthusiastic and results-oriented; demonstrates a high degree of initiative.
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Works well in a team environment and exhibits openness to learning about new issues and
approaches.
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Ability to manage a multi-faceted project involving a range of staff and consultants.
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Ability to assess the leadership, track record, fiscal health and capacity of a nonprofit
organization to lead a proposed program or project.
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The personal presence to represent the foundation in diverse forums and maintain
organizational relationships.
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Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and in a team-oriented environment.
Application Process
Interested applicants should send a resume, cover and salary information by email to:
Martha Montag Brown & Associates
www.marthamontagbrown.com
Email: Martha@marthamontagbrown.com
Phone: 818.790.8873
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