EWING MARION KAUFFMAN FOUNDATION POSITION DESCRIPTION TITLE: Program Officer REPORTS TO: Director of KC Civic DEPARTMENT: Kansas City Civic DATE: October 2014 I. BACKGROUND The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City is a private, fully endowed foundation that works with partners to advance entrepreneurship in America and improve the educational achievement of youth. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (“Kauffman Foundation”) was established in the 1966 by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, and with approximately $2 billion in assets, the Kauffman Foundation has a mission to foster economic independence through education and entrepreneurship. In entrepreneurship, we aim to open young people's eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education and raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies. In education, we work to improve the educational achievement of urban students, including our students at the Ewing Marion Kauffman School, a college preparatory charter school for middle and high school students. The Kauffman Foundation’s Kansas City Civic work supports the city’s efforts toward improving the quality of life and to help accelerate positive change in targeted areas. The Kansas City Civic department’s key goals are to support anchor institutions and other organizations that are vital to Kansas City’s identity and growth, and to cultivate innovative capacity in Kansas City for experimentation with new ways of creating cultural, social, and economic value II. RESPONSIBILITIES This position will report to the Director of KC Civic and plays an active changemaking role within the Kansas City community. They will be responsible for identifying, evaluating and funding organizations and/or bold ideas that accelerate positive change. They are expected to work on assignments in a manner that is consistent with the philosophy of the Foundation. Grant Making Responsibilities • • • • • • • • • • Capacity to understand the goals and desired outcomes of the department. Manage and oversee assigned grant portfolio, including monitoring grantee spending and performance. o Monitor grantee performance through analysis of outcome data, grantee reports and site visits. o Establish goals, outcomes and metrics to be achieved with each grantee over the term of the grant, documented in contract. o Identify grantee challenges, develop recommendations for interventions. Track effectiveness of interventions. o Manage forecast spending and budget planning on all grants; determine reporting requirements and payment schedule. Works with the Director to report grant status updates, prepare reports and information for board meetings, and collaborates with other areas in the Foundation. Rigorously evaluate potential grantees based on financial and organizational capacity, as well as strategic fit. Responsible for all communication to grantees, especially in regard to expectations and requirements of the grantee. Reviews grant proposals submitted and responsible for presenting grant write up (the business case) to Director for approval. Ensure grants are aligned with program strategies and provide clear, concise and insightful written analysis and recommendations for funding including drafting and editing proposal summaries and progress reports for existing grants for review. Report clearly defined outcomes/metrics. Responsible for making certain that outcome measures are part of the grant write-up and linked to achieving the department goals. Follow the standards of practice when evaluating grant decisions and expected outcomes. Work collaboratively with grants administration in all aspects of moving a grant request from intake to commitment letter. Provide monitoring and review of grantee performance, based on reports, metric and milestone accountability, and new information that emerges from grant assessment. General Position Responsibilities • • • Possesses a wide range of content knowledge on all issues that are of interest to the department. May be asked to provide leadership on a particular content subject, while developing expertise on a broad range of issues. Capacity to keep up with changing landscape. Build key partnerships; acting as a catalyst, colleague and advocate who are dedicated to educating groups on Kauffman initiatives and engagement. At the direction of the Director, perform or assist with research or landscape analysis to determine potential funding opportunities that are in alignment with the strategic goals of the department. • • • • • • Identify and evaluate the most innovative and effective organizations that support the KC Civic department goals. Explore creating and implementing competitions to stimulate innovative thinking and new sources of revenue for established (anchor) institutions. Support the Director of KC Civic in exploring bold ideas that foster the innovation capacity of Kansas City. Contribute to cross-foundation teams, working in collaboration with colleagues to share information about KC Civic activities and grants, develop processes and practices to support grants management and keep updated on other grant activity cutting across the foundation’s focus areas that have KC Civic implications. Represent the Foundation by attending meetings and/or accepting speaking engagements both locally and regionally. Assist with various projects as needed. III. EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS Education: Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business, or other related fields. Work Experience: • • • Have a professional track record of a minimum of five or more years of experience working in similar environments managing grants and special projects Familiar with the landscape of Kansas City Knowledge of the nonprofit community and the local funders • Comprehensive knowledge of budgets and financial reporting • Experience using judgment as a basis to forecast the future Qualified candidates for this position must be highly motivated, capable of selfdirection and able to work collaboratively in a teamwork capacity. Candidates must exhibit a keen sense of responsibility and enjoy working with multiple demands, shifting priorities and constant change. A successful candidate skill profile: • • • • Excellent communications skills: (well-developed verbal skills, writing and research skills, and strong presentation skills) Skilled at building relationships and leveraging existing relationships to improve outcomes of Foundation initiatives Proven organizational skills and the ability to successfully manage multiple projects simultaneously Ability to work independently with minimal supervision • Ability to communicate effectively with associates at all levels within the organization • • • Ability to write coherent narratives in support of grant requests Capacity to make verbal presentations as required Ability to construct logical arguments that connect grant outcomes to overall departmental goals Adequate understanding of organizational and leadership dynamics in order to identify grantee capacity for success as well as potential risks Capacity to understand basic budgets in order to identify grantee capacity for success as well as potential risks Basic understanding of balance sheet and income statements in order to assess grantee capacity for success as well as potential risks Strong analytical skills with an ability to assimilate new information and processes quickly Distinctive problem solving and analytical skills, combined with solid judgment and decision-making abilities Have the ability to develop a solid understanding of the content, processes, deliverables and overall objectives of the Foundation’s strategy Exceptional organization skills including the ability to meet or exceed expectations with regard to deadlines • • • • • • • • • • • Ability to maintain a calm and competent demeanor in uncomfortable situations Should have a personal values system that encompasses the highest standards of honesty, confidentiality, integrity, loyalty, and professional ethics reflective of the Kauffman Foundation Should be tactful and diplomatic with good listening skills and an approachable personality. Must be capable of building and sustaining long-term relationships Strong computer literacy skills, including word processing, spreadsheets, and data base applications Travel: This position may require some business travel. _______________________________________________________________ All of the statements in this position description are intended to describe the general nature of the work being performed, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. This document describes the position currently available. The organization reserves the right to modify job duties or job descriptions at any time. IV. COMPENSATION A competitive compensation package which includes a full range of employee benefits and a base salary between $67,000 - $72,000 depending on experience level and credentials of the candidate. V. TO APPLY Interested applicants can apply for this position by submitting a cover letter, resume and writing sample answering the following questions to the Kauffman Foundation’s [email protected] email address: 1) An organization has submitted a proposal requesting a grant. Based on your knowledge of this position and the Kauffman mission, how would you proceed? 2) Suppose after-school programs is a focus within the strategy, but you do not have any potential grantees in this spectrum in your pipeline. What would you do?
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