Program Associate

Program Associate, Success Teams

Department:
Partner Solutions

Location:

Hybrid, based in Washington, DC, or Durham, NC

Today’s societal challenges are more complex, interconnected, and urgent than ever. Sunflower Services is comprised of over 240 professionals with deep expertise in the philanthropic sector. We provide support services to fiscal sponsors and intermediaries—and their hundreds of mission-driven projects—that are creating meaningful change. We welcome jobseekers who are motivated by results and driven by impact. Sunflower Services is an independent, nonprofit‑owned Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to providing operational excellence to nonprofit and social impact organizations.

Sunflower delivers integrated solutions in finance, HR, grants management, compliance, and other administrative areas, helping mission-driven organizations and changemakers focus on what matters most: their impact.

The Program Associate supports a team that ensures a portfolio of fiscally sponsored projects have the operational support necessary to meet their programmatic goals. This role is ideal for early professionals with an interest in strategic operations and process design. Incumbents of this role drive day‑to‑day operations for a portfolio of projects, including processing payments, executing contracts and grant agreements, and tracking monthly financials.

The position reports to an Associate Director, Success Teams on the Partner Solutions team. Experience in nonprofit operations and relationship management is required.

• Own operational functions for a portfolio of fiscally sponsored projects, including:
• Contract and sub‑grant management from initial review to drafting and implementation.
• Financial review and reporting, including tracking cash flow and communicating variances to key internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain project data related to a project’s operational needs.
• Project‑manage internally to ensure task completion within Client Service Standards.
• Additional tasks to align with project needs as assigned.
• Ensure legal and procedural compliance and quality control for various project activities, liaising with cross‑functional teams including Finance, HR, Compliance, IT, and others as needed.
• Communicate with clients and internal teams in a clear and effective manner, collaborating as needed to resolve big‑picture and complex needs.
• Support the account manager in overall relationship management of the project.
• Implement department and organizational policies and procedures as they are introduced.
• Routinely apprise and align with internal stakeholders on the status of tasks; sharing processes and other relevant project data to senior team members, as needed.

• Support the development of more efficient processes, systems, and technology as assigned.
• Contribute to the achievement of team initiatives and internal projects as assigned.
• Increase knowledge of philanthropic trends and nonprofit management best practices.
• Participate in internal and external trainings related to industry best practices and internal policies and procedures.

• 2–4 years of relevant work experience in an administrative role, customer‑facing role, or internship/fellowship experience required.
• An advanced or graduate degree in relevant fields of study may be considered in lieu of required work experience.
• Experience in requesting, reviewing, or drafting contracts or sub‑grants.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite and CRM database management.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and/or reviewing nonprofit financial statements.
• Familiarity and/or experience working within a fiscal sponsorship structure is a plus.
• An appreciation for efficient processes and a desire to improve them.
• Interest in contributing to team and project‑level learning.
• High attention to detail and process orientation.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize effectively and manage towards multiple deadlines simultaneously.
• Ability to read and explain basic nonprofit financial statements.
• Ability to use…