Program Associate

Overview

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, seeks a Program Associate supporting the Gender Equity and Governance Program.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation invests in creative thinkers and problem solvers working to ensure that people, communities, and the planet can flourish. Together with our partners, we are harnessing society’s collective capacity to solve our toughest problems. As a nonpartisan philanthropy, the Hewlett Foundation has made grants in the U.S. and globally for nearly six decades based on an approach that emphasizes dialogue across difference, long-term support, collaboration, and trust.

Globally, we make grants to address both longstanding and emerging challenges like our efforts to advance gender equity and governance, reimagine the economy and society, and reduce the growing threat of climate change. Our U.S. efforts prioritize strengthening democracy, advancing education for all, and supporting community-led conservation. In the San Francisco Bay Area we call home, we make grants to support meaningful artistic experiences in local communities and support regional foundations working on critical issues such as housing.

All of our grantmaking also invests in advancing racial justice and in strengthening the effectiveness of our grantees, and of philanthropy itself. The Hewlett Foundation’s assets are approximately $13.9 billion with annual awards of grants totaling more than $600 million. More information about the Hewlett Foundation is available lett.org.

The foundation has approximately 130 employees, in programmatic, operational, communications, and investment roles, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Across the organization, our employees are challenged with meaningful work, have the resources for ongoing professional development and learning, and contribute to a collegial and engaging environment where they can thrive. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion as part of our guiding principles and encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

The Gender Equity and Governance Program focuses on gender equity and responsive governance in East and West Africa, Mexico, and the U.S. to foster inclusive societies where everyone can thrive. Our team is made up of 17 program staff, plus additional staff from the communications, grants management, and legal departments. Additional information about the program is available here.

Please note that the Gender Equity and Governance Program is currently undertaking a program-wide review to explore how they can amplify their impact and best support the field. This strategic review may include shifts to the scope and structure of the GEG Program in 2026 and beyond. The Program Associate will help to co-create this future program with their colleagues and be poised to support any changes to the GEG Program and GRE strategy as a result of the review.

The Program Associate (PA) will support one of the program officers on the Global Reproductive Equity team and the program officer on the U.S. Reproductive Equity team. This individual manages the administrative aspects of the grantmaking process, communicating with grantees regarding proposals, budgets, and grant reports, and other administrative duties to support the Program Officer. The Program Associate may also research issues, programs, strategy development, and organizations to assess their potential fit with Hewlett Foundation funding strategies or other special projects, as needed.

The Program Associate’s duties will include, but not be limited to:

• Manages a high volume of grants through the full grant lifecycle, from the proposal application process, to grant reporting and closing of grants.
• Implements processes to plan, coordinate, and track communications, timelines, and documents related to grants. Ensures grants meet reporting requirements and deadlines.
• Stays up to date on the common legal compliance issues that the grant portfolio…