Program Officer, VCSSA

The Leona M. and Harry

B. Helmsley Charitable Trust(“Helmsley”) is a global philanthropy driven by a vision of building better futures for people by increasing access to healthcare, advancing new research and ideas, and improving the quality of everyday life. Helmsley strives to make a meaningful impact in its focus areas, matching its significant financial assets with a rigorous and results-oriented approach. Helmsley is committed to close and productive partnerships with its grantees, as well as with other funders and impact players in government, academia, and the private sector who share its interests and goals.

Above all, Helmsley endeavors to be forward-thinking in every aspect of its work and will take risks that others cannot or will not take when the risk/reward trade-off warrants.

Since 2008 when Helmsley began its active grantmaking, it has committed more than $5.4 billion For more information on Helmsley, please visit https://helmsleytrust.org/ .

The Helmsley Charitable Trust funds holistic programs that improve the health and well-being of children and families across four focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia.

Improving health outcomes and building resilience is at the core of our grantmaking. To achieve these mutually reinforcing goals, we aim to increase access to quality healthcare, support the health and wellbeing of mothers and children, eliminate neglected tropical diseases, and advance economic development to build resilient livelihoods, with a focus on rural communities.

Working closely with grantees who collaborate with local implementing partners, community leaders and government authorities, Helmsley ensures that our grantmaking is responsive to community needs while building a foundation for long-term sustainability and local ownership.

To date, Helmsley’s VCSSA Program has made over 150 grants totaling $500 million towards this vision of more healthy, resilient and thriving children and families across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Helmsley Charitable Trust seeks a Program Officer (PO) to support the Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa Program’s multi-million dollar annual grant portfolio that aims to improve health and resilient livelihoods in four focus countries. The Program Officer will report directly to the Program Director and will assist with the ongoing development and implementation of the grant program through identifying high-impact grantmaking opportunities and accompanying grantees throughout the grant lifecycle.

The VCSSA Program Officer will be a key member of the VCSSA team, working closely with colleagues to support the Program Director and Trustee with all aspects of developing and implementing the VCSSA grantmaking strategy, including responsibilities for grant and relationship management, program development and monitoring, and internal and external engagement.

• Serve as the primary point of contact and relationship manager with grantees.
• Manage the program’s grants through each grant lifecycle, including grant application, due diligence and reporting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and provide ongoing technical support, guidance and accompaniment to applicants and grantees.
• Work with grantees to track progress and outcomes.
• Identify constructive solutions for grantees when challenges arise.
• Work with colleagues and grantees to help identify other implementing partners, donors, technical resources and collaborators working in the same geographies or sectors to optimize the impact of VCSSA grant funding and promote knowledge sharing among Helmsley grantees and partners.