Program Officer, Policy and Advocacy

Title:

Program Officer, Policy & Advocacy

Business Unit:
Sobrato Philanthropies

Status:
Full-Time

FSLA Status:
Exempt

JOB SUMMARY

The Sobrato Philanthropies has adopted a bold new Theory of Impact that seeks to build the conditions for low-wage and housing-insecure communities to thrive. To achieve this vision, SP will deploy grants and other philanthropic tools in the Silicon Valley region, at the state level in California, and nationally, focused on critical issue areas impacting these communities, including Economic Mobility, Educational Equity, and Housing Security.

The Program Officer will contribute to the implementation of SP’s strategic approach to policy and advocacy grantmaking and influence, focusing primarily on educational equity in California state policy. Our educational equity work aims to improve outcomes for Multilingual Learner (ML) students by building a movement of partners working together to scale bilingual education statewide. This role will participate in our educational equity strategy development and refinement, due diligence and grantmaking, grantee engagement and progress monitoring, field engagement and collaborations with peer foundations, and evaluation and learning activities.

The Program Officer will bring experience in diligence, shaping, and managing an education grant portfolio and demonstrate deep knowledge of policy and advocacy approaches to advance community-centered systemic change in the educational equity field.

As an educational equity-focused role, the Program Officer will lead education policy and advocacy grants, leveraging lessons learned from our track record in this issue area. This role will understand the local, state, and national policy environment related to this work and is expected to partner with state and local stakeholders with a vested interest in education reform on behalf of MLs.

This role will require a regular presence in Sacramento to engage with grantees and other stakeholders on education policy.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

50% of Time:

Grow and deepen ongoing collaboration with grantees through check-ins, site visits, technical assistance, and thought partnership, among other tools.
Develop and implement virtual and in-person grantee learning and convening opportunities with the policy & advocacy team.
Stay abreast of new and significant developments in policy, research, and practice related to educational equity for MLs in California and nationally.
Proactively surface critical insights, trends, needs, and gaps on education policy, systems change, and organizational capacity building from our grantees and the field to inform our grantmaking strategy and practice. Bring findings back to grantees to strengthen their capacity.
Regularly monitor education policy in California and track policy and funding wins to which our team and grantees have contributed. Provide updates to the policy & advocacy team and facilitate discussions about the impact on MLs and any grantmaking implications.

Job Responsibility 2:
Partnership & Strategic Support

30% of Time:

Identify and research organizations that would be well-aligned with our educational equity priorities, evaluate grant proposals, conduct due diligence and financial analysis using our rubrics, determine priority funding areas, draft agreements with key metrics, and present grant recommendations.
Lead on educational equity grants in the state policy strategy and partner with the Senior Program Officer on grants in our teacher workforce and parent demand strategies.
Participate in, inform, and advise grantee coalitions as appropriate, including the Multilingual Education Policy Partners coalition of our educational equity anchor grantees.
Participate in funder coalitions and learning spaces to inform philanthropic agendas.
Build and maintain networks with key leaders from government, philanthropy, nonprofit, and other sectors to coordinate efforts and funding opportunities.
Regularly engage stakeholders in Sacramento, including policy leaders, researchers, and advocates, to stay informed about education policy discussions.
Represent SP and the policy & advocacy team with various constituencies, including in conferences, round tables, and other public venues.
Collaborate with Program Officers and Senior Program Officers at SP to strategically align educational equity grantmaking across geographies (Silicon Valley, California, and nationally).

Job Responsibility 3:
Coordination and Communications

10% of Time:

Build collaborative and positive working relationships with all staff across The Sobrato Organization (TSO). Maintain effective communication channels.
Contribute to annual planning, goal setting, and budgeting cycle.
Participate in policy & advocacy, SP, and TSO all-staff meetings to coordinate work, report on progress, flag challenges, and offer insight and expertise.
Provide regular updates and briefings on the educational equity work to SP leadership in coordination with the Director of Policy & Advocacy.
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