Education Program Officer; SFF

Located in Seattle, Washington, the Stolte Family Foundation (SFF) is a private foundation founded by Chris and Heidi Stolte. With a small team and annual grantmaking reaching $5 million in 2019, the Foundation encourages a culture of collaborative learning, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovative approaches to problem-solving.

SFF believes in creating a sustainable future where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. To that end, we invest in organizations that champion systemic changes in education, and environmental policy and practice. To ensure the greatest impact, we take a holistic approach—listening and learning about why things are the way they are and building and leveraging relationships in the community to identify and implement the most effective solutions possible.

SFF is committed to diversity and racial equity, and we believe in empowering the community and working as partners to bring about positive change. We understand the urgent nature of this work while recognizing that complex challenges and empowerment take time. We work to build trust, and we assume personal responsibility so that we show up as trustworthy. We challenge our assumptions and welcome feedback.

SFF’s education strategies focus on narrowing achievement and opportunity gaps primarily in King County, WA. We believe that families play an important role in their children’s development and learning, and that programs that support families in homes, schools, and communities can make a difference. We are focused on ensuring that families of color in resilient communities most impacted by poverty have the resources and support they need to guide their children’s learning and advocate for their children’s education.

Ultimately, we strive to provide children with more opportunities to reach their full potential.

Priority outcomes

• More families are served by culturally responsive home visiting programs.
• Effective family engagement practices are used in schools and community-based programs.
• Parents and caregivers advocate for their children’s education, and advocacy efforts help increase public resources.
• All children have the social, emotional, and cognitive skills they need to lay the groundwork for positive school and life outcomes.

Our vision for this position

We are looking for an experienced education leader and relationship builder who demonstrates a personal and professional commitment to community change and education equity. The candidate understands the importance of building community relationships, demonstrates compassion and openness, and is excited to implement SFF’s new education strategy focused on family engagement, home visiting, and family advocacy. We want to bring an experienced voice to education tables of influence in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.

A strong candidate brings credibility and experience working with communities of color, community organizations, and other key stakeholders across systems of education in Washington State (policy makers, education funders, school district leaders, etc.). Given our commitment to diversity and racial equity, the candidate must also be committed to advancing this work and possess knowledge, skills, and expertise that would enhance our work.

The candidate must be able to thrive in a small team, working collaboratively as well as independently, demonstrating nimbleness in work environments.

The program officer, working under the guidance of the Executive Director and closely with foundation co-founders, will be responsible for implementing our new education strategy and the administration of SFF’s education grantmaking process and investments. In addition, the program officer will assist with the development, management, and evaluation of SFF’s strategic initiatives, with an eye to new opportunities to make a meaningful impact at a systems level.

The new team member will spend regular time working alongside a foundation co-founder, as a thought partner and advisor. The ideal candidate should thrive in co-learning environments.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary…