Program Officer - Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (ZSR) is a statewide, private, family foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life for all North Carolinians. Rooted in a set of core values such as integrity, sustainability, dignity and equity, ZSR strives to meet its mission by:
1) making grants to state-level and community-based organizations;
2) convening and connecting people to facilitate learning and spark ideas; and
3) helping to build the capacity of North Carolina’s nonprofit sector. The Foundation is based in Winston‑Salem, NC.

Program Officers play a critical role as strategists and liaisons between grant partners and ZSR leadership. They partner with ZSR’s Directors’ Team and the Board of Trustees in strategic decision making to distribute approximately $20 million each year to benefit the people of North Carolina. This is an exciting opportunity for a leader who is passionate about systems change, equity and strategy to join a team of an established, catalytic organization.

The Foundation is hiring a Program Officer to support its mission, vision and strategies as set forward in ZSR’s Framework for Grantmaking and Learning. While all Program Officers play an active role in both ZSR’s Community-Based Strategy and State-Level Systemic Change Strategy, each Program Officer has a primary focus.

This Program Officer will primarily work within the ZSR’s State-Level Systemic Change Strategy (SLSC), which encompasses four issue areas:
Public Education, Democracy, the Environment, and Social and Economic Justice. In particular, ZSR specifically seeks Program Officer candidates who have expertise in one or both of the following areas:

• Criminal Justice System / Justice System Reform
• Civil Legal Services

Knowledge of issues facing NC and its communities is a must.

ZSR seeks a team player who has experience in the public and/or nonprofit sectors and understands how those sectors impact one another. Successful candidates will be skilled at strategic analysis (including data analysis); attuned to power dynamics at both the interpersonal and institutional levels; and know what it takes to create successful statewide collaboratives and coalitions.

The Program Officer role includes developing effective relationships, partnerships and strategies that help ZSR facilitate positive change in communities across the state and at the state level. Program Officers are the key liaisons between grant applicants and the Foundation’s Trustees. They review grant applications, meet with applicants, and provide critical analysis of applications and the landscape of issues across North Carolina for Trustees.

They also build relationships with and among other funders. In addition, Program Officers strengthen ZSR’s organizational capacity and evaluate the effectiveness of its programs and strategies.

ZSR is on a continuous journey to live into its core values and also its commitments to: being a learning organization, using a racial equity lens, and engaging in the Foundation’s home community of Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County. Staff are engaged in operationalizing the core values and commitments.

The position requires the development of a thorough understanding of ZSR and its priorities, operations, structure and culture. The position is full‑time and based in Winston‑Salem, NC.

Successful candidates will be analytical, intellectually curious, values‑driven, strategic, and detail‑ and team‑oriented. They will have a robust understanding of the issues, opportunities and challenges facing North Carolinians, as well as the structural and systemic impediments to the well‑being of people and communities across the state. Individuals selected will be comfortable identifying data sources and using data (qualitative and quantitative) to help drive decisions.

They must have the ability to assimilate information quickly, think strategically, work under pressure and meet deadlines. They will be quick learners who are able to translate ideas between different spaces, make connections between seemingly different ideas, and make sense of complex…