Position: Program Officer

Department: Education

Location: Jersey City or Washington, DC

Reports To: Senior Program Officer or Senior Advisor

Job Classification: Full-time; Exempt

How to apply:

https://weioffice-foundation.icims.com/jobs/2009/program-officer/job

https://walton-enterprises.icims.com/jobs/2009/program-officer/job

The Walton Family Foundation (Foundation) is seeking a skilled, highly motivated, and collaborative individual to join the Foundation as a Program Officer.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

We believe every associate should have access to success. Creating an environment centered on trust, respect, and bringing people together is critical to this belief.

Our aspirations are as follows:

Create an environment where we hire, retain and bring to the table people with diverse backgrounds, viewpoints and lived experiences to create a more successful organization.
Ensure fairness, equity and access to success for all our associates.
Create an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, safe, and able to engage honestly.

About the Position

The Program Officer will play a key role in advancing the Foundation’s Education Program strategies through proactive engagement with grantee partners, development of new opportunities, and effective collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. In addition to supporting work across all program investment areas, this Program Officer will play a key role in advancing grantmaking and initiatives focused on educational technology. This includes identifying and researching innovative grantmaking opportunities, making grants and building partnerships that are aligned with the Foundation’s values and goals, and supporting grantees to drive impact.

This position requires both strategic thinking and operational excellence, with a strong commitment to improving educational outcomes for K-12 students. The ideal candidate brings both strategic insight and practical experience in the development, scaling, or funding of emerging educational technology, including AI-enabled solutions in education.

The following are the Program Officer’s key responsibilities:

Grantee Partnerships & Support

Manage relationships with grantees and potential grantees including seeking and performing due diligence on proposals aligned with the Education strategies.
Shepherd proposals through the Foundation’s approval process, as well as provide guidance to and work with grantees to achieve significant impact.
Assist grantees in developing and implementing maintenance, monitoring, and funding strategies that lead to the achievement of strategic goals.
Support the Education Program leadership and other team members with written materials, grantee convenings and other learning opportunities.
Manage workflow and processes with grantees, across Foundation offices, and with family members.
Review budgets for appropriate expenditures, review legal documents, monitor grantee operations, review financial and narrative reports and work with our administrative team to ensure timely payments.
Provide responsive and thoughtful advising to grantees; be proactive in anticipating needs and provide accurate, timely resolution of issues when they arise.
Identify potential new partnerships and opportunities including identifying prospective grantees and funding partners.
Identify and support grantees working on the development, implementation, and responsible use of education technology and generative AI in K-12 education.
Stay current on emerging trends, research, and policy developments and share information to support the Education Program’s strategy.
Engage with thought leaders, developers, policymakers, and practitioners to inform investment strategies and uncover high-potential innovations.

Collaboration Within Education Program & Across WFF

Collaborate with Foundation colleagues, including members of the Foundation evaluation and communications teams to implement, refine, and expand the Foundation’s impact.
Help shape investment plans aligned with the Education strategy, develop and track budgets, and be held accountable for yearly progress.
Help support other projects and assignments as requested by the Education team, Foundation leadership, and/or family members.

Who we are looking for

The ideal candidate has the following qualifications:

A Bachelor’s degree; relevant master’s degree or higher preferred.
At least 10 years of work in a professional, education or philanthropic environment.
Excellent written communication skills with experience in producing both brief and longer written products in a timely fashion for internal and external audiences.
Outstanding verbal communication skills with experience conveying complex issues to internal and external audiences.

The ideal candidate has the following skills and abilities:

Demonstrated ability to think and plan with a growth mindset, to set and achieve visionary goals and objectives and to balance multiple priorities.
Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion goals for both working internally with Foundation colleagues as well as externally with diverse grantees and partners.
Ability to give and receive feedback graciously.
Demonstrated success in building effective relationships and networks to achieve results.
Intellectual agility and the ability to analyze, think critically and understand emerging education issues and trends.
Ability to anticipate issues and problems in advance and propose possible solutions.
Belief in the power of teams and collaboration to drive creative thinking and problem solving.
Unquestionable ethics and personal integrity.
Willingness to travel and equal enthusiasm about building relationships remotely.
Demonstrated experience in education technology, AI, or digital learning — including product development, research, policy, or philanthropic investment.
Strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges related to generative AI in education, including issues of ethics, access, and instructional effectiveness.
Ability to translate technical concepts into accessible insights for diverse stakeholders, including educators, grantees, and foundation leadership.

All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement, background check. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States on your first day of work.

Salary Range: $138,000.00 - $172,000.00

Benefits Information: We offer a comprehensive and generous benefits package which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401 (k) retirement plan and paid time off.

About the Walton Family Foundation

The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Walton Family Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

Walton Family Foundation

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