Elgin Program Officer

Location: Elgin, IL
Status: Full-time, exempt
Reports to: Executive Director
Start date: Fall 2019
Elgin Program Officer

About the Foundation
Grand Victoria Foundation, with offices in Chicago and Elgin, is a private foundation that annually
awards upwards of $7M in grants and other support. The Foundation is in an exciting phase. It has
new leadership and team members, who are executing a retooled mission, vision and strategy that
focuses our philanthropy more deeply on supporting community-driven solutions to persistent challenges. Our vision is a strong, livable and equitable Illinois where every resident has an opportunity to thrive. Our grantmaking focuses on creating change for and with communities closest to the need, with a goal to achieve equitable outcomes that reduce disparities and ensure fair access to resources in our areas of interest.
Our grantmaking aims to:
1. develop and nurture individual leadership;
2. build and sustain strong and effective organizations;
3. support the development and execution of new ideas to address long standing systemic
challenges;
4. offer opportunities for leaders and organizations to connect, share information and take collective action when necessary;
5. encourage and uplift civic engagement and participation
The Role
The Elgin Program Officer will lead the Foundation’s work to support Elgin’s social, education, and economic systems to be well-coordinated, responsive and inclusive to create the right conditions for equitable outcomes. We believe this will result in a stronger community that represents the diverse voices and perspectives of its people. The Foundation historically has supported direct service organizations with general operating funds. With the new direction of our work, the Elgin Program Officer will lead the effort to build a vision-aligned program that encourages inclusion and equity through partnerships, collaborations and civic engagement.
The Elgin Program Officer will be able to demonstrate their ability to thrive in the organization’s emerging work norms:
Purpose-driven: Grounded in the work, aware of the impact that is possible, and able to
purposely engage and collaborate with others internally and externally to move the work forward
Innovation: Able and eager to identify new opportunities, strategies and approaches to
philanthropy within and outside of traditional systems and structures
Entrepreneurial: Able to grow the Foundation’s education work and establish our identity
in the field throughout the region and state
Ideas and inquiry: Generate ideas, then test those ideas internally and externally to establish
original methods and points of view
Comfort with ambiguity: Possess the confidence and flexibility to successfully work in an
environment where experimentation is encouraged
Responsibilities
The primary duties of the Elgin Program Officer are:
• Design and execute a grantmaking strategy for the Elgin program that allows the Foundation to realize its goal of a strong, livable, equitable community that represents the diverse voices and perspectives of Elgin residents
• Cultivate and manage relationships with key leaders and organizations in order to help the Foundation achieve its mission
• Manage the program budget, allocating resources to mission and vision aligned partnerships and collaborations;
• Create and launch an innovative new participatory grantmaking program
• Build a portfolio of grantees whose work has the greatest potential to bring about systems level changes in Elgin, particularly those whose work is more inclusive of and attentive to the needs of communities of color
• Support internal efforts to build a strong organizational culture at the Foundation that is
rooted in equity, inclusion and aligned with our values and vision.
Skills and Characteristics
The best candidates for this role will have many of the following skills and/or characteristics:
• Progressively responsible experience working in community development with local organizations responding to resident wants and needs
• Understanding of community change strategies used to make impact at the neighborhood and municipal levels
• Ability to manage up and across the Foundation to effectively engage colleagues and to keep
important initiatives and programs moving forward
• Strategic, analytical problem solver, who identifies and leverages resources to advance
grantmaking
Qualifications
• A belief in the Foundation’s mission, vision and theory of change
• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree preferred
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in community development or nonprofit management
• Experience facilitating productive collaborations among multiple parties, and designing and
leading meetings to build consensus on problems and their solutions
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and databases
Travel: A valid driver’s license is needed, and occasional evening work and local and overnight travel is expected.
Compensation and benefits: Salary is competitive and based on qualifications. Benefits include health, dental, and life insurance, a 401K plan with employer-paid matching contribution, generous paid vacation and holidays, and professional development resources.
To apply, please submit via email a cover letter and resume to resume@grandvictoriafdn.org. The cover letter should describe why you are interested in the position and the work of the Foundation, and how your interests and experiences align with both.
The Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and actively invites a diversity of candidates
regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or religion.