Job Description

Nonprofit Foundation Program Officer

Houston, TX

Our client, a Houston-area foundation focused on community health, has an opportunity available for a Program Officer. This role advances the foundation's strategic framework by managing a portfolio of grants and initiatives that address the root causes of health inequities in Texas. This Program Officer translates high-level vision into actionable strategies that are outcome-focused, sustainable, and responsive to emerging opportunities.

Responsibilities:

• Establish and maintain ongoing, trust-based relationships with grantee partners, peer funders, and leaders from non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH) support organizations and health care, as well as collaborators across the foundation's divisions. This includes working together to identify and respond to emerging opportunities and challenges and recommending foundation engagement that advances long-term progress on the foundation's strategic priorities.
• Manage and shape a defined portfolio of grants and initiatives that advance the foundation’s Strategic Framework, including assessing organizational and financial health, evaluating sustainability, and applying discernment to recommend the most strategic investments; contribute to the long-term vision, scope, and impact of the foundation’s work.
• Work directly with grant applicants, grantee partners, partner organizations, and the foundation's colleagues to develop and steward outcome-focused investments that advance health equity and the goals of the foundation’s Strategic Framework.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the foundation and with external leaders to co-develop strategies and grantmaking approaches that address systemic drivers of health inequities, integrating learning and evaluation to capture insights, share lessons, and strengthen future investments.
• Translate the high-level vision and strategies of the foundation’s Strategic Framework into clear, actionable plans, grantmaking approaches, and partnerships that drive measurable progress toward intended outcomes.
• Serve as a key voice within the Grants team to inform, design, and implement strategies that deliver on the foundation’s Strategic Framework. Demonstrate adaptive leadership by navigating complexity, adjusting strategies in response to changing circumstances, and supporting grantee partners and colleagues in times of uncertainty.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree or above preferred
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in work related to the Foundation’s Action Areas – Health and Health Care Services, Healthy Communities, Health Policies – or closely related work in philanthropy, nonprofit, or public sectors, with direct involvement in grantmaking, program design, policy, or systems-change efforts.

Strategic & Analytical

• Ability to translate high-level vision into actionable plans, grants, and partnerships.
• Strong systems and policy thinking skills; ability to identify root causes and levers for long-term change.
• Demonstrated judgment and discernment in grant stewardship, with the ability to assess organizational and financial health, weigh competing uses of funds, and recommend the most strategic investments.
• Creative and analytical thinking, with the ability to synthesize complex information and generate actionable insights.
• Knowledge of community health clinic operations and financing, including revenue streams, reimbursement models, and organizational challenges that impact sustainability and service delivery — preferred.
• Experience with impact investing or other innovative philanthropic financing approaches, including the ability to assess opportunities that complement traditional grantmaking and advance long-term sustainability — preferred.
• Prior experience as a grantmaking Program Officer, with responsibility for managing a portfolio of investments and partnerships — preferred.

Relational & Collaborative

• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trust-based relationships with grantee partners, peers, and colleagues, grounded in humility, respect, and openness.
• Skilled convener and collaborator, fostering cross-sector/cross-divisional teams and partnerships, and aligning diverse perspectives toward shared goals through active listening and creative problem-solving.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, with the ability to act as a thought partner internally and externally, balancing multiple perspectives and maintaining a constructive approach even when navigating complexity or deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience working with diverse communities, organizations, and sectors to advance health equity and address non-medical drivers of health.

Operational & Organizational

• Strong project management and organizational skills, with experience managing multiple priorities, meeting deadlines, and balancing independent work with collaboration.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex ideas clearly and succinctly for different audiences.
• Experience preparing clear, compelling reports and presentations for boards, leadership teams, and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with grants management software (e.g., Fluxx) preferred.

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