Program Officer, Global Reproductive Equity

Program Officer, Global Reproductive Equity

• The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
• September 03, 2024
• Menlo Park, CA

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About The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation invests in creative thinkers and problem solvers working to ensure that people, communities, and the planet can flourish. Together with our partners, we are harnessing society’s collective capacity to solve our toughest problems — from the existential threat of climate change to persistent and pervasive inequities, to attacks on democracy itself. A nonpartisan philanthropy, the Hewlett Foundation has made grants in the U.S. and globally for nearly six decades based on an approach that emphasizes long-term support, collaboration, and trust.

Globally, we make grants to address longstanding and emerging challenges like our efforts to advance gender equity and governance, reimagine the economy and society, and reduce the growing threat of climate change. Our U.S. efforts prioritize strengthening democracy, advancing education for all, and supporting community-led conservation. In the San Francisco Bay Area, we call home, we make grants to support meaningful artistic experiences in local communities and support regional foundations working on critical issues such as housing. All our grantmaking also invests in advancing racial justice and in strengthening the effectiveness of our grantees, as well as in philanthropy itself. The Hewlett Foundation’s assets are approximately $12.8 billion with annual awards of grants totaling more than $600 million.

Learn more about the Hewlett Foundation at .

About the Gender Equity and Governance Program

The (GEG) makes grants to improve the well-being of people. We support creative thinkers and change makers committed to ensuring everyone – especially young people, women, and girls – have the resources and tools to advocate for what they need to thrive, and that their governments have the evidence, opportunity, and will to listen. Together, we are working towards building inclusive societies where social, political, and economic systems are more equitable and people can exercise the power to shape their own futures.

The GEG Program works across five strategies to promote gender equity and responsive governance in East and West Africa and the Americas. In addition to the Global Reproductive Equity strategy, these include US Reproductive Equity, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Inclusive Governance and Evidence-Informed Policymaking. Many of our grantee partners also work at a regional or global level to create norms and standards and support advocacy and collective action across sectors and geographies. In the United States, the foundation pursues an agenda to improve women’s ability to exercise reproductive choice and rights, and a portion of our Inclusive Governance work is in Mexico.

The Gender Equity and Governance Program team comprises 20 staff, including nine Program Officers.

The Opportunity

The seeks a Program Officer for its strategy. This person will manage a portfolio of grants to organizations with the goal that women and girls in East Africa and Francophone West Africa, especially those facing the greatest barriers, are increasingly able to seek, access, and use comprehensive reproductive healthcare – inclusive of abortion care – to further their health, well-being, and life aspirations. The term reproductive equity reflects our commitment to advancing sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice (SRHRJ) around the world and in our priority regions. We approach this aim by strengthening SRHRJ ecosystems to more effectively advance policies, systems, narratives, and practices that support comprehensive reproductive health for women and girls.

The Program Officer reports to the GEG Program Director and works closely with the GRE team and other Hewlett colleagues to administer and support a large portfolio of existing grants, and over time, transition and evolve grantmaking to effectively implement a refreshed strategy and program. In line with the Hewlett Foundation’s of working with grantee partners in collaborative, mutually respectful ways, the Program Officer will work with other GEG Program and foundation colleagues to identify cross-strategy and cross-sector collaboration and learning opportunities. The Program Officer also contributes to promoting cross-foundation learning, a healthy organizational culture, and putting the foundation's values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into practice.

Taking an ecosystem-strengthening view of the diverse actors, opportunities, and threats in the fields of reproductive equity and gender justice in the regions of East Africa and Francophone West Africa, the Program Officer works with grantee partners, funders, and other global, regional, and national stakeholders to assess needs, co-create solutions, and promote collaboration to implement the strategy. Operating from a posture of trust, the Program Officer identifies and supports creative and responsive grantmaking approaches to ensure the success of grantee partners. Also, the Program Officer identifies gaps and opportunities in the field and plans / commissions research, learning, and evaluation processes to explore catalytic approaches to advance progress toward our shared goals. A key aspect of this work is to stay abreast of trends in emerging issues, debates, research, and practice in the areas of reproductive health, rights, and justice, feminist movements, and equitable grantmaking in global development broadly and in the African region, specifically.

The Program Officer contributes to the foundation's interest in and practice of , developing and updating strategies, identifying benchmarks and milestones to assess progress against these strategies, and planning and commissioning evaluations to contribute to learning and better understand impact. Our “beyond-the-grant dollars work” typically includes coordination and influencing other funders in the field by participating in donor collaboratives and other philanthropic fora; getting to know and working with grantee partners to identify opportunities for responding to their capacity-strengthening and organizational resilience needs; amplifying grantee partners’ voice by sharing their stories and connecting them with other funders and practitioners; and capturing and sharing what we are learning from our grantmaking through blogs, speaking opportunities and other forms of knowledge sharing and influencing.

The Gender Equity and Governance Program is currently undertaking a program-wide review to explore how they can amplify their impact and best support the field. This strategic review may include shifts to the scope and structure of the GEG Program in 2026 and beyond. The Program Officer will co-create this future program with their colleagues and be poised to lead any changes to the GEG Program and GRE strategy as a result of the review.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will be an innovative thinker and resourceful self-starter. They will be passionate about reproductive equity and have a particular interest in gender equity, feminist movements, organizational strengthening, and equitable philanthropic practice. The Program Officer will fully understand the ecosystem the Foundation operates in in order to effectively utilize its resources in an additive way. They will be comfortable operating within broad strategic parameters and exploring opportunities that can lead to bold and unconventional approaches.

The Program Officer will be an effective relationship builder with a clear, articulate communication style. They must have the skills necessary to create or foster professional networks, mobilize actors in joint and shared efforts, work in cross-cultural contexts, and be eager to marshal intellectual resources and practical thinking to solve problems.

To build and manage a portfolio of grantee partners, the Program Officer will have to apply a combination of sound judgment, creativity, and basic quantitative and qualitative analysis skills. A commitment to fiscal stewardship in both grantmaking and administrative activities is essential. They will bring the ability to foster collaboration across diverse constituencies including bridging and building relationships amongst government, civil society, academia, funding agencies, the private sector, or the media; and ability to listen attentively and synthesize ideas from across disciplines.

The ideal candidate will thrive in a role with a great deal of autonomy within a highly collaborative, communicative, and team-oriented environment. Success in the role requires the intellectual prowess and curiosity to contribute across Program streams, an enthusiasm to share and seek learnings about grantmaking practices and grantee partners’ contributions to progress, and the ability to leverage the skills of people with different perspectives and styles. The ideal candidate will be an emergent thinker and be comfortable engaging in collegial debates about the future direction of programming. They will demonstrate a commitment to philanthropic practices that center equity and mutual trust, learning, and accountability with those closest to the communities we serve.

As a person, the Program Officer will offer deep commitment to the values and mission of the Hewlett Foundation and the vision and goals of the Gender Equity and Governance Program. Excellent listening skills, confidence, candor, a sense of humor, humility, integrity, energy, and a deep respect for colleagues are all essential characteristics for the role. Given the constantly changing nature of the work, an ability to graciously adjust to shifts and maintain flexibility is also critical. With a natural talent for bridging differences and finding common ground, they will also demonstrate the ability to generate new ideas and work with others to shape emerging approaches.

Qualifications

We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will offer a track record of demonstrable success and strength in the areas of responsibilities listed below :

Desirable Qualifications

Compensation & Benefits

The Hewlett Foundation is committed to providing competitive compensation within the philanthropic sector. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this role is $190,000-$223,000. Offers are based on the candidate's years of experience and our practice of maintaining salary equity within the foundation. This position is exempt and full-time. Program Officers of the Hewlett Foundation serve for a maximum eight-year term.

The position is based in Menlo Park, California. Staff are currently expected to work from the Hewlett Foundation offices at least 2-3 times per week when they are not traveling. Current HR policy allows employees to work remotely for four weeks during a calendar year. Travel will vary, but the employee should expect to travel up to 35% of the time. The Foundation requires all staff, vendors, and visitors accessing the office to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Contact

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Erin Reedy and Sarah Avendaño. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by . All inquiries are strictly confidential.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation embraces the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, both internally, in our hiring process and organizational culture, and externally, in our grantmaking and related practices. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.