The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

Within USP, the Pathways team focuses on ensuring that underserved and low-income students, including Black and Latinx students, access the learning opportunities and mentorship, and navigation supports needed to acquire credentials of value and gain professional skills, agency, and social capital needed to thrive in the workforce. We support high schools, post-secondary institutions, and employers to adopt and coordinate delivery of effective solutions, aligning K-12/PS programs of study with labor market demand that enables more students to be empowered and prepared to select and pursue postsecondary pathways of value.

We are seeking an outstanding candidate for a limited-term Sr. Program Officer to support a body of work (BOW) of investments related to Credit Mobility supporting learners to move seamlessly between educational providers and retain the value of their educational experiences. Specifically, the SPO in coordination with a select group of subject matter expert contractors manage investments to advance solutions and to develop and refine public goods that create a technology-enabled Credit Mobility ecosystem.  

This SPO is part of a work group focused on technology-enabled solutions within the USP Pathways Strategy. This individual will report to the Director, Pathways and must be a skilled collaborator that will work with colleagues both within USP Pathways team and across USP Data and USP Postsecondary Success teams.  

What You’Ll Do

Manage the Credit Mobility BOW Operations

Operational Leadership: Be responsible for day-to-day BOW operations, including facilitating meetings, tracking activities and decisions, and ensuring timely internal communication.
Strategic Representation: Represent the BOW within the foundation, providing programmatic input into Pathways and broader USP strategy discussions in written and presentation formats.
Partner Coordination: Monitor and coordinate the activities of multiple partners (grantees, vendors, contractors) contributing to BOW objectives.
Progress Tracking: Use project management tools to track progress against annual and long-term BOW goals; synthesize insights and provide analysis to inform strategy and decisions.

Support and Manage Investments in the Credit Mobility BOW

Investment Leadership: Negotiate, lead, and oversee program-related grants and contracts that advance solution development, field engagement, market analysis, and sense-making.
Grant/Contract Stewardship: Provide technical guidance and clear communication to grantees and partners, including site visits and convenings as appropriate.
Performance Management: Consult with partners to ensure progress toward desired outcomes; set and assess milestone-based performance objectives; identify and resolve barriers to success.
New Investment Development: Scope opportunities, review proposals, and provide clear, concise, and insightful written analyses and funding recommendations. Coordinate with internal resources to steward investments to launch and success.
Portfolio Analysis: Track investment performance using project management tools; provide insights and trend analyses to inform decision-making.

Collaborate with Internal Teams and Stakeholders

Cross-Team Alignment: Partner closely with colleagues across USP (MLE, R&D, Data) to ensure data, research, and insights from grants inform broader strategy and portfolio management decisions.
Measurement, Learning & Evaluation: Contribute to development and implementation of measurement, learning, and evaluation (MLE) plans; integrate findings into BOW strategy and progress reporting.
Data Strategy Coordination: Collaborate with subject matter experts and USP Data strategy team to identify and pursue opportunities for coordination across initiatives.
Stakeholder Communication: Ensure effective communication and alignment with internal and external partners, including timely updates on grantee progress and results.

Advance Ecosystem Development & Field Impact

Field-Building: Cultivate and strengthen an ecosystem of entrepreneurial product developers, institutional leaders, researchers, and policymakers working on Credit Mobility.
Feedback Loops: Foster active feedback loops between practitioners, researchers, and solution developers to accelerate adoption and scaling of effective models.
Catalyze Capital: Help attract additional philanthropic, public, and private capital to sustain and scale confirmed solutions in the Credit Mobility space.
Thought Leadership: Represent the foundation in external settings, advancing the Credit Mobility agenda and contributing to national field-building discussions.

Your Experience

Experience working closely with or in the U.S. postsecondary system including a higher education institution, higher education system office, state education agency, higher education vendor, or other higher education-related organization.  
Knowledge of the education sector, with a focus on understanding the core needs of students, administrators, and other key stakeholders and various stages/institutional levels.

Skills

Experience with initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and/or influencing others to drive change.  
Ability to conduct pattern and trend recognition; and to interpret cost analyses and product-market fit analyses.  
Experience in product design, development, launch, refinement, and management of education solutions.

Attributes

Strategic problem solver and doer—you can wrestle with multi-dimensional problems 
Ability to coordinate complex projects, work with multiple internal and external partners, and bring ideas to fruitful execution and implementation 
Proven track record of working as an effective member of a matrixed team and contributing to the foundation’s collective success.  
Excellent quantitative, analytical, writing, and verbal skills crucial for communicating progress and stewardship with a diverse audience including foundation leadership. Institutional administrators, technology entrepreneurs, evaluation researchers, and philanthropic partners.

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

The salary range for this role is $186,400 to $288,800 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $203,100 to $314,900 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidate Accommodations

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.

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