Program Officer

The Veale Foundation is seeking to expand our reach and impact in Northeast Ohio. This position serves a key role in program implementation, project management, grant management, relationship development, promoting our mission, and executing the work of the organization.

The ideal candidate will be responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing projects within the decided-upon budget, timeline, and scope as well as developing relationships with potential and current grantees. They should have an interest and willingness to learn, be organized and detail-oriented, and possess an entrepreneurial spirit. This is a full-time exempt position that works closely with a small, dedicated team in office to achieve daily operational goals and drive project success.

General Responsibilities

Programming

• Lead and manage new programming for the Veale Youth Entrepreneurship Forum (VYEF) from ideation to implementation with a focus on supporting educators and student entrepreneurs.
• Design and implement programs for school-based businesses and student start-ups with support and guidance to include the creation of toolkits, guidelines, and best practices.
• Serve as an expert and resource for VYEF users to expand on next steps in their journey.
• Establish an informal ad hoc ecosystem of speakers, mentors, and judges.
• Support the Program Manager with event planning and organization for a series of off-site events including budget management, vendor interaction, logistics, catering, attendee tracking, volunteer recruitment and management, marketing, evaluation, and other duties as needed.
• Develop recommendations for microgrant support of student entrepreneurs.
• Develop and maintain relationships with partners, volunteers, vendors, grantees and others. Cooperate in the management and coordination of volunteer and professional relationships in support of foundation events.
• Test/evaluate research concepts and ideas through primary and secondary research; design and execute quantitative research surveys; plan and conduct qualitative interviews and focus groups.
• Manage and analyze quantitative and qualitative data and contextualize relevant findings within larger trends.
• Identify and report on trends that guide research and program development decisions; explain and present research findings to colleagues.
• Perform in-depth analysis to scope opportunities for new entrepreneurship programs; provide support in refining and finalizing new program plans.
• Devise evaluation strategies to monitor programmatic performance and to determine needs for improvement, including conducting pre- and post- event evaluations and reporting on outcomes.
• Maintain and foster strong relationships with the foundation's network of higher education institutions to coordinate and complement joint program endeavors.
• Support planning and coordination of existing and development of new VYEF programs and activities.

Grantee Support

• Develop and cultivate ongoing relationships with the foundation's grantees by fullyunderstanding their mission, objective and goals, the use of funds provided by the foundation, and their plan for sustainability.
• Prepare site visit reports with clarity, specifically documenting updates affecting the grantee's vision, administration, and intended use of the grant provided by the foundation.
• Remain current on emerging and critical trends in philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, foundation program areas, and areas of typical grantmaking for the foundation. (Entrepreneurship, education, health, etc.).
• Attend community events and programs on behalf of the foundation.

Administrative Support

• Assist with all office administration including accounts payable, grant database management (Foundant), board meeting preparation, investment tracking, record keeping and financial management to become aware and capable of supporting all aspects of the foundation.
• Build the brand of the foundation and drive the impact it has on Northeast Ohio. Assist with the development, implementation and management of communications and marketing strategies through website and social media.
• Establish yourself as a positive team leader while maintaining a spirit of cooperation with other employees.
• Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

The candidate is a highly motivated person who possesses a willingness to learn and has the following experience, skills and knowledge:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain important relationships
• Interest and willingness to learn and assist with all aspects of the organization
• Interest and experience related to implementing programs
• Exceptional organizational, planning, administrative, interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
• Deep intellectual curiosity and a passion for fact-based research with real-world impact
• Enjoy building new initiatives from conception to execution, exhibiting strong intellectual agility and curiosity, always eager to tackle new topics and skills
• Listens and quickly adapts when requirements change, exhibiting a willingness to "go above and beyond" in service to others, equally effective working independently or in a team
• Attention to detail, ability to produce high-quality, timely work products
• Communicate effectively in a variety of settings and styles
• Work collaboratively in a team environment
• Proficiency of entire MS Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as software competency
• An entrepreneurial mindset
• Bachelor's degree