Program Associate
The Program Associate plays a vital role in ensuring the quality and success of the Foundation and Trust’s grantmaking. Reporting to the Director of Operations, this role involves hands-on, foundational tasks that support the day-to-day operations to lay the groundwork for larger initiatives and are essential for the team’s success. They are responsible for upholding the organization’s high standards and best practices in grantmaking by ensuring proposals and grants meet all requirements and expectations.
Associate provides essential support to proposal development and management and contributes expertise in internal processes and quality assurance across the full grant lifecycle — from idea inception through proposal development and grant management. The Program Associate will manage multiple tasks to support grantmaking within a dynamic office environment, work with a variety of people daily, including other staff and grantees, and work creatively and proactively to develop solutions to obstacles as they arise.
Includes, but not limited to:
• Support all aspects of proposal development, including developing and managing the proposal development timeline.
• Review proposals to ensure quality and alignment with compliance-related requirements and grant making policies and procedures
• Assist in all aspects of the external review process, including inviting potential external reviewers, coordinating their activities, and ensuring adherence to the timeline
• Assist with the management of active grants, including following up on overdue grantee reports, processing grant change requests
• Serve as the organization’s primary point of contact for grantees. This may include responding to inquiries from applicants and grantees, supporting applicants through the process of inputting their proposals into the grant management system, and supporting the relationship between the Foundation and the grantee
• Assist in scheduling meetings with applicants, grantees, and other stakeholders, including taking notes and preparing meeting summaries
• Serve as project manager or coordinator for a variety of projects related to the grantmaking activities of the organization, establishing priorities, tracking progress against deadlines, and communicating with multiple stakeholders
• Maintain professionalism and sound judgment under pressure by effectively managing competing priorities, meeting deadlines, and adjusting plans as needed
• Assist with scheduling, planning, and execution of events, meetings, and conferences, including logistics as required
• Assist special projects as required, including background research, data analysis, and preparing written reports and presentations
• Engage proactively in all program associate cohort activities, meetings, and training sessions to build strong professional relationships and enhance ongoing development.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, problem-solving and communication skills
• Excellent planning and time management skills
• Ability to move work from concept to implementation and completion, including setting priorities, meeting deadlines, coordinating inputs as part of a team, and ensuring timely delivery of high-quality work
• Ability to multitask, and demonstrate flexibility with respect to activities and assignments
• Self-starter, has the ability to demonstrate initiative in the completion of assignments or addressing issues/concerns
• Creativity, flexibility, sound judgment, solutions-oriented, and ability to take initiative and work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to develop positive working relationships
• Effective interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to interact professionally with an interdisciplinary and diverse team, grantees, and consultants across varied geographies
• Demonstrates resilience in high-pressure situations, maintains a level-headed approach, and applies strong prioritization skills to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• Demonstrated competence in word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software, with the ability and willingness to work on a range of different software
• Bachelor’s degree from an internationally recognized, accredited university or college is required.
• 1-3 years professional experience
• Project management or equivalent, preferably in an operational or administrative role
• Professional experience in a foundation and/or trust, grant-making or research setting preferred
• International experience is preferred.
• Passionate commitment to the vision and mission of Sir John Templeton
• Humble spirit and desire to work for the benefit of others
• Intellectually humble, open-minded and curious
• Team-oriented
• Maturity, discretion and desire to serve others
• A flexible, proactive and adaptive work ethic
• Strong attention to detail
• A high degree of confidentiality, integrity and honesty
• Willing to travel and attend work events after hours on occasion
