The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1966 to improve the quality of life of people at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, environment, global development, performing arts, and population. In addition, the Foundation has initiatives supporting neighborhood improvement and philanthropy.
About the Position
The Program Assistant provides administrative and project-related support to program staff, working in close collaboration with the Program Officer/s. The Program Assistant position responsibilities generally fall into three categories: 1.) program administration, 2.) grants administration, and 3.) foundation-wide responsibilities.
We are specifically looking for a Program Assistant to support the West and the New Constituencies for the Environment (NCE) portfolios of the Environment Program.
The goals of the Hewlett Foundation’s work in the West are to protect its great open spaces and important ecosystems, and to promote productive collaboration among a broad range of people committed to building an environmentally sustainable West. The geographic scope encompasses twelve western U.S. states and includes the western provinces and territories of Canada. The four programmatic focus areas: Public Finance for Land Conservation; Sustainable Fossil-Fuel Development; Wilderness and Roadless Areas; and Impacts of Motorized Recreation.
The Hewlett Foundation’s NCE works to support non-governmental organizations working on behalf of communities whose environmental concerns have often been underrepresented, and also supports additional capacity for this work in Sacramento. Grantmaking concentrates specifically on efforts to address policies, especially at the state level, that have the potential to deliver large-scale improvements in air pollution.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Program Assistant’s duties and responsibilities include the following:
Grantee Interface
- Organize, compose and manage program mailings and communication with current and potential grantees.
- Compile and maintain relevant grantee information in an up-to-date file.
- Provide information on Expenditure Responsibility requirements.
- Develop liaison relationship to grants administration office for all program grant processing, including such details as scheduling reports and payments, tax information (domestic and foreign) on grantees, and data entry.
- Obtain and file legally and foundation required documents.
- Ensure that required grant reporting information is updated.
- Serve as program staff contact for updating grants management database (GIFTS).
- Work in collaboration with other Environment program assistants to ensure smooth workflow.
- Manage program activities such as travel, conference registrations, and other meeting arrangements.
- Provide or ensure that others provide background information for meetings; research and/or prepare materials for meetings and presentations; compile reference material as needed; prepare agendas and take minutes as appropriate.
- Review mail and prepare for Program Officer’s attention or reroute to appropriate Foundation staff
- Draft and develop routine correspondence on behalf of the Program Officer; respond on their behalf to requests for information and commitment of time
- Review all documents, ensuring correct grammar and syntax and accuracy of information.
- Collect information from prospective consultants and prepare consulting agreements
- Prepare and submit program related requests, subscriptions, reimbursements/expense reports and other related internal documentation.
- Research specific projects for program staff.
- Assist in preparing summary documents containing accurate, high quality, grant and program data and descriptions for Board.
- Coordinate and organize high-level seminars and technical meetings that are often off-site or international.
Qualifications
- Experience in an administrative or support role
- Strong communication skills, both oral and written
- Detail oriented with excellent organizational and analytical skills
- Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and complete tasks on time
- Resourceful, proactive, and able to escalate issues to Program Officer in a timely fashion
- Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks without direct supervision
- Possess excellent computer skills, particularly with the Microsoft products
- Positive attitude, good sense of humor, and a commitment to being part of and building a positive work environment.
- Possess the ability to interact with people from all walks of life with poise and professionalism.
- Fluency in Spanish an asset
- AA degree desired, BA preferred