HCF’s Collaboration Philosophy

At the Hawai’i Community Foundation (HCF), we believe that an organization’s team as a “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (Aristotle). To us, this means that we are committed to be a collaborative ‘ohana (family) that lives and actionizes our mission, respects and cares for each other, and innovates and learns together. We understand that we must rely upon all our individual strengths as we partner to provide excellent value and achieve effective results for our generous donors, community partners, and all of Hawai’i’s people. We are excitedly looking forward to enhancing our team with the addition of a Program Officer.

Position Summary

Like all HCF team members and volunteers, the Program Officer exudes the heart and passion for HCF’s mission: to inspire generosity, advocate for equity, forge connections and invest in community to create a better Hawai‘i. Specifically, the Program Officer’s role is to support the natural environment portfolio of work, managing key projects, communications, data, and reporting functions all while facilitating community impact. The Program Officer will also make effective grants and other community investments through stewardship of various funds at HCF and servicing advisory committees and contracted partners. This is a key position that provides leadership for a diverse body of work in natural resource management and a set of grantmaking programs and clients. Additionally, the position may support the development of grant program strategies and carry out special projects.

Essential Position Responsibilities

Key responsibilities fall within primary areas of focus and are as follows:

Project Management

Coordinate the work of numerous contractors and partners for effective project implementation and alignment with program goals.
Support activities and partners to further natural environment sector goals.
Manage external meetings and events to facilitate successful partner engagement.
Support budget and spending oversight, including invoice review and expenditure tracking.

Information & Data Management

Develop and manage data systems, including collection instruments and management protocols.
Collect and manage data, including information regarding Hawaii’s natural resources, infrastructure, financers and funding, decision-makers and decision-making forums, stakeholder perspectives and preferences, email lists, etc.

Communications

Draft initiative and program informational, advocacy, and reporting materials, including funding applications, progress reports, FAQs, newsletters, social media posts, etc.
Collaborate with internal communications staff to enhance communications outcomes.

Grant Review and Monitoring

Develop and administer funding opportunities.
Review and evaluate grant proposals and provide written summaries and funding recommendations.
Participate with colleagues on grant programs including proposal review and peer review of potential grants or awards.
Monitor ongoing grant programs by reviewing grantee progress reports and final reports and conducting site visits, where appropriate. Evaluate completed grant-funded projects.
Field inquiries from the public and grant seekers regarding grant opportunities in a respectful manner.

Grant Program Management

Responsible for an assigned portfolio of grant programs.
Able to independently manage a grant program from start to finish in collaboration with other HCF team members.
Develop the grant program strategy and design, including the grant program’s Request for Proposals.
Manage grant program events and convenings, including grantee gatherings and training, as applicable.
Oversee evaluation of grant program to track progress on meeting program’s goals and impact.
Oversee external consultants and vendors to grant programs, if applicable.

Relationship Stewardship

Maintain key relationships with funders and donors, program partners, and advisory committee partners to implement community grantmaking.
Participate in advancing the mission of HCF and HCF clients and donors to serve the needs of communities throughout Hawaii.
Work with Development and Donor Relations (DDR) staff to inform donor solicitations, respond to donor inquiries, and monitor fundraising goals.
Support activities to connect clients with nonprofit organizations and to complement clients’ grantmaking programs.
Deliver excellent service to all clients (internal and external) and exceed HCF’s service standard expectations, whenever possible.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with all clients and gain their trust and respect of HCF.

Strengthen the Grants Services Team

Motivate top performance and accountability through shared and clear communication of collaborative goals and objectives.

Collaboratively Drive the Success of HCF

Collaborate with colleagues and community stakeholders to build and exchange knowledge of the non-profit sector, fields of interest, and potential grantees.
Manage external meetings to facilitate successful community grants and investments.
Serve as a knowledgeable and collaborative representative of HCF in the community.
Deliver a collaborative team style internally with colleagues to achieve greater results
Serve as collaborative partner with DDR to ensure comprehensive relationship management strategies are utilized.
Partner collaboratively with other staff members to ensure effective outcomes.

Supervision

Supervise and mentor staff as assigned.

Other Responsibilities

Perform other tasks as assigned.

Position Requirements

HCF believes in ensuring that our team members can thrive in their positions. Accordingly, the Program Officer must possess the following knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, and education:

Bachelor’s degree required.
Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience in the non-profit sector preferred.
Experience in grant writing and/or grant reviewing and evaluation.
Experience with monitoring projects and writing reports.
Experience working in natural resources, preferably in Hawaii, and/or with organizations/institutions in Hawaii, including government.
Demonstrated passion for the betterment of Hawaiʻi and its people.
Knowledge, sensitivity, and understanding of the history and complexities of Hawaiʻi’s indigenous and multicultural communities.
Capable of thriving in a highly collaborative and flexible organization with an appreciation and respect for colleagues of diverse backgrounds and perspectives and an enthusiasm to continually shift and evolve to meet the needs of the community, clients, and donors.
Proven ability to recognize and balance competing interests, policy implications, and practical considerations within diverse groups of external and internal constituents to achieve effective outcomes.
Exceptional interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate effectively with varied constituents including government officials, business and nonprofit leaders, and donors.
Ability to be extremely discrete in working with sensitive or confidential information related to client and donor information, relationships, and funds.
Excellent research, analytical, writing, presentation and organizational skills managing time effectively and meet multiple deadlines.
Ability to perform work with attention to detail and accuracy.
Strong computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Knowledge in grant and donor management database systems preferred.
General math skills to review and produce business reports.

Work Environment, Physical, and Mental Demands

Works under regular office conditions with the ability to work remotely.

General office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm with flexible hours, as needed.
Required to travel, as needed.
Ability to operate general office equipment including computer, copier, printers, fax machine, etc.
Ability to lift, carry, push, pull, up to 25 lbs. of general office material or equipment.

This provides a general description of the common duties performed by a person in this position. It does not include every possible duty an individual in this position may be asked to perform and is not all-encompassing. Positions also may require “other duties as assigned” and such assignments are considered part of this position’s assignment. This job description is provided as a general summary and does not constitute a contract for employment and does not in any way alter Hawai’i Community Foundation’s employment “at-will” relationship with any employee in this position.

Note to Applicants: This is a hybrid position, with an expectation of two days minimum worked in office. Specifics and details of work schedule to be determined with the hiring manager of the position. We do not provide relocation assistance for this position.

Hawaii Community Foundation

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Program Officer - Natural Environment Sector