Senior Program Officer, Coordinating Center; RWJF

Posted on May 20, 2019

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), located in Princeton, N.J., is the largest philanthropy in America dedicated solely to health. Since 1972 we have been providing funding, assistance, and research for projects and programs to help people, their families, and their communities be as healthy as possible. RWJF is committed to working alongside others to build a Culture of Health where everyone has a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being.

Senior program officers are professional staff responsible for developing, implementing, and managing RWJF’s initiatives to improve health and health care. Their primary responsibilities include partnering with directors to provide intellectual and organizational leadership in designing and implementing new initiatives with a focus on equity, evaluating proposals, monitoring programs and grants, learning from program investments and activities, providing mentorship and development for junior staff, and creating impact through dissemination of knowledge.

As with staff at all levels of RWJF, senior program officers are expected to demonstrate a passionate commitment to equity, to the Foundation’s mission and Guiding Principles.

This senior program officer position is atwo-year term positionwithin the Coordinating Center, Leadership for Better Health. The Coordinating Center supports collaboration amongfour RWJF leadership programs —

1) Health Policy Research Scholars,

2) Interdisciplinary Research Leaders,

3) Culture of Health Leaders, and

4) Clinical Scholars

—to strengthen their ability to produce high-impact, networked leaders from diverse sectors and backgrounds who are equipped to build a Culture of Health. The Coordinating Center also supports RWJF’s efforts to strengthen the capacities, visibility, and influence of diverse leaders. The Coordinating Center aims to create greater impact across the four programs through planning and coordination, managing operational support, building meaningful connections between programs and participants, and highlighting participants’ efforts.

This senior program officer position will report to the director, Network Leadership for Better Health (director, Coordinating Center).

This senior program officer will be responsible for the following:

• Works with the Coordinating Center director, supports planning, facilitation and coordination between the four programs and Leadership for Better Health (LBH), including development and monitoring of shared goals and milestones;
• Works with program and evaluation staff, develops a learning agenda and supports integration of formative, rapid-cycle, other evaluation findings, and feedback/input from partners and staff to improve collaborative efforts between the four Change Leadership Programs and LBH;
• Develops and implements a plan for capturing learning, sharing knowledge and uplifting stories about program leaders'/participants' projects, research and impact within RWJF, across programs, and to broader audiences;
• Supports Coordinating Center team to implement cross-programmatic connections and activities, including alumni engagement activities, participant-organized programs, and in-person and online network-building.

• Initiates and contributes to the planning, facilitation, design and implementation of cross-programmatic initiatives in a way that advances health equity. May lead sub-team committees and work groups to design and manage implementation key team objectives. Serves as a partner with the Coordinating Center director and other staff in planning and identifying strategic objectives and direction.
• Works with internal staff, consultants, national program centers, leadership program participants, external organizations and other funders (if applicable) to plan, develop and respond to requests (for cross-programmatic efforts and/or for funding) as needed. Screens and assesses prospective project proposals, and works with partners to refine plans and project budgets.
• Drafts preliminary summaries of projects and develops recommendations…