Senior Program Officer; BCF

The Ben

B. Cheney Foundation is seeking a Senior Program Officer (SPO) to work with our team as we support philanthropic efforts across our community. You will be joining an organization that has a 44 year legacy of deep commitment to service from the time of its founding by Ben Cheney who was dedicated to giving back to the communities in which he was fortunate to live, work and build a family and business.

Over that time, our foundation has given upwards of $100 million to 1400 organizations which are addressing community needs, supporting vulnerable populations and helping our community thrive. You will be joining us to continue this legacy and be a leader on our staff team who brings a dynamic perspective on how our foundation can evolve to serve our communities even more effectively in the years ahead.

Founded with a mission to support youth sports endeavors, we now fund organizations across the communities in which Ben Cheney grew his business in the areas of education, health and social services, community development and cultural programs. To get a better sense of why and how our mission evolved, we encourage you to watch:

Our team is small but mighty, as we do much with our numbers. We value and actively model the importance of collaboration, respect, humbleness, integrity, empathy and responsive and active listening.

We bring those same values as well as a dedication to supporting our vibrant and diverse community to our work with the organizations we fund. We listen and work in true partnership, meeting these community organizations where they are and supporting their missions as we know they understand best how to address needs on the ground and what works and what doesn’t.

The SPO role is based in Tacoma, Pierce County where Ben Cheney built his business and began the Cheney foundation. If you live here, you know this already, and if you are considering this position and moving here you will find it to be an amazing place to live and work full of natural beauty, friendly people, diverse neighborhoods and renowned cultural, academic, civic and business organizations.

As the SPO, you will be responsible for all aspects of developing and overseeing our grants including:

• Reviewing and evaluating letters of intent and proposals
• Developing recommendations for our foundation’s Executive Director (ED) and Board of Directors (board)
• Presenting proposal recommendations internally
• Researching, learning and thinking strategically, in thought-partnership with the ED and board, about new opportunities for funding or emerging community needs
• Monitoring and overseeing grants and reviewing grant reports
• Overseeing the internal infrastructure that manages our grantmaking process

You will also be one of the faces of the foundation and will:

• Represent the foundation across a broad and diverse group of community partners and stakeholders
• Attend and speak at, where appropriate, community forums and events
• Travel to sites to discuss, support and creatively problem-solve with community organizations
• Serve as a primary point of contact with grantees and potential grantees, including
  • Interacting with existing or potential grantees to learn about ongoing work and future opportunities
  • Engaging with and assisting community organizations seeking information about the foundation, its work and its grantmaking processes

Internally, you will work as a close and valued colleague with the rest of our team - staff and board - to advance the foundation’s mission consistent with our culture and values.

You will report to the ED and, when called on, to the foundation board. Please note that this role is set to begin in the mid-late August 2019 timeframe.

To join our team, you will be a highly motivated and proactive professional who possesses the following knowledge, skills, abilities and other attributes:

You will be:

• Dedicated to supporting a thriving community
• Someone who possesses a service and volunteer spirit both professionally and personally
• An adaptive leader and manager, particularly adept at exercising soft authority
• A strategic forward-thinker
• An active listener and someone who respects,…