Senior Program Officer
Listed on 2026-02-01
-
Management
Program / Project Manager, Operations Manager -
Non-Profit & Social Impact
Overview
Position: Senior Program Officer
Department: Environment
Reporting to: Environment Program Director
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Washington, DC or Denver, CO
The Walton Family Foundation is seeking a skilled, highly motivated, and collaborative individual to join its Environment Program as Senior Program Officer. The ideal candidate will bring leadership experience, a proven ability to execute at a senior level, an entrepreneurial spirit, and strong interpersonal and communication skills. They will take a respectful, analytical approach to supporting grantees as they work to transform business norms and harness the power of nature to protect and restore rivers and oceans.
About the Position
The Senior Program Officer will play an important role in shaping and advancing the Foundation's Environment Program strategy to protect and restore rivers and oceans. As the leader of the initiative focused on advancing nature-positive markets, the Senior Program Officer will manage a team of Program Officers responsible for grantmaking that leverages corporate supply chains and financial markets to scale nature-based solutions for healthy rivers and oceans.
Our approach to this work is grounded in the idea that sustainability is consequential for companies, consumers, and nature. We seek changes in how businesses behave that can lead to measurable improvements for the health of rivers and oceans. To do that, we are working to build incentives, information, and consequences into the framework for sustainability.
This role requires demonstrated leadership, coaching, and people management skills, and a record of operational and strategic excellence. The ideal candidate will bring a proven history of scaling and funding nature-positive corporate supply chains or innovative finance in the environmental field.
What You Will DoAs Senior Program Officer, you will play a leadership role in the Foundation's Environment Program. Your responsibilities will center on three core functions:
- Partner with the Program Director, Deputy Director, and other Environment Program leadership to shape and strengthen the Program's culture, strategy, and impact.
- Provide counsel on current and emerging priorities, ensuring alignment with the Foundation's vision and goals.
- Contribute insights, data, and learnings to inform strategic shifts and long-term planning.
- Represent the Foundation internally and externally, modeling its values and inspiring collaboration across teams and with key stakeholders.
- Lead, coach, and develop Program Officers to design and implement innovative grantmaking opportunities.
- Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performing team culture built on collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.
- Promote seamless collaboration across the Environment team, the Foundation, and external partners.
- Oversee and deepen relationships with current and prospective partners aligned with Program strategy.
- Provide proactive and responsive advising to grantees — anticipating needs, resolving challenges, and guiding strategies for sustainability, monitoring, and funding.
- Shepherd proposals through the Foundation's approval process and support grantees in achieving meaningful, measurable impact.
- Identify and cultivate new opportunities, including due diligence on prospective grantees, funding partners, and coalitions that advance new approaches and greater impact.
- Convene grantees, funders, and stakeholders for learning and knowledge-sharing that strengthen the field.
The ideal candidate has the following qualifications and prior work experience:
- A bachelor's degree required; an advanced degree (master's or higher) is preferred.
- At least 10 years of experience that includes both philanthropic or nonprofit as well as sustainable supply chains, sustainable finance, or related fields.
- Demonstrated success leading and managing teams, including developing organizational strategy, shaping culture, and fostering high performance.
- Proven ability to…
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