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The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Program Director for Philanthropy

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California seeks to recruit a Program Director for Philanthropy.

About the Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1966 to help solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, environment, global development, performing arts, philanthropy, population, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Foundation’s assets are over $8.5 billion, with annual gifts and grant awards totaling over $400 million. A 12-member Board of Directors provides overall direction for the Foundation. For more information about the Hewlett Foundation please visit the website at www.hewlett.org.

The Philanthropy Program

The mission of the Philanthropy Program is to increase the social and environmental impact of philanthropy by improving how the Foundation and donors deploy their resources. The program supports three primary grantmaking activities: Practice of Philanthropy, Hewlett Foundation Effectiveness, and Organizational Effectiveness:

A) Practice of Philanthropy: Donors will make smarter decisions if (1) they have easy access to quality information about performance of nonprofits, (2) they are able to make use of donor education resources to help them develop and execute their own strategies, and (3) knowledge about philanthropy is up-to-date and easily accessible.

B) Hewlett Foundation Effectiveness: The Foundation maximizes its social impact per dollar through a relentless focus on a strategic approach to philanthropy and outcomes-oriented grantmaking. Hewlett’s effectiveness is bolstered by planning activities (such as programs’ planning retreats, the use of Strategy charts to articulate goals and theories of change, and measure progress against goals at regular intervals) and evaluation systems (such as grantee applications and closing reports, grant cluster reviews, Grantee Perception Reports, Staff Perception Surveys).

C) Organizational Effectiveness: Strong organizations are more likely to achieve their missions. Small capacity building grants targeted strategically strengthen grantees’ management, leadership, strategies, or systems, and thereby improve the organizational health and effectiveness of grantees. Healthy grantees minimize risk in the Foundation’s grantee portfolios and leverage the Foundation’s other investments.

Program Director

The Program Director reports to Paul Brest, President and serves on the senior management team. The Program Director will have leadership for a $8.9 million annual grants budget and, in addition to the Philanthropy Program’s own grantmaking, will work with the president and program staff on improving the Foundation’s own strategy, grantmaking, and evaluation. In this regard, the Program Director will support activities that link and strengthen the efforts of each program and ensure cross-program information sharing and learning regarding monitoring and evaluation activities.

The Program Director will engage in outreach to the sector, review and evaluate proposals, work with applicants to provide early advice and later assessment of proposals, prepare letters either declining or recommending proposals for board action, manage a portfolio of grants, and assist partners and grantees.

More specifically, the duties of the Program Director will include, but not be limited to the following:

• Oversee active grants, track grantee progress, provide guidance and assistance to grantees, and respond to grantee reports.

• Serve as a source for current information and technology such as logic models and for working with program staff and their grantees where such applications may be useful.

• Assist in strategic planning for the program by evaluating and identifying effective grant-making activities.

• Develop briefing papers and reports that contribute to the Foundation’s understanding of new approaches, best practices and trends in building nonprofit capacity and improving outcomes and learning.

• Organize Foundation-sponsored meetings of grantees and/or experts and practitioners in the field of philanthropy and in the region where appropriate.

• Promote with the other Program Directors the use of planning and evaluation among grantees as a management practice for program and organizational improvement and, as appropriate, assist Foundation grantees in their efforts to evaluate and monitor their programs.

• Represent the program at appropriate meetings, conferences and site visits.

The Program Director should ideally possess the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

• A deep commitment to the core values and principles of the Hewlett Foundation;

• Depth of knowledge and experience in strategy, capacity building, and evaluation, ideally with respect to the philanthropic sector;

• Depth and breadth of knowledge of evaluation as represented by increasing responsibility for design, implementation, and management of a broad range of applied evaluation tools, methodologies, and techniques.

• Demonstrated ability to involve and work collaboratively and effectively with peers in joint and shared efforts;

• Organizational savvy and outstanding interpersonal and facilitation skills;

• Demonstrated ability to process complex information and present ideas in a pragmatic and compelling manner;

• Prior experience working with individuals from diverse racial, socio/economic, and cultural, backgrounds

• Superlative writing and public speaking skills;

• The highest level of personal and professional integrity and quality standards;

• Excellent judgment, flexibility, good humor, high energy level, modesty, and graciousness.

Compensation and Benefits

The Hewlett Foundation offers an excellent benefits package and a salary that is commensurate with experience and education. This position is exempt and full-time.

To Apply

Please email your resume and cover letter detailing your interest in the position to:

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