Program Officer – Environment [Crown Family Philanthropies]

About Crown Family Philanthropies’ Environment Program
The Foundation’s Environment grantmaking (one of six main CFP program areas) aims to catalyze and sustain projects and collaborations that benefit people and nature, with an emphasis on the Midwest.

The Environment portfolio’s program’s two main priorities are: 1) protecting and restoring the Great Lakes for the use and enjoyment of people and wildlife for generations to come and 2) catalyzing climate investments in the Midwest so the region plays a leading role in reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. CFP also maintains investments in environmental justice in the Chicago region and to the restoration and protection of western U.S. watersheds.

CFP’s Environment Program is guided by the Foundation’s Environment Committee, an engaged group of trustees who provide direction to the three-person Environment staff team. The staff team is led by the Environment Program Director, to whom the Program Officer reports.

About the Position

CFP seeks a Program Officer – Environment with at least seven years’ environmental research, policy, and/or practical expertise, and authentic interest in achieving positive social impact.

Successful candidates will demonstrate a natural intellectual curiosity and appetite for learning, the technical abilities to manage grantmaking operations, and the appetite and skills to provide environmental sector thought leadership.

A) Key Areas of Responsibility
Planning and strategy:

• Work with Program team (Committee Chair, Associate Chair, Program Director, and any other Program staff) to develop impact strategy and goals, guide portfolio direction, develop grant recommendations, assess current grant initiatives and coordinate learning opportunities aligned with strategic framework.
• Coordinate with Program Director to support and lead portions of effective, dynamic committee meetings. Guide the Committee through the grant approval process and through strategic review and decision-making.
• Establish and/or maintain diverse issue area expertise across the Environment program.
• Identify and bring in experts around specific questions to inform strategic impact and educate the Committee and board.
• Collaborate with other grantmakers on field-wide activities that build on Committee strategies.
• Build and maintain deep relationships with diverse stakeholders, working closely with grantees, funders and other external stakeholders to maximize impact on systems change. Understand best practices and immediate needs.

Leadership:

• Serve as key staff contact for Environment Committee, including as primary contact for select grants
• Provide oversight and mentorship to program analyst(s) and/or senior program analyst(s), including ongoing professional development
• Identify areas of possible cross collaboration with the Foundation’s other issue areas
• Serve as an active participant and leader in relevant associations and convenings at the local and national level. Represent Foundation as a thought leader in the field, both locally and nationally.

Grantmaking:

• Develop, facilitate, and leverage relationships with grantee partners, funders, and other external stakeholders to collaborate on efforts and maximize impact
• Research and analyze nonprofit organizations to determine fit with CFP’s strategic priorities; invite proposal submissions, as applicable
• Contribute critical feedback to inform decisions on whether to accept or decline proposals based on established criteria
• Analyze nonprofit financial statements and operational conditions to determine organizational strength and effectiveness. Formulate recommendations for grant size and term.
• Plan and conduct site visits, representing CFP to candidate organizations and grantees
• Lead analyses on grantee organizations and grant outcomes. Lead the design of data collection tools and the development of narrative and oral presentations resulting from analysis. Develop and maintain frameworks to evaluate impact of grants.
• Lead the preparation of materials for Committee meetings, including grant summaries, progress reports, grants dockets, budget materials, meeting minutes, and additional content as assigned

Crown Family Philanthropies Team Activities:

• Play a collaborative role within the Program team, seeking and providing guidance with CFP colleagues on issues pertinent to the role
• Participate in cross-functional teams that advance organizational aims around social impact and family engagement
• Engage in initiatives that foster team collaboration, including meetings, trainings, retreats, and special projects, taking the lead where interest, expertise, and opportunity coalesce
• Represent CFP in the broader philanthropic field at community, grantee, funder meetings, and conferences and other professional development opportunities, as appropriate

B) Core Competencies (Experience and Skills)

• Minimum of seven years of progressive experience in a foundation, non-profit, government agency, and/or a research institution working on program-related issues in the environment sector
• Demonstrated ability to conceive and execute strategy and effectively align tactical needs
• Demonstrated ability to set clear goals and develop and implement metrics to measure outcomes
• Demonstrated work with senior leaders (close work with C-level executives and/or Board members a plus), including relationship management and meeting facilitation
• Highly collaborative team player who enjoys engaging with colleagues
• Excellent oral and written communications skills including ability to listen and synthesize multiple inputs with sensitivity, diplomacy and professionalism
• Superb organizational skills including ability to prioritize agendas and manage conflicting needs
• Excellent problem-solving and detailed project management skills
• Growth mindset with an eagerness to receive feedback and seek opportunities to grow
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to respond flexibly to shifting priorities

Compensation and Benefits
Henry Crown and Company and the Crown Family Philanthropies division offer a generous compensation package that includes health insurance, 401(K), paid time off, pension, and profit sharing.

Compensation is commensurate with experience and will be discussed in invited candidates’ first interview.

Additional Information
Henry Crown and Company and the Crown Family Philanthropies division are committed to creating a diverse environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Candidates with backgrounds and/or experiences traditionally under-represented in philanthropy are strongly encouraged to apply.

Note: Henry Crown and Company and the Crown Family Philanthropies currently operate as a hybrid work environment, with staff expected to work in the downtown Chicago office a minimum of two days per week.

About Crown Family Philanthropies
Crown Family Philanthropies (“CFP” or the “Foundation”) is the philanthropic division of Henry Crown and Company and supports the Crown Family’s philanthropic and grantmaking endeavors. In 2009, after more than 60 years of family grantmaking under the name Arie and Ida Crown Memorial, CFP was developed to represent an array of family grantmaking practices. Today the legacy of Arie and Ida Crown lives on in the work continued by their descendants, who remain dedicated to the Jewish tradition of tikun olam, or “repairing the world.” Supported by a professional staff of experts, CFP is led by more than 50 family members across multiple generations who come together to set strategy and make grantmaking decisions.

About Henry Crown and Company/ CCI
Henry Crown and Company is a Chicago-based, privately-held operation [not a 501(c)(3)] that manages business interests and coordinates investments falling into four broadly-defined categories: publicly-traded securities, real estate, investment funds, and privately held operating companies. The corporate office employs approximately 200 professionals in the areas of investment management, corporate development, accounting, tax, human resources, information technologies, legal, family services, philanthropy, and administration.