Program Officer, Regional

As a member of the Fidelity Foundations' regional program staff, the Program Officer will be responsible for developing, managing, and evaluating a portfolio of philanthropic investments focused on capacity-building in a few select regions. The incumbent will deeply understand the local context, contribute to strategy development, and actively cultivate and assess potential investments. They will represent the Fidelity Foundations and its Trustees to existing and prospective grantees, external stakeholders, and community members. The Program Officer will also participate in programmatic efforts that cut across grant portfolios and support organization-wide learning. This position reports to the Program Director, Regional.

Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Gain a deep understanding of each region's context and develop responsive and impactful grantmaking strategies across our sector areas of focus
• Identify and cultivate potential grant opportunities by initiating and managing relationships with potential grantees and other prospecting activities
• Work to assess and advance promising proposals and organizations by conducting due diligence through site visits, in-depth material reviews, financial analysis, and other activities
• Develop and refine proposal requests, and prepare detailed written analyses and grant recommendations for senior management and Trustee approval
• Participate in and contribute to the research agenda and strategy development in collaboration with the Foundations' Strategy and Impact team
• Evaluate grant effectiveness against stated objectives and overall portfolio effectiveness
• Support grant administrative processes, including inputting relevant and timely information into grants management system
• Provide expertise in support of other program areas and projects as required
• Follow media and literature to stay abreast of nonprofit trends and best practices, and attend relevant conferences to broaden knowledge
• Travel to conduct site visits within designated communities two to three times annually will be required

It is critically important that the Program Officer, Regional be a highly collaborative and collegial team player who listens and communicates well.

To be considered, candidates will possess a majority of the following professional and personal attributes and competencies:

• A minimum of 8 years of related work; experience in philanthropy or non-profit management is strongly preferred, but not required
• Analytical skills and experience, particularly in conducting basic financial analysis and due diligence for organizations and capacity-building projects
• Excellent communication skills, including strong writing and the ability to develop and present compelling narratives on complex topics
• High-level relationship building and interpersonal skills (e.g., collaborative, diplomatic, able to tailor communication to varied audiences) and a customer-service mindset
• A proven track record of delivering against goals
• Developed areas of special knowledge or expertise and demonstrated interest and commitment to becoming expert in a variety of issue areas
• Ability to multi-task and work flexibly and creatively within a fast-moving, changing, and complex environment
• Experience developing and executing against strategic priorities
• Exceptional judgment, integrity, humility, and respect for confidentiality
• Ability to move work forward independently while collaborating with a team and applying a keen eye to detail

The Fidelity Foundations are committed to creating an equitable and inclusive professional environment. We encourage applications from candidates with a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

This position will be based in Boston, MA on a hybrid schedule with a requirement to work in-person with colleagues 3 days per week; successful candidates will need to undergo a comprehensive background check.