About the Peterson Foundation

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation (the “Foundation”) is working to secure a healthy, growing economy by addressing America’s long-term fiscal challenges. The Foundation partners with leading policy experts, elected officials and the public to build support for solutions to put America on a sustainable fiscal path. As a non-partisan organization, the Foundation engages in grant-making, partnerships, and research to educate and involve Americans from a variety of perspectives.

Department Summary

The Programs Team develops and implements strategic programs and initiatives, collaborating across the organization and with external partners and grantee organizations to advance the Foundation’s mission in both traditional and emerging areas of engagement. The team manages grant-making portfolios and identifies, funds and scales new ideas and approaches to achieve organizational goals. The Programs team also oversees two major programmatic portfolios: Effective Democracy and Next Gen Leaders. The Effective Democracy portfolio strengthens policymaking and institutions by supporting secure, transparent, and trustworthy election administration and equipping elected leaders with the knowledge, skills, relationships, and political space needed for collaborative, solutions-oriented policymaking. The Next Gen Leaders portfolio carries this work into the future through the Up to Us Leadership Network, the nation’s leading talent pipeline for fiscal leadership. By equipping college students with advocacy, policy, and leadership skills, the Network prepares the next generation with the tools and community to address the nation’s long-term fiscal challenges.

Position Summary

The Associate, Programs will support the Programs team in the development and execution of both current and brand-new strategic programs with a focus on the Effective Democracy portfolio to advance the mission of the Foundation and strengthen its impact and reach. These programs are cross-functional and interdisciplinary, involving a unique blend of grants, partnerships, and internal efforts. Reporting to the Associate Director, Programs and supporting the team, the Associate will work on a variety of program support, research, writing, and communications tasks. The Associate will also engage with external partners, consultants, and vendors.

Responsibilities:

Research and Analysis

Research and synthesize trends, policy developments, key players and initiatives related to mission and programs with a focus on Effective Democracy.
Assist in developing program concepts and strategic recommendations and identifying and analyzing potential projects and grantees.
Support drafting of clear, concise memos, proposals, program reports and presentations for executive management.
Track brainstorming and planning conversations and draft follow up planning documents with strategic recommendations, action plans, processes, and updates.

Project Support

Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to aid in the execution of various programs
Track performance and progress of grants and projects.
Participate in program-related working groups and report to team leadership on project status, decisions, milestones, schedule, and risks.
Facilitate grants management and contracts processes by preparing paperwork; liaising with the Grants team, Legal, and partner organization(s); organizing review processes and feedback; and developing materials for leadership review of grant proposals.
Strengthen organizational processes and systems, including anticipating, planning, and coordinating internal logistics and needs across projects.

About the Successful Candidate:

The Associate, Programs will be intellectually curious, operationally focused, and detail oriented. They will be able to act as a utility player and employ a can-do attitude, taking on any task required to support the team and get things done. More specifically, the ideal candidate will bring:

3+ years of experience in program or project management, professional services, government or social sector, or related experience, preferably including experience with policy, public affairs and/or one or more priority issue areas.
Bachelor’s degree required in public policy, political science, economics or a related major.
Interest in and knowledge of public policy, fiscal policy, and learning about new issue areas connected to the Foundation’s core mission.
Strong analytical skills, adept at research and writing, and impeccable attention to detail.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Skilled in working independently and collaboratively as part of a team, as well as experience engaging external partners and/or working cross-functionally.
Ability to work under tight deadlines and have the organizational skills to prioritize and manage numerous projects at once as they evolve and change.
A desire to learn and grow, as well as receptive to receiving instruction, direction, and feedback.
Ability to forge productive working relationships with managers and colleagues at all levels.
In order to build productive relationships across the organization and to ensure effective collaboration, this role requires in-person presence in accordance with the organization’s hybrid schedule of working in the office three days per week (Monday/Tuesday/Thursday).

Salary and Benefits

We anticipate that the starting base salary range for this position will be $75,000 to $87,500, plus eligibility for an annual discretionary bonus. A final decision on the successful candidate’s starting salary will be based on a number of factors, such as skills, experience, qualifications, education, and the location in which the job will be performed. In addition, we offer an extensive benefits package to support our employees, including comprehensive health insurance, a substantial 401k match, paid time off, a hybrid work schedule and other flexible work policies.

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply to our organization. We offer a welcoming community that respects each individual and fosters a diverse set of experiences, perspectives, skills, and ideas. We are committed to building a workplace in which every team member can thrive personally and professionally and contribute to our mission.

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