The Families & Workers Fund
Job Overview:
The Families and Workers Fund (FWF) is seeking a Program Fellow to join our team for a fixed, two-year term. The Program Fellow will support grantmaking and lead project management for one of our two new initiatives working closely with the Program Director who leads the initiative, as well as contribute to program strategy and learning. The Benefits Access and Equity Initiative Program Fellow will support the new initiative, which aims to increase family economic security including through technology-related improvements to government social safety net programs.
The Program Fellow will display a deep commitment to equity and will be both a strategic thinker and collaborative operator. The Program Fellow will be organized with strong attention to detail and capable of effectively prioritizing and actioning inbound requests. As a rapidly growing startup with an ambitious vision, all of our staff must be comfortable with change and actively seek to help each other. The Program Fellow will help expand FWF’s capacity during a period of increased grantmaking and will also provide professional development opportunities for individuals seeking to learn about and enter the philanthropy field.
Application Deadline & Requirements
As a start-up, FWF is growing quickly and seeking to staff the team rapidly and thoughtfully. Deadline for applications is March 5th with an anticipated start date between April 15 and April 29.
About the Families and Workers Fund
The Families and Workers Fund (FWF) is a platform for collaborative action and a pooled $125+ million fund supported by 30 diverse funders working together to build a more equitable economy that uplifts all. FWF was founded on the belief that the United States is experiencing a once-in-a-generation opening to advance economic security, opportunity, and mobility—especially for those who have been most locked out of the country’s prosperity. FWF deploys strategic and nimble grants, as well as targeted programs, community engagement, and partnerships, to leverage the possibility of this moment toward three longer-term impact goals:
21st Century Benefits: Reimagine and repair the social safety net benefits that can help to reduce poverty and enable basic economic security by supporting the introduction of new, effective technologies; delivery models/processes/practices; and policies to improve efficacy and access, and end racial, gender, and other disparities.
Recover Up: Accelerate the delivery of quality careers that enable economic mobility for workers and families by making investments that have the momentum and potential to propel scale.
Activate Philanthropy: Catalyze strategic collaboration in philanthropy to advance a more equitable economy and grow the total amount of resources committed to good jobs and economic opportunity.
The Fund has two new $50 million initiatives individually housed under our two impact areas: the Benefits Access and Equity Initiative (BAE Initiative) under 21st Century Benefits, and the Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers Initiative (PCIC Initiative) under Recover Up: Jobs that Sustain and Uplift. This Program Fellow will support the Benefits Access and Equity Initiative.
Key Responsibilities (include but not limited to):
Supports grantmaking and leads project management for a large-scale initiativeWorking closely with the Program Director and in collaboration with our close partners, supports the implementation of one of our $50+ million initiatives focused on either climate and infrastructure careers or equitable access to public benefits.
Leads initiative project management: In close partnership with the Program Director, contributes to designing and executes project management to ensure outcomes and impacts of initiative are met. Builds effective timelines/processes for deliverables and coordinates resources needed to deliver on time and on budget. Improves systems and infrastructure for tracking action items, workstream progress, and impact. Manages project-based consultants as assigned.
Supports grantmaking and grantee partners: Contributes to scoping prospective grantees and partnerships within the initiative, including by analyzing key dimensions of the organization being considered for funding (e.g., the organization’s impact strategy, track record, leadership, finances, centering of equity, and potential risks). Participates in review of potential and prospective grantees including by rating applications, participating in grantee interviews, learning calls, and reference checks. Leads grant administration including by coordinating outcomes and activities, collecting data, and ensuring deadlines are met in close collaboration with the Program Director and operations team.
Meeting management: Manages program meetings as requested and in coordination with the operations team, including prospective grantee calls, webinars, or outreach sessions, including by creating agendas, managing and tracking invitations, and facilitation.
Programmatic strategy, research, and deliverablesInitiative research: Conduct literature reviews, desk research, and attend virtual briefings/webinars to support the strategy development of new initiatives—for example, review the existing case studies and research on leveraging procurement spending to advance social impact goals. Synthesizes research, data, and learnings to produce insights for high-quality written documents and presentations. Communicates key learnings and outcomes to staff, co-funders, and other key stakeholders.
Drafts memos and presentations: Contributes to drafting memos, external presentations, and other materials about the Fund’s program strategy and impacts. Drafts field research, briefings, and presentations on key issues impacting our work and opportunities. Occasionally interacts with co-funders. Presents program updates and learnings at Advisory Board and/or other funder meetings.
Other duties as assigned: Participates in various other Program Team activities and special projects as needed, including projects that may have tight deadlines or involve complex, high-stakes partnerships. Contribute to and participate in organization-wide activities, professional development, conferences, and retreats.
Minimum Requirements:
At least 4 years of progressively increasing responsibility in a relevant field, including a minimum of 2 years managing a complex project or initiative (e.g., government, philanthropy, or nonprofit sector).
Experience in one or multiple areas: Government delivery and capacity
Government procurement for public benefits delivery systems
SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, and UI public benefit programs
Technological expertise (i.e., data matching/sharing, Application Programming Interface (API), government benefits delivery systems, Artificial Intelligence)
Excellent organizational and project management skills; flexibility and ability to multitask, with demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Experience with data management and/or spreadsheet management. Proficient in Excel and Word and/or the Google Suite equivalents. Comfort learning and utilizing new technology that may help the team better administer or streamline our work.
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Proficiency writing high-quality memos, concept notes, and/or presentations for a variety of audiences.
Shares FWF’s deep commitment to equity; values and seeks to advance equity in the workplace including racial and gender equity.
Comfort working in a startup environment with many competing priorities, deadlines, and workstreams.
Team player who is highly collaborative with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively and build effective relationships among a variety of levels and a diverse group of individuals and team; is inclusive and considers who may need to be a part of an initiative who may not be present or considered.
Must be available to work U.S. Eastern Time Zone from 9 am to 5 pm
Must have regular and dependable internet access.
Desired Qualifications:
Understand the issues the Families and Workers Fund impacts – including economic opportunity, economic justice, job quality, and/or public benefits delivery—gained through education and training, professional experience, and/or lived experience.
Solutions and action-oriented, curious and enjoys learning new things.
Strong skills in Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Presentations) and virtual meeting tools.
Salary, Benefits, Location, and Eligibility
$90,000-115,000 annually, commensurate to experience.
Generous benefits, including 100% employer paid medical, vision, and dental insurance, vacation days, and a matching retirement plan.
Remote job open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States and able to operate within the Eastern Standard time zone.
Travel Requirements
This role will require frequent domestic travel.
This position will be formally housed at the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, which is the sister philanthropy to Amalgamated Bank. The Families & Workers Fund is a part of the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation and is headquartered in Washington, DC.
At Amalgamated Foundation and the Families and Workers Fund, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people from working-class backgrounds and/or with lived experiences that the Families and Workers Fund works on are strongly encouraged to apply.
This search is being led by NRG Consulting Group. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.