Sierra Health Foundation is a private philanthropy with a mission to invest in and serve as a catalyst for ideas, partnerships, and programs that improve health and quality of life in Northern California. The foundation is committed to improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities in the region through convening, educating, and strategic grant-making.

Sierra Health Foundation has a broad definition of health, believing there is much more to health than health care. It is influenced by factors that include socioeconomic conditions, environment, education, income, and individual behavior choices. The foundation also believes in the need for health and racial equity and racial justice. Reducing health disparities is a key factor in striving toward better health for all and reflects the foundation’s dedication to ensuring that people throughout its funding region have the opportunity to lead healthy lives.

Sierra Health Foundation established The Center at Sierra Health Foundation to advance its commitment to strengthening community capacity to engage in policy development, planning, and implementation efforts that seek to address the health needs of California’s underserved populations. The Center works to promote health, racial equity, and racial justice in communities throughout California with local, state, and national partners. With strategy, creativity, and ongoing collaboration, The Center strives to eradicate health inequities across the state.

SUMMARY: The Black Child Legacy Campaign Program Officer will be based out of Sacramento, CA, and is responsible for day-to-day implementation and management of the Program by supporting its community partners to build their capacity for policy and systems change, coordinating Black Child Legacy Campaign hub activities, overseeing and monitoring Black Child Legacy Campaign community partners’ grant activities, and leveraging and strengthening relationships with community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, public sector institutions and agencies, and other funders to advance health, well-being, and equity consistent with the goals of the Black Child Legacy Campaign. Our organization follows a hybrid work structure where employees work remotely two days a week and three days from the office.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Program

• Act as the primary Program Officer responsible for managing the Black Child Legacy Campaign.

• Actively engage in the community and region to advance grantmaking strategies through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, public sector institutions, and other funders to further the efforts of the Black Child Legacy Campaign grants program.

• Responsible for developing with community partners the Black Child Legacy Campaign initiative strategies and engaging organizations within the funding region for strategic opportunities to implement the initiatives. In addition, the Program Officer will work with the program team and other departments to develop, strengthen and implement the program’s internal processes to better serve the community partners and the goals of the Black Child Legacy Campaign.

• Build and strengthen relationships with community partner grantees to better understand the challenges and opportunities they face in their respective areas of focus in advancing the goals of the Black Child Legacy Campaign.

• Provide coordination and direction with technical assistance providers and grantees to ensure maximum impact and value where Black Child Legacy Campaign resources have been provided.

• Maintain an understanding of project implementation challenges and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

• Coordinate the planning and management of all Black Child Legacy Campaign grants program virtual and in-person statewide, regional, and general meetings, informed by community partner input.

• Enable ongoing communication about program partners by organizing and managing regular conference calls and coordinating electronic updates.

• Act as a subject matter expert and resource for Black Child Legacy Campaign, especially regarding systems-level changes related to the Black Child Legacy Campaign’s four focus areas. This requires attending meetings and conferences and reviewing articles and research.

Grants & Contracts

• Participate in the grantmaking aspects of the Black Child Legacy Campaign grants program. This includes working with the Program and Admin/Finance Teams to review and assess proposals, monitor grant work, and conduct due diligence, i.e., site visits of pending and active projects.

• Manage grants/contracts from funders and consultants under the direction of the Interim Managing Director, Community, and Economic Development. This includes, as assigned, acting as the liaison with the funders, monitoring and ensuring funder contract/award obligations are met, meeting funder reporting requirements, and interfacing with other Foundation departments on related issues.

• Work with the Senior Management Team to identify and cultivate grant funding for Black Child Legacy Campaign. Assist with securing additional funding opportunities for the grantmaking program of the Black Child Legacy Campaign with potential local and national funders for future growth opportunities. Work with the Foundation and Center staff to prepare grant applications for additional funding.

• Assist community applicants in improving proposal quality and providing constructive critical analysis of strengths and weaknesses of funding proposals, workplans, and reports related to Black Child Legacy Campaign-supported work.

• Work with the Interim Managing Director, Community, and Economic Development, Evaluation Director, and other members of senior management to develop and implement an evaluation plan for Black Child Legacy Campaign initiatives.

• Work with the Interim Managing Director, Community, and Economic Development, Communication, and Public Affairs Director and management to develop and implement a communication strategy for Black Child Legacy Campaign.

• Provide and coordinate technical assistance to community partners and grantees that is responsive to demonstrated needs. This includes convening, coordinating, and leading workshops and roundtable discussions informed by community partner input.

Foundation & The Center

• Build strategic alliances with key public officials, Foundation stakeholders, and community partners to advance the Foundation’s goals and initiatives.

• Represent the Foundation and center at public forums, committees, and other venues.

• Actively participate in capturing, developing, sharing, and effectively using knowledge.

• Prepare briefings and background papers on selected topics. This includes coordinating external partnerships and consultants, research, preparing the content, and overseeing final production.

• Initiate and oversee specific projects for the Foundation or The Center as assigned by the Interim Managing Director, Community, and Economic Development.

• Work collaboratively with other Center staff in quality assurance processes.

• Perform other duties as required.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This job has no supervisory duties.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree in health policy, public health, community development, public administration, or a related field, and five to seven years of experience in a health-related program or policy arena. Demonstrated significant experience coordinating multi-party collaboratives and/or collective impact models with a policy and systems change or community power-building focus with documented impact

• Demonstrated experience advancing equity, building organizational and community capacity, and working with low-income, immigrant, and communities of color for sustainable change that advanced health and equity

• At least 3-5 years’ experience in philanthropy as a grantmaker, grants administrator, and/or grantee preferred.

• At least five years of experience specifically in state and/or local policy – ideally with community health or equity as a focus.

• Strong commitment to achieving racial and health equity.

• Familiarity with the San Joaquin Valley region is a plus.

Language Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including public speaking, presentation and group facilitation skills.

• Ability to read, analyze and interpret common financial reports and legal documents.

• Ability to respond to common inquiries, regulatory agencies or members of the business community.

• Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format.

• Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups and/or Board of Directors.

• Ability to speak, read and write in another language, preferably Spanish, Punjabi or Hmong.

Computer Skills

Must be proficient in Windows, Microsoft Office, Outlook, database software, and internet use.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Must have a current valid driver’s license and be insurable under the Foundation’s insurance policy. Must have a reliable vehicle to perform various in-field tasks.

Other Skills and Abilities

• Passion for the Foundation’s mission is essential.

• Demonstrates ability to initiate and promote public policy initiatives and expertise in dealing with policymakers, policy advocates, and the media.

• Broad public health knowledge, including federal, state, and county policy issues.

• Knowledge of social determinant approaches with diverse cultural populations.

• Demonstrates an appreciation for the importance of partnership strategies to affect public policy to promote health equity in California.

• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse constituencies and build consensus among a broad range of stakeholders.

• Knowledge of program development, implementation and evaluation methods, health promotion and policy, and general management concepts.

• Demonstrates effective leadership and relationship-building skills.

• Executes effective project management and budgeting.

• Demonstrates the ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

• Team orientation and skilled at working collaboratively with co-workers and organizational partners (i.e., effectively applying active listening, diplomacy, consensus-building skills, negotiating roles and responsibilities with internal and external colleagues).

• Demonstrates and organized approach to effectively manage multiple projects involving a variety of internal and external collaborators.

• Demonstrates flexibility and able to perform in a fast-paced organization.

• Demonstrates entrepreneurial orientation to the work.

• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 10% of the time.

Benefits and Compensation

Sierra Health Foundation and The Center provide a generous benefits package, which includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, as well as an Employee Assistance Program and a discount program called Working Advantage. Retirement benefits are provided through our 401(k), which includes employee matching. Details of these programs will be shared during the hiring process. This is a full-time exempt position with a hiring range between $93,000-$98,000 annually.