Program Officer

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

The Ford Foundation Indonesia Office, based in Jakarta, seeks a dynamic, collaborative, innovative and multi-talented Program Officer to help drive and shape the Foundation’s work related to Natural Resources and Climate Change (NRCC), which includes forestry and the extractive sectors as well as efforts to promote transparency and accountability across the two sectors. The Program Officer will work in collaboration with the Indonesia team and with stakeholders, including the government and other donor agencies.

The ideal candidates should have proven expertise in and knowledge of land rights and deforestation and their relationships with the extractive sector, especially mining and energy. They should also have expertise in governance issues such as corruption, tax evasion, and illicit financial flows that have diverted resources away from being used to improve the welfare of the communities. We are looking for candidates that investigate the intersections between natural resources and race, gender, climate change, corruption, and community rights. It would be advantageous if the candidates have professional experience and networks oriented toward the promotion of tolerance, as well as in resource mobilization, which includes the field of philanthropy, impact investing and donor leveraging.

The Program Officer will be part of Ford Foundation’s global NRCC program team and will collaborate with Program Officers located in other regional offices as well as the New York team, and participate in cross-office learning groups and, where appropriate, joint grant-making on specific NRCC issues. A further important part of this work is collaboration with the China office to look at the political, social and environmental impacts of Chinese investment and development finance in Indonesia, and to promote transparent, accountable and equitable investment practices by Chinese companies in ways that would lead to an environmentally and socially sustainable development in Indonesia.

Additionally, to enhance impact, the Ford Foundation—along with the ClimateWorks, David & Lucile Packard, Gordon and Betty Moore, and Good Energies foundations and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies-- is a member of the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA). The Program Officer will participate in the work of the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA), as well as cross-cutting work with other offices on the issues of violence against women as related to natural resources and land rights, and environmental and human rights defenders’ protection.

BACKGROUND

Since its establishment in 1953, the Ford Foundation Indonesia office has been working with grantees in partnership with the government to promote social justice, and, in the past decade, we have focused on efforts to reduce inequality.

Currently our office funds Indonesian organizations to promote land rights, prevent deforestation, help marginalized groups have a voice in decisions that affect them as well as access the benefits generated by natural resources, and promote transparency and accountability to combat tax evasion, corruption and illicit financial flows. Central to these efforts are indigenous peoples, civil society organizations, government at the national and local level, and the corporate sector. In a smaller scale, the Indonesia office also provides support to promote tolerance and develop the ecosystem for local philanthropy and impact investing.

The status of Indonesia has been upgraded to the upper middle income country category, which will further reduce the availability of funding from external sources. In response to the declining resources, the Indonesia office seeks to promote donor collaborations around NRCC issues as well as provide support to help our grantees diversify their funding sources and become more financially resilient.  

The Foundation strives to achieve these goals by working with government partners, social organizations, academics and policy makers, business, and other philanthropies. Across all the areas of work, the Indonesia office seeks to highlight women’s roles and bring a gender perspective to all its work.

The Program Officer will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Director for the Indonesia office, and be part of a multi-disciplinary International NRCC team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Officers are responsible for the development of grant portfolios and ensuring all related activities (grant making, convening, thought leadership, civil society strengthening, government relations) are designed to deliver on the NRCC goals and strategies. The Program Officer assesses and analyzes the fields in which the office is focused; identifies key organizational fields or “ecosystems” to work in; identifies opportunities to work with various actors to shape agendas that would promote strategic outcomes; and plays a leading role in shaping specific grant activities. The Program Officer shares substantive knowledge with Foundation colleagues worldwide; collaborates broadly with Ford’s Indonesia office team; and serves as a ‘connector’ of grantees. The Program Officer works with practitioners, government officials, scholars, NGOs, other donors and corporate sector leaders on issues of common concern to leverage resources towards common goals.

More specifically, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, the Indonesia Program Officer will:

• Contribute to the ongoing development and implementation of the Indonesia office strategy, as well as working toward the goals laid out in strategy of the NRCC International Program;
• Develop grant making activities in a team-oriented context that are aligned to the NRCC goals and designed to achieve significant and scalable impact;
• Manage, monitor and coordinate grants, including: annual grant planning; identifying and working with prospective grantees to develop proposals for grant recommendations; conducting organizational assessments; reviewing grants for strategic alignment; undertaking periodic reviews of progress with grantees; and reviewing financial and narrative reporting from grantees;
• Develop and implement grantee convening to strategize and review opportunities, challenges and advances;
• Leverage support from other donors and improve grantees’ financial resiliency to make them more impactful; 
• Recommend and participate in evaluation and learning activities to guide the evolution of programmatic work, together with the office team and the Foundation’s Office of Strategy and Learning;
• Represent the Foundation and its work to the government, media, academic, business, philanthropic, and civic leaders through meetings, updates, speeches, briefings and interviews, with guidance from the Indonesia office Regional Director; and
• Develop and implement grant-making approaches that support the use of strategic communications as part of the NRCC strategy.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of 8 years of work on NRCC issues, including the extractive sector;
• Experience working for bi-lateral or multi-lateral institutions; global standard and platform organizations; ministries or other government institutions; international NGOs or philanthropic organizations with a focus on environmental and/or sustainable outcomes is a plus;
• A proven record of experience and knowledge working on natural resources and extractives sectors as well as transparency and accountability issues;
• An advanced degree in a relevant field of study such as environmental sustainability, development studies, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Experience in collaborating with a range of actors: government, philanthropies, bi-lateral and multi-lateral institutions, think tanks/universities, social organizations, and the corporate sector, desired;
• Deep understanding of the social, cultural and political context of Indonesia, including the geopolitical landscape;
• Fluency in Indonesian and English (both spoken and written);
• Exceptional leadership presence – internally and externally;
• Exceptional communications skills – strong active listening skills, constructive verbal and written skills, strong public presentation skills; and,
• Demonstrated ability to be a productive member of a community of people at work, respective of differences while working toward shared goals, comfortable with periods of ambiguity, as well as constructively participating in ongoing change processes and organizational development at the foundation.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/TRAVEL

This position requires the Program Officer to travel domestically and internationally, when it is safe to travel, to visit grantees and attend discussions, convening, workshops, retreats and conferences. However, the position also requires behind the desk administrative work related to grant making. The person in this position may need to occasionally move about inside the office to liaise with internal staff, access files, office machinery and a copy machine/printer.

The Ford Foundation is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its programs, and operations. As part of this commitment, the Foundation will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact talentacquisitionhr@fordfoundation.org or call (212) 573-4627.

Alignment to Culture and Values

• Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and core values of equity, openness, collaboration, trust, accountability and urgency
• Personal qualities of humility, capacity for self-reflection, and a sense of humor
• Discretion and ability to handle confidential issues
• Action-orientated and entrepreneurial self-starter who can work well independently and in teams

Benefits

• Medical and dental benefits for employee and immediate family on first day of work
• Retirement savings account with matching company contributions of up to 13%
• Three weeks’ paid vacation in first year of work; four weeks in subsequent years 
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Office closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Professional development initiatives for growth
• Generous parental leave (maternal and paternal) during new child’s first year (born into family or adopted)

Salary:  Salary is based on experience and on the Foundation’s commitment to internal equity.  A generous benefits package is provided. 

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at The Ford Foundation, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.