Program Officer, Education – Literacy

Position Summary

The Robertson Foundation is advancing its commitment to literacy with the goal of dramatically increasing the number of children who read and write proficiently, while strengthening the systems and conditions that make excellent instruction possible. With a focus on early and middle grades (pre-K through grade 8), the Foundation supports ambitious, evidence-informed efforts to improve classroom practice, generate proof points for what works, and build the ecosystems needed to sustain change at scale.

We are seeking a strategic, intellectually curious, and field-facing Senior Program Officer or Program Officer (depending on experience) to help advance this work. As part of the Education portfolio team, the Program Officer will develop and execute grantmaking focused on literacy—identifying high-impact opportunities, vetting and supporting exceptional leaders and organizations, and working closely with peer funders, researchers, practitioners, and system leaders. The ideal candidate brings strong judgment, comfort with complexity, and a deep interest in how literacy instruction improves in real classrooms and systems.

This role offers a unique opportunity to help build and steward a national portfolio of literacy investments at a moment of heightened urgency and opportunity. The new team member will report to the Director of the Education Portfolio and collaborate closely with a small, high-performing team to implement the Foundation’s literacy strategy and related education initiatives. Successful candidates must be able to operate independently, communicate clearly with diverse audiences, and move fluidly between strategy, execution, and learning.

The Robertson Foundation has a long-standing commitment to education and is currently in the early years of a refreshed literacy strategy. This new team member will play a central role in translating that strategy into action—helping the Foundation demonstrate what transformative literacy improvement looks like, how it happens, and how it can be sustained and scaled.

Primary Responsibilities

The Senior/Program Officer will help advance the Foundation’s literacy strategy—developing and executing grantmaking plans, assessing impact and learning, and stewarding a growing portfolio of investments. The role also includes close collaboration across the Education portfolio, particularly with work focused on the teaching profession and ecosystem building.

Specific responsibilities include:

Strategy & Grantmaking

• Develop and implement grantmaking strategies aligned with the Foundation’s literacy goals, in close partnership with the Director, President, and Board.
• Identify, vet, and recommend high-impact funding opportunities, including:
  • Proof points: Place-based or system-level efforts demonstrating meaningful improvements in reading and writing outcomes.
  • Innovation: Support for leaders and organizations advancing underdeveloped or neglected areas of literacy improvement.
  • Ecosystem building: Investments that strengthen coordination, shared learning, and momentum across the literacy field.
• Conduct rigorous diligence, assess risk and upside, and steward grantee relationships over time.

Partnerships & Field Building

• Build and sustain relationships with researchers, practitioners, system leaders, funders, and peer funders working on literacy—including active participation in or stewardship of multi-funder collaboratives.
• Use the Foundation’s capital, voice, and convening power to elevate promising approaches and leaders.

Impact, Learning, and Board Engagement

• Develop tools and processes to assess progress, surface insights, and inform strategy refinement.
• Translate learning from grants into implications for future investment decisions.
• Prepare clear, compelling materials for Board meetings, including for audiences without deep technical backgrounds in literacy research.
• Support Board learning through briefings, written materials, and structured discussions.

External Engagement

• Represent the Foundation in external meetings, conferences, and collaborative initiatives related to literacy and education reform.
• Stay current on research, policy, and practice related to reading and writing instruction.
• Bring new ideas, perspectives, and field intelligence back to the Foundation to inform strategy and grantmaking.

Qualifications

We are looking for a candidate with a strong mix of strategic judgment, analytical rigor, and collaborative orientation, and with a clear interest in improving literacy outcomes at scale.

Key qualifications include:

• Demonstrated expertise in literacy, education systems, education research, or closely related fields.
• Experience in philanthropy, education nonprofits, research organizations, consulting, policy, or adjacent sectors, with exposure to complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Ability to design and execute funding strategies, assess evidence and impact, and adapt approaches based on learning.
• Experience designing, participating in, or stewarding multi-funder collaboratives or pooled funding initiatives — including navigating governance, shared decision-making, and the relational dynamics that make funder coordination durable rather than nominal.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate research and practice for diverse audiences.
• Comfort engaging with ambiguity, testing ideas, and balancing rigor with action.
• Commitment to equity and an understanding of how literacy challenges and opportunities differ across communities.
• A graduate degree is preferred but not required; we welcome candidates with nontraditional paths who bring deep curiosity, judgment, and motivation.

Compensation

Salary for this position is competitive ($150K - $206K) and depends on prior experience. Compensation includes a comprehensive benefits package.