Program Associate, Environment

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, seeks a Program Associate to support the Environment Program’s Climate Initiative strategy – Multilateral & Climate Finance portfolio.

About the Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation invests in creative thinkers and problem solvers working to ensure that people, communities, and the planet can flourish. Together with our partners, we are harnessing society’s collective capacity to solve our toughest problems — from the existential threat of climate change to persistent and pervasive inequities, to attacks on democracy itself. A nonpartisan philanthropy, the Hewlett Foundation has made grants in the U.S. and globally for nearly six decades based on an approach that emphasizes long-term support, collaboration, and trust.

Globally, the foundation makes grants to address both longstanding and emerging challenges, like efforts to reduce the growing threat of climate change, contribute to evidence-informed policy making, and reimagine the economy and society. Its U.S. efforts prioritize strengthening democracy, advancing K-12 education for all students, and supporting community-led conservation. In the San Francisco Bay Area, it makes grants to support meaningful artistic experiences in local communities. The foundation’s grantmaking also invests in strengthening the effectiveness of our grantees, and of philanthropy itself. The Hewlett Foundation’s assets are approximately $13.9 billion, with total annual awards of grants exceeding $600 million in recent years.

The foundation has approximately 130 employees in programmatic, operational, and investment roles, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Across the organization, our employees are challenged with meaningful work, have the resources for ongoing professional development and learning, and contribute to a collegial and engaging environment where they can thrive. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion as part of our guiding principles and encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

About the Environment Program

The Environment Program focuses on climate change and clean energy, as well as Western conservation. We are committed to clearly identifying our goals and measuring progress toward them. Our team is made up of 13 program staff, plus additional staff from the communications, grants management, and legal departments. Additional information about the Program is available here, and the Climate Initiative portfolio here.

About the Position

The Program Associate reports to the Program Officer overseeing the multilateral and climate finance grantmaking portfolio. This role will administer grants, manage the portfolio’s budget, sustain relationships with key partners and stakeholders, and contribute to strategy development, implementation, and evaluation.

The Program Associate will work directly with the program’s grantees and manage all administrative aspects of the grantmaking process, including communications regarding proposals, budgets, and grant reports. The Program Associate may also research issues, programs, and organizations related to the portfolio and to the Program’s climate initiative strategies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Program Associate’s duties will include, but not be limited to:

Grants Administration and Contracts (75%)

• Manage a high volume of grants through the full grant lifecycle, from the proposal application process to grant reporting, payment processing, and closing of grants.
• Manage, track, and forecast the portfolio’s annual grants budget and cash disbursement schedule.
• Organize, compose, and manage communications with current and potential grantees.
• Participate in meetings between Program Officers and grantees, providing strategic support and thought partnership.
• Act as liaison between the portfolio and the foundation’s Grants Management and Legal departments for relevant program grant processing, including those related to scheduling reports and payments, grantee tax information (domestic and foreign), and the resolution of legal issues.
• Stay up to date on legal and communications compliance issues that the grant portfolio presents and continue to develop expertise in managing complex compliance issues.
• Work with the Program Officer to effectively prioritize workload, implementing processes to help triage deliverables to meet internal and external deadlines.
• Prepare consulting agreements and serve as the point of contact for consultants, including in the tracking and processing of invoices.

Programmatic Support (25%)

• Travel to, and participate in, select US and international climate events, conferences, convenings, and grantee visits in support of the portfolio’s needs. (Possibility of 1-2 trips/year.)
• Support the Program Officer in analyzing the grantee portfolio on a regular basis and supporting portfolio development.
• Participate in teamwide projects, such as team retreat preparation, grantee convenings, and assisting with new staff onboarding, as needed.
• Support the foundation and the Environment team’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Qualifications

We know some may not have all the qualifications listed below. Please consider applying i strong candidates if you have most of the following:

• 2-5 years of experience providing complex administrative support.
• Excellent administrative and project management skills and experience, including the ability to plan and manage projects both independently and with colleagues.
• Experience in budget management.
• Experience with grant processing and grant databases.
• Ability to meet tight, sometimes simultaneous deadlines with a keen ability to prioritize and partner with others to meet common goals.
• Ability to work as a contributing member of a team to deliver philanthropic services in a clear, efficient, collegial manner.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Experience in MS Office: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Adobe/Foxit; experience with Salesforce is a plus.
• Experience in web-based document management tools and practices; willingness to learn new software tools and use them for program support.
• Proficiency with problem-solving, analysis, and applying an appropriate level of judgment.
• Commitment to protecting the environment and combating climate change.
• Demonstrated ability to work across cultural contexts and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Demonstrated commitment to collaboration, mutual respect, and contributing to a positive team culture.
• Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree desired.
• International work experience desired.
• Prior experience or demonstrated interest in global/multilateral climate policy, climate finance, or sustainable finance is a plus.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The position is based in Menlo Park, California. Staff are working in a hybrid environment and are currently expected to work from the Hewlett Foundation office at least 2-3 times per week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays are required). While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to spend extended periods of time at a computer.

Compensation and Benefits

The Hewlett Foundation is committed to providing compensation that is competitive within the philanthropic sector. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this role is $100,000 – 110,000. Offers are based on the candidate's years of experience and our practice of maintaining salary equity within the foundation.

To Apply

CEA Recruiting is assisting the Hewlett Foundation with this search. To be considered for this position, interested candidates should use the application link to submit an application, including a resume and a thoughtful cover letter. Preference will be given to applications received before April 6, 2026. The position will remain posted until filled.

Each application is personally reviewed by our hiring team — no automated filters or AI reviewers. Please write your application with authenticity, in your own words, so we can read your perspective. We typically reach out to candidates selected to advance in our process within 3-4 weeks from when the application is submitted. Only candidates selected to advance will be contacted prior to the successful completion of this search. All candidates will be notified when the search has closed.

For questions about completing the application form or technical concerns, you may contact tamara@ceaconsulting.com. We regret that due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are not able to provide individual responses on the status of your application or feedback to candidates who do not advance to interviews. To ensure your application is reviewed and you receive notifications about the process, please use only the career portal to submit your application materials. Your attention to these details will inform our evaluation of your candidacy.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation embraces the importance of diversity, equity,and inclusion, both internally in our hiring process and organizational culture, and externally, in our grantmaking and related practices. We are an equal opportunity employer, and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.

CEA Recruiting works with leading environmental nonprofits, foundations, and businesses to recruit top talent and design effective organizational staffing strategies. For more information, visit www.cearecruiting.com.

The Hewlett Foundation is committed to providing compensation that is competitive within the philanthropic sector.We offer a generous total compensation packagethat emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits.