Senior Program Officer

About the Pedersen Foundation

The Pedersen Foundation was established by the family of George and Marilyn Pedersen, founders of ManTech International, a strategic defense company dedicated to advancing U.S. national security. Building on their strong tradition of giving, the Foundation supports our nation’s founding principles and those who serve and protect it, while investing in emerging fields of interest. The Foundation is guided by core values of compassion, innovation, impact, patriotism, and courage, and operates across four focus areas:

National Security – Support American virtues and veterans’ wellbeing

Neurospatial Design – Build the emerging field of neurospatial design

Women’s Hormonal Health – Furthering the field of women’s hormonal health

Food & Exercise on the Brain –Unlock the powerful effects of food and exercise on the brain

Position Overview

The Pedersen Foundation seeks a mission-driven Senior Program Officer to join our grant making team. Reporting to Foundation leadership, the Program Officer sources, develops, and manages an active grant portfolio across all four focus areas; conducts field research; and serves as a trusted point of contact for grantees and partners.

The role calls for curiosity, initiative, and sound judgment, grounded in a learning mindset and genuine commitment to the Foundation’s mission. The Senior Program Officer produces high quality written materials, builds strong internal and external relationships, stays close to the details of the portfolio, and surfaces insights for Foundation leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Grant Portfolio Management - Oversee a grant portfolio across all four focus areas monitoring progress, communicating regularly with grantees, and troubleshooting issues as they arise
• Sources and develops grant concepts by engaging prospective grantees, assessing fit, and preparing written analyses — through to reviewing proposals and developing funding recommendations for Foundation leadership
• Contribute to ongoing development of strategic approaches across neurospatial design, food and exercise on the brain, women’s hormonal health, and innovative mental health modalities
• Conduct research and landscape analysis across focus areas to identify opportunities and inform philanthropic decisions
• Track grant outcomes and surface portfolio-wide themes to inform strategy alongside Foundation leadership
• Lead creation of board materials and executive presentations—from narrative to design— translating complex information into compelling business cases
• Build and sustain trust-based relationships with grantees, partners, field experts, and peer funders, representing the Foundation with professionalism and discretion

Other Responsibilities:

• Maintain accurate records in the grants management system—data, timelines, financials, and status updates
• Coordinate grantee meetings and site visits and help the team prepare for engagements
• Track emerging trends, publications, and key actors in each focus area
• Help improve grantmaking processes, workflows, and data systems
• Attend convenings and collaborate with peer funders to learn and identify oopportunties
• Draft internal materials that support portfolio operations—grant summaries, concept papers, talking points, portfolio updates, and executive briefs
• Draft clear grantee communications covering expectations, next steps, and requirements
• Assist with foundation-wide coordination, including scheduling and cross-team communications
• Respond to special requests from board members and Foundation leadership as needed

Ideal Candidate

The Senior Program Officer combines intellectual horsepower with genuine relational intelligence— moving fluidly between a peer-reviewed neuroscience paper, a grant portfolio, and the interpersonal dynamics of a close-knit family foundation, all with care, honesty, and humor. We look for candidates who demonstrate:

• Systems Thinker: Focuses on the whole rather than isolated parts, maps the broader context, and identifies leverage points where change can shift an entire system.
• Storyteller: Builds cases that are emotionally resonant, analytically rigorous, strategically clear and genuinely persuasive
• Intellectual Agility — Rapidly absorbs unfamiliar material, synthesizes it clearly, and applies it to practical decisions. A track record of learning on the job across domains matters more than deep expertise in any one area.
• Relational Intelligence — Builds genuine, trusted relationships with grantees, researchers, board members, and colleagues. Honest, warm, and perceptive about interpersonal dynamics.
• Operational Reliability — Consistent attention to detail, the ability to track many things at once, and the discipline to close loops without being chased. Takes pride in their portfolio.
• Collaborative Independence — Works closely with the Director of Programs—comfortable taking direction, checking in proactively, and escalating decisions—while also driving their own work forward without hand-holding.
• Adaptability — Comfortable with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and situations that don’t come with a playbook. Adapts gracefully rather than rigidly.

Qualifications

Required

• 8–10 years of professional experience in philanthropy, public policy, research, or a related field; corporate experience preferred
• Demonstrated experience managing grants or complex projects from inception through completion
• Strategic thinker with strong written and verbal communication skills; able to distill ideas into compelling presentations
• Comfortable working with AI assistants (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT) and able to write effective prompts to get high-quality outputs
• Genuine alignment with the Foundation’s mission and values
• Discretion, integrity, and professionalism appropriate to a family foundation setting

Preferred

• Subject matter knowledge or professional experience in one or more of the Foundation’s focus areas
• Experience working in or with a family foundation or small philanthropic organization
• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in a relevant field a plus
• Familiarity with grants management systems and tools

What We Offer

• A unique opportunity to work at the intersection of national security, emerging science, and values-driven philanthropy
• A collaborative, mission-focused team environment with direct exposure to Foundation leadership
• Competitive compensation and benefits
• Flexible work environment with a strong in-person culture at our McLean, Virginia office