Associate Program Officer

Position Summary

The Associate Program Officer will be an important member of JSMF’s three-person Grants and Impact Investment team, alongside the Director of Grants and Impact Investment and the Program Officer. The team is part of the Foundation’s Strategy and Programs unit and works closely with colleagues across the organization. Serving in a support function to the team, and to the wider Foundation team when needed, the Associate Program Officer will be a key contributor to the Foundation’s annual grantmaking and impact investment processes. The role supports sourcing, proposal review, onboarding and portfolio management, including accountability for an assigned portion of the grant portfolio and the related funded partner relationships. This role is ideal for someone relatively new to philanthropy, offering hands-on learning in grantmaking and impact investing and the opportunity to join funded partner site visits.

The Associate Program Officer reports directly to the Director of Grants and Impact Investments.

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio management support

• Support the team’s semiannual check-ins with funded partners and lead check-ins for an assigned portion of the portfolio, including scheduling, agendas, co-created partner support plans and follow-up.
• Keep the portfolio performance dashboard current, flag trends, and help the team prepare for quarterly portfolio status meetings.
• Keep partner profiles current across JSMF’s systems, such as HubSpot, Monday.com and SmartSimple.

Funded partner relationship support

• Serve as a responsive day-to-day contact for funded partners, support the team’s relationship management, and lead relationships for an assigned portion of the portfolio.
• Organize onboarding orientations for new funded partners, including scheduling, preparing documents, taking notes and managing follow-ups.

Grantmaking and impact investment process

• Support the team from sourcing through award with proposal reviews, grant summaries, system updates and follow-ups, ensuring a positive applicant experience and a smooth internal process.
• Help prepare materials for quarterly JSMF Board of Directors meetings.
• Liaise with the wider JSMF team on process documentation and improvements.

Partner events and learning

• Help plan and run JSMF-hosted initiatives such as funded partner networking events and learning cohorts.

Qualifications and Competencies

Education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Two years of relevant grantmaking or impact investment experience preferred, but not required.

Skills and tools

• Clear writing for funded partner communications and internal reports.
• Comfort with Excel spreadsheets and reading basic financial reports.
• Familiarity with, or eagerness to learn, tools such as HubSpot, SmartSimple, Monday.com and Claude.

Competencies

• Alignment with JSMF’s mission.
• Strong attention to detail.
• A collaborative, creative and proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication and relationship-building skills, with empathy and a service mindset.
• Strong project management, time management and prioritization skills.
• Cultural competency and the ability to work with a wide variety of stakeholders.
• A team player willing to pitch in across JSMF.

JSMF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. JSMF will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the application and interview process; to request one, send an email to accommodations@jsmf.org.

About James S. McDonnell Foundation

The James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF) envisions a thriving St. Louis region where inclusive economic growth drives shared prosperity and enhances the quality of life for all. Guided by its mission to advance economic mobility for St. Louisans facing the starkest disparities, JSMF invests in four areas essential to the region’s long-term success: workforce, small and mid-size businesses, wealth building, and the civic infrastructure needed to design and implement lasting economic solutions. Founded in St. Louis in 1950 by aerospace pioneer James S. McDonnell, JSMF has awarded more than $600 million in grants to date. For more information about JSMF’s mission and the work of its funded partners, visit jsmf.org.