Role Title: Program Manager, Rights and Economic Renewal in the U.S.

Contract Type: Regular (5 Year Assignment)

Reporting To: Director, Rights and Economic Renewal in the U.S.

Program/Department/Unit Name: Programs

Location: Washington, D.C. or New York

Team Name: Rights and Economic Renewal in the U.S.

Role Purpose

The U.S. Rights and Economic Renewal program is looking to hire a Program Manager to join their 5-year initiative that aims to safeguard core freedoms that are under attack, expand rights, and improve Americans’ economic wellbeing.

The Program Manager will be responsible for day-to-day liaison and coordination with grantees and partner organizations across independent media, storytelling organizations, content creators, cultural strategists, and research. They will also collaborate with colleagues to align media and storytelling with rights and economic policy reform, translate cultural insights into policy implications, connect grantees, and develop qualitative and quantitative indicators of success.

Key responsibilities

• Support the Director to deliver on the opportunity’s outcomes with professionalism.

• Act as the day-to-day liaison with grantees working in digital media, content creation, storytelling, and cultural change.

• Identify emerging digital platforms, trends, creators and distribution strategies relevant to overarching objectives.

• Effectively manage the grant making process by communicating with grantees for proposal submission, assisting in grant record preparation, grants processing, payments, reporting, and other related processes.

• Attend relevant events hosted by civil society and industry leaders in the interest of building relationships and learning about new media trends.

• Build a strong understanding of the field and partner with grantees to strengthen reach and audience engagement.

• Develop and track performance metrics.

• Monitor implementation, project risks, and other relevant status updates.

• 25% of travel is required.

• Other duties as required.

People Responsibilities (Total Team/DRs)
None

Key internal relationships

Directors of the Rights and Economic Renewal Program, Rights and Economic Renewal Program Managers, Associate Directors, Administrative Officers, and the Grants Management office.

Key external relationships

Independent Media Leaders and Organizations, Independent News Organizations, Grantees and Partners, and Research Experts

The ideal candidate

• Have experience and substantial depth of subject matter expertise and experience in media, journalism, narrative and cultural strategy work including digital media literacy and platform fluency.

• Bring work experience from the civil society sector, government, private sector, think tanks, academia, multilateral organizations, and/or campaigns.

• Have experience on issues of media and/or adjacent areas of work including technology policy and journalism.

• Demonstrate experience in visual communication skills, with the proven track record of designing presentation decks and data.

• visualizations that clearly convey complex information to diverse audiences.

• Exhibit strong project management skills and excellent communication skills.

• Demonstrate orientation toward learning and systems thinking.

• Conceive, design and manage cross-department, cross-program or similarly complex projects; effectively manage time, budget and stakeholders and network-wide or similarly complex coordination.

• Generate, capture and organize information and knowledge to deliver prescribed outcomes.

• Experience in budgeting, strategic analysis and planning.

• Work well with a variety of public, private and NGO stakeholders.

• Build synergies, identify and fill capacity gaps across fields.

• Demonstrate commitment to OSF’s core values of humility, commitment, collaboration, respect, inclusivity, and integrity.

What we offer

• Exceptional opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact; from a generous annual professional development allowance for every employee to onsite training and learning conversations with visiting experts.
• Excellent benefits and perks to promote well-being and a healthy work-life balance, including:
• Generous time off and flexible work arrangements.
• Employer-paid health insurance and dental plans for individuals and families (no employee contribution required).
• Exceptional retirement savings plan (non-contributory for employees) and life insurance.
• Progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, and much more.
• A commitment to nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, so you can bring your whole self to work and make a positive impact.

The salary range for this role in the US: $136,900 - $157,000. The final offer is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set and level of experience.

Who we are

Open Society Foundations aim to establish vibrant and inclusive democracies where governments are accountable to their citizens. Our operating model organizes grantmaking around specific, time-limited projects, developed alongside support for established partners, enabling us to respond swiftly to emerging needs. We are committed to promoting human dignity, equality, and rights; reimagining democratic ideals and practice; and advancing equity in governance systems.

Guided by our founder’s values and the belief in the art of the possible, we engage directly with global entities, individuals, and policymakers through grants, advocacy, impact investing, and strategic human rights litigation to drive positive change. At the heart of our mission is a deep commitment to rights, equity, and justice, inspiring every action we take.

Additional information

Open Society Foundations is committed to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We actively seek applications from talented individuals across all backgrounds, identities, and life experiences. Each candidate is evaluated solely on their unique qualifications without regard to race, age, sex, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, or any other legally protected characteristics.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities