OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS

Program Officer
International Migration Initiative

Based in New York, NY

The International Migration Initiative’s (IMI) work is organized around three sets of goals: improving protections for refugees and vulnerable migrants; mitigating the exploitation of migrant workers; and building stronger ties between host communities and newcomers. To achieve these goals, we make grants, advocate, create multi-stakeholder partnerships, and engage with actors across a broad range of sectors, including civil society, national and local governments, international organizations, faith groups, and the private sector.

IMI’s program areas are:

• 21st Century Protection: Our goal is to renew support among states and publics in select countries for the protection of refugees and vulnerable migrants, by demonstrating how reforms and new operational models can improve upon and complement the existing system.
• Fair Work: Our strategy aims to improve government policies and business practices to ensure a fair deal for migrant workers; challenge the culture of impunity by expanding migrants’ access to legal remedies; and build a broader, more resilient field of civil society actors to elevate migrant voices and shape policymaking.
• Welcoming & Integrated Societies: We aim to deepen support for refugees and migration through welcoming initiatives that bridge natives and newcomers, and to use insights on public attitudes to inform policy and advocacy. We pay close attention to the concerns of host communities and aim to strengthen their role in integration.
• Advocacy & Special Initiatives: This work cuts across our substantive program areas, using advocacy, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and engagement with the private sector to advance our goals.

Job Profile
This position is for IMI’s Fair Work program area, which tackles the enormous problems migrant workers face in the global economy. This program area uses a combination of grantmaking, advocacy and capacity-building activities to create pockets of change that can drive wider transformations over time. It aims to 1) improve government policies and business practices to ensure a fair deal for migrant workers; 2) challenge the culture of impunity by expanding migrants’ access to legal remedies; and 3) build a broader, more resilient field of civil society actors to elevate migrant voices and shape policymaking. This includes support for worker organizing activities, building alliances with trade unions, as well as coalition-building with groups in common cause.

IMI seeks a dynamic, collaborative and innovative Program Officer to help shape the Fair Work program area. The Program Officer will focus initially on developing work in the Americas but will also support work at the global level and may work in other regions as well. The position is for a mid-career professional who is committed to promoting the rights of migrant workers and can articulate a vision of social change to achieve this. The Program Officer will identify key ecosystems interventions and levers of change, and play a leading role in building a grantmaking and advocacy portfolio. The Program Officer will work across sectors with NGOs, trade unions and other worker organizations, government officials, private sector leaders, issue experts, scholars and other funders. She or he will serve as a connector of grantees and will collaborate broadly both within OSF and with external entities. Based in New York, the Program Officer will work with a global team based across multiple office locations.

The Program Officer role may include any or all of the following and/or similar activities:

• Contribute substantively to the ongoing definition and development of IMI’s Fair Work strategy.
• Develop grantmaking and advocacy activities that align the strategic goals of the program with specific needs and opportunities for change. Operate with considerable autonomy and make decisions related to authorizing/declining grants within an approved budget.
• Manage, monitor and coordinate a grants portfolio, including: annual grant planning; identifying and working with prospective grantees; conducting organizational assessments; negotiating project budgets and contracts; undertaking periodic reviews of progress with grantees and providing technical assistance through long-distance support.
• Stay abreast of key issues and developments in the labor migration field with the aim of connecting new trends to programmatic efforts to refine strategies.
• Build collaborative relationships within and outside OSF to advance grant-making and other social change efforts.
• Frequent travel to visit and learn from partner and grantee organizations, government officials, academic institutions, civil society groups, and community members, as well as to meet with other donors and stakeholders.
• Critical assessment and reflection of what is working and what is not working in order to adjust programming and advocacy accordingly.

Candidate Profile

• Seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience in civil society (including NGOs and unions or other worker organizations), multilateral organizations, social enterprises, the private sector, government and/or consulting. Prior experience of alliance building, collective action, and/or grassroots organizing would be an advantage.
• Experience using advocacy and communications strategies to affect systemic change.
• Understanding of the labor movement, community organizing and other social movements. Knowledge of international labor rights instruments and related enforcement mechanisms would be an advantage.
• Commitment to the principles of social, economic and racial justice and to open society values.
• Ability to grasp the ‘big picture’ to ensure relevance of work along with an ability to work on the ‘detail’ for greater effectiveness.
• Demonstrated experience of working with diverse stakeholders to advance social change strategies, including planning and adapting in response to an evolving situation.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English are important. Business-level Spanish strongly preferred.
• In-depth knowledge of Latin America and civil society organizations in that region would be an advantage.
• Excellent writing, analytical, interpersonal, organizational and communication skills required. Sensitivity to cultural differences is essential.
• Familiarity with the issues surrounding good grantmaking, including an understanding of the power dynamics in the grantee/grant-maker relationship.
• Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities.
• Willingness to travel frequently.

Application instructions: Please include a cover letter and resume, and upload as one document when submitting an application. Please apply through our website: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/jobs/jr-0000821/program-officer

Application Deadline: January 12, 2018

We are strengthened by the diversity of our colleagues across the Open Society Foundations. We welcome applications from people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, and are committed to providing reasonable accommodations so that colleagues with disabilities are able to fulfill the essential functions of the job.

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