Vice President, Senior Program Officer, Ares Foundation

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Ares Management Corporation (“Ares”) is a publicly traded, leading global alternative asset manager with approximately $334 billion of assets under management ("AUM") and over 2,310 employees as of June 30, 2022. Ares seeks to deliver attractive performance to its investor base across investment groups and strategies, including credit, private equity, and real estate. Ares is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Ares’ common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "ARES".

The Ares Charitable Foundation strategically invests in programming that aims to accelerate equality of economic opportunity for people globally. Through transformative giving intended to improve the quality of life for individuals, Ares is addressing systemic challenges. The work of the Foundation is made possible through the generosity of individuals and Ares Management Corporation, which donates a portion of carried interest profits to the Foundation, aligning the firm’s investment activities with its societal impact.

Ares Management LLC (together with its related operating and administrative subsidiaries, “Ares Management”) is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, creed, sex, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, status regarding public assistance, military or veteran status, domestic violence victim status, gender identity and expression, transgender status, genetic information, status as unemployed, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Ares Management will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

ROLE SUMMARY

Ares Management Corporation (“Ares”) is looking for a professional to join the Philanthropy team in the U.S. as a VP, Senior Program Officer in support of the Ares Charitable Foundation (“Ares Foundation”). The Philanthropy team is part of the broader global Human Resources team and actively supports local communities where Ares does business through a portfolio of three programs:

1. Ares Foundation, which awards grants to nonprofit organizations globally, with the mission to accelerate equality of economic opportunity through funding priorities in Career Preparation & Reskilling, Entrepreneurship, and Personal Finance
2. Ares in Motion (“AIM”), the firm’s signature platform for employee engagement, volunteerism, and matching gifts
3. Corporate Contributions, which includes sponsorships and support of charitable causes outside the scope of the Ares Foundation’s funding priorities

The VP, Senior Program Officer will oversee the Ares Foundation’s recently launched employee-directed grantmaking in the U.S. and Europe. This individual will collaborate with regional committees in these geographies to expertly identify, vet, and recommend initiatives for funding. Furthermore, this individual will effectively manage grantee relationships and support grantees ongoing through a highly relational approach.

Reporting to the Ares Foundation Managing Director and Head of Philanthropy, the successful candidate should possess the ability to identify ecosystems for strategic grantmaking. The candidate should also support efforts to capture, analyze, and report rigorous evidence of grantmaking effectiveness as well as understand the geographic, cultural, and philanthropic landscape to advise appropriate levers of change. In addition, they must be able to ascertain opportunities, successes, and challenges to both inform the Ares Foundation’s practice and strengthen that of grantees.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in either Philanthropy (ideally as a foundation Program Officer) or a relevant field, strong project management skills, excellent communication and influencing skills, and the highest degree of integrity and judgment. They will be detail-oriented, accuracy-focused, flexible and collaborative in approach, and possess a process-improvement mindset.    

The Ares Foundation has awarded $3.7 million in employee-directed grants in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. since this work commenced in 2022.  

Primary Responsibilities

• Expertly identify, vet, and recommend organizations for grant funding to support initiatives that accord with the Ares Foundation’s mission to accelerate equality of economic opportunity and at least one of its three funding priorities (Career Preparation & Reskilling, Entrepreneurship, and Personal Finance)
• Help the Ares Foundation establish ecosystems for grantmaking in its funding priorities, including to share substantive knowledge with – and serve as a connector of – key stakeholders
• Serve as staff liaison to the Grant Review & Diligence Committees (“GRDCs”) in specified region(s), working closely with members to perform necessary due diligence of nonprofits, monitor grant outputs and outcomes, and report progress against stated goals and deliverables
• Develop substantive, evidence-based, written grant recommendations and cogently present recommendations to the GRDC in specified region(s), Grant Approval Committee (“GAC”), and Board of Directors (“BoD”)
• Provide relationship management to grantees throughout the funding period, including ongoing collaboration, technical advisement and assistance, volunteer matching of Ares professionals, and opportunities to build and exchange knowledge with Ares Foundation grantees
• Assist with data capture, analysis, and reporting for grants awarded in specified region(s) to support the Ares Foundation’s learning, assessment, thought leadership, and storytelling activities
• Partner with GRDCs, GAC, and BoD as necessary to ascertain opportunities, successes, and challenges
• Collaborate with Ares colleagues across myriad business lines as relevant on issues of common concern for positive societal impact 

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required
• At least 7 – 10 years’ relevant experience
• Ideate, scope, plan, operationalize and continuously improve processes and protocols to drive alignment within Ares Foundation initiatives, specifically, and across the Philanthropy portfolio, generally, to help execute and achieve the team’s strategic goals
• Build, manage, and sustain relationships with internal and external stakeholders with cultural sensitivity, empathy, and respect
• Support evaluation, assessment, and learning activities through data collection and analysis that inform and strengthen practice ongoing
• Support operational activities, including the development of budgets, performance/progress reports, and presentations
• Give and receive clear and constructive feedback with diplomacy, professionalism, and humility
• Communicate complex concepts in an engaging, cogent manner that appeals to myriad stakeholders
• Think critically and anticipate issues before they arise, including to proactively identify and mitigate potential risks as well as problem-solve challenges
• Scope and manage strategic and project-level plans that help identify active steps to move projects forward in partnership with others
• Work independently and within a small team with confidence and a high level of emotional intelligence

CANDIDATE PROFILE

While no candidate will bring every qualification desired for the VP, Senior Program Officer role, the list below encapsulates the key skills, qualities, and experiences that would best prepare someone to serve in this vital position.  

A Creative and Hands-on Leader   

Confirms what needs to be done and then does it; Acts without relying on unnecessary oversight; Moves quickly to seize opportunities; Takes on difficult challenges and complex situations without procrastinating; Initiates timely action to address important issues, holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.

Deeply Experienced Program Leader

Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with the Philanthropy team’s and firm’s goals; Creates a realistic timeline with steps outlined in the right sequence; Anticipates and minimizes bottlenecks or delays; Addresses risks and contingencies as part of the planning process; Plans ahead to make sure critical resources are lined up for organizational priorities; Understands the ins and outs of strategic grantmaking; Monitors and evaluates progress; Implements solutions to streamline grantmaking; Centers the impact of the grantees work.

Relationship Builder and Collaborator

Facilitates effective collaboration among coworkers and external advisors; Involves others in making decisions; Builds support for ideas among key stakeholders and decision-makers; Anticipates and addresses cultural norms and organizational and political difficulties or resistance; Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The anticipated range for this position is $150,000-$190,000 annual base salary plus annual discretionary performance-based bonus. Actual pay may be adjusted based on experience and performance. Benefits would include:

• Medical/Rx, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, Health Savings Account, company paid short-term and long-term disability, company paid and voluntary life insurance, parental leave, etc.
• 401k plan with company match

To express interest please submit your materials to Turner Delano here.

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