About The Wallace Foundation
Background
The Wallace Foundation is an independent, national philanthropy based in New York City that traces its origins back more than half a century to DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace, founders of The Reader’s Digest Association. Their work is grounded in their mission to foster equity and improvements in learning and enrichment for young people, and in the arts for everyone. The core values of the Foundation guide how they work together and with their partners: they create an engaging and inclusive work environment based on mutual trust and respect, and driven by equity, diversity, transparency, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Philanthropic Approach
The work of the Foundation is centered on three focus areas: the arts, education leadership, and youth development. The Foundation funds the development of long-term, inquiry-led approaches to creating a more equitable society by working in partnership with grantees and others, locally and across the fields they serve, to explore and document innovative approaches to important problems of practice. They take the lessons and evidence from this work and disseminate them to support the spread of evidence-based improvements in policy and practice nationwide.
Interdisciplinary Team Structure
The Wallace Approach is carried out in an interdisciplinary team-based structure with three disciplines: program, communications, and research. The foundation seeks employees who are highly skilled in their professions, able to work collaboratively across disciplines to capture the synergy of diverse experiences and ways of thinking, think analytically, and communicate clearly the rationale for recommendations. They value the flexibility to adapt to change, a desire to learn, and the ability to work productively both on one’s own and with colleagues inside and outside the foundation.
Learn more about The Wallace Foundation at https://wallacefoundation.org/
The Wallace Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to maintaining a diverse workplace where differing perspectives are a source of strength.
The Opportunity
Designed to address critical issues in school leadership, Wallace’s comprehensive Education Leadership Initiatives are rooted in research and informed by real-world practices. With an unwavering focus on equipping leaders with the skills, knowledge, and support necessary to understand and center the diverse needs of individual school districts, the Education Leadership team supports a thriving portfolio of grantees in driving meaningful, systems-wide change.
Using a multifaceted approach that incorporates research findings, publications, and actionable resources, Wallace offers invaluable guidance on cultivating effective leadership qualities and implementing strategies for transformative change at the district level.
The next Program Officer will join Wallace at an exciting time in its Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative, which aims to address gaps in the skills and dispositions of school leadership by cultivating a diverse pipeline of aspiring leaders, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Through targeted programs and supports, the initiative seeks to empower aspiring leaders with the skills, resources, and opportunities essential for thriving in educational leadership roles. By prioritizing equity in education leadership development, the Equity Centered Pipeline Initiative endeavors to foster more inclusive and equitable school environments, ultimately enhancing outcomes for all students.
As a vital member of Wallace's Education Leadership team, the Program Officer will leverage their extensive field expertise to drive strategy design, manage grantee projects and relationships, and advance the overall goals of the Education Leadership to share knowledge and promote equity and social justice for all.
To read the full job description, please click the button "Download Position Profile (PDF)" to the right.