Position Specification

Program Officer, Civil Society

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

About the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is a private charitable foundation based in Flint, Michigan. Through programs focused on Civil Society, the Environment, Youth Engagement, and its hometown of Flint, the Foundation supports nonprofit organizations and projects that promote a just, equitable, and sustainable society. In 2025, the Foundation made grants totaling more than $161 million and had year-end assets of over $4 billion. 

As the Mott Foundation begins its second century of work, staff recently completed a strategic planning process to guide grantmaking over the next decade.  The Foundation also is developing a coordinated evaluation and strategy framework to guide implementation and reporting of an anticipated $2 billion in grantmaking through 2035.

About the Civil Society Program

The Civil Society program’s mission is to foster engaged, empowered and equitable communities worldwide.  Its grantmaking is global in reach and reflects a sustained presence and particular interest in North America, Latin America and Africa. The program is currently organized around three initiatives, the first two of which may be directly relevant for this role:

1) The Common Ground initiative equips community foundations with the tools and resources they need to bridge divides and solve local issues together with their communities. The initiative is based on the idea that building common ground starts at the local level — where people live, work and interact every day. The Mott Foundation has worked with community foundations for decades, both in the United States and globally. This work has shown how community foundations — grounded in place and rooted in their communities — are uniquely positioned to partner with others to address polarization and inequity from the ground up. Grant funding, primarily to intermediaries and field builders, supports increasing and enhancing the effectiveness of community foundations building common ground in their communities.

The initiative also supports capacity-development efforts of national-level organizations that provide technical assistance and other resources to help establish new community foundations and strengthen existing ones in Latin America and Africa.

2) The Protection of the Sector initiative seeks to strengthen the philanthropic ecosystem and support civil society defenders. The initiative is based on the theory that a resilient philanthropic sector and empowered civil society organizations are essential to driving meaningful, lasting change in society. Strengthening nonprofits is vital at a time when civil society is facing attacks, including new laws that restrict nonprofit operations, negative narratives that undermine trust in institutions and the use of technology to target civil society. Grant funding supports research, monitoring and analysis to inform policies that enable the work of nonprofits and philanthropy, while also providing physical, digital, psychosocial and other forms of protection for civil society defenders. 

 

The Civil Society Program's third initiative, Access to Justice, seeks to help individuals understand, use and shape the law to protect their rights and improve their lives.

 

Altogether, the Civil Society program awarded grants totaling over $22 million in 2025 and expects to award a total of $190 million through these three grantmaking initiatives over the next 10 years.

The Opportunity

The program officer will lead and manage a Civil Society program portfolio spanning elements of its Common Ground or Protection of the Sector initiatives — or potentially of both. The Foundation is particularly interested in candidates with a record of and interest in strengthening community foundations or the philanthropic ecosystem, or in supporting civil society defenders within the United States. Experience in Latin America also may be favorably considered. A relevant portfolio will be defined in context of the successful candidate’s specific background and experience.

The program officer will join the Civil Society Program at an important time, as the Foundation translates an ambitious program plan into action, supported by a new coordinated evaluation and strategy framework.

The position reports to the director of the Civil Society Program. This is a full-time position located in Flint, Michigan, and it requires frequent international and domestic travel.

Responsibilities

The Program Officer will have responsibilities in three areas:

Portfolio Management

Design and execute effective multiyear grantmaking strategies within the Common Ground and/or Protection of the Sector initiatives, with fidelity to approved goals and frameworks, adaptability and creativity in context of changing conditions, and in collaboration with initiative and program colleagues.
Manage the full grantmaking life cycle with technical precision and attention to detail, including investigation of grant requests, development of funding recommendations, and processing, administering and monitoring active grants and clusters of grants according to Foundation policies and procedures.
Maintain and build supportive and respectful working relationships with current and potential grantees; assist grantees with access to networks, funding, data, and other resources and opportunities to enhance their relevant capacities and capabilities, including their ability to provide quantitative and qualitative data related to the theory of change guiding the portfolio and the program.

External Partnerships and Relationships

Maintain and build effective working relationships with policymakers, researchers, nongovernmental organizations and other grantmakers; identify and act on opportunities to align, mobilize and share resources for improved portfolio and program outcomes.
Attend and host meetings, conferences and convenings to learn, share information and, especially, to build and promote networks through which to enhance and leverage the portfolio's and the program's intended impact.

Foundation Culture and Success

Collaborate with five fellow Civil Society program officers and with POs in other Foundation programs to identify and develop emerging and potential opportunities for portfolio alignment, integration and impact.
Collaborate with colleagues in the Communications, Grants Administration and other Foundation departments to achieve programmatic goals.
Participate in strategy, evaluation and other Foundation-building processes and exercises, including the collection and analysis of data to inform strategy, as well as the preparation of reports and other materials for the Foundation’s management and board of trustees.

 

Qualifications

The Mott Foundation welcomes expressions of interest from candidates with the expertise and ability to deliver against the above responsibilities, and has identified the following characteristics as indicative of the abilities, aptitudes and dispositions that will make for success in this role:

• At least eight years of professional experience working on civic space, civic engagement, civil society infrastructure, community philanthropy or related topics
• At least three years of experience working in a decision-making and problem-solving position within a large complex organization such as a foundation, a university, a governmental agency or an NGO
• Conversant with contemporary issues in civil society, including one or more that relate to the Foundation's Civil Society portfolio; broadly familiar with relevant histories, models and trends  
• Experienced and comfortable operating from concept development to data entry
• Experience contributing to organizational strategy, learning and evaluation
• Ability to speak, write and communicate effectively with the wide variety of people the PO will encounter, cultivate and engage, including peers, experts, officials, grantees and community members from many different organizational and cultural contexts
• Ability and willingness to work full time from the Foundation's offices in Flint, Michigan, and to travel extensively both within the US and internationally (approximately 60 days per year).
• Familiarity with grant-making or other forms of resource allocation for social or environmental outcomes is preferred.
• Spanish language proficiency may be an asset.

Compensation and Benefits 

The salary range for this position is $125,000-$150,000.

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families, paid at 100% for most plans; 15 paid holidays and three weeks of vacation in the first year, increasing to four weeks the second year; and both a 401(k) and pension plan. The Foundation also provides employees with a 3:1 match for their personal charitable contributions.

How to Apply, and What to Expect

The Mott Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diversity of thinking, background, and perspective among its staff. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

The Foundation is committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all applicants. Individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations to complete an application or participate in the interview process are encouraged to contact MottPO@oeconsulting.com.

The Foundation has retained OE Consulting to support this search. In order to apply, please submit a current resume and a thoughtful cover letter that explains your interest and outlines your relevant skills and experience. 

Applications will be accepted through May 29th, 2026. Semi-finalists will be invited to participate in virtual interviews with the search committee during the week of June 15th, 2026. Finalists will be invited to interviews at the Foundation's offices in Flint, Michigan, during the week of July 6th, 2026. 

Please refrain from contacting the Foundation directly; all inquiries should be directed to OE Consulting at MottPO@oeconsulting.com.