Description

This full-time position supports the development and implementation of the commission’s grants portfolio in the area of service and volunteerism, with a focus on ensuring compliance and effective program management. This position reports to the Executive Director of Oklahoma AmeriCorps and serves with a team that currently includes 2 full-time and one part-time staff members. 

 The Program Officer has primary responsibilities for ensuring that local AmeriCorps programs in Oklahoma are effective, efficient, and accountable to their objectives. This role is carried out through providing technical assistance to programs, conducting group workshops, offering training and guidance, developing and distributing information resources, conducting research and evaluation, and problem-solving.

 The Program Officer has a secondary role in monitoring for compliance of state AmeriCorps sub-grantees and supporting commission administrative functions.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serves as liaison and primary programmatic point of contact for a portfolio of AmeriCorps sub-grantees, to include Program Design (planning); Program Implementation (launch); Program Compliance (rules/regulations); Program Management (recruitment, retention, re-enrollment, administration, problem-solving); Program Effectiveness (outputs, outcomes, performance tracking); Program Continuous Improvement (evaluation and adjustment); Program Sunset (closure).
• Provides sound programmatic oversight of organizations receiving Oklahoma AmeriCorps grants through formal monitoring and day-to-day communication, including analysis of grant narratives/applications; program start-up review; grantee policies, procedures, and systems; and criminal history checks; as well as ensuring compliance with federal AmeriCorps regulations, provisions, and other guidance or funder directives.
• Supports the development of high quality AmeriCorps programs by continuously assessing and coaching programs toward excellence in service delivery, grant management, performance measurement, and overall grant performance.
• Provides high quality customer service and proactively provides written and verbal feedback to organizations in assigned portfolio to build relationships and foster continuous improvement.
• Maintains expert knowledge of AmeriCorps (federal grant) statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures. Ensures that knowledge is maintained despite changes to regulations, policies, and processes.
• Plans, leads, and conducts programmatic monitoring activities and site visits to ensure consistency with grant terms and conditions, timelines, budgets, and performance measures. Authors reports of programmatic monitoring findings, works with involved parties to resolve findings, and disallow costs if required.
  Reviews, verifies, analyzes, and documents program performance, progress, and impact via regular programmatic reports from grantees.
• Maintains accurate grant records for each grantee related to grant-specific performance data including grant-approved deliverables, performance benchmarks, and other key performance measures.
• Collects and analyzes data, communicates data to stakeholders, and assists with preparation of grant reports. Participates in ongoing grantee risk assessment and system improvement processes.
• Supports the grantmaking process for Oklahoma AmeriCorps, including pre-award program start-up review, application development, selection process, negotiation process, post-award monitoring and reporting, and general technical assistance to grantees and potential grantees. Supports and may lead the programmatic negotiation of grant awards.
• Works with the Oklahoma AmeriCorps team to identify noncompliance issues and may develop recommendations to management on steps to resolve noncompliance ranging from corrective action plans to termination of awards; develops and monitors corrective action plans for organizations in assigned portfolio. Keeps manager informed of all significant developments and immediately alerts management of any possible signs of fraud or mismanagement of funds.
• Reviews and recommends amendments or other revisions to the agreed upon grant deliverables, timelines, budgets, and/or other grant requirements for organizations in assigned portfolio.
• Assesses and analyzes training and technical assistance needs and continuous improvement issues specific to individual grantees and/or a larger portfolio to ensure high quality/high performing programs. Works with Oklahoma AmeriCorps team to develop training that will provide value to grantees, improving their capabilities, scale, and impact.
• Engages in research and general reading on issues and events related to Oklahoma AmeriCorps’ mission, high quality AmeriCorps program designs, and AmeriCorps program management in particular.
• Assists with social media efforts to implement strategies that ensure the marketing of Oklahoma AmeriCorps grants, services, and news reaches a broad and appropriate constituency.
• May represent Oklahoma AmeriCorps at meetings, conferences, events and other functions, including making remarks or presentations.
• May facilitate meetings, focus groups, training, or other events with Oklahoma AmeriCorps grantees.
• May assist with developing grant applications that support the area of service and volunteerism.
• May perform other duties as assigned consistent with current duties and responsibilities.
   

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

• Knowledge of program evaluation and performance measurement
• Ability to coach and provide guidance to organizations
• Ability to research, interpret, apply, and communicate complex regulations, provisions, policies, and procedures
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing; to exercise sound judgement in making critical decisions; to analyze complex information and develop plans to address identified issues; and to effectively demonstrate negotiation and facilitation skills
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, and provide recommendations
• Excellent time management and organizational skills, detail oriented, and the ability to work both independently with general supervision and as part of a project team
• Excellent customer service skills
• Thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office products
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meet multiple deadlines
• Strong interpersonal skills to develop and maintain cooperative professional and productive work relationships with others

MINIMUM QUALITIFICATION

• 2 to 5 years of work experience
• Must thrive in a work environment of growth, development, and change
• Willing to travel in Oklahoma, and occasionally to other states, for grantee monitoring visits and special events (approximately 5% time)
• Graduation from an accredited university

TO APPLY

Apply by submitting a resume and cover letter either to the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits job board, or by sending materials to kgage@okamericorps.com. In the subject line, enter "Program Officer -- (Your Name)".

In your cover letter, please state 1) Why you are interested in this position, and 2) What makes you a good fit for the job.