Senior Program Officer

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), located in Princeton, N.J., is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. To get there, we must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Since 1972, we have focused on developing and promoting innovations in health and healthcare to improve the lives of millions. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to achieve health equity faster and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.  

We take seriously our responsibilities, and we pledge to work in ways that reflect our Guiding Principles. These are rooted in equity and influence everything we do at RWJF. Equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI), and collaboration enable our staff’s wide range of experiences, passions, and perspectives to strengthen our ability to address our nation’s most pressing health issues and support a culture of belonging. Part of this work includes actively shaping an inclusive organization where all staff members thrive as we build and use our capabilities, voice, and power to advance health equity. RWJF offers a collaborative, collegial, and creative work environment. With a career at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, you will make a difference.  

ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY

Reporting directly to the associate managing director for the Leadership for Better Health (LBH) portfolio, the senior program officer (SPO) will help advance the Foundation’s priorities through strategy development and implementation (e.g., partnership development, grantmaking), including ensuring the strategies are aligned with the Foundation’s broader strategic framework to deepen a focus on intersectional racial equity in the quest for health equity and justice.   

  

As RWJF tackles structural racism as a barrier to health, LBH is evolving to invest in the leadership of people and organizations who are deeply committed to structural change and the long-term work of dismantling structural racism so that everyone has the opportunity for health and thriving. Working in a variety of fields from healthcare to social justice to academia, these leaders all share one vision: to dismantle structural racism in their institutions, sectors, and systems.    

  

This senior program officer position will focus on LBH’s work to discern and act on an assessment of how structural racism and structural biases play out in the context of healthcare and public health. We are seeking a candidate with direct experience working in advocacy, policy or practice change, and other system change strategies in healthcare or public health. A strong candidate will have a bold vision for change in these sectors.  

  

As with staff at all levels of RWJF, the senior program officer is expected to demonstrate a passionate commitment to equity and the Foundation’s mission and Guiding Principles.  

 

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES  

Program Development and Monitoring:   

• Center equity, structural racism, and intersectional forms of oppression in their learning, program development, program management, and strategy development, including adoption/adaptation of equitable grantmaking processes.   

• Design and implement new initiatives and bodies of work that advance portfolio and organizational goals and objectives, with a focus on programs and strategies related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the health professions and to support leadership to confront and address structural racism in he