Education Program Officer

A cover letter is not required to apply for this role. Instead, all candidates will provide written answers to the application questions. Your responses will be shared with the hiring committee for this search, so please put forth your best effort. Three paragraphs maximum per response, please.

Location: Chicago’s Loop 
Reports to: President, Sherly Chavarria
Application deadline: January 9, 2026
Desired start date: Winter 2026

ABOUT THE LLOYD A. FRY FOUNDATION

The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Chicago faced with challenges rooted in the systems of inequity. We partner with effective nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to building a community in which all individuals and families have the opportunity to thrive. Each year, we award $8 million in grants across three main program areas: Arts Learning, Education, and Employment. Across all of our funding areas, our focus is on helping organizations: Build capacity to enhance the quality of services and better assess the impact of programs; Develop successful program innovations that other organizations in the field can learn from or adopt; and Share knowledge so that information which can help low-income communities and individuals is widely and readily available.

THE POSITION
The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation’s Education program has been a cornerstone of our grantmaking since our inception. We seek an Education Program Officer to develop and lead our education grantmaking (~$2M annually), which is focused on increasing the academic achievement of students in historically disinvested Chicago Public Schools. 

We support this goal through work that strengthens the preparation and development of principals to lead high-performing schools, the development of teacher leaders to support professional learning in schools, and programs that provide rigorous academic enrichment opportunities for students.

We look for programs that monitor and demonstrate ongoing effectiveness by assessing improvements in academic achievement, instructional quality, and student experience, particularly the classroom conditions that support academic engagement. The Foundation encourages proposals that include efforts to enhance the quality of programs. These efforts might include incorporating new program elements, professional development for program staff, or the development of evaluation tools, among others.

RESPONSIBILITIES
The Education Program Officer’s core duties include the management and execution of four annual education grant cycles; knowledge development (e.g, keeping up with the latest education research or findings related to the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation’s priority areas and identifying related opportunities and pathways to pursue); and participating in external networks (e.g., funder collaborations, grantmaker organizations, and professional associations) that allow us to collaborate with others who seek to make a positive impact in Chicago Public Schools.  

In addition to these specific duties, the Education Program Officer will use their professional knowledge and insight to help refine and improve how we increase the academic achievement of low-income students in historically disinvested Chicago Public Schools, and provide guidance to the board of directors about challenges or opportunities that may impact our work in education.  

A detailed breakdown of the Education Program Officer’s responsibilities are provided below:

• Manage the Education grants portfolio; work with colleagues and the board of directors to identify programmatic goals and strategies, and manage and plan the program grants budget
• Oversee the entire “life cycle” for the Foundation’s education grants 
  • Solicit and review proposals and letters of inquiry, arrange and manage site visits, prepare proposals for board review, and present written and verbal recommendations to the board of directors 
• Build and support a pipeline of grantees whose work has the greatest potential to bring about desired educational outcomes; and identify new organizations and initiatives to help fulfill programmatic goals
• Actively identify challenges that can be addressed through the Foundation’s grantmaking, and opportunities that have the potential to advance program goals
• Write about complex issues and concepts in education in clear, accessible, and jargon-free language for lay audiences. Writing, in general, and this type of writing specifically, is a major responsibility of this role. 
• Partner with grantees to support collaborative work, and help organizations advance knowledge and practice in the field
• Cultivate and maintain new and existing relationships with education or adjacent leaders and collaboratives to stay abreast of new developments; generate new ideas and resources and foster partnerships

QUALIFICATIONS
The most competitive leaders for this role will have the following experiences and skills:

• A belief in the Foundation’s mission and philanthropic approach 
• Five or more years work experience in education
• Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree is preferred
• Deep knowledge of theories and models for school improvement and school leadership; an understanding of high-quality teaching practices in CPS is a plus 
• Strong relationship-builder, with the ability to build trust both internally and externally
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write compelling recommendations, and to convey complex information simply and concisely 
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to assess information and build persuasive recommendations
• Strategic thinker, with an ability to solve problems and identify opportunities and innovations
• Superior organizational skills – Program Officers manage all of their own logistics (e.g., site visits, reporting deadlines, and follow-up reporting)
• Curiosity and interest in asking questions in order to learn more about a given issue
• Collaborative and supportive; the Foundation expects team members to work together and learn from each other
• Self-motivated; able to work and make decisions autonomously, while knowing when and how to seek out additional support and resources
• An aptitude to actively contribute to intellectual give and take, to ask thoughtful questions, be open-minded, and be comfortable challenging ideas and being challenged

WORK ENVIRONMENT + TRAVEL

Our work is performed in a hybrid work environment (a combination of in-office and remote). The Education Program Officer is expected to travel regularly within Chicago for site visits and collaborative meetings.

COMPENSATION + BENEFITS

The salary range is $120,000 - $150,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Employee benefits include three weeks of vacation, one-week paid office closure during winter holidays, paid sick days, employer-paid health insurance (85% of the premium), and after one-year of employment, contributions to a 403(b) retirement plan.

APPLY

To express your interest in this opportunity, please apply. No phone calls please.

It’s important to note that all finalists for this role will need to provide professional references. A background check is required prior to official hire.

The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.