Program Officer, Educating Character Initiative

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Job Description Summary

The Educating Character Initiative (ECI), an initiative of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, seeks a lead Program Officer to join its grantmaking team. The Program Officer will serve as liaison between grantee teams and the Educating Character Initiative, providing vital support to their efforts to execute character-building efforts aligned with each team’s distinctive institutional context and coordinating grant stewardship, including conducting twice-yearly check-ins and ensuring effective grant reporting and accountability from all open grants. The Program Officer will play a crucial role in offering perspective for the ECI team, understanding emerging and ongoing patterns of successes and challenges in character education efforts across the ECI grant portfolio, and helping to ensure alignment between grantees and ECI’s vision to catalyze a movement of character education in higher education.

Since its launch, with generous funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., the ECI has built a community of character among over 2,000 individuals and 700 organizations and institutions; hosted educational and community-building webinars, conferences, convenings and other events; and become a significant presence in character education around the world. The ECI has also awarded over $35 million in grants to our partners at U.S. colleges and universities, and we anticipate funding up to an additional $15 million in institutional grants in 2026. Through these awards, the Educating Character Initiative expects to maintain a portfolio of over 100 open grants for at least the next two years and perhaps beyond. Individual grants range from $50,000 to $1M, and anchor institutions represent the full diversity of U.S. higher education, including institutions that are both public and private, secular and faith-based, 2- and 4-year, large and small, diverse in population, location, and mission.

The Program Officer will provide crucial support for and partnership with principal investigators and teams supported by all grants. The right candidate for the position will have the ability to be organized and responsible in the midst of complexity, a valuable collaborator to a fast-paced and dynamic team, and an ambassador of hospitality to our growing ECI Community, serving as a present and engaging thought partner across a wide range of projects and aims in character education. The position is grant-funded and currently supported through June 2029.

We welcome applications from scholars, educators, and administrators with expertise in higher education, character, character education, and/or grantmaking. To apply, please provide (1) a cover letter detailing your relevant expertise and interest in the position, (2) a curriculum vitae, and (3) a list of at least three professional references, including at least one current or former supervisor. Applications submitted by May 1 will receive priority consideration. The anticipated start date of the position is July 1, 2026. Candidates who wish to work remotely will be considered.

Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational institution dedicated to academic excellence in liberal arts, graduate and professional education. Located in Winston-Salem, NC (“The City of Arts and Innovation”), the University has a deep institutional commitment to public service and engagement with the world, as indicated by the motto Pro Humanitate (for humanity), which encourages students to develop the qualities of human character needed to serve humanity. With the aim to educate the whole person, the University has established an innovative Program for Leadership and Character that plans creative, liberal arts-based programming to help students develop the virtues of character needed to lead in an increasingly complex world.

The Educating Character Initiative (ECI), a project of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, made possible by generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., seeks to catalyze a movement for character education at colleges and universities across the United States. Through our work in grantmaking, collective learning, and community engagement, we equip institutions of higher education with the funding, resources, and support necessary to integrate character into their distinctive institutional contexts, curricula, and cultures. Our broad aspiration is to enable institutions of higher education to become communities of character that form students, staff, and faculty to act with character and for the common good.

For quick facts about the University, see http://www.wfu.edu/visitors/quickfacts.html. For more on the Program for Leadership and Character, see https://leadershipandcharacter.wfu.edu/. For more on the ECI, see https://leadershipandcharacter.wfu.edu/eci/.

For additional information, please contact [email protected].

Job Description

Essential Functions: The Program Officer role will include activities and responsibilities in grants management and stewardship as well as in service of ECI community building and collective learning efforts. 

Grants Management and Stewardship

• Conduct regular check-ins with grantee institutions 

• Provide guidance to grantees on program activities, evaluation, and reporting

• Maintain accurate and clear communication concerning budgets, grant activities, and reporting to all grantee institutions

• Facilitate requests from grantees for changes to project design, timelines, deliverables, and budgets

• Review annual and final reports from grantee institutions to identify activities, resources, challenges, concerns, and stories related to their character-building efforts

• In collaboration with the Grants and Contracts Manager, contribute to efforts to ensure accountability and compliance with all expectations of funding agencies

• Assist with annual reports to Lilly Endowment Inc. as needed

• Work closely with all ECI teams to ensure grantmaking efforts are integrated into all other functional lanes of work 
   

Community Building and Collective Learning

• Serve as a primary point of contact and liaison between ECI staff and grantee institutions

• Support principal investigators and teams at grantee institutions to strengthen engagement and collaboration within their own teams and across their institutions

• Connect grantee institutions with opportunities and resources made available through the ECI to further enhance their programming

• Connect principal investigators across the ECI Community with each other in support of activities and opportunities that can enhance programming at distinct institutions

• Connect emerging leaders within the ECI Community to identify opportunities for and support the development of new partnerships or multi-institutional efforts in character-building 

• Facilitate communication and coordination among grantee institutions and ECI staff to promote collective learning and resource sharing

• Create processes and opportunities for grantee teams to contribute resources to learning experiences and platforms for use and adaptation by other nstitutions

• Connect grantee teams with ECI staff for workshops, trainings, communities of impact, and other kinds of resources to support and enhance work at their institutions

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Master's degree in a relevant professional field or academic discipline 

• 2-5 years of experience in higher education program administration or grantmaking, or an equivalent combination of education and experience

• A demonstrated record of experience in overseeing administrative operations and developing organizational systems  

• Strong understanding of university administrative structures and processes

• Superior communication skills and the ability to effectively represent the program to diverse stakeholders

• Exceptional problem-solving abilities and sound judgment in complex situations

• Demonstrated abilities to work constructively on teams and in cross-institutional collaborations, including excellent organizational, administrative, and interpersonal skills, with accuracy and attention to detail; effective and thoughtful communication with people across multiple institutions, disciplines, and skill sets; and a clear commitment to building community with a wide range of individuals at Wake Forest University, across the ECI Community, and beyond.

• Exceptional written, oral, and visual communication skills.

• Experience working with a higher education context, demonstrating knowledge and understanding of academic cultures, rules, and regulations.

• Excellent organizational and time management skills, including the ability to juggle competing demands, work efficiently, and deliver high quality work while adhering to deadlines.

• Commitment to supporting the intellectual and moral development of students and the ability to engage with and represent mission-driven work. 

• Good character, sound judgment, and a strong work ethic. 

• Openness to feedback and a commitment to personal and professional growth. 

• Ability to represent the programs and the university in a professional manner. 

• Ability to work occasional weekend or evening hours as needed. Some travel may be required.

Accountabilities: 

• Reports to the Executive Director, Educating Character Initiative.

• Works under minimal supervision.  

• Responsible for own work. 

Physical Requirements:

• Sedentary work that primarily involves sitting and standing.

Environmental Conditions: 

• No adverse environmental conditions expected.

* This position is not eligible for sponsorship of non-immigrant or immigrant visa status through Wake Forest University. All eligible applicants are encouraged to apply.

Additional Job Description

Time Type Requirement

Full time

Note to Applicant:

This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.

In order to provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations and drug screens for all final staff candidates being considered for employment.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates to apply without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and military or veteran status.  

 

Accommodations for Applicants

If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact AskHR@wfu.edu or (336) 758-4700.