Senior Program Officer, Youth Initiatives

The Opportunity: The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation seeks a new Senior Program Officer (SPO), Youth Initiatives, to serve as a strategic leader and portfolio manager responsible for advancing the Foundation's integrated Youth strategy. The strategy seeks to improve economic mobility for young people ages 15–26 who have experienced significant adversity, with an emphasis on education-to-career pathways, employment, stable housing, and mental health supports. The SPO joins the Foundation at a formative moment as it launches a newly integrated Youth strategy and team structure, bringing previously distinct areas of work together around a shared focus on economic mobility and opportunity. The strategy was shaped in part by input from approximately 1,500 young people across the Foundation's geographies, who consistently identified the ability to earn income and build toward a career as central to their goals. Within this approach, housing stability and mental health supports are critical foundations that help young people access and sustain education and employment opportunities. The SPO will bring strong subject-matter expertise in workforce development and private-sector engagement, leading employer engagement and career-pathway work across the Atlanta, New Orleans, and federally focused portfolio. They will identify, assess, and support models that connect young people facing adversity to skills, employment, retention, and wage progression. Critically, the SPO understands the employer side of the equation and can translate the Foundation's social-impact goals into the business and talent terms employers operate in, building partnerships that deliver real value for both young people and participating organizations. Reporting to the Director, Youth Initiatives, the SPO informs strategy development and leads implementation of a multi-year grantmaking portfolio of more than $30 million annually across Atlanta and New Orleans, as well as federally focused efforts. The SPO will oversee two Program Officers and one Program Assistant and, in partnership with the Youth Initiatives Director, help shape the culture and ways of working for the evolving Youth Initiatives team. The role combines significant strategic, financial, people-management, and operational responsibility, requiring the SPO to translate broad strategy into clear priorities, expectations, and measurable outcomes. The SPO will collaborate closely with peer SPOs, the Strategy, Learning and Evaluation Department (SLED), and other cross-functional teams. Externally, the SPO works with grantees, public- and private-sector partners, and other funders to achieve leverage goals and scale impact. The SPO serves as an internal and external champion for integrated work across Youth geographies and systems, ensuring grantmaking advances a cohesive strategy focused on economic mobility, stable housing, and well-being. Success in the role requires operational discipline, data-informed learning, transparent collaboration, a solutions-oriented mindset, curiosity, candid and constructive communication, strengths-based leadership, and shared ownership of outcomes.

Strategic Initiative Planning and Implementation: Lead implementation of the Board-approved integrated Youth strategy in Atlanta and New Orleans, aligned with economic mobility goals and supporting housing and mental health priorities. In close coordination with SLED, translate the Youth theory of change into portfolio priorities, grantmaking plans, implementation milestones, and learning questions. Partner with the Youth Director, peer Youth Initiatives SPO, Program Officers, SLED, and external evaluators to track milestones such as enrollment, completion, employment, retention, wage progression, housing stability, and mental health-related learning indicators, where applicable. Use data, grantee learning, field trends, and portfolio performance to refine strategy, recommend course corrections, and identify opportunities for grantmaking, partnerships, targeted advocacy, convening, leverage, and systems strengthening. Present strategy, progress, risks, and learning to the Board of Directors in coordination with the Youth Director. Support cross-geography learning and collaborate with colleagues in other initiatives that share strategic objectives, translating insights into consistent grantmaking and leverage activities across the portfolio.

Grantmaking and Grantee Relations: Manage a multi-year, multimillion-dollar grantmaking portfolio for Atlanta, New Orleans, and national partners. Identify ecosystem gaps and source potential grantees and partners that can advance career pathways, employment, housing stability, and/or mental health supports for young people; assess the quality and feasibility of employer partnerships, career-pathway models, job placement, retention, and wage-progression strategies. Conduct due diligence on proposals, organizational capacity, financial models, leadership, implementation feasibility, and potential risks. Prepare and present grant recommendations for internal and Board approval. Monitor grantee performance through regular communication, site visits, reporting, data review, and learning conversations, and support grantees in strengthening implementation, partnerships, sustainability, and impact. Foster partnerships among grantees, employers, public agencies, funders, youth-serving organizations, and other stakeholders.

Thought Leadership and Trend Analysis: Stay current on research, policy, practice, and funding trends related to youth economic mobility, workforce and career pathways, transition-age youth, housing stability, mental health supports, and education-to-career transitions. Build and maintain relationships with government, philanthropic, nonprofit, employer, and field partners. Represent the Foundation in meetings, convenings, conferences, funder collaboratives, and other external forums. Convene partners to share learning, identify barriers, coordinate action, and mobilize aligned resources. Bring field intelligence to the Youth team to strengthen strategy, grantmaking, and learning. Collaborate with colleagues across departments—including the Office of General Counsel, Communications, Grants Management, and Finance—and engage and manage consultants and external advisors when complementary expertise is needed.

Management and Program Team Relations: Build, lead, and professionally develop a high-performing team of Program Officers and Program Associates responsible for executing assigned components of the Youth Initiatives strategy, establishing clear expectations, priorities, and measures of success. Foster a high-trust, collaborative team culture that balances accountability with empowerment, equipping staff with the guidance, tools, and autonomy needed to perform at their highest level. Establish transparent team routines, decision-making processes, documentation practices, and knowledge-management norms that support strong execution and shared ownership. Create and manage the grantmaking and operational budget for the assigned portfolio, ensuring resources are aligned with strategy, outcomes, and implementation priorities; identify consultant needs, define scopes of work, and manage performance as needed. Work closely with the peer Youth SPO and SPOs across initiatives to support cross-geography and cross-issue collaboration, shared learning, and consistent execution; partner with SLED to strengthen monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Collaborate with the Youth Director and Program Department colleagues to align the initiative with departmental and organizational priorities and to clarify and advance relevant advocacy goals.

Ideal Candidate: The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in developing workforce and career pathway strategies for young people ages 15–26 who have experienced significant adversity, along with a strong understanding of the wraparound supports—such as housing stability and mental health—that help transition-age youth thrive professionally. They have direct experience engaging employers and corporate partners and understand how to build the employer case for participation: not only articulating the social impact of creating opportunities for young people, but translating that opportunity into meaningful business and talent value for employers. Experience working in the U.S. South, or developing place-based strategies across diverse geographies, is strongly valued. Just as important is how the candidate approaches place-based work. The ideal candidate brings deep cultural humility, advanced listening skills, high emotional intelligence, and genuine respect for the expertise of local communities. They listen to learn before acting, approach new geographies with curiosity rather than predetermined answers, and demonstrate the self-reflection required to build strategies in partnership with—not simply for—the communities the Foundation seeks to serve. The SPO is a highly collaborative and effective people leader who can help shape the culture of a newly integrated team. They set clear expectations and create accountability while empowering talented staff with the context, tools, and autonomy needed to lead their work. They are energized by developing others, creating strong operating practices, and building a team culture grounded in trust, transparency, learning, and shared ownership of results. Finally, the ideal candidate is comfortable operating in a data-driven grantmaking environment and using KPIs, evaluation, field learning, and other evidence to assess progress and adapt strategy when needed. They bring the operational discipline to oversee a significant portfolio while remaining curious, flexible, and open to learning from colleagues, grantees, young people, funders, employers, and other partners.

Required Qualifications: At least 10 years of relevant professional experience, with demonstrated leadership in workforce development, career pathways, employer engagement, youth development, philanthropy, public systems, or a related field. Graduate degree in a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience. Demonstrated experience designing, building, managing, or advising initiatives that connect young people or populations facing employment barriers to measurable outcomes, including skill attainment, credential completion, job placement, retention, and wage progression. Direct experience engaging employers and other labor-market partners, such as industry associations, chambers of commerce, workforce intermediaries, or training providers. Solid knowledge of relevant program and policy issues and the funding landscape. Proven ability to develop and adapt strategy, manage a multi-year, multimillion-dollar portfolio or initiative, and use data, KPIs, evaluation, and learning to improve results. Strong people management and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate across internal teams and represent the Foundation with grantees, funders, public-sector partners, employers, and the Board. Strong operational skills, including project management, documentation, knowledge management, and transparent decision-making. Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity and lead through change. Exceptional organizational, analytical, written and oral communication, presentation, and public-speaking skills. Ability to work independently and collaboratively, demonstrating initiative, flexibility, cultural sensitivity, and respect for lived experience. Strategic, conceptual, and critical-thinking abilities, with strong attention to detail and priorities. Willingness to perform a portion of administrative work, such as calendaring, expense reports, and travel arrangements. Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and database, CRM, or grant-management systems.

Desired: Experience working across multiple labor-market stakeholders—such as employers, industry associations, workforce intermediaries, training providers, community-based organizations, or corporate social responsibility teams—to create or scale pathways to quality jobs. Experience in at least one priority geography: Atlanta or New Orleans. Grantmaking, fundraising, or philanthropic-sector experience. Candidates with lived experience related to the Youth Initiative are encouraged to apply.

Salary, Benefits, and Location: The salary range for this position is $200,000-225,000. The Hilton Foundation values the health and well-being of their employees and offer comprehensive healthcare, disability, and retirement benefit plans; paid holidays and paid time off; and flexible work schedules. The Hilton Foundation supports the professional and personal growth of staff through learning and development initiatives including educational assistance and participation in professional conferences and seminars. To encourage charitable giving, the Foundation matches employee gifts to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. This position is based in Los Angeles, CA. The Foundation maintains a hybrid work culture, and employees are currently expected to work in the Foundation's Calabasas office three days per week, specifically Monday-Wednesday. The incoming Senior Program Officer should be prepared for regular domestic and international travel up to 25% of the time. Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's EEO Statement The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse candidate pool.

Questions, Interviews, and Deadlines: For additional questions, please reach out to: hiltonfoundation-spo@goodcitizen.com.Applicants applying by October 19 will be given priority consideration, with the position open until filled. First round interviews with the Good Citizen team will take place through early November. Interviews with the Hilton Foundation team will take place from late November through early January. We hope to make an offer in early January.