Program Associate Jobs in California

Program Associate, Koshland

Location: San Francisco, CA
Department: Community Impact
Type: Regular, Full Time, Exempt
Min. Experience: Intermediate Level

The per pay period (24 pay periods annually) compensation for this position in FY26 is: $3,713.55.

Organizational Result:

All people living in the San Francisco Bay Area are economically secure, rooted in vibrant communities and engaged in civic life.

We Value:

Anti-racism, Boldness, Equity, Rooted in Community

The following sections are designed based on the Results Based Leadership for Racial Equity Framework that the Foundation uses to accomplish our work. As a learning organization, we expect staff to incorporate learning into their core work and the tasks related to the functional position. All staff should expect to devote time to learning activities related to our values and skillset development. People managers should expect to spend a significant amount of time coaching, developing and managing people with the balance of the time for all staff spent on relationship building internally and externally and achievement of outcome goals of role and foundation.

Position Summary:

The Program Associate for the Koshland Program is a unique position that supports the design, coordination, and implementation of leadership development and community-based initiatives within the San Francisco Foundation’s Koshland Fellowship Program. This role works closely with the Koshland Director and Community Impact leadership to advance strategies that strengthen neighborhoods, support emerging leaders, and activate alumni networks across the Bay Area.

The Program Associate is an individual contributor who supports key functional areas of the Koshland Program, including cohort management, community engagement, strategic grantmaking support, and program evaluation. The position provides high-level project management support and minimal administrative functions while also leading specific areas of work such as fellowship coordination, stakeholder engagement, and cross-departmental collaboration.

Boundaries

The Program Associate sits within the Koshland Program, a key program of the Community Impact department. The Community Impact department develops and implements strategies to advance the Foundation’s equity agenda through grantmaking, community partnerships, leadership development, convenings, and policy engagement.

This role supports the Koshland Director in ensuring the effective delivery of program strategies, including leadership development trainings, neighborhood partnerships, and alumni engagement efforts, to maximize impact in low-income and underserved communities across the Bay Area.

Authority

The Program Associate reports to the Koshland Director. Under their direction, the Program Associate will support and lead programmatic activities related to fellowship coordination, community engagement, and program operations.

This role regularly collaborates with additional Koshland staff, Community Impact staff, as well as cross-functional teams such as Donor Services, Communications, and Grants Administration. The position also engages externally with fellows, alumni, community partners, and other stakeholders.

Role

The role of the Program Associate is to support the development and implementation of the Koshland Program’s leadership development trainings and community engagement strategies.

• Supports the planning, coordination, and implementation of Koshland fellowship cohorts and related programming.
• Provides project management support for program activities, including timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder coordination.
• Nurtures program culture by maintaining a holistic view of cohort needs, alumni engagement, and community relationships.
• Supports strategic and aligned grantmaking processes connected to Koshland Program goals.
• Collaborates with internal teams (e.g., Donor Services, Communications, Grants Administration) to elevate program impact and storytelling.
• Participates in special projects, including outreach, convenings, and alumni activation efforts.

Tasks

• Coordinate onboarding, orientation, and ongoing support for Koshland fellows.
• Assist in planning and executing fellowship sessions, retreats, and community-based activities.
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with fellows, alumni, community-based organizations, and local stakeholders.
• Support outreach and selection processes for fellows and neighborhoods.
• Organize and support community engagement efforts, including listening sessions and convenings.
• Collect, track, and analyze program data to support evaluation, learning, and impact reporting.
• Contribute to storytelling, reports, and communications materials that highlight program outcomes.
• Develop and manage project timelines, contacts, contracts, and budgets.
• Support cross-team collaboration to align program efforts with broader Foundation initiatives.
• Assist with grant making; identify, review applications and recommend approvals.

Competencies & Qualifications

• 2 to 4 years (or 3+ years) of relevant experience in community development, nonprofit programs, or related fields.
• Strong understanding of racial equity, and equity inclusion principles.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Collaborative and adaptable.
• Demonstrated abilities building successful relationships with local leaders and organizations; engage people from diverse backgrounds; and synthesize and articulate (orally and in writing) a wide breadth of information to internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience collaborating across teams and managing multi-stakeholder projects.
• Analytical skills, including the ability to collect and interpret data for decision-making and reporting.
• Familiarity with the Bay Area, its history, and the realities of the region’s residents – through intellectual, professional, and lived experience – particularly with a clear racial equity lens.
• Committed to building resilient organizations and providing technical assistance.

Preferred:

• Experience with leadership development or fellowship programs.
• Experience in philanthropic or foundation settings.
• Experience with community building and engaging with neighborhood stakeholders.

Technical abilities and skills

• Intermediate to advanced computer/software skills, including Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, & Teams) and Zoom.
• Ability to learn, navigate and manage online platforms, including Fluxx, Qliksense, Smartsheet, Salesforce, Blackbaud, and Power Plan.

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t align exactly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Compensation: The San Francisco Foundation offers a very competitive total compensation package including base compensation in alignment with our organizational budget size and rich medical and fringe benefits offerings. This position pays $3,713.55 per pay period. You may read more about our compensation philosophy and benefits on the career page.

Remote Work Policy: The Foundation has adopted a long-term hybrid in-person and remote work policy. Dedicated to its employee health and safety, The Foundation will continue to make decisions in accordance with San Francisco County and California mandates. Employees must reside or plan to relocate to California if hired.

Requesting Accommodations: The Foundation is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Foundation will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact hr@sff.org.

The San Francisco Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and encourages people of diverse backgrounds to apply.