Program Associate, Human Rights

Applications are due by 5:00 pm PST, Friday, October 23, 2026. To apply, please upload your cover letter, which describes why you would be a good fit for the position and the Heising-Simons Foundation, and your resume here.

About the Foundation

The Heising-Simons Foundation is a family foundation based in San Francisco, California. The Foundation works with its many partners to advance sustainable solutions in climate and clean energy, enable groundbreaking science research, enhance the education of our youngest

learners, and support human rights for all people. In 2025, the Foundation awarded more than $169million in grants. The Foundation’s work is guided by the values of humility, courage, justice, opportunity, sustainability, innovation, relationships, and integrity.

About the Human Rights Program

The Foundation’s Human Rights program envisions a society where people are free to live whole,safe, and dignified lives. At present, we are far from this vision in the United States becausestructural racism pervades our society and manifests through systems of punishment — massincarceration and immigrant detention. The result is the criminalization of poor Black, Indigenous,and other people of color (BIPOC), and it is visible all around us: these communities areoverrepresented in our country’s jails, prisons, and detention centers, and are under-resourced in our economic, political, and social justice sectors.

To best challenge mass incarceration, immigrant detention, and the mass criminalization of BIPOCcommunities, the Human Rights program invests in 1) building the power and capacity of grassroots; 2) creating healthy justice reform and immigrants’ rights ecosystems that center the grassroots in their work; and 3) advancing reimagined approaches to safety, justice, and accountability. Through these investments, the Human Rights program seeks to contribute to a country where grassroots movements have the power to lead and define change to dismantle the footprint of incarceration and immigrant detention systems and create new paradigms of safety, justice, and accountability not appended to the current punishment systems. In 2025, the Human Rights team made 161 grants totaling over $36 million in 501(c)(3) grant funding.

The Opportunity

The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Human Rights program seeks a Program Associate to project manage and support its grantmaking. This role offers a unique opportunity to build knowledge and skills in grantmaking and social justice by working closely with subject-matter experts and engaging directly with grantee organizations leading this work.

This full-time (37.5 hours per week) exempt (salaried) position is based in San Francisco and reports to a Program Officer and works collaboratively with the entire program team.

Our work is centered around relationships with our grantees and with one another. Hybrid work allows us to tend to relationships and collaborate in person while also offering the flexibility to work remotely. Beginning April 2027, the Foundation's in-office schedule will shift to three days per week.

Primary Responsibilities

Provide grants administration support.

• Represent the Foundation as the primary point of contact for grantees and grantseekers as they prepare and submit grant proposals, reports, and other deliverables as part of the grant cycle.
• Work with Grants Management to develop and implement workable solutions and advise Program Officers and Directors on grant structuring.
• Interpret and implement the Foundation’s grantmaking and contracting policies, procedures, and deadlines, and work with the team to ensure compliance.
• Coordinate with the Program Manager to ensure that the program’s grantmaking budget is continuously up-to-date. 
• Ensure team members and grantees are aware of upcoming deadlines by tracking grant start and end dates, due dates for deliverables and reports, and changes to grant timelines and scopes of work.
• Maintain grant files and the grants database throughout the grant life cycle.
• Conduct research to inform the due diligence process and grantmaking decisions by analyzing prospective grantee organizations’:

• websites for information about their mission, staff, board members, and recent projects or accomplishments;
• financials to conduct an initial assessment of financial stability; and
• proposals to conduct an initial assessment of legal compliance.

Provide project management and administrative support for the program team.

• Manage meeting requests and logistical arrangements, and maintain contact records, files, and other organizational information.
• Plan, monitor, and advise Program Manager and Program Officers on assigned grantmaking workflows, budgets, and deadlines.
• Draft and finalize materials, including grant summaries, memos, spreadsheets, presentations, and other work products.
• Prepare contracts, monitor expenditures, and submit invoices and expenses to the Director of Finance for payment.
• Lead planning, logistics, and on-site coordination for convenings of grantees and fellows, site visits, team building, and other external events hosted by the team.

• Plan team processes, prepare team agendas, take notes, and track decisions and next steps in coordination with the Program Manager.

Support and contribute to strategy development, learning, and evaluation.

• Represent the Foundation and communicate the program’s strategy and grantmaking guidelines to a variety of stakeholders.
• Conduct research, analyze data, and prepare presentations and reports to inform Program Officer, Program Director, and board decisions.
• Develop and implement project plans and timelines for strategy development, learning, and evaluation activities.
• Assess current research, policy changes, and trends in the program’s area of focus and in philanthropy by tracking news and professional publications and by attending related conferences, meetings, and other events.

Foundation-wide Responsibilities

1. • Contribute to a positive, inclusive, and dynamic organizational culture.
   • Participate in Foundation-wide activities, such as cross-program collaboration, committees, internal culture-building, training, and strategic planning.
   • Help the Foundation maintain sustainable office practices, including tracking and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. 
   • Provide regular feedback to supervisor and colleagues both informally and as a part of the annual review process.
   • Train new colleagues.

Desired Experience & Attributes

• Relevant experience or demonstrated interest in justice reform, immigrant rights, or non-profit sectors.
• 2+ years’ experience providing administrative support to a high-performing team. 
• Demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, and manage multiple competing deadlines while maintaining high-quality work, both independently and in collaboration with others.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with eagerness to learn, take initiative, and adapt to changing needs.
• Strong written, interpersonal communication, and logistics management skills.
• Proficient in all Microsoft Office applications. Experience with databases, preferably Salesforce, and desire to learn new tools.
• Excellent attention to detail and follow-through.
• Flexible and willing to assist others when needed.

• A collaborative team player who brings curiosity, humor, and integrity.
• Contributes to a strong sense of community, culture, and shared purpose

Compensation and Benefits

The target starting salary for this San Francisco-based position is $90,000 to $108,000 per year, depending on experience.

The Heising-Simons Foundation offers a comprehensive employee benefits package designed to support employee wellness at work and in life. Benefits include employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents. In addition, the Foundation offers a flexible spending account (FSA) for medical and childcare expenses, a 401(k) plan with an employer match of up to 16%, 3 weeks of vacation per year, and paid time off for sick, personal reasons, and holidays.

Application Process

The Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse pool of applicants. Foundation policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, military service, legally protected medical condition, reproductive health decisions, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified applicants with disabilities may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.

Our success depends on our ability to build teams that include people with diverse experiences and expertise, who can challenge each other’s assumptions with new viewpoints and bring different perspectives to the team. We encourage women, people of color, formerly incarcerated individuals, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and others with diverse perspectives and experiences to apply.