Program Officer, Medical Research Program

The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties. The Medical Research Program (MRP) aims to advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human disease by strengthening and supporting clinical research. Current medical research grant programs at DDCF seek to encourage careers in clinical research, to retain physician scientists, and to advance clinical research and innovation. Since 1998, the program has supported approximately 1,060 grants totaling approximately $358 M.

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice is an ongoing, active engagement reflected in our grantees, museums, centers, board and staff. From sickle cell research to Native communities, from youth in the foster system to artists, from clean air and water to career pipeline leadership programs, each program area’s funding priorities signify this dedication to addressing inequality and its systemic roots. At the core of our work is a dedication to serving and learning from organizations and individuals addressing inequities and working toward a more just, healthy and inclusive society.

JOB SUMMARY
Reporting to the Program Director for Medical Research, the Program Officer has primary responsibility for management, oversight and evaluation of competitive grant programs. The Program Officer will also be an active contributor of scientific expertise and knowledge to build relationships with existing grantees and to assist the Program Director in the identification of funding gaps and opportunities in clinical research. This is an opportunity to: join the collaborative, goal-oriented and mission-driven Medical Research Program team; learn about and advance cutting-edge clinical research in multiple disease areas; implement grant policies to facilitate clinical research and maximize its impact; learn about other program areas of support at the foundation; and engage with the biomedical funding community to effect change in the way research is done. Candidates are not expected to have experience in all areas of responsibility for this position. The ideal Program Officer would bring intellectual curiosity and a desire to learn, is a team player, listens, respects other viewpoints and is passionate about advancing clinical research.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Programmatic pre and post-award
• Organize peer-review processes to rigorously, equitably and fairly select new grantees;
• Prepare requests for proposals, review guidelines and review communications;
• Work collaboratively with the Program Associate, Grants Management and Communications teams to release requests for proposals;
• Identify outstanding expert reviewers, read and assess proposals, and run peer-review panels;
• Work with peer-review contractors and consultants to manage communications with applicants and to produce proposal packages for review and scoring;
• Conduct due diligence to ensure that funded research and researchers adhere to programmatic requirements;
• Critically but thoughtfully evaluate progress of funded projects via annual reports and site visits to grantees to make grant payment recommendations and assess grant impact;
• Gather and analyze data to evaluate and document near and long term program impact;
• Prepare grant recommendations for the Board of Trustees and make presentations to the Board as needed.

Administrative
• Collaborate with the Program Associate to produce progress reporting forms;
• Work with Grants Management to draft program-specific terms of grant agreements;
• Manage the planning, logistics and smooth execution of meetings that convene grantees;
• Assist with tracking and managing the administrative budget and work with the team to find ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

External
• Engage with the medical research community to keep informed about current issues in biomedical research;
• Share DDCF grant-making practices with, while learning from, the biomedical research funding community;
• Represent MRP at national meetings as needed;
• Seek opportunities to collaborate with other private and public agencies.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required
• A graduate degree in the biomedical sciences (PhD or MD preferred);
• Both graduate school and work experience in biomedical research, including conducting research, making presentations and writing peer-reviewed papers;
• Exceptional organization and time management skills;
• Demonstrated ability to strategize, conceptualize, plan and analyze projects critically, to use and analyze data, and to deal creatively and maturely with organizational problems;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to interact with scientists, other funders and administrators at a variety of levels in a collaborative, effective and sensitive manner;
• Outstanding communication skills, both verbal and written;
• Willingness to travel on behalf of the foundation, when safe;
• Strong computer and internet skills with a high level of experience in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Preferred
• Experience with scientific grant peer-review and the mechanics of scientific grant-making;
• Proficiency working with databases and applications for data collection and statistical analysis;
• Experience communicating science to the public.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The foundation strives to provide a competitive compensation package that includes wages, benefits and other remunerations in line with comparable positions, organizations, locations and employment environments. The salary for this position is competitive, market-based, and commensurate with the required duties and responsibilities, as well as the skills, experience and education necessary to meet performance requirements.
For this position, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation offers:
• Healthcare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, group term life insurance and long-term disability insurance. Health care benefits may be extended to the employee’s domestic partner and eligible children;
• Tuition reimbursement up to the maximum non-taxable IRS reimbursable limit and professional development;
• A 401(k) retirement savings plan with an annual employer contribution of 15% of the position’s base pay;
• Participation in a pre-tax commuter transit benefit program;
• Participation in a Matching Gifts Program where donations made to qualifying charitable organizations are matched by the foundation up to three times the donated amount up to a limit of $20,000 per calendar year;
• Eleven paid holidays, up to three personal days and five sick days received at the start of the calendar year and prorated in the first year according to the employee’s start date, up to three paid bereavement days and up to 10 days of pay for each jury service instance;
• Up to 20 days per calendar year at the rate of .769 days per pay period;
• Family and medical leave and parental leave upon the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.

HOW TO APPLY
Send resume with cover letter to MRP-HR@ddcf.org. Include your last name followed by “Program Officer – Medical Research” in the subject line. A writing sample will be requested from applicants selected to move to the next stage.

No phone calls or in-person applications, please.

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in its work and workplace culture. We provide equal opportunity for employees and applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship, without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law; and we strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, orientations and communities to apply.