About this opportunity
SPOON lists this Program Officer opportunity in portland, Oregon. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: Program Officer
SPOON is the only global organization dedicated to transforming nutrition and feeding for children with disabilities and children without consistent family care. These children face the highest risk of malnutrition because the systems meant to support them weren't built to include them. SPOON empowers and equips families, communities, and partner organizations/providers to safely feed and adequately nourish children through training, implementation of proprietary tools, and advocacy. Through strategic partnerships with governments, nonprofit organizations, and community service providers, SPOON transfers knowledge and skills to partners to provide disability-inclusive and trauma-informed nutrition and feeding care for children vulnerable to malnutrition. In 2024, SPOON received a Zero Project award for its progressive approach and system-changing work that has catalyzed national policy change and yielded dramatic improvements in children’s health and development.
The SPOON team consists of 12 dedicated, focused, and compassionate individuals. While we now all work remotely, we were founded in and had an office in Portland, OR for many years. The hard and serious work we do is made easier by a compassionate and inclusive culture that we nurture and value regardless of where we are based.
SPOON’s Program Officer plays a key role in advancing SPOON's mission by supporting the design, implementation, and quality of nutrition and feeding programs across our project countries. Reporting to the Senior Director of Programs & Partnerships, this role manages day-to-day project activities, financial and grant compliance, and partner communications to ensure programs run smoothly and deliver lasting impact. The Program Officer also contributes to monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting, and cross-team coordination, helping translate SPOON's on-the-ground work into strong, sustainable outcomes for children and caregivers. Successful candidates will bring exceptional project management and budget skills, soundrelationship management, and a track record of meeting goals in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
This position is initially funded for one year through a grant, with strong organizational intent to extend it into a permanent role as funding allows.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Program Management
Manage distinct SPOON implementation and advocacy projects as assigned, including designing and tracking work plans, timelines, and deliverables
Support coordination of strategic relationships with donors, implementing partners, government partners, local contractors, and other stakeholders, and serve as a point of contact as required
Support the Senior Director of Programs & Partnerships in ensuring program quality, including standardized templates and documentation for program outputs, a lessons-learned process, Project Cycle Management, Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), and adherence to best-practice standards
Conduct desk research on countries, policy opportunities, and other program-relevant topics to inform program design and strategy
Maintain an electronic filing system for program documentation, stakeholder contacts, and key deliverables
Support logistics, international travel, and technical needs for the Program Team, contractors, technical experts, and partners
Grant and Financial Oversight
Monitor project and grant activities to ensure programmatic, contractual, and financial compliance
Support financial management, including tracking project and grant budget expenditures and projections, contributing to the annual budget process, and processing vendor and partner payments
Manage sub-awards and contractors, ensuring compliance with contractual and technical deliverables
Monitoring & Evaluation
Support M&E of program activities and review M&E deliverables as needed
Track program progress against work plans and results frameworks, flagging risks early and proposing solutions
Communications
Document and share stories and photos from project locations — with informed consent and in partnership with the families and communities featured — in collaboration with the Director of Development
Contribute to donor reports, proposals, and program updates, translating field data into clear narratives
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
In addition to the specific job requirements, staff at SPOON embody certain core values to support our mission: a passion for the mission, persistence, and a commitment to learning and evidence.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in international development, public health, public policy, nonprofit or business management, public administration or a related field. Candidates with 10 or more years of directly applicable professional experience may be considered in place of a degree.
At least 5 years of experience managing international development programs or projects, including experience working with donors and/or grant management and government partners or implementing partners.
Proficiency monitoring budgets and tracking expenditures, with a solid understanding of grant compliance requirements
Experience managing or coordinating sub-awards, contracts, and vendor relationships
Familiarity with Project Cycle Management and core M&E concepts (work plans, results frameworks, indicator tracking)
Excellent written communication skills, including experience contributing to donor reports or proposals
Solution-oriented approach to facing challenges and ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple deadlines and complex schedules
Entrepreneurial attitude, results-driven, and able to work independently as well as collaboratively
Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree in international development, public health, nutrition, public administration, or a related field
International experience living and managing programs in low- and middle-income countries preferred, with demonstrated success operating in cross-cultural contexts and building relationships
TERM OF EMPLOYMENT:This is a full-time exempt position, with a salary range of $65,000-$75,000 per year. Benefits include health, vision, and dental coverage, 401K plan with employer match, life insurance, long-term disability, paid parental and family leave, and generous paid time off. This is a US-based remote position that may require some domestic and international travel throughout the year. This role does not have supervisory responsibilities.
HOW TO APPLY:Submit cover letter, résumé, and completed application (linked) to Applications will close on October 23. There will be two rounds of interviews, and we anticipate a start date of January 4, 2027. We may invite finalists to Portland for a third and final interview. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.
COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:SPOON is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. In line with our commitment to disrupting systemic racism, we acknowledge that research shows that Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and women are significantly less likely to apply for some positions, believing they must meet every qualification as described in the job description. At SPOON, we value representation, and we are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. We know that sometimes that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described in the position description above.
Worksite address
portland, OR, 97204, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.