Job  Board

About the Foundation 

The mission of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation is to support innovative people working in hands-on science, art and craft, teaching and protection of the natural world.

The Foundation supports people who: 

1. Explore and ask through fieldwork in natural sciences. 
2. Create and captivate as they promote mastery in art and craft. 
3. Teach and try as they support students in public education. 
4. Conserve and connect as they encourage care for our food systems and the natural world. 

Our current programs include Craft, Diversity & Inclusion in Art, Design and Computing, Earth Science, Field Biology, Food, Public School Teachers, and Resilient Ecosystems.

Learn more about us at www.maxwell-hanrahan.org. 

Position Summary

The Awards Associate administers the Foundation’s growing portfolio of internally managed individual awards programs, which currently includes Earth Science, Field Biology and Food. All of our awards celebrate remarkable individuals working in under-appreciated and hands-on fields. The Foundation selects awardees for the impact and originality of their work to date, as well as the momentum an award could provide at a critical career junction. The awards are one-time and unrestricted, intended to provide awardees with funding, attention and support. 

Reporting to the Executive Director and working closely with Program Officers, the Awards Associate leads project management and award operations for multiple concurrent awards cycles. Responsibilities include coordinating nominations, nominators, and selection committee processes; conducting due diligence; developing program materials and communications; organizing wraparound support for awardees; and improving our processes over time. 

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a growing, early-stage family foundation. The team has the flexibility to experiment, refine and expand programs that directly support individuals making an impact in their fields. 

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Award Operations (85%)

For 3-4 or more internally managed awards processes: 

1. Serve as point person and operational lead for our in-house awards processes.
2. Support the development of multiple, overlapping award cycle timelines. Create project management structures for multiple team members to contribute to awards processes, using Monday.com or other platforms, as needed.  
3. Project manage the nomination processes and serve as the primary point of contact for external nominators. In coordination with the award lead, draft nomination and review forms and supporting documentation using Submittable.com or other platforms, as needed. Review nominations for eligibility.
4. Organize the due diligence process for nominees and conduct additional research, as needed. 
5. Coordinate the review of nomination packets by selection committees and answer logistical and process questions. Coordinate selection committee meetings: create drafts of agendas, prepare materials, participate in meetings, oversee meeting logistics, and document minutes. 
6. Serve as primary awardee point of contact in gathering information from awardees and answering their questions, including coordinating award letters, communications materials, and survey responses. 
7. Collaborate with the awards leads in gathering input from internal and external advisors to adjust processes and documentation over time. 
8. Identify opportunities to improve design and efficiency across multiple in-house processes, while sharing lessons and practices from awards administered by external partners.

Award Communications and Wraparound Support (15%)

1. Serve as the primary point of contact for our current year and past years’ awardees. 
2. Organize, collaborate with internal and external partners, and help coordinate communications and announcements around each awardee cohort, including draft press releases, letters to host institutions, website content and social media starter content.  
3. Support efforts to highlight, engage and celebrate award winners beyond the initial announcement, which may include developing videos, photos or other documentation of awardees’ work, and promotional materials–at the awardee’s discretion. 
4. Provide opportunities for optional networking and learning between awardees, which may include organizing and providing project management for in-person or virtual awards events, meet-ups or panels at other conferences, meetings, webinars, online communication platforms, or other networking opportunities. 
5. Coordinate in-person convenings of Maxwell/Hanrahan awardees, hosted by the Foundation. 
6. Work with award leads to assess awardee needs and identify streamlined coaching, training and wraparound support opportunities. 
7. Lead implementation of awardee support initiatives and manage partnerships with outside providers, as needed.

Complete other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies

Please view this list as guidance. If you do not meet all of the items on this list and have skills and experiences that would be an asset to the role, please apply.

1. Program operations: Skilled at collaborating with senior staff on high-volume nomination and selection processes involving research, data management, report review, and communications. Comfortable managing details while understanding broader program goals. Organizes and synthesizes information to support effective decision-making. Applies new knowledge and feedback to improve processes and outcomes.
2. Project management & organization: Exceptionally detail-oriented, with the ability to proactively coordinate across stakeholders, anticipate needs, and keep projects on track and on time. Consistently produces high-quality, accurate work and manages time and resources effectively to meet deadlines.
3. Process design & continuous improvement: Ability to document, refine, and improve workflows over time with commitment to increasing impact, efficiency, clarity, fairness, and equity across concurrent processes.
4. Flexibility & adaptability: Comfortable supporting multiple staff members, shifting priorities, and handling emerging needs in a lean, evolving organization. Remains flexible and open to new ideas and is able to adjust effectively to changes in work processes, team dynamics, and organizational goals. 
5. Communication and relationship management: Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with diverse external and internal stakeholders, balancing responsiveness with professionalism and discretion.
6. Initiative & Work Ethic: Proactively takes ownership of tasks, is able to work independently and collaboratively, and demonstrates strong critical thinking and sound judgment in resolving problems, making timely decisions, and knowing when to escalate issues.
7. Teamwork: Comfortable in a collaborative, team-oriented environment and works in support of shared goals. Builds positive working relationships, contributes to an inclusive workplace, and is open to feedback and new ideas to resolve challenges and improve outcomes.

Qualifications

1. Experience: Minimum 5 years of professional experience in grantmaking, awards or fellowships, nonprofit operations, program administration, project management or a related field with high-volume, detailed, process-oriented work. Prior foundation or individual awards/grants/fellowships experience is highly desirable.
2. Education: Open to various educational backgrounds. Strong preference for candidates with prior professional administrative experience handling responsibilities like project management, writing professional emails and documentation, presenting to senior staff, and managing deadlines.
3. Commitment to the mission: Broad interest in the Foundation’s work in science, art & craft, teaching, and environmental protection, with an ability to engage thoughtfully across themes.
4. Career trajectory: This is a critical position supporting a small team; it is not designed to be a pathway to a Program Officer position in the near term. Ideal candidates will see the opportunity for professional growth within the Awards Associate role.     

Physical Duties 

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

1. Spend extended periods of time working at a computer
2. Occasionally lift up to 15 lbs.

To read the full job description and to apply, please visit our career portal: Awards Associate Job | Job #499 | California Environmental Associates

The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to creating a workplace that celebrates and reflects the diversity of our grantees and our community. Applicants who contribute to this diversity are strongly encouraged to apply. 

CEA Recruiting works with leading environmental nonprofits, foundations, and businesses to recruit top talent and design effective organizational staffing strategies. For more information, visit www.cearecruiting.com.