Crankstart
POSITION DESCRIPTION: Program Officer—Housing Security & Public-Private Partnerships
SAN FRANCISCO, CA December 2, 2025
aBOUT cRANKSTART
Crankstart is one of the largest foundations in San Francisco, with approximately $4 billion under management and distributing over $200 million each year to nonprofits primarily in the Bay Area. Crankstart is devoted to bolstering the foundations of a just society - access to a quality education, jobs with prospects for advancement, housing security, social welfare, and the protection of civil rights.
Culturally, Crankstart operates with the efficiency of a lean team, while maintaining the rigor and professionalism of a much larger organization. We value curiosity, humility, excellence, and action.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Crankstart is hiring a Program Officer to support the Foundation’s philanthropic and community engagement efforts related to housing security and public-private partnerships in San Francisco.
The Program Officer will manage active grants and relationships with grantee leaders, and research and recommend housing security grants, working with nonprofit providers and advocacy organizations of various sizes and approaches. The Program Officer will work with the Program Director to steward multiple grant portfolios within the Housing Security and Public-Private Partnerships strategies. They will support the Program Director in stewarding high-touch relationships with Crankstart grantees, preparing grant recommendations, evaluating outcomes, discussing strategy, and maintaining a strong learning network (including other nonprofits, grassroots groups, public officials, funders, and researchers).
The Program Officer will research and build rationales for the most effective investments. They will support ongoing development, prioritization, and implementation of discrete funding activities to further the impact of our grantee partners. They will collaborate with other programmatic staff to maintain strategic and organizational alignment across issue areas and to drive projects focused on ensuring our grantmaking processes run smoothly for everyone involved. They will identify and meet with organizations to conduct due diligence and make funding recommendations to the team and the Board, all while demonstrating Crankstart’s values and remaining grantee-centered. They will ensure the voices, inputs, and experiences of Crankstart’s grantee partners, community leaders, and grantee beneficiaries (e.g., students, clients, residents, etc.) are at the center of the Foundation’s decisions and practices.
In 2026, Crankstart anticipates that housing grants will be approximately $40-$50 million. The Program Officer reports to the Program Director - Housing Security and Public-Private Partnerships and will be an integral part of a three-person Housing team within a 15-person organization.
The ideal candidate should have eight or more years of relevant, professional experience, with at least six to eight years of direct professional experience in one or more of the areas of Crankstart’s Housing Security strategies - Homelessness Solutions, Affordability, and Pro-Housing Policy. Crankstart will also consider candidates who are high-capacity generalists with exceptional strategic and analytical skills and a track record of prior work on social impact projects in the Housing Security portfolio's focus areas. Candidates should also have a sophisticated grasp of how public systems, private markets, and the nonprofit sector work together in the SF Bay Area ecosystem; a nuanced understanding of the historic and current causes of homelessness and housing instability in the Bay Area, especially San Francisco; and a desire to promote proven and innovative solutions, particularly through partnerships and bridge-building.
Additionally, the Program Officer should be: 1) an individual who can think analytically without losing the human perspective; 2) a strong project manager who can work independently but enjoys collaboration; 3) comfortable with self-directed time management, tech-driven collaboration tools, and a high volume of deadline-driven reading and writing; 4) able to understand the unique dynamics of working in philanthropy; 5) passionate about supporting social change leaders and constituents while recognizing their role in the ecosystem; and 6) able to get joy and energy from hard work with diverse team members and partners.
KEY responsibilities
Grantmaking and Relationship Management (60%)
Manage active grants and relationships with grantee leaders, including evaluating reports, advising on grant renewal decisions, and making recommendations for renewed funding.
Coordinate and facilitate conversations with prospective and current grantees to learn more about their work and issues in the field.
Write and present funding recommendations to the team and to the Board, answering key questions about why Crankstart should support a local nonprofit or community organization.
Communicate funding decisions to prospective, current, and past grantees with authenticity and diplomacy.
Plan and coordinate check-ins with grantees and other key partners (e.g., peer funders, local elected officials) through email, site visits, meetings, and calls to understand their needs and identify patterns across portfolios.
When opportunities to partner with new organizations arise, identify and research nonprofit and community organizations that could be strong grantees aligned with Crankstart's funding priorities.
Scope and drive special grant projects in collaboration with other program team members at Crankstart.
Strategy Development and Alignment (25%)
Drive strategic alignment across portfolios by proactively surfacing needs, insights, and trends across the housing security ecosystem that may impact grantmaking strategy and practice.
Scope and lead strategic learning and evaluation projects to evaluate philanthropic impact and effectiveness of funding activities, using historical data from Crankstart’s grants to date and research from the field.
Participate in and occasionally facilitate annual planning processes to support the team’s understanding of housing security and public-private partnerships.
Independently organize, allocate, and distribute resources within a portfolio in response to emerging needs or opportunities.
Team Operations (15%)
Use and provide feedback on operational systems, processes, and tools that support the ongoing practice of team norms and the incentivization of efficient, trust-based philanthropy.
QUALIFICATIONS
Eight or more years of relevant, professional experience, with at least six to eight years of direct professional experience in one or more of the areas of Crankstart’s Housing Security strategies - Homelessness Solutions, Affordability, and Pro-Housing Policy.
Crankstart will also consider candidates who are high-capacity generalists with exceptional strategic and analytical skills and a track record of prior work on social impact projects in the Housing Security portfolio's focus areas.
A sophisticated grasp of how public systems, private markets, and the nonprofit sector work together in the SF Bay Area ecosystem to help or hinder housing security and urban vitality.
A nuanced understanding of the historic and current causes of homelessness and housing instability in the Bay Area, especially San Francisco, and a desire to promote proven and innovative solutions, particularly through partnerships and bridge-building.
A passion for cities and their residents; a desire to see them thrive, and an understanding of the unglamorous work of systems change needed to advance this goal.
A strong community-oriented mindset and a drive to advance a just society through housing.
Passionate about supporting and uplifting the work of nonprofit and community leaders in San Francisco and Oakland.
Excellent project management skills and experience working on complex, long-term projects that involve a diverse range of stakeholders and types of people, both internal and external to an organization.
A strategic thinker who does not shy away from prioritization.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a focus on being able to synthesize complex concepts, information, and a strong point of view to make decisions.
Proactive about asking questions and seeking support, but also self-directed once there is clarity re: task and role.
Hungry to make a difference and recognize that big and small tasks alike add value.
Able to thrive in a dynamic, startup environment; able to shift gears quickly to adapt to changing priorities and enjoy doing a little bit of everything.
Demonstrated ability to build genuine, productive, trusting relationships with a diverse array of stakeholders and partners.
Direct experience with Crankstart’s targeted communities and/or issue areas is highly desirable.
Location
This is a full-time, hybrid role located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Candidates must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area (within a 50-mile radius of San Francisco) and be able to travel to San Francisco three times a week. Some local travel is required, mostly in/around San Francisco and Oakland, to build relationships with partners and grantees.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
At Crankstart, we use a leveling framework to ensure fairness in promotions and compensation. The compensation range for this position is $165,000 - $180,000. We offer exceptional employee benefits, including 100% health premium coverage for employees and their dependents, fully covered dental and vision plans, a 15% employer contribution to a 401(k) plan, generous vacation and paid holidays, an Employee Giving Alignment Program, and more.
eQUAL OPPORTUNITY sTATEMENT
Crankstart is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, age, or any other legally protected status. Crankstart also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees in any of these protected categories.
TO APPLY
Martha Montag Brown & Associates, LLC has been retained for this search. Interested and qualified candidates should apply by submitting a resume and a targeted cover letter describing their interest and relevant qualifications, experience, and expertise to the candidate application portal. All correspondence will remain confidential. Questions about the search and application process should be directed to search@marthamontagbrown.com.
