Careers

Summary Description

The Representative directs the Foundation’s activities in China, providing overall leadership to the Foundation’s grant-making programs, managing the office in Beijing and representing the Foundation to government, academic institutions, business, nonprofit leaders and the donor community. The Representative reports to a supervising Program Vice President based in New York.

The Representative is the Foundation’s leader in the region to many important constituencies. Specifically, the Representative assesses local political, social, cultural and economic developments, helps shape the Foundation’s strategy in China and guides its programming and grant-making priorities in alignment with the Foundation’s mission, values and set of global initiatives. The Representative seeks to promote innovative grant-making; enhance the quality and impact of programming; and promote a collaborative working environment in the office and across areas of expertise that maximizes the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skills of staff to accomplish Foundation goals. In collaboration with the thematic Directors based in New York, the Representative supervises and works closely with program staff in developing, monitoring and evaluating grant programs and projects within the office’s major fields of concern.

Additionally, the Representative prepares and manages the office’s $18 million annual grant and management budgets, oversees all legal matters, and supervises local administrative staff with responsibilities for accounting, grants administration, and general services functions. The Representative facilitates development of communications strategies; and maintains effective ties and promotes strategic partnerships with local leaders, non-governmental organizations and government agencies, the media and other donors to leverage new resources, scale impact, and advance the goals of the office.

The Representative also manages a modest grants portfolio of his/her own; collaborates with the Foundation’s other representatives in Asia to develop and implement Pan-Asian grant-making strategies; and works with senior management staff from around the world in helping shape various aspects of the Foundation’s work globally.

The Foundation’s program in China is focused on helping Chinese society adapt to the challenges of balancing growth and equity. We support grantee efforts in the following areas:

• Strengthening Civil Society and Philanthropy: building an effective nonprofit sector, working with government and local philanthropy to solve China’s most pressing social problems.
• Promoting Transparent, Effective and Accountable Government: engaging vulnerable groups to work with government to solve the problems facing their communities.
• Reforming Civil and Criminal Justice Systems: strengthening China’s legal system, and in some cases, opening the courthouse doors to poor and marginalized groups.
• Expanding Community Rights over Natural Resources: helping poor communities and ethnic minorities in China’s rural west to manage their lands sustainably and, in the process, improve their livelihoods.
• Transforming Secondary Education: fueling a nationwide effort to reform secondary education so that finishing high school is something that all young people can achieve.
• Advancing Higher Education Access and Success: promoting systemic reforms and innovations in higher education that help individuals from poor families do well in college and graduate better prepared for the future.
• Sexuality and Reproductive Health Education: equipping China’s youth with the knowledge and life skills they need to make wise decisions about intimate relationships, and to help build a society that values men and women equally.

Criteria for Success

• Proven record of leadership, planning, and management success.
• Substantial previous experience in and deep knowledge of the history and culture of China.
• Proficiency in written and spoken standard Chinese (Putonghua).
• In-depth understanding of development and social changes processes.
• A proven ability to think analytically, critically with agility to translate ideas and insights into action through coherent and viable program work.
• An action oriented, entrepreneurial person who is a self starter that can work independently, as well as in teams.
• Ability to effectively lead a local office within a larger global organization with headquarters in New York.
• Demonstrated people management skills, including the ability to manage complex relationships with private and public sector stakeholders in the region.
• An understanding of the civil society landscape in China.
• Administrative skills, in particular an appreciation for the importance of strong fiscal management.
• Strong facilitation skills – the ability to listen and learn from diverse perspectives.
• Exemplary communication skills, both oral and written.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong time management proficiency.
• Sound, mature judgment and integrity.
• Personal qualities of humility, capacity for self-reflection, and a sense of humor.
• Ability to motivate staff through effective leadership, mentoring, coaching, development, facilitation, evaluation and rewards.
• Commitment to FF's mission and core values of equity, fairness and diversity.

Qualifications

• An advanced graduate degree in public policy, economics, development or related fields.
• Ability to travel extensively on behalf of the Foundation.
• Creativity, energy and non-traditional thinking capacity.