Program Officer Jobs in Portland, OR (NOW HIRING)

Build the partnerships that help Oregon children become excited, confident readers.

Across Oregon, too many children aren't meeting reading benchmarks, despite the hard work of families and educators. At SMART Reading, we want to change that-but we can't do it alone.

Reading is an early gateway skill that helps pave the way for future learning, opportunity, and success. When children struggle to read, the effects can follow them throughout their lives. Lower literacy rates also affect the future health and prosperity of our entire state, placing additional strain on social services, limiting economic growth, and weakening Oregon's future workforce.

That's why SMART Reading mobilizes a statewide community to connect kids with two mission-critical ingredients for literacy and learning success: shared reading time and books to keep. Through the simple magic and joy of a shared book, children build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and discover a love of reading.

As SMART Reading's Institutional Giving Development Officer, you will build the foundation, corporate, and public partnerships that make this work possible across Oregon.

This role is for a strategic fundraiser who can connect SMART Reading's mission with the priorities of foundations, businesses, and public partners.

You will manage and grow a portfolio of institutional funders-building relationships, shaping compelling funding opportunities, and securing investments that bring books and shared reading experiences to Oregon children.

This is more than a grant-writing role. You will serve as an outward-facing partner and internal strategist, developing funder relationships, identifying new opportunities, shaping strong initiatives, and bringing colleagues together around persuasive cases for support.

You will help foundations and businesses understand that children's literacy is not solely the responsibility of schools. It is a challenge-and an opportunity-for Oregon's entire village of businesses, community leaders, foundations, congregations, and neighbors.

• Manage a portfolio of private foundations, family foundations, corporate foundations, businesses, and public funders.
• Cultivate relationships with program officers, business leaders, and public partners through meetings, program visits, community conversations, and other engagement opportunities.
• Develop strategies to renew and increase current funding while identifying new prospects aligned with children's literacy, educational opportunity, rural communities, and SMART's statewide work.
• Connect corporate partners with opportunities that may include philanthropic support, sponsorships, employee engagement, volunteerism, and workplace giving.

• Write persuasive proposals, letters of inquiry, concept papers, sponsorship requests, grant reports, and other funder communications.
• Translate program information, outcomes, financial details, and stories into clear and compelling cases for support.
• Collaborate with program, finance, communications, and development colleagues to ensure proposals are accurate, strategic, and fundable.

• Manage proposal calendars, funder requirements, reporting deadlines, and restricted funding commitments.
• Maintain accurate donor and prospect information in SMART's database.
• Monitor progress toward institutional fundraising goals and use results to strengthen future strategies.
• Coordinate with regional and statewide colleagues to align institutional fundraising with community priorities and organizational goals.

Your work will give Oregonians a direct and meaningful way to help create:

• Excited, confident young readers who experience the joy of books and reading with a caring adult.
• Students better prepared for learning through regular shared reading experiences and access to books of their own.
• Strengthened family bonds as children bring books and the joy of reading into their homes.
• More students reading at home with family, building habits that support literacy, connection, and lifelong learning.
• A better educated Oregon, where more children have the confidence, support, and opportunities they need to thrive.

You will help build a broad and lasting community of Oregonians who believe every child deserves the opportunity to become a successful reader.

• A persuasive writer who can turn complex information into a clear and compelling story.
• A strategic thinker who enjoys matching community needs with funder priorities.
• A relationship builder who is comfortable engaging foundation representatives, business leaders, and public partners.
• Curious, resourceful, and energized by identifying new opportunities.
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple relationships, proposals, and deadlines.
• Collaborative and skilled at gathering information from colleagues across an organization.
• Comfortable taking ownership of ambitious fundraising goals.
• Deeply motivated by children's literacy, educational opportunity, and a stronger future for Oregon.

Problems like educational inequity and low literacy can feel enormous and difficult to solve. SMART Reading gives people and organizations a direct, tangible way to make a difference. By helping children access books, spend meaningful time reading with caring adults, and build confidence and a love of reading, we can positively affect the course of their lives-and the future of our state.

At SMART Reading, you will join a village of Oregonians working together across geographic, political, and economic differences around one simple truth: Reading matters.

Join us and help build the partnerships that make a reader today.

SMART Reading offers a salary range of $60,000 to $65,000 annually, depending on experience, along with a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Cell phone reimbursement: $50 per month, or an additional $600 annually.
• 401(k) retirement plan: Employer match of up to 3% of salary.
• Paid vacation: Four weeks accrued annually.
• Paid office closures: Two additional paid weeks off each year-one in July and one in December-to support employee rest and rejuvenation.
• Employer-paid health benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment, and long-term disability insurance.
• Paid holidays: Nine paid holidays that may be used on scheduled holidays or as floating days according to personal beliefs and obligations.
• Paid supplemental medical leave: Two weeks accrued annually, with the ability to carry over and accumulate up to eight weeks.

A complete benefits package outline will be provided to candidates selected for an interview.

Ready to help more Oregon children become excited, confident readers?

Please submit your resume and cover letter through the HiringThing portal by clicking "Apply for this position" below. In your cover letter, tell us:

1. Why SMART Reading's mission matters to you.

2. How your experience has prepared you to build institutional partnerships, develop compelling proposals, and secure philanthropic support.

3. How you have demonstrated a commitment to equity and inclusion.

We know candidates bring valuable experience through many different professional and personal paths. You do not need to meet every preferred qualification to apply. We encourage you to share how your experience, skills, and potential align with this opportunity.

Location: Portland metro area. This position requires regular in-person work from SMART Reading's Portland office and is not a fully remote role. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For priority consideration, please apply by August 7, 2026.

People of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and people from historically marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

SMART's Commitment to Equity: As an early literacy program focused on helping children succeed with reading and learning, SMART can't ignore that deep racial, cultural, social, and economic inequities in our country and state make it harder for some children to succeed compared to others. SMART's vision is an Oregon in which every child can read and is empowered to succeed, and we are making equity a top priority. As part of this, we particularly seek staff members, volunteers, and board members whose personal or professional background gives them a unique perspective to further SMART's work in serving children of color and children from other marginalized groups.