Harold K.L. Castle Foundation
Job Announcement for
Senior Program Officer for Nearshore Ocean Resiliency
June 2025
Location: Maunawili, Kailua, Hawaiʻi
Reports to: President
Website: www.castlefoundation.org
About the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation
The mission of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is: 1) to close the achievement gap in public and higher education so that all of Hawaii’s children, regardless of their socioeconomic background, have access to and benefit from high-quality education, from prekindergarten through college, that prepares them for a successful future; 2) to restore Hawaii’s nearshore marine life populations so that future generations can benefit and learn from this rich natural resource; 3) to build on the strengths of Windward Oahu communities through investments that support the region’s rich cultural legacy, its youth and families, and its natural resources; 4) to strengthen communities’ ability to adapt to the effects of climate change; and 5) to support a limited number of other unforeseen but compelling opportunities to make a big difference in Hawaii’s future.
We achieve this mission through the use of our convening and field-building power and through an annual average of $7 million in grants and charitable contracts, which we see as investments—investments in ambitious, creative initiatives that deliver results by clearly making Hawaiʻi a better place for its children, communities, and environment. Money for those investments comes from the Foundation’s endowment, which was provided by the late Harold Kainalu Long Castle, owner of Kaneohe Ranch and a major figure in the shaping of Windward Oʻahu in the 20th century. Mr. Castle established the foundation in 1962. Governance is led by an all-volunteer board of directors who are highly experienced community leaders.
Our work is driven by eight key values:
Commitment to having clear impact for a stronger, more resilient Hawaiʻi
Integrity in all we do
Respect for each person as we work to serve Windward Oʻahu and all of Hawaiʻi
Collaboration for greatest possible impact
Transparency for full accountability
Diversity that draws on a variety of perspectives and backgrounds because this improves our ability to achieve our mission
Equity that ensures opportunity, dignity, and fairness for all, in an environment built on respect, reciprocity, and relationships—the three foundations of kuleana
Inclusion that builds a culture of belonging inside and outside the organization by actively inviting the contribution and participation of all people
Position Summary
The Senior Program Officer for Nearshore Ocean Resiliency works closely with the President and staff to develop and implement the Foundation’s Ocean Resiliency strategy throughout the main Hawaiian Islands. S/he does this by creating theories of action, initiative designs, grant recommendations, evaluations, and program reviews. Strategies are well designed, reflective of a diverse set of perspectives of key stakeholders, grounded in sound logic and evidence, and consistently communicated to the wider community. With partners, s/he keeps the Foundation positioned as a thought-leader, catalyst, and guide to systems change.
S/he leads the Foundation’s statewide Nearshore Ocean Resiliency strategy by working to manage the health of coral reef ecosystems and fisheries, the watersheds that nourish them, and the insults that stress them. A particular area of growth of this strategy is addressing wastewater and land-based sources of pollution threats to coral reef systems. S/he does so primarily by supporting broadly collaborative, multi-sector, systemic strategies, such as the Holomua 30×30 Initiative. Aside from its grantmaking in this field, the Foundation’s role is in building strong working partnerships among government management agencies, community groups, and non-profit and science-based organizations. These relationships enhance nearshore resource abundance through co-management grounded in cultural practice, science and best practices. Initiatives are bolstered by leveraging greater funding and public policy support for watershed and nearshore conservation in the state of Hawaiʻi for impact at scale.
To the extent that the health of our reefs and fisheries are affected by climate change, the Senior Program Officer will also help inform and shape the Foundation’s nascent climate adaptation strategy.
Internal Leadership
S/he designs and adapts a multi-year grantmaking strategy for the Nearshore Ocean Resiliency program. S/he identifies prospective grantees; solicits, researches, reviews, and responds to grant inquiries and proposals; prepares recommendations and programmatic reviews at Foundation Directors’ meetings throughout the year; updates the Foundation’s website and social media content pertinent to her/his area of focus; and works with grantees to monitor and support their activities. Each year, the Foundation expects to deploy $1M-$2M in grant funding and charitable contracts towards this strategy.
The Senior Program Officer will work with other staff and consultants to assess and communicate the lessons of the Foundation’s past and current work. S/he serves as a trusted thought partner and dependable team member to other staff. S/he also pitches in to assist in other areas of grantmaking and foundation management as directed by the President.
External Leadership
S/he advises the President and the program staff and fully participates in communications and community engagement with the CEO to ensure that the Foundation’s major grantmaking strategies are made clear to grantees, other funders, and to other key stakeholders such as policymakers and education systems leaders. S/he grows the Foundation’s effectiveness using its convening power and funding to strengthen and grow partnerships toward increased impact pursuant with program strategies.
Qualifications
For the Senior Program Officer: A postsecondary degree or the equivalent work experience that displays critical thinking, planning, and organizational skills. This will include 12+ years working to advance an ocean management mission in a nonprofit, business, academic/research institution and/or government setting including 7+ years of related project management experience.
Additionally, the ideal candidate will have a combination of at least two of the following three attributes:
1) Respect for and knowledge of traditional ecological knowledge and modern watershed and nearshore management science as they pertain to issues facing Hawaiʻi;
2) Skills in building consensus and collaborative action among leaders from communities, science, conservation managers, and business; and,
3) An awareness of the role of philanthropy in restoring the health of watersheds, nearshore fisheries and coral reef ecosystems.
Over and above the demonstration in deed and in word of the Foundation’s core values each day, the Senior Program Officer will demonstrate or attain the following skills and characteristics that are expected of all senior staff members at the foundation.
Facilitation. You are able to focus attention in a room (virtual or physical). You are an active listener, you ask relevant follow-up questions that further group learning, you are able to navigate tension and unpredictability, and you are adept at creating spaces for diverse perspectives to be heard. You bring closure by summarizing key insights and next steps.
Knowledge. You understand the role of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in improving the performance of communities, organizations and agencies regarding natural resource management. You periodically and deeply review the existing portfolio of work. You have a strong track record of skills and experience in supporting government and policy leaders.
Learning orientation. We don’t expect you to know everything, but we do expect you to be an eager and perceptive learner with a growth mindset, reading widely in your field, reaching out to those with more experience, using multiple types of data to assess progress, and sharing what you learn with the rest of your team. You are prepared to challenge your own assumptions and learn from your own mistakes as you think and act strategically. You are resilient and persistent in achieving meaningful outcomes.
Communication. You are an exceptionally strong communicator who can speak and write clearly, succinctly, and persuasively. You are able to build coalitions of stakeholders who become willing to think and act boldly while setting and attaining big goals.
Composure and judgement. You are practiced at staying calm and focused in the presence of tension. You can juggle fast-paced work and competing priorities while effectively motivating and mentoring staff to do the same while achieving meaningful results. You make fact-based decisions after listening to diverse perspectives.
Interpersonal ability. You value relationships and are able to build trust and goodwill with individuals across political, religious, cultural, economic, racial, and other differences. You are open to feedback and committed to ongoing self-improvement. You are humble and lead by example. You are able to take risks and make big bets when they are justified.
Organization and planning. You are a self-starter who stays on top of your work, can handle many moving parts with energy and positivity, and has a habit of building sound processes where there were none. You are skilled in strategic and program planning, organizational development and management, and scaling up promising pilot initiatives. You are able to meet deadlines.
Other important aspects of the job
The Senior Program Officer needs to be comfortable working alongside people with whom they have disagreements; able to be transparent about their own beliefs while being open to other perceptions and approaches; and invested in building bridges and finding common ground.
The Senior Program Officer must demonstrate her/his commitment to the belief that diversity of experiences and voices leads to better outcomes while demonstrating a consistent commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice both personally and professionally.
The position usually entails 1-2 trips to the continental U.S. per year lasting 4-6 days each and half a dozen interisland trips lasting 1-2 days each. Hours are generally regular full-time but nights and weekends may be required occasionally, including during travel. The position requires use of a car to drive to some appointments.
Basic fluency or ability to learn is required in Microsoft Office, MacOS, FLUXX, and a limited number of social media platforms.
Compensation
The salary range for this position is $110,000 – $130,000 per year, commensurate with qualifications and experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package.
How to apply
Please submit the following via email to careers@castlefoundation.org with the subject line Senior Program Officer by 5:00 p.m. HST on Friday, April 11, 2025:
- Cover Letter – expressing the reason for your interest in Castle Foundation, and how your skills and experiences match the Senior Program Officer role.
- Resume – Please remove any reference to academic institutions from which you obtained any degree, if applicable. You should list any degrees without reference to the school. Just simply list the type of degree conferred, for example: “Bachelor of Science in Biology.”
- List of three references (candidates will be notified in advance of any outreach to your references)
Submit Microsoft Word or PDF files only (one combined PDF file is preferred).
Finalist candidates for this position will be required to answer questions by email or phone, participate in interviews, provide writing samples, and participate in an exercise that gives us a sense of how you analyze issues, work with others, and problem-solve. (As a condition of employment, background checks are completed post offer.)
Questions?
Contact Eric Co, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, eco@castlefoundation.org. Please refrain from phone follow-ups. Thank you.
The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is an equal opportunity employer that offers a respectful work environment free from discrimination and harassment. We strive to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture focused on continuous learning and welcome individuals with work and lived experiences in the issue areas and communities we seek to serve. The Foundation embraces and supports people of every race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientation, marital status, disability, arrest and court record, reproductive health decision, genetic information, domestic or sexual violence victim status, credit history, citizenship status, military/veterans status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Employment with the Foundation is at-will which means that either the employee or the Foundation may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without notice or cause.
The Foundation encourages all qualified applicants to apply.
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