Program Overview:

The Higher Learning program strives to make advanced humanities knowledge as broad, deep, and varied as possible, in terms of both the perspectives it represents and the audiences it reaches. Understanding such optimized knowledge to be an intrinsic social good, we work with colleges, universities, and allied organizations to ensure that its value is widely recognized and that the power deriving from it is equitably distributed. We support curricular, scholarly, and structural innovations that further these goals, at all levels of the higher-ed system.

Higher Learning’s program strategies are to:

Provide liberal arts educational opportunities to the widest possible share of the population, including postsecondary students at all levels who would benefit from intensive humanities study
Elevate the knowledge that informs more complete and accurate narratives of the human experience
Broaden the range of perspectives in US academic faculties and institutional leadership while championing humanities expertise

Recent examples of projects funded through the Higher Learning program include “Making Humanities Education Accessible for Post-Traditional College Students,” “LatinTX: Place, Race, and Latinx Critical Environmental Justice in Texas,” and "Crossroads Cohort: Africana Studies at the Intersection of Art History and Art Making." Please visit the Foundation’s grants database to see all of the grants made through Higher Learning to mid-2024.

Position Summary:

This is a five-year, term-limited position reporting to the Program Director, with a start date of July 1, 2026. The Program Officer will participate in grantmaking across all of Higher Learning’s strategic areas. The position is to be held by an experienced and innovative humanities scholar who possesses a broad and extensive professional network and a demonstrated capacity for collaboration.

Position Description:

Responsibilities may include, but will not be limited to, the following:

Along with the Program Director, Senior Program Officers and current Program Officer: Represent the Foundation in meetings with current and prospective grantees in the fields encompassed by humanities higher education. Assist in identifying prospective grantees whose work aligns with the mission of the Foundation. Propose grantee invitations, evaluate and help grantees to develop proposals, and prepare docket recommendations and other documents as needed. Identify and develop opportunities for productive collaboration, both internally and externally. Attend thrice-yearly meetings of the Board of Trustees and deliver presentations to the Board upon the invitation of the President. Serve as an informed thought partner and problem solver with fellow program officers, program staff, Foundation leadership, and grantees to shape and improve Mellon’s programmatic impact. Stay engaged and informed about developments across the humanities. Perform as a superbly collegial and intensely collaborative member of the program team and of the Foundation. Provide supportive mentorship to program staff members and direct supervision to 1-2 program staffers. Treat Mellon grantees with respect and consider them as intellectual and creative partners. Perform additional duties as the Higher Learning program may require.

Qualifications:

Intellectual agility and an open, inquiring mind supported by a doctoral degree in a humanities field. Seven to 15 years of experience in higher education, whether as faculty, administration, or a combination thereof. Deep knowledge of one or more subsectors of the US higher education system (e.g., four-year liberal arts colleges, minority-serving institutions, community colleges, research universities). Intense curiosity and willingness to learn about the whole range of processes, policy issues, trends, and administrative and leadership challenges in humanities higher education and scholarship. Understanding of the role of philanthropy in the higher education sector. Experience in multitasking, with minimal need for supervision, and the ability to perform on monthly deadlines while sustaining long-term goals. Outstanding interpersonal communication skills. Demonstrated fluency in public speaking and written communication. Advanced computer and office skills, and ability and willingness to use the Foundation’s communication and data management systems. Willingness to travel domestically and internationally. While all applicants are expected to have the expertise necessary for them to contribute to grantmaking in one or more of Higher Learning’s most significant existing field portfolios (e.g., academic freedom and scholar mobility, academic leadership development, community college humanities pathways, digital humanities, environmental justice studies, gender and sexuality studies, higher education in prison, racial and ethnic studies, etc.), the most competitive candidates will have original ideas for new grantmaking initiatives in the humanities that the program might pursue in the future.

The Mellon Foundation is committed to building an inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. Employment opportunities are based on individual qualifications, merit, and organizational need, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome applications from qualified individuals of all backgrounds.

Mellon is committed to access and inclusion for our applicants. If you have accessibility requests to support your participation in the hiring process, please let us know at your earliest convenience.

Mellon offers a generous total reward package that includes base salary and a comprehensive benefits program, as well as an excellent working environment. Mellon is committed to providing compensation that is competitive and equitable within the philanthropic sector. The annual salary for this role is $300,000.

Please note that Mellon maintains a hybrid work schedule, with three days per week in person at the Foundation’s Manhattan offices, two of which must be Tuesday and Wednesday. Presence onsite for three days each week is a fundamental requirement of this position.

Candidates should apply by submitting a cover letter describing fit for the position and a resume by December 15, 2025. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Foundation will consider each complete application carefully but will contact only those individuals it believes are most qualified for the position.

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Program Officer, Higher Learning