Job Description

About Fondation CHANEL:

Created in 2011, Fondation CHANEL (the “Fondation”) is a corporate foundation aiming for women and adolescent girls to be free to shape their own destiny. We work in partnership with nonprofit organisations, international organisations, alliances, academic and research institutions, social businesses and other charitable funds and foundations to address the overlapping discriminations against women and young girls and advance gender equality.

The foundation is guided by a set of core values which lie at the heart of the way in which it carries out its work, both internally and externally with its grantee partners: trust, humility, attentiveness to power and privilege, holistic thinking, collaboration, learning, and supporting sustainable change.

Fondation CHANEL is committed to diversity, equality, and inclusion and to building a collaborative work environment where everyone can perform at their best and feel fulfilled and confident in their work.

Why this role matters:
The Programme Officer plays a pivotal role in advancing Fondation CHANEL’s mission for women and girls to be free to shape their own destiny. Rooted in the foundation’s core values of trust, humility, collaboration, and holistic thinking, the role drives meaningful impact by managing a diverse portfolio of grants and partnerships.

In this 12-month fixed term position, the Programme Officer leads prospection, monitoring, evaluation, and relationship building with identified partners—ensuring grants are responsibly managed and delivered and aligned with Fondation CHANEL’s values and strategic priorities. They collaborate closely with Operations, Finance, and Legal teams, contribute to their team’s strategy and planning, and help shape compelling impact storytelling. Beyond grant management, the Programme Officer strengthens partners’ networks, advocacy, and shared learning.

This is a role that blends social justice purpose with corporate foundation rigour—supporting sustainable change, elevating partner voices, and ensuring that the foundation brings both resources and thought leadership to the broader gender equality ecosystem.

Key responsibilities:
Strategy and planning

• Assist in developing and implementing Fondation CHANEL’s regional strategy and operational plans, ensuring that all approaches are tailored to the local context and based on a solid understanding of the ecosystem.

• Support the Programme team with ecosystem mapping, contextual research, and information gathering during the prospecting phase to identify high-potential partners and impactful opportunities.

• Assist in the documentation and codification of processes that ensure our approach is mission-aligned and equitable.

• Lead and/or support on discrete partner projects on an ad hoc basis as identified and needed.

Programme and grant management

• Manage a portfolio of grants/partnerships, lead on grant administration, including in prospection, due diligence, monitoring, evaluation, and close out.

• Support the due diligence process in line with Fondation CHANEL procedures (including gathering and reviewing required documentation).

• Support partners through the grant lifecycle, fostering a trust-based, supportive relationship and clear, transparent communications.

• Develop, review, and maintain grant documentation, ensuring accuracy and completeness.

• Organise and participate in site visits, travel, and convenings with partners, and document insights to strengthen learning and relationships.

• Maintain key documents and filing systems for the team, ensuring information from partner reports feeds into strategies and learning.

• Liaise with Operations, Finance, and Legal teams to monitor partner reporting, grant spend rate, compliance, due diligence, grant agreements, financial administration, and project evaluations.

• Lead or support calls for proposals in line with Fondation CHANEL procedures.

Budget and financial oversight

• Monitor and track partner payments and disbursement, ensuring financial compliance and supporting risk identification, mitigation, and escalation as needed.

Risk management

• Collaborate actively and collectively as a Programme Team to identify and manage programmatic and financial risks across the portfolio.

• Manage and troubleshoot grant/partner-specific risks, escalating issues as needed.

Communications support

• Support the team in developing ideas and content aligned to Fondation CHANEL’s communications strategy, focused on regional needs and internal engagement opportunities.

• Engage with Chanel employees on potential pro bono opportunities with partners, as appropriate.

• Contribute to setting the agenda for team-wide and multi-partner events hosted by Fondation CHANEL, as well as developing content. This involves working with teams across the foundation and across countries.

• Attend network meetings and conferences as part of the Fondation CHANEL team as needed, sharing key learnings back with the teams.

Partnership and stakeholder engagement

• Build and maintain relationships with internal and external partners, including programme managers, corporate teams, and partner organisations.

• Lead partner engagement, capacity building, and cross-collaboration on non-financial initiatives (Funder+).

• Maintain relationships with partners through regular communications and site visits as needed.

• Coordinate skills-based volunteering missions, in-kind donations, and joint actions with Chanel’s Social Commitment teams, as appropriate.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

• Implement Fondation CHANEL’s MEL framework to track project progress, assess impact, and capture lessons learned.

• Collect, consolidate, and analyse data and stories from partners, ensuring robust reporting and knowledge sharing both internally and externally.

Team and operations

• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive team culture that aligns with Fondation CHANEL’s commitment to empowerment and equality.

• Encourage cross-regional collaboration and sharing of best practices within the global Fondation CHANEL team.

• Support recruitment, onboarding, and integration of new team members as needed.

What you will bring:

• Lived experience, or a university degree in social sciences, humanities, economics, international relations, or a relevant field.

• Professional experience in gender equality, philanthropy, or international development, preferably within the relevant region.

• Experience in project and partnership management, including monitoring, evaluation, and compliance.

• Knowledge and passion for gender equality, including experience in issues such as gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health rights, climate adaptation, or economic autonomy.

• Demonstrate an understanding of working for a corporate foundation.

• Excellent communication skills, with an aptitude for impact storytelling and synthesising information.

• Strong attention to detail, analytical, and presentation skills.

• Ability to work effectively in cross-cultural and cross-functional teams.

• Fluency in English; other languages desirable, particularly French, Spanish, and/or relevant regional languages.

• Willingness to travel regularly.

• Empathy, humility, teamwork, strong interpersonal and listening skills.

• Curious, open-minded, flexible, self-aware, and able to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.

• Commitment to Fondation CHANEL’s values of empowerment, inclusion, and equity.

You are energised by:

• Passion for social issues, especially gender equality and diversity and inclusion.

• The opportunity to make a tangible impact in the gender equality sector, learning from and contributing to a values-driven organization

• Engagement in cross-cultural and cross-functional teamwork.

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with partners and stakeholders.

• Supporting personal and team growth in a dynamic global setting.

What Fondation CHANEL can offer you :

• Be part of a collaborative, inclusive work environment that values diversity, equality, and personal fulfilment, ensuring everyone can perform at their best and feel confident in their work.

• Play a pivotal role in advancing gender equality and supporting women and girls to shape their own destiny, making a real-world impact through your contributions.

• Manage a diverse portfolio of grants and partnerships, blending social justice purpose with the organizational rigor of a leading corporate foundation.

• Lead and participate in prospection, monitoring, evaluation, and relationship-building with partners, gaining hands-on experience in grant management and philanthropy.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Operations, Finance, Legal), contribute to strategy, and help shape compelling impact storytelling.

• Strengthen networks, advocacy, and shared learning while supporting sustainable change and elevating partner voices across the gender equality sector.

• Work for an organisation guided by core values of trust, humility, attentiveness to power and privilege, holistic thinking, learning, and supporting sustainable change.

• A workplace culture that celebrates the uniqueness of every individual and values the perspective, experience, and potential you bring.

At Chanel, we are committed to creating an inclusive culture that nurtures personal growth and collective progress. We celebrate the uniqueness of every individual and strongly encourage your application, valuing the perspective, experience, and potential you bring.