Top pick: UN report says with 783 million people going hungry, a fifth of all food goes to waste

External Affairs Coordinator

Organization Name: Root Capital
Location: Cambridge, MA or Remote, United States
Apply email: Not Specified
Start Date: 01-July-2022
Closing Date: 24-July-2022

Reports To: Director, Development Finance & Operations

Job Type: Full Time

Region: United States

Location: Cambridge, MA or Remote US

Start Date: Immediate

Position Overview

The External Affairs Coordinator (the Coordinator) plays a critical role in supporting the collaboration, connectivity and efficiency of the distinct teams working under Root Capital's "umbrella" department of External Affairs (EA) - namely the Development (fundraising) and Communications teams. The Coordinator will therefore support the EA goal of raising the $100MM required by 2025 for Root Capital to realize its strategic impact objectives, through working with a range of stakeholders who understand our work and see the value of providing financial resources to support it. The Coordinator will provide logistical support for a range of inter- and intra-team activities, including coordinating a regular suite of EA meetings and forums to ensure work across the Development and Communications functions is well integrated and mutually reinforcing. The Coordinator will provide project management support for initiatives that cut across the EA functions, including fundraising campaigns, stakeholder events, and some internal, multi-departmental efforts. They will help drive an EA culture based on effective understanding and use of data as foundational to our fundraising and communications efforts.

Mission & History of Root Capital

Root Capital is a nonprofit whose mission is to grow rural prosperity and build the resilience of farming families around the world. We support the growth of agricultural enterprises so they can transform rural communities. These businesses purchase crops such as coffee, cocoa, or grains from smallholder farmers. With growth, they become engines of impact that can raise incomes, create jobs for the next generation of leaders, level the playing field for women, and take urgent action against climate change.

We supply these businesses with vital credit and capacity building to foster their growth and resilience. We work in hard-to-serve communities where others don’t. To date, we’ve distributed $1.5 billion to improve the lives of over 10 million people in farming families.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Root Capital currently has associated offices in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, and Kenya.

Responsibilities

Administrative Support for the External Affairs Department. (45%)

• Manage a suite of critical EA meetings and convenings, to include the scheduling and agenda preparation for each meeting, as well as reporting out on follow-up actions.
• Support the preparation of materials and presentations for all of EA’s Board and Committee obligations
• Maintain and monitor an EA department roster of projects to ensure broad departmental collaboration as well as awareness of workloads and priorities, helping identify schedule and resource conflicts, reduce duplication of efforts, and maximize time and resources.
• Support the CXO and Director of Development Operations & Finance in the preparation, submission and tracking of the EA departmental budget, including consolidating, and preparing financial information from the different EA teams, and the on-going maintenance of associated department financial information.
• Participate in the development and implementation of, and adherence to, evolving EA Department policies and procedures, monitoring their effectiveness and recommending appropriate revisions as necessary.
• Collaborate with the CXO and Department Directors in designing and implementing EA’s annual strategy planning process, as well as on-going evaluation and reporting on progress against strategic goals, objectives, and key results (OKRs).
• Liaise between the EA Department and other areas of Root Capital where critical information sharing is required or requested, acting as a representative for all EA teams.
• Support and coordinate efforts to on-board new members of the EA Department ensuring a smooth and relevant process, within Root Capital HR’s overarching guidelines.

Administrative Support for the Chief External Affairs Office (CXO). (35%)

• Manage the CXO’s calendar and overall schedule, ensuring optimal use of time and resources.
• Manage the CXO’s workplan by ensuring requests for inputs into projects are prioritized and executed.
• Coordinate all data and analysis needs generated by the CXO, maintaining a suite of reports that informs the CXO’s decision making and monitoring of the Department’s OKRs.
• Support the CXO’s communication with members of the EA Department and broader Root Capital team e.g., by overseeing the scheduling and drafting of essential meeting reports and strategic communications.
• Collaborate with EA Department colleagues to ensure the CXO is involved in, and deployed for, maximizing relationships with Root Capital’s key stakeholders, including funders and the media, ensuring the CXO is briefed and prepared for engaging these stakeholders.
• Manage the CXO’s travel administration, including planning and booking.
• Oversee the CXO’s regular expense reporting.

Collaboration and Support for Specific External Affairs Teams and Initiatives. (20%)

• Provide CRM data entry and management support for the EA Department’s fundraisers, teaming with the Development Coordinator to ensure that critical data is properly logged in Salesforce and is usable for analysis and decision making.
• Conduct and report on background research to inform discrete projects and initiatives being undertaken by the any of the EA Department’s teams i.e. fundraising, communications and operations.

Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience

• Minimum 1-3 years of administration experience within a sophisticated, high-preforming team.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to complete work within established time frames, as well as prioritize and coordinate multiple projects and competing work demands, setting priorities, organizing time and identifying resources as needed.
• Advanced proficiency and experience working with the full MS Office suite, particularly PowerPoint and Excel and other presentation and analytical platforms.
• Understanding of, and experience working with, complex CRM databases (Salesforce preferred), including data entry, usage, reporting and analysis functionality.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, with a sophisticated understanding of engaging different audiences and their communication needs.
• Comfortable working with quantitative and qualitative data and information, with the ability to construct and understand relevant narratives arising from their analysis.
• Ability to work with different teams and departments to build requirements and specifications for projects.
• Ability to maintain the confidentiality of information, including financial information.
• Ability to think creatively, take initiative, and work independently, while also enjoying collaboration with the team.
• Root Capital is a bi-lingual organization. Spanish proficiency (written and spoken) is a plus but not critical to the role.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

Applications

More information about Root Capital is available at www.rootcapital.org. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply using the form below as soon as possible, making sure to include a resume and cover letter that describes your interest, qualifications, language abilities, salary requirements, and how you learned of the position. Finalist candidates will be required to provide at least three work-related references.

U.S applicants: Root Capital Inc. participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government your I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. For more information, see here. Learn more about your right to work.

Root Capital provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and expressing breast milk), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that upholds our leadership principles of empowerment, equity, integrity, service, and transparency.

Apply at: https://rootcapital.org/careers/external-affairs-coordinator/