THIS POSITION IS NOW CLOSED - WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Climate Justice Resilience Fund
Title: Program Assistant
Location: Remote
Reports to: Grants and Learning Program Officer
Hours per week (average): 40
Overtime Status: Non-exempt
Status: FULL TIME
POSITION SUMMARY
The Program Assistant will provide administrative and communications support for the Fund, its staff, and its Governing Board. As part of a small, dynamic and hard-working remote team, this position plays a vital role in team coordination and resource management, including for grantmaking and convening. In the first 18 months, the Program Assistant will also help operationalize a new pool of funding that has separate administrative systems from the overall Fund portfolio. We welcome entry-level and junior applicants with strong organization skills, diverse interests and a growth mentality.
This is a fully remote position that could be performed from many different places. CJRF welcomes a diversity of candidates in a diversity of locations. If an applicant outside of the US is selected, this position will most likely be filled through a Professional Employment Organization.
Salary Range: $35,000-$60,000
RESPONSBILITIES
Administration (60%)
Manage calendars and scheduling for Fund staff, including calendar support for the Director at major conferences and during travel.
Coordinate event logistics, including Governing Board meetings and Learning Program events (both virtual and in-person).
Make travel arrangements for Fund staff, Governing Board members, and other event participants.
Assist with administration of the Fund portfolio, including: tracking grant requests, organization of application materials and grant files, maintaining a grant tracker (grant agreements, payments, reporting, etc.), and working closely with the CJRF fiscal sponsors to collect required due diligence materials.
Work closely with CJRF’s Loss and Damage Program Officer to help operationalize a new pool of funding that has separate administrative systems from the overall Fund portfolio. This will include maintenance of a Fluxx grantmaking portal for 15-20 grants.
Support for participatory grantmaking activities, including scheduling and logistics, communications with participants, notetaking, and maintenance of relevant files and databases.
Support CJRF staff with expense reporting in SAP Concur.
Process invoices, contracts and payment requests from vendors and contractors.
Maintain organized, accessible files and communications systems for the Fund, including via Dropbox and MS Office.
Support budget tracking and reporting to donors.
Communications (20%)
Handles correspondence with potential grantees and contact through CJRF’s website.
Assists Fund Director, Transition Manager, and Program Officers with prep for presentations.
Assists with CJRF’s social media accounts.
Manages a comprehensive set of contacts for the Fund.
Core Team Engagement (20%)
Attends, co-plans, and actively participates in CJRF team meetings, retreats, etc. as appropriate.
Completes timesheets every two weeks.
Is available for zoom meetings and real-time interaction with colleagues based in the Eastern North American time zone (GMT-5/GMT-4 depending on daylight savings) Monday – Friday 10:00am-1:00pm.
Collaborate regularly with colleagues and partners in a wide range of time zones, including (but not at all limited to) frequent contact with GMT-8, GMT+2, GMT+7
Occasional international travel for team meetings and events, estimated at 2 weeks per year.
DESIRED EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
We are looking for someone with:
An interest in making a difference in the world through impactful climate justice philanthropy;
Attention to detail;
Strong organizational skills;
Strong written and oral communications skills;
Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, while meeting deadlines;
Experience working with a range of individuals from various professional, educational, and cultural backgrounds;
Commitment to CJRF’s mission, vision, core values, theory of change, and unique positioning in the field;
Demonstrated experience working effectively as part of a team, across multiple time zones, and with colleagues of diverse backgrounds and perspectives;
Proven self-starter;
Experience using Microsoft Office software, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Experience with additional tools and platforms preferred (Concur, Canva, Creative Cloud, Salesforce, Notion all would be useful)
Social media experience, including Twitter and LinkedIn
Fluency in English. Second language preferred (French, Spanish, Bangla, Swahili, Inuit languages all would be useful)
How to Apply
Please send resume (max. 2 pgs.), cover letter (max 2 pgs.), phone and email contacts for two professional references, and a writing sample (max. 4 pages) to hilary.heath@cjrfund.org by 3 November at 5:00 pm EST.
Location, Status, Salary/Fees, and Benefits
This is a fully remote position that could be performed from many places. The selected candidate will have flexible hours, but must be available for zoom meetings and real-time interaction with colleagues based in the Eastern North American time zone (GMT-5/GMT-4 depending on daylight savings) Monday – Friday 10:00am-1:00pm. The position also collaborates regularly with colleagues and partners in a wide range of time zones, including (but not at all limited to) frequent contact with GMT-8, GMT+2, GMT+7. Applicants should have access to adequate internet bandwidth to facilitate this communication and should be comfortable working with these time zones.
Applicants selected for interviews will receive a questionnaire asking for details about their remote office set-up, internet access, and equipment. CJRF is committed to supporting a healthy and effective work environment and will reimburse certain equipment and office supply costs.
CJRF’s fiscal sponsor, the New Venture Fund, is incorporated in the United States, and its hiring practices comply with US labor law. If a US-based applicant is selected for this role, they most likely will be hired as a New Venture Fund employee non-exempt from overtime pay (see benefits statement below). If an applicant outside of the US is selected, this position will most likely be filled through a Professional Employment Organization. A salary/benefits offer will be developed at the time of selection, commensurate with market rates in the applicant’s location and their salary history.
All applicants should have authorization to work in their proposed work location at the time of application. CJRF will not support visa applications or relocation for this role.
Hiring Statement
The Climate Justice Resilience Fund is a project of New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. NVF is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. NVF’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.
E-Verify
NVF participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with employees’ Form I-9 information to confirm authorization to work in the United States. Job candidates and employees with the right to work may not be discriminated against on the basis of national origin or citizenship status.
COVID-19
To center the safety and well-being of its employees, New Venture Fund requires that any employee who is required to conduct in-person activities for their job must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within four weeks of their start date. Accommodations may be sought and approved in accordance with the law by contacting human resources at HR@newventurefund.org.
Benefits
If an applicant based in the US is selected for full-time work, they will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees (and their families). Employees are able to enroll in 401k retirement plan and are eligible for a 3% automatic contribution and up to a 3% employer match on 401k contributions. Employees are also eligible for pre-tax transportation benefits. Employees will receive 120 hours of vacation time, 80 hours of health leave, up to 2 days of casual leave, and 20 hours of volunteer leave annually. Employees will also receive 13 paid holidays throughout the calendar year. Employees are eligible for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment.”
About CJRF
The Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF) is one of the first major philanthropic initiatives framed explicitly around climate justice, and one of few that works internationally on climate resilience. We put people, their rights, and their lived experience directly at the center of climate action. We envision a world where those hit hardest by climate change lead the way to a more just and equitable future, where everyone can thrive.
CJRF works by on-granting support from foundations. Our “Phase 1” pool of funding (2016-2022) is worth nearly $25 million, enabling 42 major grants to support women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples to build and share their own solutions for climate resilience. Approximately 80% of our Phase 1 portfolio supported place-specific strategies in East Africa, the North American Arctic, and the Bay of Bengal. The remaining 20% goes toward scaling through advocacy and exchange at the global level. We also have hosted several initiatives to promote funder learning and collaboration on climate justice.
CJRF is currently engaged in an exciting transformation from a donor-led fund to a fully participatory, movement-facing and constituent-led fund. As a key step in this change process, our old Review Board (comprised of funders) decided in mid-2022 to hand off leadership to a new governing Board comprised of activists and practitioners, which are now overseeing and supporting the second six-year phase of the fund (2023-2028). Our new pool of funding for this phase has reached US$26.4 million to date.