The Rural Climate Partnership (RCP) seeks a strategic, personable and organized Program Officer or Program Manager (position depends on experience) to help build RCP’s impact creating success stories of climate leadership, advocacy, and action in rural America. This new RCP program staff will lead development of our grantee portfolio, grantmaking processes, and grantee learning and engagement, while providing climate expertise and supporting the growth of the RCP fund as a whole.

This is an exciting and dynamic job in an emerging nonprofit funding collaborative, with opportunities for advancement and leadership. The successful candidate will be well organized and highly productive, an excellent communicator, able to manage multiple priorities and competing deadlines. We are looking for an upbeat team player who shares our vision of empowering diverse rural leaders and building civic and organizing infrastructure to make progress on climate, economic sustainability and environmental justice.

Please note:  You will receive an automatic application receipt email from Eva McMullen via Trakstar Hire. If you do not receive this email please first check your spam folder. If there is no email, please email Eva directly (eva@cloversearchworks.com) to ensure your application has been received.

Please read the full announcement here.

Organization: Rural Climate Partnership (Heartland Fund)

Position Title: Program Officer or Program Manager (level based on experience)

Location: Fully Remote within the United States

Reports to: Rural Climate Partnership Director, Heartland Fund

Hours per week (average): 40

Overtime Status: Exempt

Salary: The full-time salary range for the Program Officer role is between $90,000 to $105,000, and between $70,000 to $85,000 for Program Manager, with exact salary depending on experience

Anticipated Timeline: Applications will be reviewed and considered on a rolling basis with interviews anticipated to start in December 2022. Desired start date by February 1, 2023.

Position Summary

The Rural Climate Partnership (RCP) is a funding collaborative energizing philanthropic support for working people, small businesses and family farmers who are the drivers of rural-led climate solutions. RCP is part of the Heartland Fund / Rural Democracy Initiative. Through grantmaking, narrative change, and movement-building resources, RCP deploys funding for maximum impact: accelerating clean energy deployment, reforming energy democracies (rural electric cooperatives), facilitating implementation of federal funding in rural communities, advancing regenerative agriculture, and supporting a just transition. This position provides the rare opportunity to help build an entire field of rural climate solutions and drive national climate progress that is unattainable without rural communities.

The RCP Program Officer or Program Manager will work closely with the RCP Director to build and support a robust network of rural-focused grantees, partner organizations and funders who are aligned on the common goal of accelerating climate progress in rural communities and small towns. As RCP’s first program-specific staffer, this position will serve a crucial role in refining strategy, building relationships, developing processes, and supporting programmatic grantmaking. Successful candidates will have a passion for environmental justice and a background in climate-related solutions, conservation or rural economic development. Experience working with diverse groups, exceptional people skills, strong organizing talents, and exceptional entrepreneurial initiative are imperative.

RDI is a growing team that takes pride in building an organizational culture rooted in learning, collaboration, equity, and a deep commitment to our mission. We center racial justice and anti-racism throughout all of our work. All staff are expected to provide leadership and vision to advance our mission, vision, and core strategies.

Position Description: Responsibilities and Tasks

Grantmaking and Strategy

• Develop portfolio of potential grantees and projects through interviews, research, and networking
• Refine grantmaking strategies and priorities
• Manage grantmaking processes in partnership with the grants management team, including facilitating timely proposal review, grant reporting and evaluation
• Support grantees for success through strategic thought partnership, regular communications and capacity building

Funder Engagement and Learning

• Partner with  the RCP Director in building thought and strategic leadership in the philanthropic community around rural climate solutions
• Organize learning opportunities for partners and funders
• Assist with proposal writing

Communications

• In collaboration with the RCP Director, communications staff, and consultants, assist with:
• Development of RCP materials and presentations
• Creation of website and social media content

Team Building and Support

• Help manage contractors, interns and fellows
• Show initiative to fill gaps and support a small and growing team

Qualifications

Minimum:

• Knowledge of and/or experience working to advance clean energy, regenerative agriculture, climate-related policy, rural economic development, and/or environmental justice.
• Experience working with grassroots nonprofit organizations.
• Strong commitment to racial justice and fluency with equity and anti-racist practices.
• Ability to listen deeply, hold space for different perspectives, and work with people from a variety of political, cultural, and social backgrounds.
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.
• Curious, quick learner who is committed to approaching conversations with an open mind. Demonstrate ability to check assumptions, rethink “the way things are done around here,” and change positions when presented with a different perspective or new evidence.
• Highly motivated and detail-oriented with drive and initiative to proactively support colleagues, grantees, and partners and manage collaborative processes.
• Willingness to travel regularly (5-8 times per year) to regions across the United States.

Desired:

• An understanding of rural and small town America derived from either lived, professional and/or volunteer experience.
• Experience with grantmaking processes and procedures (can include writing or managing grants for a nonprofit or government entity, as well as grantmaking for a philanthropic organization).
• Lives in or within driving distance one of the RCP priority states to bring geographic expertise and facilitate regional travel.
• Experience advancing local, state or national policy on rural issues or working on local/regional economic development.
• Understanding of public funding processes (e.g. federal grants implementation)
• Experience working with databases and/or CRMs.
• Social media management experience.
• Speaks a language other than English used commonly in rural America.
• Experience with fundraising and proposal writing.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a permanent, full time staff position. The organization is virtual, and the RCP staff person may work remotely from their home city within the United States. As COVID allows, the position will require a willingness to travel occasionally to regions across the United States.

The full-time salary range for the Program Officer role is between $90,000 to $105,000, and between $70,000 to $85,000 for Program Manager, with exact salary depending on experience.

Our comprehensive benefits package includes employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, up to 6% employer match on 401k contributions, cell phone reimbursement, fitness benefits, and paid holidays, vacation, sick, and volunteer time off.

Hiring Statement

The Rural Climate Partnership is part of the Rural Democracy Initiative’s Heartland Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of Windward Fund. Windward Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grantmaking programs. Windward Fund is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, LGBTQ people, and women are strongly encouraged to apply. We believe that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture enhances our ability to fulfill our mission. Employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.

To center the safety and well-being of its employees, Windward 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@windwardfund.org.

How to Apply

Applications will be reviewed and considered on a rolling basis with interviews anticipated to start in December 2022. Desired start date by February 1, 2023. Apply by submitting materials to https://cloversearchworks.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk025vp.

The Rural Democracy Initiative is partnering with Clover Search Works on this search. Questions regarding this opportunity are welcomed and can be directed to Julie Edsforth at julie@cloversearchworks.com.