Resource Mobilization Officer

WHO WE ARE

The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) is a global network working towards a just and waste-free world without incineration. GAIA’s mission is to catalyze a global shift towards environmental justice by strengthening grassroots social movements that advance solutions to waste and pollution. We envision a just, zero waste world built on respect for ecological limits and community rights, where people are free from the burden of toxic pollution, and resources are sustainably conserved, not burned or dumped.

THE ROLE 

GAIA has grown rapidly from a $1.2 million organization to a nearly $7.5 million organization in the last six years. To sustain this growth, we are seeking to add an additional Resource Mobilization Officer to our Global/US RM team. This is an exciting opportunity with substantial growth potential for someone keen to engage philanthropy in amplifying and scaling solutions to the climate crisis in the areas of plastics, methane, electric battery recycling, and incineration. We are seeking a strong writer and compelling communicator with experience in framing grassroots system change work for donor audiences. The right candidate will be a utility player who is excited to apply their writing, relationship building, and project management skills across a range of resource mobilization tasks as GAIA evolves and grows its resource mobilization efforts to meet the evolving needs of our network.

Reporting to the Director of Resource Mobilization, the Resource Mobilization Officer will contribute to sustaining and growing the current financial support GAIA receives, primarily via grants from private foundations, donor collaboratives, and individual major donors. The RM Officer will support work across the full cycle of GAIA’s grant-seeking activities, including but not limited to research, inquiry, proposal development and submission, donor cultivation, reporting, and renewals, with a primary focus on drafting and editing written materials. A highly collaborative role, the RM Officer works closely with GAIA’s leadership, program leads, and others throughout our global network to develop and align proposals with organizational and programmatic needs and capacities. 

The RM Officer will share responsibility for nurturing GAIA’s inclusive and equity-oriented culture, and for championing a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens. In the Resource Mobilization department this includes a focus on justice-oriented donor engagement and advocacy for the redistribution of resources toward GAIA’s member organizations in communities that are most impacted by waste and climate pollution, through collaborative fundraising efforts, regranting programs, technical support, and other strategies.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Resource Mobilization Writing and Engagement

• In collaboration with other RM team members, facilitate collaborative grant processes that efficiently engage diverse teams in the preparation of applications, proposals and reports.
• Develop/draft written resource mobilization materials – concept notes, grant applications and reports, donor stewardship communications and associated collateral – ensuring the strategic integration of content inputs from key staff across GAIA’s programs and regions.
• Develop organizational and programmatic presentations and briefing notes for use in donor meetings and other resource mobilization activities.
• Proactively support program leads in their engagement with donors and foundation staff through planned cultivation and stewardship touches (email, phone, online and in-person meetings). 
• Contribute to development of RM communications content and collateral such as annual reports, success stories and highlights, presentations, etc.
• We envision this RMO position to grow in responsibility over time, managing their own portfolio of donors and leading proposal processes with increasing independence by year two in this role.

Grants Management and Administration

• Tailor, strengthen, and maintain systems that help successfully execute all aspects of resource mobilization work, including donor information files, proposal development processes, and moves management tracking systems.
• Maintain awareness of and communicate all grant-related internal and external deadlines, including maintenance of GAIA’s global applications and reporting calendar.
• Support with vetting funding prospects through online research. 
• Coordinate income tracking and gift acknowledgement processes.
• Ensure donor database (Salesforce) and grants management files are maintained and updated on an ongoing basis.
• Provide additional support as directed.

WHO YOU ARE

Specifically, this hire will bring:

• At least 3-5 years of relevant experience in resource mobilization work including grant writing, communications, and project management within the environmental sector.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, in particular the capacity to process large quantities of program information and write expeditiously and prolifically with clarity and nuance. 
• Strong project management and organizational skills, allowing you to support numerous projects and teams concurrently and hit deadlines. Experience using project management platforms (Asana) and databases (Salesforce) is highly desired.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of distributed teams, ideally within a multicultural office environment and a complex, decentralized, global network.
• Commitment to environmental justice principles and practices. Prior work supporting frontline communities, grassroots groups and social movements is a plus.
• A commitment to GAIA’s mission and core values of: respecting local solutions and community power; shared practice for movement building; equity, inclusiveness, and social justice; and accountability

We’d prefer candidates who have:

• Knowledge of or familiarity with Zero Waste, waste management, energy, plastics, and/or climate issues.
• A system change approach and solid understanding of the integral relationship between local and global campaign and advocacy efforts, and ability to make, articulate, and leverage these connections.
• Direct experience campaigning on environmental and social justice issues. We value candidates who bring lived experience relevant to our work.
• Have experience within an international/multicultural environment; equally valuable is experience furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in a diverse environment.
• Experience applying for government or other public sector grants/contracts. 
• Experience in developing and supporting implementation of monitoring, evaluation and learning systems, in particular supporting teams to build theories of change, results frameworks, and compelling objectives, indicators, and outcomes for proposed projects.
• Spanish or other additional language skills are a plus.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Meaningful work – operating from a place of connectivity and trust, we are able to exchange the cross-border knowledge and tools needed to create a truly global movement for a just transition to Zero Waste.
• Comprehensive benefits – this includes employer-covered health/dental/vision insurance and FSA for medical expenses, life insurance, paid family leave, approximately 30 days of paid time off each year (including vacation, holidays, and the last week of each calendar year), retirement plan, 
• Commitment to work/life balance - 3 weeks vacation/year in the first three years and 4 weeks/year thereafter, 2 floating holidays per year, office closure between Dec 25-January 1, as well as the opportunity to qualify for a 2-3 month sabbatical.
• Strong culture and dedicated team – we take pride in our highly motivated team and our ability to support one another’s work in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. 

LOCATION, COMPENSATION, AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Salary range $75,000 – $95,000, depending on experience.
• Currently some of our team is working hybrid, and others are working remotely. GAIA is a highly collaborative environment and we will accept remote US-based applicants, with a preference for someone based in the San Francisco Bay Area or New York City.
• Additional travel (domestic and/or international) may be required.
• Full COVID-19 vaccination is required for GAIA employees who travel and attend meetings for GAIA.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

We are committed to equal employment opportunity principles and providing all employees with a safe work environment free from discrimination and harassment. We welcome you regardless of your race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, age, physical ability, nationality, or any other status unrelated to the performance of the job and protected by law. GAIA practices affirmative action, and candidates from historically disadvantaged or marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

We know there is research that shows women and minorities are less likely to apply for jobs if they don’t have all of the key skills for a position. GAIA encourages candidates with some, but not all, of the skills listed in the job description to apply. We would love to see what you have to offer!

TO APPLY 

GAIA’s new prospective funding opportunities are significant, and we are excited for the right candidate to make a major contribution to empowering grassroots organizing for waste and climate justice globally through this role. We are accepting applications until this position has been filled. To apply, please email your resume, cover letter and writing samples to hiring@no-burn.org. 

In your cover letter, please answer the following questions:

1) What do you see as the greatest challenge facing those fighting for climate and environmental justice right now?

2)  What are the two most valuable traits or skills you will bring to this work?

3) Where did you hear about this job? 

For your writing sample, please provide 2 examples of previous writing (i.e. excerpt from a grant proposal or donor communication; no more than 4 pages total) that demonstrate your ability to craft a nuanced message for a specific audience or stakeholder. Preface your sample with a short explanation of the piece, its audience and purpose. You may submit links to your writing, for example, a link to a Google document or website.