Cool jobs of the month: February

Here are a few opportunities you may not have known about:

Research Manager, Center for Effective Philanthropy

CEP is currently seeking an experienced and dynamic Research Manager to lead and support multiple quantitative research projects. With responsibility for designing, executing, analyzing and writing research projects, the Research Manager will manage complex projects designed to provide information related to the performance assessment of philanthropic foundations. Additionally, the Manager will collect and interpret large sets of data using a variety of analytical and statistical methodologies. This position will be responsible for providing guidance to junior research staff in research methodology and analysis as well as reviewing findings and presenting results for both internal and external constituencies. Reporting to the Vice President – Research, the Manager will be a senior member of the research team and will work collaboratively within and across departments.

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Manage or support all aspects of quantitative research projects related to the performance assessment of philanthropic foundations, including the conceptualization, design, analyses and presentation of results
• Design survey instruments and research questions, as well as conduct interviews to collect research data
• Plan, conduct and interpret the analyses of large-scale (100-1,000+ sample) datasets using a variety of methods, such as t-test, chi-square, analysis of variance and linear regression
• Review findings and author reports in partnership with the Vice President of Research. Contribute to strategic decisions related to the framing of reports
• Ensure that research projects meet department and organizational standards, and are completed in a timely manner
• Provide coaching, mentoring and training to junior staff on all aspects of the research process. Contribute to the continued learning of the research team
• Present research internally and externally, including representing CEP at local and national speaking engagements and conferences

Qualifications/Requirements:

• At least two years of research experience in roles demanding exceptional analytical skills
• Demonstrated experience with quantitative methodologies, including t-test, chi-square, analysis or variance and linear regression. Knowledge of advanced statistical methods preferred
• Demonstrated experience developing surveys and interview protocols
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to work collaboratively in teams and manage multiple projects with complex deliverables in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent attention to detail and organization skills, with a focus on accuracy
• Aptitude for learning new methods of analysis and data-analysis programs
• Experience mentoring or teaching research and data analysis skills
• Belief and interest in the work of the nonprofit sector and the effectiveness of foundation philanthropy

• Advanced degree in related field (e.g. economics, education, sociology, political science, psychology, sociology). Doctorate preferred

CEP is based in Cambridge Massachusetts, with a second office in San Francisco, California. This position is located in CEP’s office of about 25 staff in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

To Apply:

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, in Word format and addressed to Ellie Buteau, at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1741. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Note: CEP is also hiring a Research Analyst and Director of Communications at the same link. It’s a fantastic organization.

State Programs Associate, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
(note: this job has a deadline of yesterday, but it’s still up on their website – might still be worth a shot if you have your materials ready to go.)

NASAA is recruiting a state programs associate to document the variety of strategies that state arts agencies use to advance the arts and to serve the public and state government. The individual in this position:

• researches state arts agency programs, policies, services and special initiatives;
• analyzes information to identify trends and exemplary practices; and
• communicates information to multiple audiences.

Responsibilities include:

• Conducting qualitative research (including interviews, document analysis, literature reviews and mining website and newsletter resources)
• Cataloging state arts agency grant guidelines into a national database
• Writing articles and reports
• Answering information requests
• Maintaining website resources on key issue areas
• Creating tables, charts and graphics
• Securing and organizing important documents (such as advocacy tools, impact reports and strategic plans)
• Assisting with projects that facilitate member dialogue and information exchange

This position requires both research and communications expertise. Qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree
• At least one year of full-time work experience
• Qualitative research and analysis experience
• Superior writing and verbal communications skills
• Ability to distill complex material
• Keen attention to detail and accuracy
• A commitment to public-sector service
• Fluency with MS Word and Excel are required. Experience with MS Access and Adobe products is desirable.

This is an excellent early career opportunity for candidates interested in research, philanthropy, government or policy analysis as well as the arts or humanities. Experience with associations, government, journalism, legislative research or grant seeking is a plus.

This is a full-time position, including benefits. NASAA’s offices are located in downtown Washington, near Metro. Apply by February 14, 2011. Send a letter of interest, a resume and a writing sample to nasaa@nasaa-arts.org with “SPA Search” as the subject line. Please state in your letter where you found this job posting (name of website or job board). No faxes or phone calls, please. EOE.

NASAA is also looking for interns.

Director of GrantCraft, Foundation Center (NY Office)

Summary

The Foundation Center, the nation’s leading authority on philanthropy, seeks a dynamic, entrepreneurial and creative individual to direct the Center’s efforts to empower philanthropic foundations with the knowledge tools they need to be more strategic. First and foremost among these is GrantCraft—a project of the Foundation Center and its partner the European Foundation Centre (EFC)—designed to provide “practical wisdom for grantmakers”.

Reporting to the President, and working closely with the Foundation Center’s senior management team and our partners at the EFC, she/he will inspire, motivate, and lead a small but high-performing team overseeing the execution of the plan for GrantCraft: oversight of the GrantCraft web site, creation of various training guides and other assets of GrantCraft, and new and ongoing product development and other content creation for GrantCraft. In addition, the Director will work with foundations, donor coalitions and foundation affinity groups to help meet their needs for custom knowledge services that facilitate cooperation and working at scale on important social, environmental and economic issues.

The Director will participate in overall Center planning activities and interface with other departments on a regular basis and will be a member of the Center’s senior staff and may take on other responsibilities as needed. Of particular importance will be understanding other Center products and services created for grantmakers and maximizing the synergy between GrantCraft and those areas of the Center. The Director will also work closely with the Development department on fund raising and grants administration for GrantCraft and other knowledge services efforts.

This is a very public facing role and requires consummate customer relations skills.

Key Responsibilities

The Director of GrantCraft will have ongoing responsibility for the following:

• Execution of the overall vision and strategy for GrantCraft
• Work with our European Foundation Centre partner to develop and maintain specific operating plans with specific milestones, goals, objectives and resource commitments
• Work with organizations in other regions of the world interested in translating/adapting existing GrantCraft content and/or producing new, culturally-relevant material
• Oversee the main GrantCraft website working with Center web services team
• Oversee GrantCraft products and services, content creation and production, working with Center design staff and other outside consultants
• Work with the Educational Services department to offer webinars and train the trainer events around GrantCraft materials related to core competencies of the Foundation Center
• Work with Regional Associations of Grantmakers and other philanthropy-support groups to produce guides and other content appropriate to the training needs of their constituents
• Attend conferences and exhibitions to promote GrantCraft where deemed necessary
• Work with the Center’s Marketing and Communications department to promote the GrantCraft brand via social media and other means to expand the user base
• Manage all data licensing and other intellectual property considerations for GrantCraft working with other Center staff and Center attorneys
• Work closely with foundations around the globe to understand their knowledge management needs as they move to collaborate with other foundations, governments and the private sector
• Working closely with the Foundation Center’s Business Development Unit, design custom web portals, data visualization tools and other services designed to meet foundation knowledge needs.

Ideal Experience

The Director of GrantCraft should have the following experience and qualifications:

• Eight to ten years experience working in philanthropy as a grantmaker and in donor collaboratives
• Demonstrated success working in a collaborative fashion across organizations
• Extensive knowledge of the grantmaking communities, and knowledge of current trends in fundraising, philanthropy, nonprofit management, and knowledge management
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and build relationships with partner organizations; success in attracting financial resources for various endeavors; the credibility and experience to connect an organization like the Foundation Center to resources and opportunities
• A record of success in working with teams of diverse, strong, creative people to achieve common goals; ability to work effectively with staff in other departments and with peers in other organizations
• Excellent writing, analytical and verbal presentation skills; skill in handling multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously; ability to plan, organize, budget, and follow through with senior management.

Personal Characteristics

Ideally the individual should be:

• Committed to and passionate about the Foundation Center’s and GrantCraft’s mission and purpose
• Excited about the power of data, research, knowledge and web-based technologies to transform the practice of philanthropy
• Able to manage effectively in a fast paced environment, be extremely well organized, clear thinking, and decisive
• A doer, with strong leadership and management ability; one who understands the subtleties of working with, as well as motivating and directing, a diverse group of personalities and cultural backgrounds; a skilled listener, able to consider multiple points of view
• A builder of relationships, who is engaging and persuasive; a skilled networker, who can enthusiastically represent the Center to important constituencies
• Capable of fostering a team-based work environment that models core values of respect and appreciation of diversity
• Experience living and working outside of the United States strongly preferred; fluency in languages other than English preferred
• Willing to travel on a regular basis, as needed, including internationally.

Background on the Foundation Center

Founded in the mid-1950s, in the midst of McCarthyism, the Foundation Center opened its doors to the public with seven thousand records on American foundations stored in file cabinets. Since that time its product line has evolved from print resources to CD-ROMs to a database containing some 2.3 million grants and over 100,000 U.S. grantmakers. Its website receives over 50,000 visits daily. The Foundation Center’s most popular searchable database Foundation Directory Online currently has over 11,300 paid subscribers and is used by thousands of individuals each year free of charge at the Center’s five locations and at its 450 funding information centers (public libraries, community foundations, and community colleges) spread across the U.S., Mexico, and, most recently, Korea, Nigeria, Brazil, Australia and China. A newly developed companion mapping tool,Philanthropy In/Sight, contains not only this data but a growing body of foundation and grants data from around the world. This global data platform for philanthropy will soon be available for free at these 450 sites, as well.

Beyond these services, the Foundation Center also conducts robust research studies annually, both original and commissioned, on foundation funding trends, and operates an online news service dedicated to philanthropy http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/, a highly blog a highly bloghttp://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/, and a searchable online database of more than 5,000 publications supported by foundation grantshttp://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/pubhub/. More recently the Center has launched a web site devoted to foundation transparency, http://glasspockets.org and a website targeted to grantseekers, www.grantspace.org.

Under new leadership since late 2008, the Center has begun a new and innovative chapter in its history and has issued a strategic plan for its future. This plan has as one of its central tenets an effort to build tools for donors of all kinds, both locally and globally, in order to increase understanding of the impact of philanthropy, facilitate collaboration among donors, and gather more and better knowledge about global philanthropy. One important piece of the plan is the recent acquisition of GrantCraft, formerly a project of the Ford Foundation, by the Center in partnership with the European Foundation Center. During 2011, the Center will be integrating this project into its suite of products and is searching for a Director to lead this effort.

About GrantCraft

GrantCraft was originally created in 2001 as a project of The Ford Foundation. The goal was to increase the collective knowledge of the field and improve the practice of philanthropy by gathering and sharing thoughtful information about the craft of grantmaking.

GrantCraft’s signature approach has been to tap the “practical wisdom” of experienced grantmakers from a diverse group of foundations. Since its inception GrantCraft has grown to become a valued resource for learning and sharing grantmaking strategies in the U.S. and in other countries. GrantCraft has produced more than 30 guides, myriad online surveys and other reports, and brought that content to life through workshops and original teaching material and case studies. Its highly popular web site provides free access to these guides in downloadable versions and also sells hard copies of the same material in an online store.

Other

The Center offers a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package. The Center is an equal opportunity employer.

Additional Information

A parallel position is currently available at the European Foundation Centre, in Brussels, Belgium, the Foundation Center’s partner in GrantCraft. The position description for this position can be found at http://www.efc.be/AboutEFC/Pages/StaffPosition.aspx.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume and salary requirements to:

Dee Dee Dickey
Director of Human Resources
The Foundation Center
79 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10003

E-mail: jobs@foundationcenter.org (Please put the title of the position you are applying for in the subject line.)

For more information on positions available at the Foundation Center please visit our website:http://foundationcenter.org/about/jobs/

See a related story about GrantCraft here.