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Board Relations Manager

Employer
Earthjustice
Location
San Francisco, California
Salary
We offer a mission and employee-focused work environment and a competitive compensation package incl
Closing date
Apr 6, 2019

View more

Focus Areas
Environment, Government
Job Function
Administrative / Clerical, Event Planning, Legal
Position Type
Full Time
Degree Level
Bachelors
Willingness to Travel
up to 25%
Experience Level
Professional

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization.  We take on the biggest, most precedent-setting cases across the country.  We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health; to preserve magnificent places and wildlife; to advance clean energy; and to combat climate change.   We partner with thousands of groups, supporters, individuals and communities to engage the critical environmental issues of our time, and bring about positive change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.

Founded in 1971, Earthjustice has a distinguished track record of achieving significant, lasting environmental protections. We achieve this by hiring people who share a passion for justice and a healthy environment. Our headquarters are in San Francisco with offices in Anchorage, Juneau, Los Angeles, Tallahassee, Miami, Honolulu, New York, Philadelphia, Denver, Seattle, Bozeman, and Washington, DC.

The Board Relations Manager is responsible for managing the overall engagement strategy for the Board, overseeing planning and execution of board meetings, supporting the governance functions of the organization, and developing a Board that reflects the organization’s goals from the strategic plan, a culture of philanthropy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.  This includes serving as the principal point of day-to-day contact between Earthjustice and its Board and developing training, processes, and events to increase board engagement, cultural competencies, ambassadorial capacity, and fundraising. The Board Relations Manager works under the direction of the President, reports directly to the Executive Team Manager, and supervises the Board Relations Assistant.

Responsibilities:

Board Meeting Design and Execution – 40%

Planning for board meetings three times per year, including:

  • Proactively supporting the President and senior leadership in the development of board meeting goals, themes, topics, agendas, speakers and entertainment;
  • Choosing hotel and meeting locations, negotiating price, terms and conditions of accommodations, space, meals and facilities for the meeting and any special donor/trustee events;
  • Arranging and managing all aspects of the meeting, including notice of meeting, schedule of events, development and approval of presentations, a/v support, technical requirements, meals, transportation, on site production, emergency and safety precautions, and other needs as required for meetings;
  • Overseeing the creation, production and editing of written meeting material (board book and board brief/council book) for each board meeting and at other times as directed by the President.
  • Communicating and coordinating with Board and staff attendees about meeting and travel arrangements, including trustee and trustee guest attendance;
  • Serving as liaison with meeting speakers or other special guests regarding presentation topics, PowerPoint and other materials, meeting schedule, travel and logistics; directly overseeing the review and approval of staff presentations in advance of meetings;
  • Coordinating with development department or others in planning for events, extension trips or other activities held in conjunction with board meetings; and
  • Developing and managing the board budget, including all contracts, accounting and expense reporting; tracking payment and reimbursement of trustee meeting expenses.

Board Development & Engagement – 15%

  • Building board goal-setting and accountability into current board practices and board culture including agenda-setting, policies, meetings, and job description;
  • In partnership with staff assigned to particular committees, building out a process for goal-setting for committee work to better support Earthjustice’s needs;
  • Overseeing the scheduling of committee meetings, conference calls, and timely production of documents and materials;
  • In coordination with senior staff, President, and key board members, developing a comprehensive plan for full board and individual training on (1) cultural competencies; (2) DEI; (3) structures for ensuring equity and inclusivity including facilitation and leadership training; (4) governance and finances; (5) ambassadorial work and fundraising; and additional trainings as they arise.
  • In coordination with staff onboarding work, developing an onboarding and orientation process for new Trustees and an annual goal-setting and accountability process in coordination with senior staff;
  • Developing board-focused webinars, conference calls, speaker series and/or reading lists to encourage additional engagement and life-long learning during and in-between board meetings;
  • Creating a process for board leadership development including courses, readings, and/or committee service required and process for rotating committee leadership to increase leadership capacity on the Board.
  • As part of board engagement, working to increase transparency and build understanding of board and organizational processes.
  • In coordination with the Development workplan process, building board engagement strategies that utilize the full skills of individual Trustees.

Governance Records & Compliance – 10%

  • Establishing and maintaining a secure web portal (currently Board Effect) for board members and staff to exchange information including documents and minutes, training board and staff on the board site; tracking site usage and working with board members to make the site more helpful and user-friendly;
  • Ensuring Board governance compliance with current policies, bylaws, laws, and resolutions;
  • Partnering with General Counsel and others to ensure accurate and up-to-date bylaws and other policies, procedures and governance records;
  • Drafting Resolutions for board approval;
  • Contributing to the project of developing quantitative and qualitative metrics that are responsive to the goals of the strategic plan and the wider organization goals; and
  • Promoting Board engagement with metrics to support their fiduciary role.

Communications and Managing Information  - 15%

  • Continually rethinking and improving information-sharing with the Board including using dashboard metrics and other visuals to assist the Board in their fiduciary duties;
  • Ensuring the President and other senior staff are apprised of developments in Board and committee activity;
  • Tracking follow up items resulting from Board and/or committee meeting discussion;
  • Proactively assist Development department staff with information sharing and improve processes for sharing information about the Board including attending Development department meetings and/or events meetings;
  • Providing assistance and information to trustees in their service to Earthjustice as members of its Board;
  • Providing assistance and information to Council Members, former trustees, and honorary life trustees; and
  • Sending communications, such as victory emails, to Board, Council and Honorary Life Trustees, in coordination with the President.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Earthjustice and on the Board - 10%

  • In coordination with the VP of Diversity & Inclusion and the Board Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, contributing to building DEI on the Board and within Earthjustice;
  • Ensuring communication on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts between the Board and staff;
  • Contributing to self-learning and to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace at Earthjustice in line with our values of Justice, Partnership, Inclusion, and Excellence.

Supervisory Responsibilities – 10%

  • Supervising the Board Relations Assistant, managing his or her workload and assigning duties and projects.
  • Ensuring smooth coordination around producing board meetings, responding to emails and requests, and timely delivery of materials.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; meeting planning certification or project management certification a plus.
  • 5 years minimum work experience necessary as is experience working in a non-profit setting.
  • Demonstrated experience supporting and interacting with a board; providing administrative support for senior staff; and maintaining confidentiality is a must. 
  • Experience collaborating in a team or group culture that produces collective rather than individual work products is highly preferred.
  • Candidate must have strong interpersonal skills and be highly detail-oriented, organized, and able to handle multiple projects at once.
  • The ability to interact with staff and Board in a fast paced environment, under pressure, remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful and efficient
  • High level of professionalism and confidentiality is crucial to this role.
  • A high level of computer and internet literacy, including experience Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Adobe Reader and Acrobat essential. Useful but not essential—working knowledge of Access, HTML, website design, desktop publishing and project management software. Development database experience a plus.
  • Ability to develop, implement and track budgets.
  • Ability to design multi-day meetings/events for up to 100 participants and guests at locations across the country, including responsibility for all logistical details. Useful but not essential—certificate or equivalent accreditation as a meeting/event planner or project manager.
  • Ability to organize, prioritize and manage multiple tasks, sometimes under time pressure and facing unexpected challenges, with excellent results.
  • Focus and attention to detail, including the management of complex information.
  • Ability to take change in stride, overcome obstacles and adapt to unforeseen conditions.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence and good judgment about people and situations.
  • Persuasiveness and ability to influence others to achieve goals.
  • High degree of integrity, and ability to maintain confidentiality.
  • Highly dependable and able to meet deadlines consistently.
  • Ability to represent Earthjustice with tact, diplomacy, discretion and professionalism in interactions with important donors, board members, vendors, staff and program partners.
  • Excellent written and in-person communications skills.
  • Demonstrated proofreading skills..
  • Demonstrates an awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds and orientations.
  • Contributes to the creation of a diverse, equitable and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.

*Supervisory Responsibilities:  Board Relations Assistant

Management (Essential Skills)

  • Ability to manage and lead a diverse team in a diverse environment with emotional intelligence and cultural competency.
  • Has self-awareness and understands the impact of behaviors and emotional intelligence in the workplace. Also understands teams strengths and areas for development. 
  • Commitment to and experience in developing team skills and talents to meet the evolving needs of an organization

We offer a mission and employee-focused work environment and a competitive compensation package including excellent benefits.  Earthjustice is an equal opportunity employer and highly values diversity.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit a:

  • Resume.
  • One or two-page cover letter.

Please reach out to jobs@earthjustice.org if you are having technical difficulties submitting your application. No phone calls, drop-ins, or hard copies.

Earthjustice is driven by a passion for justice, partnership, and excellence. Our core values lead us to seek a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds to achieve our mission and to maintain an inclusive environment where all staff are valued and respected. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to employment practices that ensure that employees and applicants for employment are provided with equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other factor that is not related to the position.

For positions located within the City and County of San Francisco:  Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

For positions located within the City of Los Angeles:  We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

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