Program Associate, Partner Solutions (Hybrid in Chicago, IL; Durham, NC; or Washington, D.C.)
The Program Associate supports a team that ensures a portfolio of fiscally sponsored projects have the operational support necessary to meet their programmatic goals.
This role is ideal for early professionals with an interest in strategic operations and process design. Incumbents of this role drive day-to-day operations for a portfolio of projects including processing payments, executing contracts and grant agreements, and tracking monthly financials within a portfolio of fiscally sponsored projects. This position is responsible for independent execution of administration and operational tasks and works directly with nonprofit clients and multiple internal teams. This role requires some experience in nonprofit operations and relationship management.
This position generally reports to an Associate Director, Partner Solutions.
Essential Responsibilities
Client Services
- Own operational functions for a portfolio of fiscally sponsored projects, including:
- Contract and subgrant management from initial review to drafting and implementation
- Financial review and reporting, including tracking cash flow and communicating variances to key internal and external stakeholders
- Maintain project data related to a project’s operational needs
- Project manage internally to ensure task completion within Client Service Standards
- Additional tasks to align with project need as assigned
- Ensure legal and procedural compliance and quality control for various project activities, liaising with cross-functional teams including Finance, HR, Compliance, IT, and others as needed
- Communicate with clients and internal teams in a clear and effective manner, collaborating as needed to resolve big-picture and complex needs
- Support the account manager in overall relationship management of the project
- Implement department and organizational policies and procedures as they are introduced
- Routinely apprise and align with internal stakeholders on the status of tasks; sharing processes and other relevant project data to senior team members, as needed
Other Responsibilities
- Support the development of more efficient processes, systems, and technology as assigned
- Contribute to the achievement of team initiatives and internal projects as assigned
- Increase knowledge of philanthropic trends and nonprofit management best practices
- Participate in internal and external trainings related to industry best practices and internal policies and procedures
To Be Successful in This Role, You’ll Need
Required
- 2-4 years of relevant professional experience
- High attention to detail and process oriented
- Ability to prioritize effectively and manage towards multiple deadlines simultaneously
- Excellent time management skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to use available resources and feedback to continually pivot, adapt, and grow
- Effective collaboration skills and team player
- Ability to read and explain basic nonprofit financial statements
- Experience in requesting, reviewing, or drafting contracts or subgrants
- Ability and understanding of how to use Microsoft Office Suite and CRM database management
- Ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with diverse teams and audiences
Preferred
- Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and/or reviewing nonprofit financial statements
- Familiarity and/or experience working within a fiscal sponsorship structure is a plus
- An appreciation for efficient processes and a desire to improve them
- Interest in contributing to team and project-level learning
Our Core Competencies
- Ability to provide excellent service, including the ability to efficiently and independently address routine service matters, to suggest effective client-centered solutions when elevating challenges or concerns, and to understand how the team can operate to maintain high-quality service.
- The ability to complete complex tasks, to use a work plan to undertake projects, and to understand how those projects impact the client, team, and/or firm’s objectives
- The ability to understand stakeholders’ perspectives and circumstances, and to build and manage strong relationships that reflect that understanding.
- The ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and professionally, including the ability to adapt style, tone, and content to various audiences; to make technical information accessible to broader audiences; and to collaborate with others to produce strong written deliverables
- The ability to work cooperatively and inclusively with others to achieve shared goals, including knowing when and how to compromise, being willing to proactively help colleagues, and sharing knowledge in various mediums
- An enthusiasm for taking on stretch and development opportunities, including the ability to accept feedback and use it to improve performance
- The ability to take ownership and be creative and solutions-oriented when encountering challenges that don’t have obvious answers, including knowing when to elevate challenges along with possible solutions
- Demonstrate the ability to bring an understanding of how privilege and marginalization affect their interactions and work with others
Working with Us
While this position can be Hybrid in Chicago, IL; Durham, NC; or Washington, D.C., please note that all Arabella Advisors’ offices have reopened, and we work in a hybrid environment.
We reopened our offices in Summer of 2022 and work with a hybrid workplace strategy to ensure continued flexibility for our staff, while deepening our strong culture rooted in collaboration and in-person interactions between colleagues. We expect that after their initial onboarding, all Arabellans will have the choice of two hybrid schedules. Our hybrid schedule options include Flex, with 1-2 days per week in the office, or Office-based, with 3+ days per week in the office (or more if preferred) and the remaining days working at home/remotely. We will make reasonable accommodations under the guidelines of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
We are committed to having a passion-driven, inclusive, transparent, collaborative, healthy, and fun culture. We invite you to visit our careers
page to learn more.
About Arabella Advisors
Arabella Advisors helps foundations, philanthropists and investors who are serious about impact achieve the greatest good with their resources. We work on issues ranging from the social and economic advancement of women and girls, and conservation of our climate and planet, to reducing poverty and inequity in the United States and around the world. Our staff members are mission-driven and action-oriented, and have a unique combination of experience in philanthropy, business, nonprofits, government, finance, law, and other fields. We combine creative, strategic thinking with knowledge and networks developed through decades of hands-on experience. The fastest-growing philanthropic advisory firm in the nation, Arabella is also a certified B Corporation.
About Arabella’s Partner Solutions Team
The Partner Solutions Team provides operations and back-end services and support to fiscally sponsored projects housed at multiple 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations. Projects range from new and innovative public interest organizations to donor collaborative initiatives to grants administration programs and cover a diverse range of focus areas. Candidates are highly encouraged to research fiscal sponsorship prior to better understand the complex infrastructure and role of our team.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Advancing DEI within our firm and in our work with partners is critical to our mission. To be effective partners to philanthropists, nonprofits, and communities impacted by philanthropic dollars, we need to have a highly diverse staff, a workplace where individuals are encouraged to retain their uniqueness and can feel a sense of belonging, and a nuanced understanding of the racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and other disparities that undergird the issues we engage in and the interactions we have with one another. For us, equity means that our staff members, our clients, and the people they serve can experience the same level of success, no matter their starting place. We expect all our employees to share this commitment, and always seek ways to improve how well we live these values. Click
here to learn more about DEI at Arabella and read our official DEI statement.
Total Rewards (compensation and benefits)
This is a full-time position. We offer a competitive and holistic total rewards package that includes salary, bonus, and benefits. Our compensation ranges are based on salary ranges for similar sized organizations in the professional services sector and adjusted for local labor market rates and differentiated by geography.
Annual Pay Ranges for This Position:
- Durham pay range: $52,000.00 –$58,000.00
- Chicago pay range: $55,000.00 – $60,000.00
- DC pay range: $57,000.00 – $64,000.00
All full-time staff are eligible for our generous benefits package on their first day of employment:
- Health insurance- On average Arabella pays 86% of the medical premium, 80% of the dental premium, and 100% of the vision premium
- Paid time off- 16 days’ vacation, 10 personal days, 11 company holidays (7 federal and 4 more from a list of inclusive cultural and religious holidays and your birthday), 20 hours’ volunteer leave, 8 weeks’ parental leave
- 401(k) retirement plan- We offer a 4% employer match on a dollar-per-dollar basis, and there is no waiting or vesting period; all funds contributed by you and Arabella are yours to keep on day 1
- Reimbursements for your personal cell phone plan and fitness
- Pre-tax withholding for transportation and parking
- Bonus incentive opportunities
- Access to professional development opportunities
Submit a resume and a one-page cover letter online. The cover letter should address why you’re excited to work at Arabella and why you’re qualified for this specific job.
Arabella Advisors is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to racial equity. If we can make the application process easier through accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know.
We encourage you to read (or listen to)
our DEI statement prior to applying. We make a particular effort to recruit people of color and members of marginalized groups to apply for open positions. Once you have applied, we welcome your feedback on how you have experienced our values around DEI in the recruitment process.
We will review applications as they are received and look forward to hearing from you.
