Programs Associate, Global Leadership Network

We have ambitious plans, and we know the most critical step is building an incredible team that reflects the diverse fabric of our nation and embodies our values. Our team is made up of people who are equal parts dreamers and doers. We are people who care as much about how we achieve our goals as we do about the goals themselves. Our values drive our team and are instilled in the work this Foundation does every day. We are also committed to creating an anti-racist organization in order to do our part to help combat racism and inequity in all forms, in communities across our nation and around the world. Read our full statement on anti-racism and equity here.

Purpose of Role

The Programs Associate, Global Leadership Network will be a dedicated program implementer, proven relationship-builder, and highly organized operations manager (with at least 3 years of experience) with knowledge of and a passion for global climate issues and leadership collaborations.

They will collaborate with another Network Associate and report to the Deputy Director for Global Programs (Global Network Lead) to play an integral role in implementing the Obama Leadership Network program, in service of the Obama Foundation’s mission to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders.

The Obama Leadership Network is a singular values-based leadership community that connects alumni of all Obama Foundation leadership programs to support each other and work together. The Network currently has over 1,200 program alumni leaders in nearly 150 countries, and grows by hundreds each year. This Associate will have a particular focus on designing and implementing activities to support leaders and collaborations related to global climate issues.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Program and Event Design, Management and Support (Climate-focused): Play a lead role in the execution of periodic in-person events that convene global Network leaders to foster relationships and collaborative projects between them, particularly focused on climate change. Over time there is potential for the issue-specific nature of these convenings to evolve, but an understanding of the landscape and leadership needs of climate leaders is especially important at this time. Work with various colleagues and stakeholders to proactively contribute to event/program design and on-site program facilitation, as well as operations and logistics. Manage program operations in collaboration with colleagues, related to travel, communications, scheduling, technology, and coordination with external speakers and facilitators. Assist with in-person logistics and facilitation as needed.
• Stakeholder/Relationship and Network Management: Play a key role as a relationship manager on the Network team, serving as a primary liaison to diverse Obama leaders working on climate issues, as well as other Obama leaders working across geographies and sectors through global communities of practice. Develop thoughtful approaches and efficient systems to equitably identify leaders as participants for events and other special opportunities, to foster and build supportive relationships with leaders across the community, to ultimately encourage collaborations. Support the development of strategic partnerships with thematic partners and stakeholders as needed/possible. Assist with onboarding and management of program partners including thematic priority experts and collaborators. Support the identification of and engagement with new and existing program partners.
• Impact Evaluation and Storytelling Support: Provide necessary strategic input and administrative support to execute on DMEL (design, monitoring, evaluation, and learning) activities. Liaise with relevant Foundation and/or Program-wide DMEL staff. Contribute to tracking and refining impact stories, including writing storytelling content and contributing to all programmatic data collection efforts - both quantitative and qualitative impact data and stories.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: Serve as a key contributor to a highly collaborative and cross functional team, including through daily collaboration activities, meetings and/or cross-department communications in a large and growing organization and fast-paced working environment to support alignment across diverse functions and departments.
• Strategic Operations Engagement and Project Management: Provide exceptional organizational and project management skills to streamline processes and workflows including: Network working groups, forms management, vendor management, contracts workflows, invoicing, and budget reconciliation. Help ensure that all administrative processes are effective, well executed, and accurate. Contribute to global communications outputs (ex: newsletters) to Network members. Serve as a member of the Strategic Operations (StratOps) sub-team, working collaboratively across program verticals to learn from each other and identify operational efficiencies.
  
  

Key Deliverables/Outcomes

• Design and implement two global climate convenings per year (approximately 25 participants each), and one small workshop for young leaders to learn about climate-related public service career opportunities.
• Regularly help manage relationships with primarily stakeholders (program alumni leaders in the Network), providing practical connections and advice where possible. Support other strategic partnerships periodically as needed/possible.
• Actively contribute to ongoing impact evaluation and storytelling efforts.
• Support Special Projects as needed, which could include climate-related projects for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, or similar.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• 3 years demonstrated experience leading or supporting social impact networks or programs focused on entrepreneurship, strengthening civil society, and/or leadership skill-building. Strong candidates will have experience working across geographies and strong intercultural competence or global experience.
• Demonstrated networking and relationship-building and relationship management skills, with the ability to offer thoughtful and creative forms of support, while modeling organizational values in both group settings and one-to-one conversations with leaders.
• Some knowledge of climate landscape/environmental issues and organizations, and familiarity with leadership opportunities and challenges for global climate leaders.
• Demonstrated initiative and leadership in project management and organizational skills, particularly related to event planning and management, including the creation of detailed run of shows, managing operations and logistics, executing contracts and budgets, and communicating with event participants and stakeholders. Possesses a strong ability to think creatively about process and program improvements and identify challenges and potential solutions. Some meeting/event facilitation experience is also a plus.
• Strong communication skills: verbal, written, team collaboration, and use of digital media tools. Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to foster trusting relationships with program participants and stakeholders of all backgrounds.
  
  

The salary range for this role is between $59,755 and $74,670.

Location: Chicago or Washington, DC preferred. Open to remote candidates with possible travel to Chicago.

Foundation Values

The Foundation Values are Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope.

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities - such as women, LGBTQ and people of color - are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. The Obama Foundation is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at careers@obama.org if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.