Strategic Initiatives and Planning Associate

Title: Strategic Initiatives and Planning Associate

Location: Baltimore, MD - Hybrid Work Environment

Salary Range: $62,000 - $75,000 w/Full Benefits Package

Reports to: Strategic Initiatives and Planning Officer

Baltimore Focus: Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) is a Baltimore-centric and focused organization. BCYF has hiring requirements from the City of Baltimore to make best efforts to hire Baltimore residents first. Although the City allows consideration of qualified applicants residing outside of Baltimore, BCYF is committed to hiring the best people for the roles who know Baltimore, and the community, grassroots organizations, and ecosystem it is committed to serve. All positions will be posted with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development in accordance with the Local Hiring Law.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

All exempt hires are subject to annual financial disclosure requirements to the City of Baltimore Ethics Board. Cut and paste the financial disclosure requirements link to view https://ethics.baltimorecity.gov/financial-disclosure

ABOUT the BALTIMORE CHILDREN & YOUTH FUND
BCYF is committed to ensure that our children and youth are healthy, ready to succeed in school, and live in stable, safe, and supportive families and communities. We do more than grantmaking, we collaborate with grassroots organizations and community leaders to create new opportunities for the city’s young people to learn, thrive and succeed. BCYF awards grants to organizations that provide programs to thousands of Baltimore's young people -- from academic support and science exploration to dance and photography. BCYF is committed to authentic community engagement, and our strategy and grant decisions are shaped and led by Baltimore community members and youth leaders. Our core values of Racial Equity, Intergenerational Leadership, Community Ownership, and Collective Decision-Making direct our partnerships with organizations that share our Black liberation worldview. Through our strategic investments, we strive to resource a future where children and youth throughout the city enjoy access to high-caliber enrichment and learning opportunities, and children and youth programs have the resources they need to equitably serve all our young people.

Click here to learn more about our story and our guiding values and principles.

This is a full-time position with full benefits, including health insurance, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, paid parental leave, paid holidays, internet allowance, paid mileage for local travel, and support for professional development opportunities.

Because Baltimore City is at the heart of our work, travel within the City is required. The ideal candidate will have an awareness of the social dynamics impacting the City and of the historical system of oppression that influences views of the City. The ideal candidate will navigate the City and interact with its citizens with a sensitivity to these factors.

BCYF provides a hybrid working environment that gives staff the flexibility to work remotely when not required for in-person meetings or tasks.

BCYF has a COVID-19 vaccination policy that requires employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment unless they have a medical or religious exemption. If offered the position, you will be required to provide evidence that you are fully vaccinated.

ABOUT THE ROLE

BCYF seeks to hire a motivated Strategic Initiatives and Planning Associate to plan and execute events and to collaborate on exciting new initiatives and special projects, with the goal of deepening BCYF’s impact and service to the Baltimore community. 

The Strategic Initiatives and Planning Associate will plan and execute both internal and external events for the organization. The Associate will focus on human values and practice adaptability when approaching external events, initiatives, and partnerships to build a sense of connection between BCYF, the Baltimore community, the philanthropic community, and stakeholders. The Associate will work across BCYF’s programs to collaboratively develop, lead and implement special projects; fully manage large long term projects; build relationships with and listen to grantees and community members to identify new initiatives BCYF can implement to further support Baltimore’s Black and Brown youth; and build and maintain an electronic database for events, vendors, and attendees.

 

Essential Functions include:

Event Logistics and Planning

• Fully lead and execute small to medium-sized events by:
  • Setting and monitoring timeframes and budgets,
  • Researching and securing venues and event vendors,
  • Serving as the primary point of contact for vendors,
  • Developing post-event feedback surveys, and
  • Leading a post-event report and reflection.
• Perform in-person event logistics including:
  • Helping the team set up and dismantle events efficiently, and
  • Managing optimal on-site attendee experience as the second point of contact and addressing any concerns that may arise.
• Participate in general event preparation and data management including:
  • Ensuring all materials and supplies for the event arrive on time,
  • Managing a packing list for event materials and supplies,
  • Assisting with creative decisions,
  • Training staff and volunteers on event protocols, 
  • Conducting walkthroughs of potential meeting and event venues,
  • Creating a menu for event catering,
  • Creating run-of-show documents ahead of events
  • Collecting and submitting vendor invoices for payment,
  • Completing follow-up tasks after events, including sending thank you notes and feedback surveys,
  • Ensure data quality and consistency by performing checks on the Strategic Initiative and Planning’s collaborative space on the project management tool, ClickUp, and
  • Maintaining an events database within Neon CRM.

Administrative Tasks

Support the Strategic Initiatives and Planning team and the full BCYF staff by:

• Creating and sending a monthly internal newsletter to the full BCYF staff,
• Managing vendors and contractors who report to the SIP office,
• Ensuring consistent reporting on site visits and community event visits by the BCYF staff on ClickUp, and
• Assisting the BCYF Communications team by writing alt-text and image descriptions for external communications.

Special Projects

• Participate with other BCYF staff on new strategic initiatives and technical assistance trainings by:
  • Researching various topics to best inform new projects at BCYF,
  • Managing the special projects budget,
  • Managing contracts,
  • Processing payments, and
  • Providing support with travel arrangements, scheduling meetings, and other logistics.

Requirements

 

 

ABOUT THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

This is an extraordinary opportunity for an events coordinator or project manager to strengthen community relations and impact through BCYF initiatives developed in partnership with executive leadership and stakeholders internal and external to the organization. The Strategic Initiatives and Planning Associate will bring project management skills to advance BCYF’s goals. This position is housed within the President’s Office team and reports to the Strategic Initiatives and Planning Officer.

*While no candidate will possess every quality, the successful candidate will possess many of the following experience and attributes. (Preference will be given to candidates with a proven track record of scaling a start-up nonprofit or philanthropic organization.) Even if you aren’t sure but are excited about the position, we encourage you to apply!

• Minimum of 5 years professional experience in event planning, project management, community relations management, or a closely related field.
• Proven experience in managing complex, multi-faceted programs in a dynamic operating environment.
• Excellent planning, prioritization, and problem-solving skills; detail-oriented and able to adapt/adjust priorities and timelines based on changing operating environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; experience communicating with diverse groups and able to tailor messages to diverse audiences.
• Competency and experience in the use of relevant software packages (Google Drive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) as well as comfort with quickly learning and utilizing multiple software and online programs (e.g., Neon CRM, Canva, Zoom, Google Drive).

Core Competencies: BCYF has identified eight core competencies for all BCYF employees. These competencies are the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that will align the staff in operationalizing the BCYF values.

• Collaborating and building relationships:  Seeks information and input from other groups or teams when working on projects that will affect others. Willingly shares information with other groups or teams to help others reach their goals. Develops and maintains positive relationships with people in other departments and groups
• Data-Informed action: Speaking with real data, Performance and improvements should be tangible and visible; Take personal responsibility for the success of the group.  Accountability. Seek solutions and continuous improvement
• Demonstrating strategic agility: Ensures organizational, as well as personal objectives are met. Maintains a positive outlook to support the adoption of change and advance progress. Willingly transitions when new methods or systems are implemented. Takes the lead in team improvement and/or setting new business directions.
• Developing the potential of self and others: Looks for opportunities to learn and develop new skills. Searches for stretch assignments for self and/or direct reports. Finds ways to leverage others’ talents and strengths. Takes time to self-reflect and identify areas for self-improvement. When appropriate, provide timely,  direct, and actionable positive and corrective feedback to others.
• Exercising integrity and credibility: Shares information in an honest and direct manner. Is seen as a truthful individual who can and will present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful way. Always lets people know where they stand. Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said. Provides timely, direct, and actionable positive and corrective feedback to others.
• Focus on our service to our stakeholders: Humbly work to support our stakeholders, getting proximate with people, using asset-based approaches to co-create solutions, and prioritizing the experience of our stakeholders.
• Fostering a radically inclusive community: Builds work products and interactions with intention. Examines personal bias and champions and models strategies for inclusion. Approaches conflicts as opportunities for improvement. Listens to understand different perspectives and interests. Builds agreement based on common ground. Able to resolve tough issues and settle disputes equitably.
• Stewarding resources responsibly: BCYF aims to create value and eliminate waste by managing all resources carefully and responsibly.  Determining choice points with resources in alignment with BCYF values. Ethical and efficient use of resources, including financial, human, physical, environment, safety, information, and technology resources.

Equal Opportunity

BCYF is a 501c3 organization. We are firmly committed to complying with all federal, state, and local equal opportunity (“EEO”) laws. BCYF strictly prohibits discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of the individual’s race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, height or weight, disability, gender identity or expression, medical condition, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related conditions, marital status, partnership status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, military status, arrest record and any other characteristic protected by law. Accommodations will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application. While performing the responsibilities of the job, accommodations will be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.