Root Cause Consulting

Established in 2004, Root Cause is a nonprofit research and consulting firm that partners with nonprofits, philanthropy, government, and business to advance solutions to today's toughest social issues. We are committed to shaping the future of social problem-solving, believing that sustainable social impact is possible if leaders from all sectors can work together through social impact markets that provide information and incentives to distribute resources based on performance.

Root Cause Consulting offers an array of strategy, research, and leadership development services designed to help organizations and the people who lead them work more effectively toward greater social impact. Consulting teams are assigned regionally and nationally to a wide variety of projects in education and youth development, health and wellness, and economic development. We are known for taking an approach that is collaborative, pragmatic, and implementation-focused, balancing our conceptual management skills with our real-world experience as nonprofit leaders and entrepreneurs.

Research associates for consulting typically come to us after working professionally for three to five years beyond completion of an undergraduate degree, and combine that experience with skills obtained through internships or volunteer positions as a student. Research associates play an active role in all stages of client service delivery, helping to ensure that we are addressing our clients' needs and providing them with practical ways to advance their impact. Responsibilities may vary from one project to the next, which gives associates many opportunities for learning and professional development, as well as exposure to a broad range of social issues and organizations.

This research associate would devote a portion of his/her time to Root Cause Consulting and a portion of his/her time to work on The Leadership & Sustainability Institute (LSI) for Black Male Achievement. The LSI is a national membership network launched by Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement, along with support from The California Endowment, The Heinz Endowments, Knight Foundation, Mitchell Kapor Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Skillman Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Casey Family Programs. The goal of LSI is to ensure the growth, sustainability, and impact of leaders and organizations across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors committed to improving the life outcomes of black men and boys through systemic change.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the development of client relationships and multi-stakeholder communications• Project management, including the coordination of meetings and prioritization of tasks to keep multiple projects running effectively

• Conduct primary and secondary research and synthesize findings

• Gather data and other types of information, conduct rigorous quantitative and qualitative analyses, identify and analyze problems and solutions, and share strategic insights to move projects forward

• Analyze financial information and build financial models

• Develop, execute, and analyze surveys using online survey tools

• Draft, edit, and format materials (in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) in preparation for client meetings and finalize high-quality internal and external deliverables

In addition, research associates participate in strengthening the consulting practice in the following ways:

• Support business development

• Contribute to building the infrastructure and capacity of the organization

• Research and write content for external publications

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree

• 3-5 years of professional work experience

• Demonstrated commitment to and/or work experience in the nonprofit sector (volunteer or paid)

• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage relationships at different levels

• Ability to take initiative and operate with limited oversight/direction

• Strong research, analytical, writing and presentation skills

• Excellent organizational skills, ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects/tasks, and attention to detail

• Experience with project management

• Experience working collaboratively as part of a team

• Strong Microsoft Office skills (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), including experience using Excel for data analysis and financial modeling

• Strategy consulting experience preferred

• Experience with Salesforce, WordPress, Vertical Response, and online survey tools (e.g., SurveyGizmo and Survey Monkey) are a plus