Associate Director of Field Partnerships

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The North Carolina Local News Lab Fund (the Fund) is a pooled fund working to build a more inclusive news and information ecosystem in North Carolina. Through the application of a race, class and systems analysis, the Fund supports efforts to ensure everyone in North Carolina can find and trust useful news and information they need to thrive. To do that, we fund community-serving organizations with an emphasis on filling reporting gaps, expanding distribution, and telling a complete story of North Carolina's diverse and resilient communities.

To date, the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund has invested more than $5 million in 50+ organizations and counting. In addition to its own grantmaking, the Fund mobilizes additional philanthropic resources to support its mission and its network. Alongside funding, the Fund engages in intentional ecosystem strengthening, through building the core strength of its grant partners, weaving statewide networks through convenings and matchmaking, and providing advice and counsel to a broad array of organizations and leaders who make up the philanthropic, news and information landscape.

At a pivotal moment of growth and continued impact, the Fund is seeking nominations and applications for an Associate Director of Field Partnerships. Working alongside the Fund’s Director and Associate Director of Funder Partnerships, the Associate Director of Field Partnerships (Associate Director) will lead and scale the Fund’s network weaving and capacity strengthening function, serving as a trusted and responsive partner to the Fund’s grantees. The Associate Director will also manage key grantmaking operational functions and liaise closely with the Fund’s fiscal sponsor, NEO Philanthropy, on grants management and communications to grantee partners.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

As one of three full-time members of the Fund’s staff, the Associate Director will play an essential role in advancing the Fund’s mission and helping to translate that mission into concrete strategies and tactics. This role encompasses both operational processes and responsive work providing support to our grant partners and the field beyond our grants. The Associate Director will hold the following responsibilities:

Grantmaking & Grants Management

• Own and facilitate the Fund’s participatory grant selection process
• Steward grant reporting by identifying and lifting up key insights and data that can inform future grantmaking
• Continue to refine the Fund’s grantmaking process to ensure it reflects trust-based and equitable philanthropic practices

Network Weaving & Capacity Strengthening

• Support the network of the grantee partners by building trusting relationships and responding to their needs
• Find or create capacity strengthening supports to advance the organizational effectiveness, safety, and community service of grantee partners
• Convene and connect grantee and ecosystem partners to share knowledge, align efforts and strengthen relationships

Operations & Organizational Effectiveness

• Support the Fund’s effectiveness across its operational, financial management and reporting functions
• Partner closely with NEO Philanthropy to ensure timely execution of financial and administrative functions, in service to grantee, funder, vendor and other stakeholder needs
• Contribute to efforts to expand funding for the Fund as well as supporting existing funder relationships

Strategy

• Partner with the Director to ensure programming and community-building for grantees is aligned with the Fund’s mission and vision
• Bring emergent learning from the field to the Fund’s Advisory Board and other stakeholders for shared meaning-making and planning
• Assist the Director in sharing the Fund's vision, mission and theory of change to the field in-person and online

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

• A self-starter who can work independently while creating equitable programs and responding to the changing needs of grantees
• Demonstrated commitment to DEI and creating equitable structures that center community voice and perspectives
• Entrepreneurial and expansive thinker
• Highly relational and understands how to build trusted and mutually accountable partnerships
• Systems thinker, who understands the disruptive potential of philanthropy
• Strong project manager, who can toggle across multiple projects
• Deep understanding of the operational and capacity needs of community-based organizations
• Interest and/or experience in the news and information landscape
• Effective and confident communicator, both written and oral
• Strong learning orientation, with background experience in program evaluation and continuous improvement
• Multi-lingual (Spanish preferred)