Government Engagement Manager (Remote)

About us 

The Family Independence Initiative (FII) is a national organization of racially diverse individuals with a passion for social justice. Our mission is to accelerate social and economic mobility for individuals and families living with low incomes. 

After working with thousands of families since our founding in 2001, at FII, we are certain people don’t live in poverty because they are lazy, uneducated or mismanage money as stereotypes would indicate. Instead, the poverty cycle, which disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx communities, can be traced to well-intentioned but inadequate 

governmental and charitable policies and practices that rely on a traditional top-down approach. Our approach views low-income individuals and families from a position of strength, recognizing that they have the capacity and insight needed to make decisions for themselves and don’t need outside saviors or solutions. 

Our three-pronged strength-based approach includes: 

1. Capital – direct cash investments 

2. Choice – freedom for families to use the cash as they see fit 

3. Community – a platform for people to build and strengthen their social networks 

To execute our approach, we built UpTogether, a technology platform that transfers cash investments directly into families’ bank accounts (or sends them a prepaid card if they prefer) and offers an interactive component for individuals to grow and strengthen their social networks, and support one another so they can move up together. 

We have proven that fostering social networks, honoring self-determination, and matching people’s efforts with unrestricted cash investments results in achieving significant progress toward social and economic mobility. Our focus now is on bringing this approach to philanthropic and government organizations throughout the country by encouraging the adoption of direct investment and the distribution of funds through our UpTogether platform. 

At FII, we work towards these values: 

● Impact: We seek to bring our strength-based approach to the 50M+ people struggling with poverty and their communities in this country. 

● Leadership: We value a culture where everyone is constantly learning and applying that learning to create solutions in partnership that can be tested and applied at scale. 

● Partnership: We invest in building partnerships of proactive communication and mutual trust within and outside of the organization.

● Equity: We create a community that embraces racial and gender equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we support the efforts of others to build such communities.

The Position 

FII is seeking a full-time Government Engagement Manager. The Government Engagement Manager will play an integral role within the Policy and Practice department and will be primarily responsible for implementation management of select government projects. 

This is a 1-year full-time (40 Hrs/Week) contract position. This is a 100% remote position (must be based in the United States). The successful candidate will have a solid internet connection and a functional work environment, including their own computer with video conferencing capabilities. Travel will not be required for this role. 

Reporting to the Director of Policy and Practice, this position requires a high level of attention to detail with the ability to perform and multitask effectively in a high volume and fast-paced remote environment across multiple time zones. 

Responsibilities: 

• Manage relationships with key partners as appropriate 
• In collaboration with the Director of Policy and Practice, finalize contracts. 
• In collaboration with Technical and Support teams, complete Funding Partner set-up on UpTogether platform. 
• Coordinate with funder(s), support team, and communication team to provide recruitment assistance to enroll members on UpTogether platform as needed. 
• Once a fund has been launched, support in-training fund partner on UpTogether reporting and provide standard and ad-hoc reports relative to funding (# draws, funding balance, etc.) and member outcomes (establishment of goals, progress toward goals, social capital interactions, etc.) as agreed upon in the contract.
• Serve as the first point-of-contact in all day-to-day matters, drawing upon organizational resources to satisfy requests as appropriate. 
• Maintain records of partner transactions using Salesforce.
• Write and/or edit grant proposals, LOIs, and interim reports replete with member stories, metrics, outcomes, and accompanying analyses as needed.
• Effectively uses project management tools and strategies to manage the implementation of projects of varying size and complexity, including planning, organizing, and managing resources to achieve specific project goals and objectives.
• Edits and reviews the written work of other professionals. 
• Facilitates or contributes to meetings with key external stakeholders.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Attributes & Skills 

● Interest in working in an organization that continuously evolves and changes, requiring flexibility and excitement for iteration. 

● Excellent communication skills, responding to internal and external needs in a timely manner, as well as listening, being thoughtful in your response, and setting clear expectations and boundaries internally and externally. 

● Comfortable interacting with a diverse group of stakeholders and the public and a passion for building relationships with people of different backgrounds, including having conversations aimed at addressing erroneous stereotypes about low-income people and people of color, and shifting how they address poverty. 

● Ability to work independently and as a member of a team. 

● Ability to self-manage and work remotely. 

● Familiarity and comfort working on both administrative tasks (detail) and strategic planning (high-level). 

● Deep belief and trust in the innate capabilities of low-income families and communities. 

● Demonstrated leadership through learning, creating solutions, and accountability. 

● Keenly interested in learning from others 

● Working knowledge of MS Office, familiarity with Google applications. 

● Project management and organizational skills 

● 4-year college degree 

● Experience with CRM a plus, specifically Salesforce 

● Experience working with government a plus 

Compensation 

This is a 1-year contract (1099) position with the possibility of extension. Compensation range is $70,000-$90,000. 

Inclusion Statement 

At FII, we strive to create a community that embraces equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we support the efforts of others to build such communities. We are committed to an inclusive work environment and are intentional about seeking a diverse pool of candidates that represents the communities with which we work. 

FII is committed to the principles of equal employment. We create a diverse work environment and do 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.

To Apply* 

To be considered for this exciting opportunity, please submit a resume and cover letter via email, with the subject line “Government Engagement Manager” to jobs@fii.org. Your cover letter should outline how your work personal and/or work history will contribute to the mission of FII. The application deadline is January 31, 2021. *Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.