External Affairs Associate

About Compass

Compass is an innovative, mission-driven organization that supports families with low incomes to save for their future and access greater economic opportunity. We believe in our clients and in their ability to achieve their goals and dreams. We operate high-quality financial coaching and savings programs and pursue opportunities to shape the national approach to poverty through practice and policy change. Compass is also an emerging leader in a national effort to leverage housing assistance as a platform for economic mobility.

Our mission is to partner with families with low incomes to build assets as a pathway out of poverty. We focus on reaching families led by Black and/or Latina women.

About the Job

The External Affairs Associate provides comprehensive operational support across Compass's External Affairs department, including development, communications, and policy teams. This position plays a crucial role in maintaining efficient departmental operations while supporting various fundraising, communications, and policy initiatives.

The External Affairs Associate reports to the Director of Development, Corporations & Foundations.

Primary Responsibilities

Development Operations

• Manage a small portfolio of funders making grants of up to $25,000
• Track grant deadlines and requirements
• Prepare and submit smaller grant proposals (<$25,000)
• Complete routine grant reports
• Communicate with funders between deadlines to share project and organizational updates and address questions
• Process and record all donations and grants
• Manage routine donor acknowledgments and communications
• Support database management through regular data entry and basic maintenance
• Generate standard reports and track department metrics
• Monitor pledge payment schedules
• Support preparation of basic communications materials
• Manage shared development email inbox

Vendor & Operations Management

• Directly manage relationships with key operational vendors
• Oversee print and mailing services vendors
• Process invoices and maintain vendor documentation
• Monitor vendor performance and resolve issues
• Support execution of print and direct mail campaigns
• Support team members in managing other vendor and contractor relationships
• Assist with contract administration and tracking
• Help coordinate vendor schedules and deliverables
• Support vendor payment processing

Department Administration

• Maintain department's digital filing system and organizational structure
• Support development and policy teams with meeting scheduling
• Manage shared email inboxes

Event Support

• Assist with logistics and planning
• Manage RSVPs and attendee communications
• Support materials preparation and setup
• Track event budgets and expenses
• Assist with virtual event platform management

Communications Support

• Assist with basic marketing and communications tasks
• Support website updates and social media scheduling
• Assist with email campaign logistics
• Help organize and maintain digital assets
• Triage inbound messages on Compass FSS Link Policy Hub platform

Qualifications and Skills

Required

• 2+ years of administrative or operational support experience
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Experience with website content management systems (ideally WordPress)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple priorities
• Professional demeanor and strong interpersonal skills
• Experience managing vendor relationships

Preferred

• Experience in nonprofit sector
• Experience with database management (ideally Salesforce)
• Experience with event planning
• Experience managing print and direct mail vendors
• Familiarity with social media platforms
• Experience with grant writing and reporting
• Knowledge of standard accounting procedures

Equal Opportunity Statement

Compass Working Capital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider applications for all positions, without regard to age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compass Working Capital is committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities receive the accommodations required for them to interview for a position on our team. Should you require accommodations, please contact hr@compassworkingcapital.org.

As a contractor of Boston Housing Authority, Compass also provides hiring preference to Section 3 residents. Section 3 Residency is defined as being an authorized resident of Boston Housing Authority or a "low-income resident" of the Boston Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Suffolk, Norfolk, Middlesex, Essex, Plymouth, Strafford (NH), and Rockingham (NH) Counties.

As a contractor of Philadelphia Housing Authority, Compass also provides hiring preference to Section 3 residents. Section 3 Residency is defined as being an authorized resident of Philadelphia Housing Authority or a "low-income resident" of the area where the HUD assisted project is located.

For the purposes of Section 3, "low-income" is defined as 80% of the Area Median Income. To learn more information about Section 3 income eligibility, please refer to the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Website (https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il.html).

The salary range for this role is $47,170 to $56,445. We'll promote your professional growth and development by providing access to a competitive salary and benefits package and additional employee benefits that include but are not limited to:

• Healthcare: medical, dental, vision: Compass covers up to 80% of employee premiums and 80% for dependents. There is no waiting period to enroll in health insurance.
• Retirement plan: 401(k) & 3% match
• Parental Leave: Employees who have been employed for at least three (3) months are eligible to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. *Employee must be with the organization for six (6) months to receive up to six (6) weeks of full pay from the organization.
• Life insurance & disability Insurance
• Paid time off: Employees receive up to X wellness days per calendar year, plus the final week of the calendar year off as an organizational wide holiday. All employees enjoy a two-hour early closure starting the Friday after Memorial Day through the week of Labor Day.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Professional development & certification
• Pretax commuter benefits
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Office closed the final week of calendar year
• Equipment: $200 onetime stipend for work from home expenses
• Internet Reimbursement: Up to $40 per month for personal internet expenses