Director, Native Community Finance

Summary

Rise Economy is seeking a full-time Director to lead our Native Community Finance efforts with Tribes and Native organizations to facilitate access to capital for community investment in California. This is a full-time, exempt position with full benefits. based within California, with a preference for the Central Valley.

Rise Economy reimagines systems ofcapital that reverse the legacy of redlining and ongoing structural racism. We accomplish this mission by simultaneously working within the current economy to ensure low-income communities, Tribes, Native American and Communities of Color can benefit from the current economy, while recognizing its extractive nature and building alternatives in which capital is redistributed and these communities hold power.

Celebrating our 40th anniversary this year, Rise Economy is the largest statewide community reinvestment coalition in the country. Our members include Community Development Financial Institutions, affordable housing developers, land trusts, fair housing agencies, tenant rights organizations, financial counseling organizations, small business technical assistance providers, legal servicesagencies, and other community-based organizations.

Across California's Tribal Nations and Native and rural communities, the demand for capital continues to grow. The Tribes and Native organizations best positioned to deploy capital equitably are held back by structural barriers created by financial institutions that may not have the knowledgeneeded to serve their unique needs - nor the understanding to work with sovereign nations and Tribes that are not federally recognized.In addition, financial institutions have long created artificial barriers to invest in Tribes and Native organizations. The Director, Native Community Finance will play a critical role statewide to directly address this gap, support Tribesto access and deploy capital, and work with financial institutions to increase their investments.

The Position

The Director will significantly expand and deepen Rise Economy's relationships with Native communities and Tribes throughout California, with a focus on the Central Valley, supporting their efforts to hold banks

accountable for historic disinvestment and access capital from a variety of sources. The Director will also collaborate with other Rise Economy team members to

• Inform Rise Economy's programming and advocacy
• Build training and technical assistance cohorts
• Manage peer-to-peer exchange among leadersof Tribes, other Native communities and Rise Economy members on access to capital and community benefit negotiations with banks
• Engage Tribes and Native organizations in policy campaigns that create alternatives to extractive or inaccessible financial systems

Thisis a full-time exempt 40-hour-per-week remote position supervised by Rise Economy's CEO. Enrolled Tribe members are encouraged to apply. A valid Driver'sLicense and access to an insured vehicle for frequent travel to other parts of California are required. Overnight travel is required for conferences, retreats, or long travel days formeetings.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Represent Rise Economy and build relationships and trust with Native nonprofits, Native-serving organizations, federally recognized Tribes, and non-federally recognized Tribes throughout California

• Cultivate, grow, and sustaina base of Native community partners and Tribes through one-on-one meetings, convenings, engagement in Rise Economy campaigns, leadership development, and other outreach activities

• Build our coalition's knowledge base on economic inclusion by collecting stories and documenting existing Native and rural-serving financial infrastructure in the Central Valley and across California; capitalpathways, gaps, and underutilized opportunities; and funding and policy landscape trends affecting these communities
• Manage a new program of Rise Economy's Resilience Fund, piloting our community finance capacity building model with a statewide cohort of 5-8 leaders of Tribes and Native organizations

helping identifyand support their participation

• Collaborate with the Resilience Fund Director to facilitate and deliver structured peer learning, match Tribes and Native-led organizations with skills-based technical assistance, and provide hands-on support to ready them to access and deploy capital to serve their communities

• Strengthen cross-functional collaboration by helpingdesign, implement, and facilitate Resilience Fund workshops and meetings, and organizing strategy sessions with Tribes and Native-led organizations on community economic development and policy issues

• Collaborate closelywith other Rise Economy staff to ensurethat Rise Economy'sstrategies and campaigns for economic inclusion are informed by and reflect the priorities of California Tribes and Native communities

• Facilitate conversations and relationship-building between Tribes and Native communities and banks to increase the flow of low-cost accessible capital

• Work collaboratively with Native organizations and Tribes, supporting their leadership development, developing their capacity to engage in policy advocacy efforts and community benefit negotiations with banks and storytelling

• Track all engagementin campaign and engagement spreadsheets and database

• Stay current with, and serve as a resource on federal and state policy developments that impact Tribes and other Native communities

• Develop and deliver programming focused on Tribes and Native communities at periodic Rise Economy statewide conferences

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum 5-7 years of community organizing/community engagement, and/or direct service experience with Tribes and Native communities (preferred) or lowto-moderate
• income and BIPOC communities
• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated excellence in project planning, management, and see-through to completion (Rise Economy uses Asana for project management)
• Demonstrated commitment to racial and economicjustice and the mission of Rise Economy
• Experience working with a diverse group of communitybased
• organizations, coalition building, and relationship building
• Demonstrated public presentation skills
• Demonstrated meeting and webinar facilitation skills(Rise Economy uses Zoom)
• "People person" with strong relational skills, thoughtfulness, emotional intelligence, and a respectful communication style
• Ableto adapt and gain trust in both community and corporate spaces
• Proven track record as a self-starter, ability to prioritize, and work both independently and as part of a team
• Enrolled membersof Tribes located within California are encouraged to apply
• Frequent travel to in-person meetings with Tribesand Native organizations, Rise Economy member organizations, partners, and local meetings is required.
• Travel to other parts of the State including overnight stays is also required.
• Valid driver's license and access to an insured vehicle is required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Existing relationships with California Tribes and Native communities strongly preferred
• Relationships with funders
• Policy development and advocacy skills
• Research and/or writingskills
• Social media skills
• CRM/database experience (Rise Economyuses EveryAction)

Compensation, benefits and culture:

This is a full-time, permanent position.The salary range is $100,000-$130,000 annually, depending on experience. Rise Economy provides generous time off, retirement benefits and medical and dental insurance for the employee and child dependents at no cost to the employee.

RiseEconomy provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. In addition to federal law requirements, Rise Economy complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.

To Apply:

Please submit a resume, cover letter and one relevant writing sample of your choice to jobs@rise-economy.org with "Director, Native Community Finance" in the subject line. Short-listed candidatesmay be asked for additional writing samples and references. Theposition is available until filled. No calls, please.

Rise Economy provides generous time off, retirement benefits and medical and dental insurance for the employee and child dependents at no cost to the employee.

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