Community Manager

About REDF

REDF, we’re building an economy that works. For everyone.

We discover and back social entrepreneurs across the United States that employ people striving to overcome employment barriers like homelessness or incarceration.

These mission-driven businesses, called employment social enterprises, exist because they see untapped talent in their communities for the strengths they hold, not the barriers they’ve faced. That’s why REDF invests in their businesses, so we can help push their impact further, faster.

We pair our grantmaking with capacity-building support, create space for employment social enterprise leaders to learn together, and sponsor state and federal policies that help shift perspectives. Because we believe that our economy works best when it works for everyone.

Since 1997, REDF has invested in 238 social enterprises in 33 states and DC, helping over 84,000 people create a future where they can flourish.

The Role

Do you love social impact, business, philanthropy, and working hands-on with incredible entrepreneurs to change the trajectory of their social enterprises? This is the job for you!

Reporting to the Director of Community & Outreach and working in close collaboration with the Senior Manager of Community, the Community Manager will work on the Community team to help deepen our relationships with dozens of employment social enterprises (ESEs) across the country by listening, learning, and helping to build programming that is responsive to their needs. The REDF Community is comprised of social enterprises that are alumni and current participants of the core programs we offer – Growth Portfolio, RIIF Loan Portfolio, Accelerator, and LA:RISE. You will build relationships with the alumni to identify their ongoing needs, provide support via REDF resources, and connect them to peer organizations while advancing REDF’s equity commitments.

Through both relationship-building and learnings from the REDF Community Program, REDF will be looking to you to help answer the following question that continuously informs our work – how can REDF better support the leaders who are focused on improving the lives of their employees and positively impacting their communities?

The Responsibilities

Relationship Management

• Serve as relationship manager to social enterprises that have graduated from one of REDF’s core programs; focus on creating a sense of belonging and community for every social enterprise leader.
• Regularly conduct exploratory conversations to better understand their opportunities, challenges, and needs, of ESE leaders.
• Facilitate (either as primary or secondary host) cohort-based learning via affinity groups or communities of practice.
• Manage regular communications to the Community. Requires coordinating across teams to ensure all communications are getting to the SEs at the right time for them to take advantage of internal and external opportunities.
• Review data and information to make assessments and recommendations about SE readiness or ability to take advantage of Community benefits and other programs.
• Support the design and execution of Community team projects such as the Annual Community Retreat and online engagements utilizing various technology.
• Help increase engagement via various communication channels and help design new tools to continue to build a community of reciprocity. Ex. slack workshop, Community wiki.

Cross-team Collaboration

• While advocating on behalf of the social enterprises, collaborate with other teams to ensure equitable access to programs and offerings. Proactively work across teams to ensure smooth execution of programs and increase our value to the ESEs
• Seek out internal perspectives and resources to help with understanding and responding to the needs of the social enterprises.
• Support organizational-wide efforts to manage all outgoing communication to the Community.

Data & Learning

• Partner with Learning & Evidence team to capture data and feedback from SEs to assess whether activities lead to desired outcomes.
• Help identify opportunities to strengthen activities/ curriculum/ facilitation in support of impact goals.
• Assess and troubleshoot disparities in outcomes across all participants, specifically BIPOC leaders and those with lived experience.
• Ensure all activity is accurately tracked in Salesforce.

The Qualifications:

Required

• Communication: Strategic and thoughtful in use of communications as a tool to share knowledge, consult with others, collaborate, and drive effective decision-making; maintains a ‘customer service orientation’ with all communication; exhibits an open and supportive communication style that enables others to feel comfortable sharing information.
• Teamwork: Enjoy and thrive working within a collaborative team and looking for opportunities to work cross-team to improve work product and organizational outcomes. Are approachable, celebrate successes (both big and small) and bring a sense of humor with you to work.
• Relationship-building: Demonstrated ability to build one-on-one relationships virtually and in-person; a natural ‘connector’ who thinks opportunistically about how to connect people to each other and to resources.
• Judgment: Exercises good judgment especially in complex or sensitive situations; handles challenging situations with tact and empathy; always keeps social enterprise needs at the core of the work.
• Feedback & Growth Mindset: Proactively and consistently asks for feedback from internal and external stakeholders; utilizes feedback for programmatic and operational improvements.
• Autonomy & Decision-Making: Demonstrated ability to operate with autonomy; able to make decisions under conditions of ambiguity; able to identify and evaluate complicated trade-offs; ability to effectively ‘manage up’ – appropriately consults and seeks approval when needed.
• Dedicated to REDF’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Able to travel up to 15% of the time (once business travel resumes)
• 4-6+ years of relevant work experience; (MBA/MA is a plus)

Preferred

• Experience advising/coaching social entrepreneurs or social enterprises.
• Experience working within an ESE or on job training/creation programs.
• Experience creating events that focus on experiential learning or facilitating workshops
• Understanding of how to design for equity, belonging, and community, trust-based philanthropic principles, and/or participatory grant-making

The Culture

Every team member at REDF has an impact, with the ability to influence and iterate on our strategy. We balance autonomy with collaboration, leading with learning, and innovation with expertise. We listen, ask questions, and challenge the status quo and each other to uncover solutions that move us all to a better tomorrow.

REDF is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Our different experiences, backgrounds, and stories are our strength. We know that an equitable, inclusive, and diverse workplace makes us more effective, innovative and agile. We welcome and will consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status or arrest and conviction history. EEO is the Law. REDF welcomes all.

The Perks

• 13 paid holidays and ample vacation time
• A generous dollar-for-dollar retirement plan match up to 4% of your base compensation
• Opportunity to learn continuously by building your skills and broadening your perspectives at conferences, workshops, and more
• Competitive, comprehensive benefits package

Position Location and Pay Range:

San Francisco or Los Angeles preferred but open to remote. The salary range for this position is $97,560 – $119,700 and reflects San Francisco and Los Angeles-based positions. The range will be adjusted according to candidate’s location.

COVID Vaccine Requirement

Despite California’s movement towards herd immunity, low case rates, etc., the COVID-19 pandemic still exists at large. We have a responsibility to provide working conditions that mitigate any direct threat to the health and safety of our employees and others affiliated with REDF and the broader community. REDF employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are not able to receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, you may seek approval for accommodation through the Director of HR by emailing recruiting@redf.org (please include “Accommodation Request, Manager, Community” in the subject line). Our COVID-19 Vaccine Policy will adapt as we continue to review our obligations under Federal, state, and local laws.

Join Us!

Please submit your resume and cover letter via REDF’s applicant portal.