Position description
The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a global Coalition of more than 150 organizations dedicated to advancing the forest, land, and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, Afro-descendant Peoples, and in particular the women within these groups. Members build on each other’s strengths, expertise, and geographic reach to achieve solutions more effectively and efficiently. RRI leverages the power of its global Coalition to amplify the voices of local peoples and proactively engage governments, multilateral institutions, and private sector actors to adopt institutional and market reforms that support the realization of rights.
RRI is coordinated by the Rights and Resources Group (RRG), a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC.
If you are passionate about working with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant Peoples to secure their rights; supporting women’s rights and governance; and combatting climate change, this could be the place for you. RRI does meaningful work to make a positive difference at the global, national, and local scale. For more information about our inclusive and purpose-driven work, check out our current openings.
People of color, people from Indigenous and local communities, women, and LGBTQ+ persons are strongly encouraged to apply.
Senior Associate, Coalition Governance and Engagement
The Senior Associate, Coalition Governance and Engagement, supports a wide array of national, regional and global networks and organizations to catalyze collaboration and stimulate thinking and action on RRI’s priorities and key areas of work.
The Senior Associate helps guide all functions of the program, including administrative, logistical and programmatic, and will undertake these duties in a systematic and precise manner, handling details carefully without compromising attention to big-picture goals. The Senior Associate maintains the flexibility to work in a highly dynamic environment of shifting priorities while ensuring that the work is completed within established deadlines. The ability to work collaboratively, collegially, and respectfully under pressure is essential, as well as ease in working in a high paced environment. The Senior Associate is expected to demonstrate cultural competence when engaging with a diverse and multilingual international group of networks and organizations, from Indigenous leaders to senior government officials. This position requires some international travel.
The Senior Associate should possess a basic familiarity and demonstrated interest in land rights, Indigenous rights, and/or environmental justice. They will need to quickly develop a thorough understanding of and be a voice for RRI and ensure the proper functioning and organization of its Secretariat. The individual must be ready to exercise judgment, discretion, and ownership of responsibilities based on overall guidance from the Program Director.
This position reports to the Director, Coalition and Strategic Networks (CSN).
This is a full-time position based in Montreal. Candidates must be legally eligible to work in Canada and be located in the Montreal metro area prior to the start date.
Applications will be accepted immediately and interviews conducted on a rolling basis.
Primary Responsibilities:
1. Coalition Management (30%)
- Ensure RRI has robust, inclusive, and transparent governance mechanisms, especially for its strategic planning processes and consultations.
- Manage communications and relationships with Partners, Fellows, and Collaborators, as well as other networks and constituencies. Propose tools, channels, processes, and strategies to improve communication flows and transparency within the Coalition.
- Design processes for community building that develop trust and collaboration. Propose solutions to resolve divergence in positions or objectives within the Coalition.
- Design meetings that are inclusive, relevant, and engaging for an international and multilingual audience, ensuring they encourage knowledge sharing and participation.
- Keep track of Partners, Collaborators, and Fellows’ activities, priorities, programs, and organizational changes.
2. Program Management (20%)
- Work with the CSN team to develop the program's objectives, budget, priorities, and overall strategies.
- Create and manage workplans for various CSN projects and events, using project management tools to keep track of tasks and deadlines.
- Contribute to donor reporting and monitoring and evaluation efforts, ensuring documents are prepared on time to reflect the program’s impacts and the decisions of the Coalition.
- Manage event and project budgets from initial estimates to expenditure tracking, to reporting.
- Contribute to the collective knowledge of the CSN team by proposing new ideas and ways of thinking, and socializing information that can improve our work, our understanding of the land rights sector, and contribute to our personal learning objectives.
3. Coordination of International Coalition Events (30%)
- Manage Coalition events (virtual or in-person) including facilitation, planning, logistics, implementation, participant travel (including visa arrangements), sourcing vendors, budget tracking, and reporting.
- Have a keen eye for quality assurance, participant care, and cost control.
- Manage all elements of event preparation and execution including development of invitations, concept notes, agendas, presentations, summaries, interpretation, and next steps.
- Manage communication and support to participants, engaging them at all stages from invitation to post-event follow-up, and ensure that response timelines are met, and that participants’ guidelines are followed by all parties.
4. Finance and Administration (20%)
- Provide general administrative support for the program, managing concept notes, contracts, deliverables, and payments.
- Ensure projects are on track, are completed in a timely fashion, and accurately reflect program/activity objectives.
- Liaise with consultants, service providers, and vendors ensuring compliance with RRI’s Finance & Administration processes.
5. Willingness to undertake other tasks as requested.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in international studies, international development, environment, human rights, social studies, or other relevant field. Master’s degree preferred but not required.
- 4-5 years of experience in community management, program administration, event management, logistics, project management or other relevant experience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication in English and either French or Spanish.
- Highly organized and detail-oriented, with ability to multi-task and prioritize competing demands to meet deadlines and objectives in both the short and long term.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a multicultural environment and liaise with a diverse array of collaborators, consultants, and stakeholders from across the globe, from local community leaders to senior government officials.
- Strong computer skills including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, basic Microsoft Excel. Internet savvy, knowledge of project management, budget tracking and other digital tools.
- Ability and willingness to travel overseas 3 to 4 times per year.
- Courteous and professional manner, with respect for all cultures and backgrounds, and a passionate commitment to social justice and human rights.
- Experience living/working abroad preferred.
Salary: Starting at $57,500 CAD, depending on experience
Application instructions
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