Associate Director, Advisory Services

Arabella Advisors; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Arabella Advisors seeks a client service professional who blends strong project and client management with a deep commitment to equity. You will oversee a portfolio of four to seven client projects, guiding strategy development through implementation, grantmaking, and learning from outcomes.

You will work across business development, internal strategy, and DEI initiatives, coordinating teams, building relationships, and ensuring high-quality deliverables.

Qualifications

• At least 5 to 7 years of professional experience with increasing responsibilities.
• Experience in business, philanthropy, public policy, nonprofit management, or consulting and a commitment to social impact.
• Excellent interpersonal and written/oral communication skills.
• Ability to lead complex projects, meet deadlines, and manage client expectations.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all engagements.

Responsibilities

• Serve as project manager on a portfolio of client projects, ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery.
• Develop scopes of work and manage project teams including junior and senior staff.
• Facilitate research, interviews, data analysis, and high-quality reports and presentations.
• Maintain active client engagement and communicate progress and findings.
• Lead business development efforts and support proposal design and pricing.
• Contribute to internal strategy, team objectives, and staff mentorship, with a DEI lens.

Skills

Project management

Client management

DEI knowledge

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Team leadership

Research and analysis

Time management

Proposal development

Job description

We are looking for a candidate who is enthusiastic about working with clients seeking to achieve impact in a wide range of issue areas—from early childhood education, to closing the racial wealth gap, to global water and sanitation—by partnering every step of the way from initial strategy development to implementation and grantmaking to learning from the outcomes. You will need to be highly organized, bring exceptional project and client management skills, and be committed to centering equity in every engagement. You are someone who understands that long-term, systemic change requires a deep understanding of the complex logistics of impact, including when and how to move the human, financial, and even intellectual resources needed to accomplish a goal.

Client Service (60-80%)

• Project Management &Oversight: Serve as project manager on a portfolio of four to seven client projects ensuring client experience, meetings, and deliverables meet or exceed client expectations; specific duties will vary based on the type of project but are likely to include:
• Developing and managing the project scopes of work, ensuring the project remains on time and on budget and making adjustments to team activities and priorities as needed
• Managing project teams, including working with and delegating to both junior and senior staff
• Implementing the core activities of the project which could include conducting research and interviews, analyzing data, facilitating learning and collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and developing high-quality reports and presentations
• Engaging the client throughout the project including clearly communicating project progress and findings
• Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong client and internal relationships
• Project Team Development: In the context of project work, lead by example in creating an inclusive team dynamic where everyone’s voice is valued, delegate effectively to project team members, and provide support and training to help team members develop their skills and talent
• Application of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lens: Ensure the team is applying DEI principles to the scope of work, asking at all phases: “What can we be doing to build more equitable processes and achieve more equitable outcomes?”

Business Development and Marketing (5-20%)

• Proposal Development: Serve as proposal manager on assigned advisory proposals, including leading on scope design and pricing
• Support Arabella’s business development team in identifying and pitching new opportunities with current or prospective clients

Internal Projects (5-20%)

• Internal Strategy & Team Objectives: Contribute to the development, implementation, and management of key components of the team’s or firm’s strategic plan, annual objectives, and key business performance metrics
• Participate in training and learning activities throughout the year
• Contribute to the professional growth and satisfaction of junior staff by providing appropriate direction, support, guidance and mentorship on project work and by promoting a firm culture that centers DEI; Develop and share relevant skills and issue-area expertise

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

• At least 5 to 7 years of professional experience with steadily increasing job responsibilities
• Experience in business, philanthropy, public policy, nonprofit management, and/or consulting and a commitment to social impact
• Strong project management skills to drive projects to completion, including the ability to lead complex projects, establish and manage workplans, oversee and delegate to team members, and meet deadlines
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Strong organizational and research skills and an understanding of how to gather, analyze, and synthesize diverse information from written documents and interviews
• Excellent interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and ability to build positive relationships with a range of philanthropic clients
• Strong written and oral communication skills, an ability to adapt style, tone, and content to meet various needs, coach teammates on crafting content, synthesize large amounts of information on the page
• Proven ability to work inclusively with diverse teams, audiences, and stakeholders to achieve shared goals, including excellent teamwork, relationship building, customer service, and strong facilitation skills
• The ability to provide excellent service, including being able to address complex service matters, implement and communicate service changes to everyone involved, and to coach teammates on how to apply the firm’s service standards
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team
• The ability to use available resources and feedback to continually develop mastery in your role and facilitate team and project-level learning, including coaching others
• Experience with organizational design, organizational development, or people practices is a benefit
• Other preferred skills and experience:
• At least 1 year of consulting experience preferred
• Arabella Advisors is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to racial equity. If we can make the application process easier through accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know.
• We encourage you to read (or listen to) our DEI statement prior to applying. We make a particular effort to recruit people of color and members of marginalized groups to apply for open positions. Once you have applied, we welcome your feedback on how you have experienced our values around DEI in the recruitment process.
• While Arabella is open to individuals from various locations applying to join our team, please note that we generally are unable to pay for relocation expenses, and all applicants must already be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of application to be considered for this position.
• We will review applications as they are received and look forward to hearing from you.