Program Associate, Managed Organizations (Durham, NC, or Chicago, IL)

Arabella Advisors; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Arabella Advisors seeks a Program Associate for the Managed Organizations team, supporting fiduciary sponsors and collaborating with internal teams to ensure timely deliverables. The role involves client meetings, financial and HR support, and process improvements across projects in a mission-driven environment.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor’s degree and at least two years of full-time experience, with strong MS Office skills and interest in philanthropy and nonprofit operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, plus a minimum of two years of full-time work experience.
• High level of computer proficiency, particularly with the Microsoft Office suite
• Experience or demonstrated interest in philanthropy, nonprofits, foundation operations and management

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary liaison between internal teams and fiscally sponsored nonprofit clients to ensure deliverables are completed in a timely and satisfactory manner.
• Facilitate client meetings, escalate requests, and solicit guidance to proactively solve issues.
• Maintain project management tools to monitor progress and keep stakeholders informed.
• Delegate project tasks based on junior teammates’ strengths, skills, and experience.
• Support financial management by preparing monthly reports, reviewing invoices, and submitting payments with proper coding.
• Support grant and contract management from RFPs to disbursements and reporting.
• Support HR processes for project staff, including new hires and benefits inquiries.
• Contribute to process improvement across the department and firm

Skills

MS Office proficiency

Philanthropy interest

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Program Associate, Managed Organizations (Durham, NC, or Chicago, IL)

ABOUT THE POSITION

Program Associates on the Managed Organizations “MO” team provide critical, holistic operational support to Arabella’s fiscally sponsored nonprofit organizations, including the New Venture Fund, the Windward Fund, and the Hopewell Fund—all 501(c)(3) public charities—and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4). These managed organizations house new and innovative public interest projects and nonprofits -- many focused on conservation, global health, and civic engagement -- as well as coordinate collaborative initiatives between donors and administer grants programs. This type of structure is commonly referred to as fiscal sponsorship, and candidates are highly encouraged to research fiscal sponsorship prior to a first interview.

Managed Organizations team members are deeply passionate about the role that smooth, efficient back-office organizational operations play in achieving social impact. Our colleagues are experienced and skilled in areas like non-profit (c3) and (c4) compliance, budgeting and finance, human resources, technology, and project management.

• With account manager support, serve as primary liaison between internal operational teams and a portfolio of fiscally sponsored nonprofit clients to ensure that deliverables are completed in a timely and satisfactory manner.
• Facilitate client meetings, direct and escalat**e** client requests to relevant internal teams, and solicit feedback and guidance from account managers to proactively solve complex issues.
• Maintain project management tools and trackers to monitor progress, facilitate team communication, and keep relevant stakeholders informed along the way.
• Delegate project tasks based on junior teammates’ individual strengths, skill sets, and experience levels.
• Support project financial management by pulling and formatting monthly financial reports for account manager review, reviewing vendor invoices, and submitting payment requests with accurate coding and documentation.
• Support grant and contract management by setting up requests for proposals, conducting due diligence, overseeing the signatory process, drafting contract and grant agreements, submitting payments for disbursement, and reviewing contractor and grantee reports.
• Support human resources processes for employees of charitable projects, including processing new hires, gathering documentation, and responding to benefits questions.
• Contribute to department- and firm-wide process improvement efforts focused on the development and implementation of more efficient processes, systems, and technology.

Program Associate Profile

While it is understood that no candidate will offer every desired skill and characteristic, the following offers a detailed, aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile:

Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree, plus a minimum of two years of full-time work experience. If you do not yet have two years of full-time work experience, consider applying instead to our Program Assistant opening when it’s posted on our website
• High level of computer proficiency, particularly with the Microsoft Office suite
• Experience or demonstrated interest in philanthropy, nonprofits, foundation operations and management