Senior Consultant, Advisory Services (TF)

Taproot Foundation; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Taproot Foundation is seeking a Senior Consultant, Advisory Services to lead pro bono strategies for corporate clients and capacity-building for nonprofits. You will manage a portfolio of engagements, drive field-building initiatives, and coach team members across projects and events.

This full-time exempt role requires travel (~10-20%) with start as soon as possible. You will contribute to strategic planning and help build Taproot’s advisory services practice across key stakeholders.

Qualifications

• You are passionate about – and have demonstrated experience in – client services, field building, nonprofit capacity building, and management.
• You are a strategic builder and communicator. You’ve worked with corporate and/or nonprofit leaders on a day-to-day basis.
• You are an expert people manager. You know talent when you see it and you can help people develop their strengths.
• You are always looking for the next challenge, are charged up by an entrepreneurial opportunity, and take ambiguity in stride.
• You are naturally curious, creative, and want to build something. You love ideas, talking to people and building a deep understanding of what they do.
• You have an exceptional track record of successful client and relationship management in a service industry. You have 7+ years of professional experience of which at least 4 years of experience are in a relevant consulting or professional services function.

Responsibilities

• You manage a portfolio of 6-9 engagements, ensuring work is completed on time, in scope, and at the highest level of quality.
• You lead particularly unique or challenging engagements requiring adept consulting skills and extensive pro bono expertise.
• You lead internal project teams to support your portfolio of projects, coaching teammates as needed.
• You lead the development of resources that help build the field of pro bono, including tools and original research.
• You attend, present at, and/or host community engagement events to build networks in our four cities.

Skills

Client services

Field building

Nonprofit capacity building

Management

Strategic communicator

People management

Entrepreneurial mindset

Creative

Job description

Senior Consultant, Advisory Services (TF)

Posted on May 27, 2019

THE ADVISORY SERVICES TEAM

As trusted advisors and expert pro bono practitioners, Taproot’s Advisory Services team enables and delivers the highest quality pro bono service to social good organizations, and in doing sosetsthestandard of excellence for the field by demonstrating, innovatingonand sharing pro bono best practices.

The Advisory Services team provides:

• Pro Bono Strategy & Advisement: We design and develop pro bono programs that maximize the impact potential of our clients, including companies, foundationsand other institutions.
• Pro Bono Program Delivery: We implement pro bono programs that connect social good organizations and skilled volunteers by leveraging our extensive pro bono expertise
• Pro Bono Field Building: We develop tools and resources that enable pro bono users and practitioners to provide high quality pro bono services and share them with the field through convenings or thought leadership

THE SENIOR CONSULTANT ROLE

As a Taproot Senior Consultant, you are a pro bono subject matter expert who is equally adept at advising corporate clients about their pro bono strategies as you are at advising nonprofits about their capacity-building needs. You are a natural leader who thrives when you’re presented with a challenge to solve. You have experience as a people manager and are looked to as a leader on the team. You expertly translate your background and work experience into ideas and opportunities that push the team’s work to the next level.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Service Delivery

• You manage a portfolio of 6-9 engagements, ensuring that work is completed on time, in scope, and at the highest level of quality. Your portfolio includes strategy and advisement work, program implementation, and/or field building projects, and could include engaging a range of stakeholders, including corporate clients, foundation funders, or strategic partners in addition to social change organizations and volunteers.
• You lead particularly unique or challenging engagements that require adept consulting skills and an extensive understanding of pro bono service.
• You lead internal project teams to support your portfolio of projects, as needed, helping to ensure teammates are effectively utilized and coached on their performance.

Field Building

• You lead the development of resources that help build the field of pro bono. Resources could include tools, presentations, or original research that equip pro bono practitioners and users with best practices and insights. Resource development will require partnering with Partnerships and Marketing & Communications and may include co-developing content with third party organizations and partners.
• You attend, present at, and/or host community engagement events that build and educate key networks in our four cities, including corporate pro bono practitioners, social good organizations, and skilled volunteers. You may represent Taproot at external convenings or conferences.

Practice Management

• You may manage direct reports who look to you for coaching, professional development, and support. You are accountable for their professional growth and engagement, ensuring that they are able to thrive in their roles. You lead internal training and professional development opportunities for teammates to help build skills and encourage continuous learning.
• You contribute to the performance measurement and management of the Advisory Services team. This includes tracking and evaluating trends in our performance data and helping to make decisions and initiate new projects that improve our team infrastructure and approach.
• You contribute to the extensive pro bono knowledge base that Taproot has built by sharing key learnings, best practices, and innovations with the rest of the Taproot team. This could include collaborating with other Taproot teams and departments to develop or execute on a shared strategy or initiative.
• You help guide and inform the strategic direction of Taproot’s Advisory Services team by participating in strategic planning and implementation. This includes helping to assess team performance and supporting internal initiatives and decision-making that help build and support our practice.
• You support business development for the Advisory Services team, helping to cultivate and manage key client and funder relationships. This includes serving as the lead relationship manager for key stakeholders, helping to develop strategies to build and develop partnerships, drafting proposals and scopes of work, and contributing to new business pitches to clients or funders. In some cases, you may lead business development activities with the guidance of Market Leads.

REQUIREMENTS

Experience and Competencies

• You are passionate about – and have demonstrated experience in – client services, field building, nonprofit capacity building, and management. You understand the impact pro bono service can have in making positive social change, and you thrive in a fast-paced work environment that demands a high-standard of excellence.
• You are a strategic builder and communicator. You’ve worked with corporate and/or nonprofit leaders on a day-to-day basis. You can design, develop, and implement highly strategic programs. You understand and can persuasively communicate the value that pro bono can offer to our various stakeholders and are trusted to do so on behalf of Taproot in various settings. You are a dynamic presenter and facilitator with a strong presence.
• You are an expert people manager. You know talent when you see it and you can help people develop their strengths and identify their opportunities for growth. You enjoy coaching others and are effective at fostering a culture of giving and receiving feedback among your direct reports.
• You are always looking for the next challenge, are charged up by an entrepreneurial opportunity, and take ambiguity in stride. You’re not afraid of a sticky situation – you methodically work your way through challenges and appreciate the opportunity to learn throughout the process.
• You are naturally curious, creative, and want to build something. You love ideas, talking to people and building a deep understanding of what they do – from HR professionals to data scientists, you want to understand the work they do. You’re excited by the challenge of figuring out how you can build programs that are maximized for impact.
• You have an exceptional track record of successful client and relationship management in a service industry. You have 7+ years of professional experience of which at least 4 years of experience are in a relevant consulting or professional services function.

This full-time exempt position will require moderate travel (~10-20%). The start date for this role is asap. Compensation and benefits are competitive for the sector and commensurate with experience.