Strategy, Planning, and Operations Associate, Communications
NRDC is seeking a Strategic, Planning and Operations (SPO) Associate to work with the Communications team in our Chicago, New York, or Washington D.C. office.
Position Summary
The Strategy, Planning and Operations (SP&O) Associate will work closely with SP&O Director, the SP&O Lead for Capacities, and the Communications’ Operations Manager and others in their department to oversee and/or drive project management for strategy and operations, including sector performance management and metrics, finance, and accounting. The SP&O Associate will work under the guidance of the SP&O Director to implement change and process improvements, manage workflows, and create documents, templates and other materials. To enhance overall function effectiveness, the SP&O Associate will support the Capacities SP&O Lead with strategy work, communications and event planning, and will co-lead or support project plans.
The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035).
- Coordinate priority internal initiatives, including contributing to project plans and timelines, tracking key deliverables, managing work plan implementation through workflows such as in Asana, maintaining files on centralized drive, scheduling, and preparing agendas and takeaways for internal meetings.
- Plan meetings, including scheduling, crafting summaries, agendas, and task assignments; follow up with responsible parties to ensure accountability.
- Draft documentation, materials, and communications related to internal NRDC budgeting, fundraising, grants, vendor, and contract processes, reporting, and deadlines.
- Provide support for budgeting, including tracking project codes in trackers, tracking planned spending with project code managers, tracking spend down of grants with project code managers, and coordinating with team members.
- Act as point of contact for some internal HR, IT, and Workplace processes and compliance relating to recruitment, hiring, onboarding, office visits, and off-boarding, in coordination with the Operations Director.
- Draft internal communications plans and manage team processes, including file-sharing systems, under guidance from the SP&O or Operations Lead.
- Support activities or events related to Communications Dept and SP&O governance and team cohesion, including planning retreats or other activities and associated agenda planning and materials preparation.
- Provide support for strategy work, including creating reports, dashboards, and presentations on sector strategies and metrics, sector work plans and project metrics, sector performance management, impact tracking at sector level, etc.
- Bachelor’s Degree
- 1-3 years of directly related experience
- And/or equivalent education or experience
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Outstanding problem-solving skills, including the ability to proactively identify obstacles and propose solutions or recommendations to overcome them.
- Background in a Communications field preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to manage projects involving multiple people and deliverables, and to perform or quickly learn new tasks, systems, and technologies.
- Ability to prioritize and efficiently execute many tasks, follow institutional procedures, and work independently with meticulous attention to detail.
- Ability to work with a broad range of people on different projects.
- Experience in event planning.
- Strict adherence to confidentiality requirements and discretion with sensitive information.
- High proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), in addition to knowledge of or ability to learn accounting and finance systems, as well as relevant NRDC specific software and platforms.
- Competence with and commitment to diversity and inclusion; ability to be an effective partner with diverse colleagues, leaders and partners.
- Ability to occasionally travel to NRDC U.S. based offices, approximately 10% annually
- Ability to work outside of normal working hours as needed for special events or circumstances.
- Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles
We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.
To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs.
If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422.
For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.