Why Work Here?

Richmond Community Foundation’s goal is to create healthy, sustainable communities in Contra Costa County. We believe in the Theory of Change, in which we identify a realistic long-term goal and consider what conditions need to be in place to reach it. The majority of our long-term goals entail measuring and tackling social and economic challenges that local residents face.

We take our community’s issues seriously, and are continuously searching for concerned listeners, earnest thinkers, capable communicators, talented problem-solvers, and devoted professionals who want to learn, grow and most importantly, make the communities of Contra Costa County healthy and sustainable for the people who work, live and thrive here.

A career at RCF offers countless opportunities, an empowered workforce and a supportive environment.  We pride ourselves in recognizing our associates’ and teams’ successes in our goal to solve our community’s most urgent concerns.

When you join RCF, you’ll find a culture where every person is a vital part of the solution and an essential voice of the community.  We aim to be a safe place for anyone on our staff to learn, explore and grow.  Ultimately, we strive to generate tangible results that will change the way our entire community works, lives and succeeds.

JOB OPENINGS

Policy, Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager, EO

Collapse Expand

Ensuring Opportunity is a “big-tent” initiative that brings together diverse sectors, stakeholders, and interests to engage in policy advocacy and systems change to address the root causes of poverty and injustice. Our mission will be fulfilled when all Contra Costa residents have the resources they need to support themselves and their loved ones, and have a powerful voice in shaping local political, cultural and economic systems.

We believe that poverty is not inevitable and can be eradicated by our collective actions. We hold that equity and justice must be at the center of our public systems, especially those serving residents who are struggling to make ends meet. Founded five years ago, Ensuring Opportunity’s strength resides in our proven ability to bring diverse groups together to identify shared interests and create strategies for meaningful change.

Position Description:

The Policy, Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager will work with a small team at RCF Connects, reporting to the Senior Director for Ensuring Opportunity. The work culture is both autonomous and deeply collaborative, with a strong commitment to building and modeling inclusiveness and belonging. The right candidate will be deeply committed to equity and fairness, and equally comfortable working independently and in partnership with others, and interested in systemic solutions to institutional racism and other unjust social and economic structures.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy Development

  • Provide thought leadership/partnership to Ensuring Opportunity’s Senior Director, Leadership Team, key allies and stakeholders in formulating Ensuring Opportunity’s goals, priorities, and strategic approach.
  • Link policy issues and cross-inform/engage the various issues, sectors, geographic regions and coalitions in which Ensuring Opportunity participates.

Project Management – examples include:

  • Coordinate key Ensuring Opportunity housing strategies, including our annual Contra Costa Housing Summit, and development of a countrywide housing needs assessment.
  • Organize town halls, forums and other community engagement events, often in partnership with coalitions or specific partners.

Coalitions and Community Advocacy:

  • Lead or participate in local, county and regional coalitions that advocate for systems/policy changes in one or more of Ensuring Opportunity’s key policy areas, including economic security, housing, health, community safety, food security, immigrant protections, and budget justice.
  • Support the engagement and leadership of residents — as service consumers and/or community advocates — who are engaged with Ensuring Opportunity’s policy focus areas.

Communications and Community Engagement:

  • Work with Ensuring Opportunity’s Senior Director and RCF Connect’s Director of Marketing & Communications to develop strategies to support EO’s planned focus on challenging and changing common narratives around poverty and injustice in Contra Costa, with an over-arching goal of shifting community members’ and policymakers’ focus from individual behaviors to systemic failures and root causes.
  • Support and implement messaging strategies to educate and engage people who are “not yet in the tent” —  but are still persuadable — regarding our stance that poverty can be addressed through system/policy shifts.
  • Work with EO’s Senior Director to prepare regular updates to the Leadership Team, RCF Staff and external partners and stakeholders.

Supervison:

  • Recruit, train and support the learning experience of program interns (high school/university)

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

  • At least three years of experience (paid position and/or as a community advocate) in one or more of Ensuring Opportunity’s policy areas, including housing affordability, health access, food security, education, community safety, budget justice, and/or immigrant protections.
  • Commitment to achieving economic and racial equity for all residents of Contra Costa.
  • Experience working in/with diverse communities.
  • Demonstrated commitment to changing systems and policies in order to address root causes of poverty.
  • Strong understanding of the intersectionality of the policy and systems issues that Ensuring Opportunity is working to address. Capacity to work within and across multiple issues and systems.
  • Understanding of institutional and structural racism and bias, and the impacts on historically underserved and underrepresented communities.
  • Cultural humility to work effectively with a team of ethnically and racially diverse colleagues and board members.
  • Experience in building strong working relationships with diverse constituencies, such as public system leaders, low-income communities, service providers, elected officials, businesses, labor representatives, community-based and base-building organizations, faith communities, academic institutions, and regional and statewide policy organizations.
  • Experience working effectively in coalitions.
  • Systems thinker who can spot trends, connections, and opportunities.
  • Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
  • Deep curiosity, open to learning, a quick study
  • Strong emotional intelligence and good judgment.
  • Access to reliable transportation. (Significant local travel is required.)

(Please download the full job description for additional job requirements)

SALARY/Benefits

Salary range starts at $60,000; initial salary depends on experience.
This is an exempt, full-time position.
We offer a competitive benefits package, flexible work schedule, and professional/leadership development opportunities.

Download the full JOB DESCRIPTION & QUALIFICATIONS here.  The position will remain open until filled. Submit cover letter and resume to: Stacey Street, Chief Operations Officer (COO): sstreet@richmondcf.org

RCF Connects is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation.

Collapse Section

In addition to any openings above, you may send your resume as a general inquiry by clicking here.

Employees at RCF enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, competitive pay, retirement savings with employer match, paid time off, and work/life balance.