Now Hiring: Democracy Associate

Third Plateau, a growing multi-disciplinary social impact strategy firm, is looking for a thoughtful, curious, self-directed professional to serve as an Associate on our democracy team. Third Plateau’s democracy team helps convene, connect, and advise funders, organizational leaders, scholars, opinion influencers, and other key stakeholders working to improve American democracy.

Under the guidance of one of Third Plateau’s Senior Directors, the Associate will be responsible for project and program management, research and writing, and communications and content creation for short- and long-term projects focused on protecting and sustaining democratic norms, values, and institutions in the United States. The Associate will support short-term client projects in our democracy portfolio, as well as two ongoing projects: 1) a cross-ideological learning and action community for funders concerned about the health of American democracy, and 2) a cross-ideological network and convening space through which civic leaders and influencers debate, envision, and realize a brighter future for American democracy. While this position is entirely dedicated to projects on the democracy team, the Associate will be an employee of Third Plateau and will work closely on discrete projects with members of our Strategy, Philanthropic Management, and Research, Evaluation, and Learning teams.

Top candidates will be effective project managers, curious learners, and intentional communicators (both verbally and in writing), as well as able to be open-minded and non-judgmental while working with people across a variety of identities and political ideologies in service of the greater democratic good.

Application Deadline: Rolling, first review in June 2022

Start Date: ASAP

Location: United States - any location in the continental U.S., with access to office space available in the Bay Area or Sacramento, California. Please note that being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment and Third Plateau, as we are not able to sponsor applicants for work visas at this time.

Starting Annual Salary (Non-Exempt): $65,000 (position will be eligible for annual bonus and salary increase after first year)

Benefits: In addition to collaborating with an incredible team of social impact professionals, benefits include:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Retirement plan with employer matching
• Regular high fives
• Generous paid time off
• Wellness program ($500/year)
• Dedicated professional development budget
• Cell phone and home internet reimbursement ($110/month)

The Associate will serve as an integral part of the Third Plateau team. Under the guidance of one of Third Plateau’s Senior Directors, the Associate will support the day-to-day operations for the company’s projects and clients focused on protecting and sustaining democratic norms, values, and institutions in the United States.

Potential duties include, but are not limited to:

1. Project and Program Management
   1. Manage internal coordination, information management, and collaborative work flow across a 6-person (and growing) democracy team;
   2. Provide project management support for discrete and ongoing internal and external projects;
   3. Manage network membership sign-up and renewal process, including database maintenance, member engagement, and donation processing; and
   4. Coordinate as needed with other teams at Third Plateau, including Research, Evaluation, and Learning and Finance.
2. Research and Writing
   1. Conduct desk research on democracy-related topics for client work or specific projects;
   2. Draft written materials for democracy-related projects, such as issue briefs, emails, landscape scans, donor briefs, etc.; and
   3. Stay abreast of relevant knowledge and trends related to democracy.
3. Communications and Content Creation
   1. Draft, edit, and format internal and external presentations, collateral, and other client deliverables/materials;
   2. Improve the visual quality of deliverables/materials through basic graphic design;
   3. Maintain and manage communications and event calendar;
   4. Draft and disseminate content for ongoing projects including emails, newsletters, and website copy; and
   5. Support event-related communications, including creating and managing online registration pages, drafting event descriptions, coordinating with speakers, and communicating event details and materials to attendees.
4. Coordination and Administrative Support
   1. Lead in aspects of event planning and project logistics;
   2. Schedule and coordinate internal and external meetings;
   3. Maintain and organize an online database, electronic files, and information systems; and
   4. Track network membership, event participation, donations, etc.

To be successful in this job, you will excel in the following key areas:

Organization
You stay on top of your work, take initiative without being asked, can handle many moving parts with ease, and have a habit of building sound processes where there were none before.

Attention to detail
You strive for quality and have a mind that can simultaneously focus on the big picture while also caring deeply about the smallest details of a project.

Communication
You are a strong and creative communicator. You can translate complicated information into accessible insights. You are able to “manage up” or laterally to ensure things get done.

Learning
We don’t expect you to know everything, but we do expect you to be a quick and perceptive learner and to acknowledge what you don’t know.

Relational
You collaborate effectively in a cross-functional team. You are relationship-oriented and able to build trust and goodwill with team members, partners, and clients.

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet, women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you're new to this field, returning to work after a gap in employment, looking to transition, or take the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your application to tell us about your interest in our field and what you hope to bring to this role.

If you are interested in applying, please take some time to review who we are and our commitment to DEI. After learning about us, submit your application by clicking the “Apply Now” button at the top of this page, with the first review starting June 2022. The application form cannot save your progress, so please complete in one sitting as your progress will be lost if you navigate away before submitting.