Development Director & Projects Manager for Zero Waste Humboldt

Zero Waste Humboldt is pleased to announce that we are recruiting for this position. We are looking for an entrepreneurial, goal-oriented person who is enthusiastic about our mission and ready to work with the board on capacity-building and is strong in project management. See position announcement below and attached.
ZERO WASTE HUMBOLDT

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR/PROJECTS MANAGER

Position Posted:  March 29, 2021

Position Closure: May 10, 2021 or until filled.

About Zero Waste Humboldt
The field of sustainable materials management and Zero Waste is rapidly growing. Zero Waste Humboldt (ZWH) is the only organization on California’s northwest corner that specializes solely on waste reduction solutions. Inspired by the Redwood Coast’s natural beauty and cultures, we educate the public, provide technical assistance and training, and advocate for sustainable materials management and Zero Waste policies. Our sense of urgency to conserve natural resources and fight climate change drives us to target all single use and wasteful products and packaging with proactive waste prevention strategies. Our public education campaigns create behavior change — not “green marketing happy talk.” Bouncing back from COVID19, we are looking for an enthusiastic, goal-oriented person to provide climate action leadership in creating winning conditions, partnerships, progressive policies, and on-the-ground measurable projects to reduce waste in Humboldt County. A 501(c )3 nonprofit corporation, ZWH is governed by a board of directors representative of local communities. It has become known among rural regions across the U.S. for its grassroots organizing and leadership development approach to Waste Prevention, Reuse Systems, and integrating recyclables into the region’s economy.

Job Summary: The Development Director/Projects Manager is a dynamic, entrepreneurial, goal-oriented professional who will provide leadership to ZWH through organizational capacity building, fund development, event planning, and project management. This will start as a part-time position with potential for increased hours and growth based on funding availability. ZWH has a convenient downtown Arcata office for this position to work with COVID19-safe conditions, or work-from-home may be negotiated.

Responsibilities:  The Development Director/Projects Manager (DevDir/ProjMgr) will work under supervision of the ZWH Board President and report to the President or their designee. The DevDir/ProjMgr, will oversee the regular performance of ZWH projects’ scope of work and scheduled deliverables, remain confidential in all aspects of the position, and work closely with the Board of Directors on fundraising opportunities to support ZWH’s mission through events, major donor development, business sponsorships, and grants.

Specifically, there are three main areas of responsibility for this position:  

10% – Administration and Organization Development

1. Manage the ZWH office records, digital filing system, and space.
2. Maintain communications with the ZWH Board, bookkeeper, and community partners, including virtual meetings.
3. Supervise interns, volunteers, and contractors working on ZWH projects.
4. Provide support to the Board of Directors and their committees to inform and prepare them for decision-making.
5. Recruiting, coordinating and scheduling volunteers as needed.

30% – Fund Development with the Board

1. Develop and maintain major donor relations through database development and regular communications.
2. Support the Board with in-person and virtual Event Planning, promotion, organizing and evaluation: Annual ZeroHeroes Night, movie nights, ZW speaker series, and ZW training events, etc.
3. Assist the Board with 2 fundraising letters per year and prepare a quarterly eNewsletter.
4. Assist the Board to seek foundation and government grants, meet with prospective funders as needed, and work collaboratively with partners and the ZWH team to plan strong projects and prepare competitive proposals to support ZWH work.

60% – Project Management

1. Oversee the project management lifecycle: initial project design with a clear scope of work and goals, measurable work objectives, and timeline schedule for deliverables. Understand and communicate the financial and human resources necessary to accomplish each project, and end-of-project evaluation and dissemination. Delegate to and supervise interns, contractors, and staff working on project tasks to ensure quality and timely completion.
2. Together with a ZWH Board Member, negotiate with grantors and clients the terms, timeline, and conditions for grants and contracts to support ZWH projects.
3. Ensure that all key stakeholders — clients, collaborating partners, and the general public – experience professionalism and service excellence in all interactions with ZWH.
4. Develop written outreach materials, including articles for EcoNews, local print media, local newsletters, and national media/publications, as needed.
5. According to ZWH social media policy and procedure, frequently post to Instagram, Facebook, and other social media as necessary to inform the public of Zero Waste issues and to promote ZWH’s work and events.
6.    Provide technical support to Humboldt County fairs, festivals and large events in integrating Zero Waste Method into their event planning and operations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or at least four years of equivalent work experience
• Strong project management and people/time management
• Demonstrate measurable fundraising success

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong organizational skills: develop strategy, create systems, solve problems, as a collaborative team member for smooth project implementation and ZWH organization operations.
• Ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economy, society, environment) into all aspects of performing job duties.
• Ability to work independently with general supervision to accomplish assigned tasks.
• Ability to establish and foster communication within a team by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere with a diverse population of project personnel and community partners from varied cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to recognize and accommodate changing priorities, as communicated by a supervisor, in order to meet short and long-term deadlines/goals.
• Excellent, clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in use of computers and tablets as well as basic software programs such as:

Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite including: Word, Excel, and Google Drive.

Experience or the ability to learn and use nonprofit CRM database management for donors, volunteers, and specific projects. Able to learn Wordpress website and new Facebook and Instagram tools.

• Accurate keyboarding at 45+ WPM

Experience in securing grant funding, proficiency to write public education materials in Spanish, and a working knowledge of Zero Waste principles and methods are desired but not required.

Compensation:  The starting wage is $16 – $20/hour, depending on experience. This position may be filled by an employee or by an independent contractor.

How to Apply:  Please submit a cover letter with date available to start work, résumé, and contact information for three professional references on PDF file by email to [email protected] .  Include “Your name – ZWH DevDir-ProjMgr” in the subject line of your email.