ABOUT THE NOVO FOUNDATION

NoVo Foundation acts from the original meaning of philanthropy: the love of humanity.

The Foundation is dedicated to catalyzing a global social transformation away from current cultures of domination and their reliance on hierarchy, violence, and the subordination of girls and women. 

NoVo believes a new code of behavior is possible, where we are all linked and not ranked. We envision a balanced world that’s governed by principles of mutual respect, collaboration, and civic participation, and that our contribution is to help create the conditions for that new code to arise, and inspire others to join them. We seek pivot points in society – such as adolescent girls and local economies – where support and resources can have long-lasting and wide-ranging positive impact. We see violence against girls and women as a fundamental enforcer of oppression and work to eradicate its presence. 

The scale of these ambitions guides our investment strategies. Ours is both risk capital and patient capital; experimentation and new thinking are critical paths forward. Seeing the world as it is, and as it could be, inspires our voice. Through all of our activities, we try to illuminate the possibility of a new paradigm, gather evidence of its existence, and establish pathways for its manifestation. We are humbled and honored to contribute to building a world based on peace, compassion, justice, and love. 

Jennifer and Peter Buffett are the co-presidents of the Foundation and have articulated the vision and values that guide its work.

For further details about the mission and vision of the NoVo Foundation please visit www.novofoundation.org.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are hiring for two Initiative Associates, one to work on our Initiative to Advance Adolescent Girls’ Rights and the the other to work on our Initiative to End Violence Against Girls and Women. We are recruiting for both roles at the same time and will consider candidates for both roles until the later stages of the hiring process.

Each Initiative Associate, reporting to the Director, will support the grant-making function of one Initiative as well as manage strategic projects, engage in the development and ongoing implementation of the NoVo portfolio, and provide administrative support.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:

Grantmaking

• Supporting Program Officers and Director in the management of grants from solicitation through assessment, recommendation, and presentation to Grants Committee.
• Organizing information relevant to grant recommendations, including writing proposal summaries and preparing accompanying materials for presentation at Grants Committee meetings.
• Supporting and participating in monitoring designated approved grants through site visits and reporting on grantee progress.
• Monitoring programmatic and budgetary goals.
• Recording meetings with grantee partners and assisting with any necessary follow-up.

Research, strategy, and learning

• Serving as a thought partner to the Director and Program Officers in strategic planning and monitoring of programmatic and budgetary progress.
• Conducting research and remaining up-to-date on issues, strategies, and funding within the Initiative.
• Participating in and reporting on meetings and telephone consultations with prospective and current grantee partners, other funders, and stakeholders in the field of women’s and girls’ rights.
• Participating in and reporting on events and activities such as conferences and affinity group meetings that will help strengthen and promote the goals of the NoVo Foundation.
• Developing and maintaining a filing system for the Initiative, including general information on current, past, and prospective grantee partners.

Administration

• Drafting and proofreading correspondence for the Initiative, including declinations of funding requests.
• Creating external and internal documents for the Initiative.
• Preparing and managing the submission of expense reports for the Initiative team.
• Assisting with meeting preparation, photocopying, filing, and other administrative responsibilities as necessary.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE

who brings…

• Familiarity, passion, and demonstrated commitment to the NoVo Foundation’s mission and vision, a dedication to girls’ and women’s rights, and an explicit racial justice lens.
• 3-5 years of relevant professional experience working to advance the rights of women and girls or on related social justice issues.
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional analytical skills.
• Comfort with quantitative data, budgets, and financial information.
• Rigorous attention to detail, methodical, swift, and accurate.
• A pro-active, collaborative attitude.

who is...

• Emotionally intelligent and able to build strong relationships that inspire openness and trust.
• Intellectually curious, insightful, and resourceful.
• Able to take initiative and drive work with moderate supervision and guidance.
• Intentional about creating order, ensuring deadlines are met, and planning ahead.
• Able to handle confidential information with complete discretion.

OUR HIRING PROCESS

Our hiring process is designed to give candidates insight into the nature of the challenges that we face in our daily work and bring into focus the candidates that we have learned will be most successful in this role and at our organization. Here are the phases of our process: 
 

• Phase 1: Short, written exercises to assess initiative knowledge & relevant experience - Early June
• Phase 2: 30-minute phone interview to assess overall fit with the organization - Mid June
• Phase 3: 60-minute in-person interview with Program Officers - Late June
• Phase 4: 60-minute in-person interview with Program Director; 2-hour written exercise on site - Early July
  • At this point, candidates will be considered for either the Initiative to Advance Adolescent Girls’ Rights or the  Initiative to End Violence Against Girls and Women.
• Phase 5: A final full-team interview - Mid July
• Phase 6: Our goal is to make offers soon after the final interview for an early/mid-August start date in New York City.

We intentionally do not ask for a cover letter and do not truly consider resumes until Phase 4. This "bias blind" process is aimed at opening this opportunity to more candidates; reviewing applicants on performance assessments instead of resume proxies (e.g.where you went to school). 

HOW WILL WE KNOW YOU’RE THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE ROLE? 
If you want to learn more, please complete the following simple initial application. Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, June 7th @ Midnight EST. We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis so we encourage you to submit yours right away

APPLY HERE