Board Relations Associate

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization.  We take on the biggest, most precedent-setting cases across the country.  We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health; to preserve magnificent places and wildlife; to advance clean energy; and to combat climate change.   We partner with thousands of groups, supporters, individuals and communities to engage the critical environmental issues of our time, and bring about positive change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.

Founded in 1971, Earthjustice has a distinguished track record of achieving significant, lasting environmental protections.  We achieve this by hiring people who share a passion for justice and a healthy environment. Our headquarters are in San Francisco with offices in Anchorage, Juneau, Los Angeles, Tallahassee, Miami, Houston, Honolulu, New York, Philadelphia, Denver, Chicago, Seattle, Bozeman, and Washington, DC.

Working under the direction of the President, senior staff, the Senior Director of the Executive Team, and reporting directly to the Board Relations Manager, the Board Relations Associate is responsible for supporting the planning and execution of board meetings, maintaining updated and accurate board files, and providing project and scheduling support to the Board Relations Manager, the Board, the Senior Director of the Executive Team and board staff liaisons. The Board Relations Associate acts as a liaison for collaborative connections with the staff and Board, implements best practices, and supports strategic initiatives to enhance board engagement and effectiveness.

Those who can work hybrid from our San Francisco, CA Headquarters office preferred. Hybrid from one of our other office locations will be considered.

Responsibilities

Board Support and Project Coordination – 90% estimated time 
 
Supporting planning for board meetings three or more times per year, including:

• Aid as needed in drafting board agendas, board materials, guest bios, and email communications, under the direction of the Board Relations Manager;
• Supporting all aspects of the agenda, from schedule of events, a/v support, technical requirements, meals, transportation and other needs as required for meetings;
• Coordinating meeting and travel arrangements for board and staff attendees, including tracking trustee and trustee guest attendance, ground transportation, and lodging arrangements;
• With the Board Relations Manager, serving as liaison with meeting speakers or other special guests regarding presentation topics, PowerPoints and other materials, meeting schedule, travel and logistics;
• Producing and organizing name tags, tent cards, and other printed materials in advance of board meetings;
• Organizing and shipping or transporting all supplies needed for meetings;
• Proactively helping with onsite needs including set-up, logistics, activities, responding to board member requests and passing microphones;
• Responsible for taking minutes  for board meetings and tracking meeting follow up items;
• Attending board committee meetings at board meetings to track follow up items and next steps;
• Researching future meeting locations and location-specific activities in coordination with the Board Relations Manager and Senior Director of the Executive Team;
• Working with events team staff on preparing, drafting, and tracking emergency and safety preparations, trainings, and protocols;
• Scheduling run-throughs for board meeting presentations and possible other events taking place at the board meeting;
• Assisting with board training on how to use video conference systems, other webinar platforms, and any other technical assistance as needed.

Supporting increased Board engagement:

• Scheduling and organizing webinars and trainings for board learning and program engagement;
• Supporting the Board Relations Manager in implementation of Board DEI Office Hours and virtual program presentations, which includes scheduling and communicating with relevant staff liaisons; and
• Tracking and updating board communications opt in/opt out and other relevant information as it arises.

Maintaining Board, Committee, Trustee and Governance Records and Board Effect site:

• Tracking and documenting basic information about Ttrustees, including election, terms, committee membership, officers, contact information, giving, foundation lists, board attendance, and interactions;
• Summarizing conflict of interest disclosures as part of annual disclosure process;
• Updating Outlook contact lists, Earthjustice web pages and Board Effect site with latest information on Board, Council, Honorary Life and former Trustees information;
• Managing access to BoardEffect site and ensuring that individuals have the tools needed to access information;
• Organizing and maintaining updated board files within the shared executive drive;
• Updating BBEC, the development database, with information including trustee term dates and contact information, trustee attendance at board meetings, committee meetings, and events, and global uploads for emails sent to the Board, Council, and Honorary Life Trustees;
• Updating Atlas, Earthjustice’s internal intranet, with information such as board books, etc.

Providing administrative support to board committees, working in tandem with the particular senior staff assigned to those committees and the Board Relations Manager, including:

• Scheduling of meetings as needed;

• Tracking meeting agendas, committee to dos and next steps, and update necessary meeting materials;

• Distributing documents or other material, including committee meeting minutes;

• Tracking the governance calendar to ensure committee business is up to date;

• Tracking committee members attendance and sharing information with the relevant senior staff and staff liaisons;

• Drafting committee meeting minutes or notes, follow up documents, and committee documents under the direction of the Board Relations Manager.

Supporting information flow in coordination with Development department and senior staff, including:

• Providing information to Trustees in their service to Earthjustice as members of its Board;
• Providing information to former and Honorary Llife Trustees; and
• Sending communications in collaboration with the Board Relations Manager.

Assisting with the creation, production and editing of written meeting material (board book and board brief/council book) for each board meeting and at other times as directed by the President, including:

• Establishing and maintaining a schedule for submission and review of draft materials by the President and other senior staff;
• Ensuring proper proof-reading and copy editing of draft materials to eliminate errors and insure consistency, hiring independent contractor support as needed; and
• Assisting with developing written materials on Earthjustice’s work and repurposing other writings such as grant reports and website articles to provide additional program-related content.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – 10% estimated time

• Contributing to building diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the organization which may include attending relevant trainings, staff engagements, and/or other events; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred; meeting planning certification or project management certification a plus.
• 2 years minimum work experience necessary as is experience working in a non-profit setting.
• Demonstrated experience supporting and interacting with a board or donors; providing administrative support for senior staff; and maintaining confidentiality is a must.
• Experience collaborating in a team or group culture that produces collective rather than individual work products is highly preferred.
• In-depth proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Adobe Reader and Acrobat. Useful but not essential—working knowledge of Access, HTML, graphic design, website design, desktop publishing and project management software.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and manage multiple tasks, sometimes under time pressure and facing unexpected challenges, with excellent results.
• Focus and attention to detail, including the management of complex information.
• Ability to take change in stride, overcome obstacles and adapt to unforeseen conditions; successful at on-the-fly adaptation when needed.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence and good judgment about people and situations.
• Persuasiveness and ability to influence others to achieve goals.
• High degree of integrity, and ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Highly dependable and able to meet deadlines consistently.
• Ability to represent Earthjustice with tact, diplomacy, discretion and professionalism in interactions with important donors, board members, vendors, staff and program partners.
• Excellent written and in-person communications skills.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to drive in various terrains.
• Available for business travel 15 or more days per year as required for board meeting.
• Demonstrated proofreading skills.
• Demonstrates an awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds and orientations.
• Contributes to the creation of a diverse, equitable and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.

We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits that are comprehensive and competitive.  Salary is based on experience and location.

Salary range in San Francisco, CA: $98,300 - $109,200

To Apply:

Please apply online via Jobvite by February 1, 2024.

Interested candidates should submit the following materials online via the Jobvite system:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

Please reach out to jobs@earthjustice.org if you are having technical difficulties submitting your application. No phone calls, drop-ins, or hard copies.

Earthjustice is driven by a passion for justice, partnership, and excellence. Our core values lead us to seek a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds to achieve our mission and to maintain an inclusive environment where all staff are valued and respected. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to employment practices that ensure that employees and applicants for employment are provided with equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other factor that is not related to the position.

For positions located within the City and County of San Francisco Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

For positions located within the City of Los Angeles: We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

Keywords

Board RelationsAssociateEarthjusticenonprofitenvironmental lawboard meetingsboard filesproject supportscheduling supportboard engagementboard trainingadministrative supportwritten meeting materialdiversityequityinclusion