Description
Position & Opportunity Summary
The Senior Advisor, Corporate Social Impact (CSI) is a core member of the Tides corporate social impact team. Tides advocates for an integrated approach to corporate social impact, encouraging partners to actively leverage all of the company’s assets for social good. With the evolution in this sector and Tides’ own growth in corporate partnerships, this new member of the team will fulfill the essential role of supporting a portfolio of partners in implementing their CSI programs. The Senior Advisor will also play an important role in advancing Tides’ strategy with this segment of partners and developing new partnerships. Additionally, the Senior Advisor will lead internal operations for the segment and identify best practices with an eye toward future growth and strategic response to an ever-increasing demand for Tides services.
The Senior Advisor works in a matrix management structure to support Tides clients. Success depends on building strong, trustworthy cross-functional relationships with staff from other departments, including Grants Management, Finance, HR, IT, Legal and Compliance, and strong interpersonal skills with clients. The Senior Advisor is responsible for uplifting and embodying Tides core values - Respect, Accountability, Creativity, Creativity, Equity and Empowerment in all areas of work, engagement with team members and Tides partners.
Essential Functions
Client Management
● Serve as relationship manager of and deliver high quality service to an assigned portfolio of clients, primarily corporate partners, who come to Tides with complex social impact needs and a desire to leverage a range of structures and solutions, including social ventures, donor advised fund, collective action fund, and more.
● Serve as a lead on a cross-functional service team that may include Finance, HR, Grants, Legal, Business Process and other teams to support clients’ objectives.
● Resolve or escalate issues of concern as raised by client partners or internal stakeholders in a timely and proactive manner.
● Provide support to other CSI advisors in resolving challenges, develop policy and procedural changes to mitigate future service challenges.
● In partnership with finance staff, provide financial analysis to clients; advise on organizational, fundraising and budget planning, monitoring and presenting budgets and cash flow. Provide accurate and timely financial statements to clients to inform client’s grantmaking and investment activities.
● Develop a strategy for creative engagement and exceptional service delivery that accelerates the impact of each partner and delivers a richer client experience with support from Tides team.
● Provide administrative and programmatic guidance for assigned portfolio to achieve client objectives.
● Assess risk factors for clients’ activities, such as insurance, contracts, grants, advocacy, and lobbying, in conjunction with the Tides Legal, Risk Management and Compliance team.
● Oversee contracts and grant management for assigned client portfolio to ensure compliance in partnership with Tides’ legal team.
● Conduct field research, client trainings, client onboarding, orientation as needed
Segment Leadership
● Work closely with Director of CSI to refine and update corporate segment strategy
● Lead the implementation of aspects of the segment strategy, such as client communication, engagement, and assessment
● Manage and grow strategic and channel partners; play a role in stewarding the Pledge 1% relationship
● Provide consulting support to clients in strategy development, program implementation, and impact evaluation
● Lead Tides’ effort in creating templates and standards as we support corporate partners in measuring grantee impact, developing evaluation framework, feedback structure and tracking systems.
● Produce thought leadership pieces to elevate Tides expertise and profile in the sector
Business & Network Development
● Build and maintain relationships with philanthropic and programmatic communities; learn from communities of practice and bring back learnings to the department and the Tides Network.
● Build and maintain relationships with corporate social impact practitioners to stay abreast with industry trends, best practices, and emerging opportunities.
● In partnership with the Director of CSI, develop new or enhanced offerings for clients that build clients’ capacity, enhance clients’ philanthropic impact, and contribute to global social justice.
● Support the Strategic Partnerships and Client Services Directors in business development through outreach to potential clients and by working collaboratively on proposals
● Work with Strategic Partnerships team to identify and implement improvements to the intake process, as well as the onboarding of new clients and client handoff processes.
● Represent Tides on a regular basis by attending and presenting at conferences, gatherings, professional associations and other external events.
● Lead and support other special business development initiatives and duties as requested.
Department Leadership
● Partner with Client Services directors to lead internal cross-functional initiatives that enhance the client experience, address broader client portfolio needs, or systemic change to client service delivery at Tides.
● Assist with department management activities including portfolio alignment, client intake, etc.
● Mentor and share experience/expertise with team members in support of department and individual goals.
● Possible supervision of direct reports, ensuring they meet department and individual goals and they develop appropriate skills and have the support needed to achieve their objectives.
● Craft timely (or periodic) issue area briefs in partnership with Communications Team that involve research, knowledge of the field, and incisive synthesis to showcase Tides’ knowledge on important and/ or emerging issues to demonstrate Tides’ thought leadership for key stakeholders, including current clients.
● Serve as organizational expert on fiscal sponsorship, philanthropy, a specific issue area, and/or organizational development to accelerate impact of Tides and its partners.
● Co-develop new service offerings to scale impact for clients, including strategic consulting, multi- stakeholder collaborative approaches and convenings, in partnership with Tides’ colleagues.
● Co-develop department team building activities.
● Pursue professional development opportunities to learn new skills that strengthen individual and departmental knowledge.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Minimum Qualifications
● 3+ years of similar experience
● Strong personal alignment with Tides’ Vision, Mission and Approach and or organizational values of respect, equity, empowerment, accountability and creativity.
● Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills with a strong ability to facilitate collaborative problem-solving to reach solutions that benefit all parties
● Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, manage expectations, steward relationships, and provide strategic advising
● Ability to hold self and others accountable for high-quality, timely, and effective client service with a demonstrated commitment to meeting the needs of internal and external clients for a high level of satisfaction
● Strong analytical skills, including the ability to work with and manipulate data from multiple sources, assimilate and present information in a clear and concise manner
● Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to and appreciation for diverse viewpoints, different communication styles, and a wide range of diverse colleagues
● Strong verbal and written communication skills with a proven ability to develop proposals, make presentations, and communicate directly with clients
● Demonstrated ability to hold information confidential with excellent judgment and to engage in a direct and truthful manner
● Strong motivation and an ability to simultaneously manage multiple assignments
Preferred Qualifications
● B.S. or higher degree, or equivalent experience directing complex client operations, transforming and aligning clients around acceleration and impact, and the use of systems and metrics to measure outcomes
● Demonstrated experience working in the philanthropy and/or nonprofit sector, with hands-on experience working with donors/funders
● Demonstrated experience working in a corporate social responsibility role, with knowledge in corporate philanthropy, employee engagement, corporate communications/advocacy, and etc.
● Demonstrated knowledge in one or more of the following subject matters/issue areas: healthcare, economic development, education, human rights, the environment, impact evaluation, or nonprofit technology.
● Demonstrated commitment to progressive social change and ability to engage in strategic and analytical thinking around issues of social justice
● Ability to manage, track, and understand advanced financial management concepts
● Proficiency with modern technology for nonprofits, such as MS Office, Salesforce, NetSuite
Application Instructions:
Please submit a resume and a thoughtful cover letter online. Your cover letter should express your interest in working for Tides and your qualifications for the role. You may also share your detailed LinkedIn profile with us. Tides is an Equal Opportunity employer. We value diversity and inclusion and we look forward to reviewing applications from all who are qualified to apply.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Tides is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions. Also pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we encourage and will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Applicants with Disabilities
Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.