Job Description
Job Title: Director, Strategic Engagement (US)
Reports to: CEO / Founder
Basis: Full-time, permanent, exempt
Salary: Competitive
Date call released: 27 September 2021
Deadline for applications: 26 October 2021
Start date: ASAP
Location: Based in the US, flexible with a combination of home-based and the potential to work from a shared space with other RBIJ colleagues, depending on location.
About the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is an innovative and growing criminal justice reform organization.
RBIJ supports advocates, organizers, and campaigners in the criminal justice reform space by bringing the voices of businesses, financial sector actors, and trade representatives to the table. Our work is designed to champion fairness, equality, and effectiveness in systems of punishment; to end mass incarceration, and to stop extreme sentencing. We do this by combining a network of issue experts and community-based organizations with the social capital, influence, and internal capacity of businesses. Our work falls into three broad categories:
i. System change: We get businesses to use their platforms, social capital, and leverage to move critical criminal justice reform initiatives.
ii. Narrative change: We build and entrench the narrative that fair and equal systems of justice are good for business. We do this through media engagement and broad communications campaigns.
iii. Implementation, restoration, and repair: We work with businesses to ensure systemic change is translated into real-life impact for justice-involved individuals. We believe that businesses are essential stakeholders in the implementation phase of criminal justice reform and that companies’ internal policies and practices must match their advocacy. We work with companies to address their supply chains, investments, and recruitment practices so they can be effective partners in rebuilding and restoring communities that inequitable systems of justice have disproportionately impacted.
RBIJ grew out of a diverse collaboration of lawyers who had worked on hundreds of cases of individuals caught up in destructive cycles of incarceration; businesses committed to seeing change within their communities and government leaders working to secure human rights for all.
To learn more about RBIJ, visit www.responsiblebusinessinitiative.org
About the Role
RBIJ is looking for an exceptional person to grow and manage RBIJ’s business relationships. For this role, RBIJ is seeking candidates based in the United States only.
Our work builds a network of companies and deploys them to support various essential campaigns in the criminal justice and social justice space. Our new Director of Strategic Engagement (US) will lead this critical work and have significant responsibility, second only to the CEO.
RBIJ is a growing organization, and therefore we are looking for a dynamic, pro-active and entrepreneurial candidate who is excited by the prospect of taking on a leadership role at a time of growth in the organization and who is enthusiastic about shaping the direction of the organization.
The ideal candidate will have experience in developing and nurturing relationships with companies of all sizes, but more importantly, will share our values and principles. Ideal candidates may come from Government or Public Affairs within companies, a background in PR, or have worked at a nonprofit or consultancy dedicated to engaging businesses as a force for good. While this is not a resource development role, those with a background in fundraising may have appropriate skills in network building, relationship management and inter-personal communications.
Our new Director of Strategic Engagement (US) must have well-established networks and experience of working strategically with corporations to influence either their practices or their engagement related to public policy.
Responsibilities
● The Director of Strategic Engagement (US) will take responsibility for the planning and implementation of RBIJ’s ambitious goals to grow the network of businesses engaged in our work. The Director of Strategic Engagement (US) will contribute to all three of our categories of engagement (system change, narrative change and internal policies/practices), but will prioritize his/her time on system change and narrative change campaigns. You will work alongside RBIJ’s existing Director of Strategic Engagement (International) and CEO to achieve these goals.
● Maintain and strengthen RBIJ’s existing business relationships in the US.
● Must be able to work collaboratively with our two Campaign Managers, as they deliver state and federal campaigns. The Campaign Managers lead RBIJ’s on-the-ground state and federal work, and this role will involve collaborating closely with them. They are responsible for building and deploying our business voices; you are responsible for ensuring they have a sufficiently broad network of companies and C-suite leaders to draw from.
● The ideal candidate will have a very sophisticated understanding of how businesses can be a force for good in strategically influencing policymakers, leaders, decision makers and their peers in the business community through the media, events, digital platforms and stakeholder outreach. They will also understand the role and appropriate voice of businesses in public education campaigns.
● Work closely with the Director of Strategic Engagement (International) to effectively manage business relationships and ensure smooth handover of relationships when necessary.
● Work closely with the Communications Director on press, social media and events.
● Must be a confident speaker and able to speak on behalf of RBIJ, standing in for the CEO at events and conferences as necessary.
● Must have the ability to identify opportunities to promote RBIJ and our work (through business engagement, events, etc.).
● Conduct targeted advocacy and education around international trade events. Build and maintain relationships with foreign governments’ trade missions in the US.
● Develop and oversee key reporting deliverables, and informing stakeholders and staff of progress, difficulties, and needed changes.
● Work alongside policy non-profits and existing policy reform campaigns to advise and support their initiatives.
● Work closely with the CEO and RBIJ’s Advisory Board Members to identify and cultivate business engagement opportunities.
Person Specification
Essential
- A commitment to RBIJ's values: https://www.responsiblebusinessinitiative.org/values
- A minimum of seven years of demonstrable experience managing business relationships, whether through development, policy work at a business, business engagement in human rights, with a not-for-profit working primarily with corporations, or similar.
- The ability to work creatively with an enthusiasm for building projects and initiatives.
- A demonstratable track record of building networks and creating effective relationships.
- High-level stakeholder management experience, including experience working with C-suite executives.
- Excellent attention to detail, as well as an ability to express ideas clearly and succinctly via verbal and written communications.
- An adept and energetic networker, who is highly appropriate in their communications at all times and in all contexts.
- A high level of ability to work efficiently and cohesively within a team and maintain excellent communication with other team members, with a get it done mindset and not afraid to roll up your sleeves.
- Excellent and confident public speaker, and acting as a spokesperson for the CEO and RBIJ
- Confident speaking to the media and conducting press interviews. Willing to appropriately prepare and collaborate with other team members to ensure you have the correct information before speaking publicly on behalf of the organization.
- Experience of managing projects, supervising a team and organizing events.
Willingness to travel across the US (occasionally internationally), sometimes at short notice.
Desirable
- Experience of working with governments and inter-governmental bodies.
- Experience of working with businesses on social justice issues including external advocacy campaigns.
- Fluency in a language (additional to English).
- An understanding of the key issues and campaigns in the US criminal justice reform space.
How to apply
To apply please submit a copy of your resume, along with a covering letter (maximum 2 pages) detailing your interest in RBIJ, its work and the role, your relevant experience, and what you hope to gain from the position. Please attach application documents as PDFs and send them to: applications@responsiblebusinessinitiative.org by 5pm EST on 26 October 2021.
Candidates who perform well in preliminary interviews may be asked to submit a writing sample and/or respond to a prompt to assess their critical thinking and communications abilities.
Salary and Benefits
Compensation for this role will be competitive and commensurate with experience.
RBIJ is a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy. This position is offered a full benefits package, including 100% medical coverage for the employee and 90% medical coverage for dependents; 100% coverage for vision, dental, life/AD&D, long-term disability. NEO also offers a 401K retirement savings plan, Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), Medical FSA, Dependent Care FSA, commuter benefits, Employee Assistance Program, other supplemental benefits and paid time off.
RBIJ and NEO Philanthropy are an equal opportunity employer and candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We especially encourage formerly incarcerated individuals to apply. We respect and value a positive work-life balance and we strive to offer employees the opportunity for growth and self-fulfillment while working with us.