Senior Engagement Manager

About Robin Hood

Founded in 1988, Robin Hood finds, fuels, and creates the most impactful and scalable solutions lifting families out of poverty in New York City. The largest poverty fighting organization in New York City, Robin Hood partners with top nonprofits in New York City and invests in legal services, housing, meals, workforce development training, education programs, and other vital services that give New Yorkers in need the tools they need to build better lives. The programs it funds are often the first of their kind and serve as demonstration models to identify what works before being replicated in other cities. Because its Board of Directors covers 100% of all administrative, fundraising, and evaluation costs, every dollar donated goes directly to organizations helping New Yorkers in need.

While Robin Hood’s primary focus is on New York, its impact extends far beyond the borders of the city. Its pioneering, metrics-based approach has become the gold standard for charities around the nation as Robin Hood works to understand and evaluate the impact of its partners to ensure that its philanthropic dollars are utilized to maximum impact. Robin Hood also supports its community partners and their leaders with financial and strategic support and management assistance that allows those organizations to maximize their impact.

Building on our 30 years of experience, Robin Hood is expanding our impact with an explicit focus on lifting families sustainably and measurably out of poverty through supporting the most effective community partners; influencing public policy; raising our thought leadership profile; importing and exporting effective ideas and strategies nationally; and building new collaborations with strategic partners. As New York City emerges from the worst of the global pandemic, we are focused on getting families back on their feet; getting kids back on track; and getting New Yorkers back to work.

Robin Hood also understands that if we are to support families living in poverty and find permanent pathways out of poverty and towards financial independence, we must become an effective partner with government, especially at the City and State levels. We do this by leveraging the expertise of those who are closest to the challenges of poverty, including community members, community-based organizations, and others with specialized skills and knowledge. We also aim to collaborate with New York City government to fund program and policy innovations that hold the promise of expanding economic opportunity in New York City – providing nimble “risk capital” for high-potential strategies. In this way, we seek to leverage our philanthropic investments by finding ways to advance the highest-impact strategies at scale.

Given its long-standing reputation among influencers and support of over 200 New York City non-profit organizations, Robin Hood has the unique ability to be a catalyzing force for households experiencing poverty, bringing distinct constituencies together to develop and spread the most effective strategies to advance economic mobility in New York City and beyond.

Management Assistance Team

The Management Assistance (M.A.) team manages approximately $1.5 million in annual investments to help our nonprofit partners build capacity to strengthen their resiliency and scale their impact so they can better serve the community. The M.A. team works in collaboration with our community partners to develop a shared understanding of their organizational opportunities and the best solutions to achieving their goals. Specifically, the M.A. team provides capacity-building to our community partners through advisory and consulting grants, workshops, convenings and through leadership development investments including executive coaching, middle and senior management leadership programs, and peer learning groups.  

Position Overview

Robin Hood is seeking a dynamic leader to serve as the Senior Engagement Manager to provide advising and initiative work to our community partners in areas including strategy and operations, program impact and evaluation, marketing and fundraising, finance, technology and more. The Senior Engagement Manager will report to the Managing Director, Management Assistance, and will work closely with the Young Adults and School Age portfolio teams to diagnose and address the management assistance needs of our community partners, set priorities, and oversee and conduct successful interventions (directly or through other providers).

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop and deliver management assistance solutions (e.g., projects, initiatives, cohort models) to community partners in the Young Adult and School-Age Children portfolios

1. In partnership with the MD, Management Assistance, implement and manage a 12-18-month capacity building roadmap for a select group of partners 
2. Work with community partners to scope and launch projects (e.g., determine issues, potential solutions, outcomes, risks, costs)
3. Work with the M.A. team and Portfolio teams to assess the potential impact of projects and interventions and determine resourcing and delivery (e.g., direct delivery, paid provider, pro bono, Robin Hood staff)
4. As appropriate, lead the delivery of select projects directly by developing and executing a work plan to accomplish desired outcomes
5. Develop and write grant recommendations for paid projects and interventions
6. Lead projects from start to finish (e.g., trouble-shoot problems with vendors and/or community partners, keep Portfolio team informed, identify success and/or risk factors, and communicate feedback and key learnings to stakeholders

• Create and contribute as fundraising and communications functional lead for the M.A. team

1. Develop deep expertise in fundraising and communications through research, meetings with funders and capacity building providers, and analysis of completed projects
2. Identify trends and lessons learned and become lead resource to the M.A. team for fundraising, and communications
3. Liaison with Robin Hood’s development team to bring in expertise to community partners, as needed
4. Manage and cultivate relationships with new vendors 
5. Launch and lead development director peer group
6. In conjunction with members of the M.A team, assist in the roll-out of short and long- term assessment methods to assess impact of management assistance projects and interventions

Qualifications

• B.A. and at least six years of experience or equivalent experience preferred. Master’s degree preferred, but equivalent experience considered
• Knowledge of capacity building with an expertise in fundraising and communications 
• Strong project management skills
• Data analysis and presentation skills 
• Excellent written and verbal communications
• Ability to work well both independently and as part of a team
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking abilities
• Demonstrated commitment to advance racial equity and social justice
• Ability to meaningfully engage a variety of stakeholders, both internal and external
• Ability to manage several projects simultaneously and to adjust to frequently changing demands; able to assume a full range of delegated responsibilities, working both independently and as part of a team

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Robin Hood is committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation in all aspects of its work. As New York City’s largest poverty-fighting organization, Robin Hood believes that building a diverse team is fundamental to its ability to effectively serve and strengthen organizations serving the most vulnerable communities in the city, and to influence the policies that affect them.

Robin Hood believes in the potential that diversity creates – deep and responsive relationships with its community partners; the ability to solve complex problems efficiently and effectively; and, most importantly, the ability of its diverse staff to work to its full capacity.

Robin Hood builds diversity, inclusion, and equity practices into all aspects of its work. Its practices, values, traditions, and beliefs are embedded in the inclusive culture that it creates. Operationally, its formal and informal structures support a work environment that advances the professional development of staff at all levels, allows for innovation, and grounds its work as poverty fighters.

In its workplace, diversity equals representation. Robin Hood seeks to attract and retain a staff that reflects the communities that it serves. Racial and ethnic diversity matter to it, as does diversity among other cultural identifiers (ability, educational background, generation, gender, gender expression religion, immigration status, military status, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status).

Diversity within Robin Hood's staff is enhanced by its efforts at meaningful inclusion. It ensures that team members are empowered to make decisions, offer actionable feedback, and share credit for team success. Further, Robin Hood seeks to develop its talent professionally and has created an intentional focus on mentorship and sponsorship, particularly of junior staff. its goal is to encourage long term talent retention and engagement, while fostering a culture of innovation. 

Robin Hood Guiding Principles

As an organization committed to economic mobility, our work is grounded in the following Guiding Principles:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion 
• Proximity and humanity
• Risk-taking and innovation      

Our professional community reflects myriad demographic characteristics, perspectives, and backgrounds, which includes various identities that reflect diversity in gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic status. Our colleagues have access to opportunity and advancement, as we promote fair and equitable treatment and have encouraged participation by underrepresented groups. As a team, we promote a sense of belonging, high levels of engagement, and shared respect.

• Robin Hood puts people first. Always.
• Robin Hood is unafraid to take action and create solutions.
• Robin Hood is data driven and heart led.
• Robin Hood works the coat check.

Salary and Benefits

Robin Hood offers a highly competitive and comprehensive salary and package of employee benefits and encourages strong work-life balance. This position is located in New York City.

To Apply

Please visit our website to complete our online application.

Robin Hood is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants from diverse backgrounds and identities are encouraged to apply.

Please note that Robin Hood Foundation has adopted a COVID-19 vaccination policy to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees. As a condition of employment, Robin Hood employees are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved or as otherwise required by law.