Jobs at Grist

Foundation and Corporate Relations Manager

Grist, the nation’s leading green news site, is seeking a Foundation and Corporate Relations Manager to help sustain and increase our institutional support. You will be responsible for building relationships with current and potential foundation and corporate supporters, including prospecting, cultivating, proposal and report writing, and ongoing stewardship. Playing a key role on our small-but-feisty fundraising team, you will work in coordination with the Development Director, President, CEO, and Board of Directors to create strategies that allow our organization, which uses irreverent storytelling to engage next-generation audiences, to grow and thrive. You must be an exceptional writer (as a media organization, we’re extra picky), a creative thinker, and a fearless fundraiser who can open even the most fiercely guarded doors. Some travel is required; an understanding of green issues, journalism, and the environmental funding landscape would be helpful; and a sense of humor never hurts.

Responsibilities

• Work with Development Director and other staff to design and implement plans to increase Grist’s base of foundation and corporate support
• Conduct preliminary funder research and evaluate foundation and corporate prospects
• Partner with the Development Director to develop strategies to engage, solicit, and steward these prospects
• Participate in face-to-face meetings with funders across the country and manage relationships with foundation staff
• Write compelling communications for funders at all stages of the cultivation process, including correspondence with staff, letters of inquiry, proposals, and reports
• Collect and synthesize information about Grist’s programs from other departments as needed to make the case for support and report on organizational progress
• Provide support to the Development Director, President, CEO, and Board of Directors for in-person meetings with current and potential funders
• Support efforts to raise Grist’s profile in the funder community, including funder briefings and other speaking engagements
• Manage organized and efficient operational systems to ensure accurate records and timely communication with funders; oversee all foundation and corporate database records

Qualifications

This is a full-time role based in our Seattle office, however applicants based in New York or the San Francisco Bay Area will also be considered. Other qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 3+ years of experience with fundraising and/or grantwriting
• Exceptional writing and editing ability
• Strong project-management skills
• Ability to work well with external audiences and staff across the organization
• Strong research and database skills (experience with Salesforce is a plus)
• Sound and accurate judgment and decision-making skills
• Ability to work and problem-solve independently
• Ability to travel

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and brief writing sample (ideally not a boring grant proposal – we’ll get to that later) to foundation@grist.org with “Foundation and Corporate Relations Manager” in the subject line. We are looking for a thoughtful, personalized cover letter that displays your qualifications, enthusiasm, and communication style. No phone calls, please. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer.

Editorial Fellowship

Full-time Seattle-only

Want to grow as a journalist while absorbing a universe of green knowledge? Apply for the Grist Fellowship Program.

The Grist Fellowship Program is an opportunity to hone your skills at a national news outlet and deepen your knowledge of environmental issues. We’re looking for early-career journalists with a variety of skills, from traditional reporting to multimedia whizbangery. We will offer exposure to the leading sustainability thinkers and theories of our time, real-world experience at a fast-paced news site, and better-than-average coffee.

The Role

Fellows will work full-time, making daily contributions to Grist’s editorial operations including (but not limited to) research, reporting, story ideas, writing, and multimedia experiments. Working closely with the fellowship program manager, each fellow will also identify a long-term special project to produce in collaboration with others on the team. We will encourage full participation in staff discussions and meetings, seek input on issues large and small, and laugh politely (or heartily, depending on the circumstances) at all your jokes.

Fellows work out of Grist’s Seattle office and must make a six-month commitment. The fellowship pays $2,600 per month.

Apply Now

Please find full application instructions on our fellowships page. For fellowships that begin in August 2016, please submit applications by May 2, 2016.

President

Grist seeks an innovative digital media leader for the role of President. You will run the operations of the nation’s leading environmental news platform, working closely with the Board and Founder/CEO to make Grist a more influential, nimble, and creative organization. At Grist, we are passionate about our work and our mission. We believe thought-provoking journalism, new technologies and forms of communication, and the occasional hearty guffaw are critical tools in the climate fight—and we need a strong leader who can help take our nonprofit organization to the next level.

The Role

A pioneer in the nonprofit news space, Grist uses emerging tools and techniques to tell the climate and sustainability story—which we happen to believe is the top story of our lifetime—in fresh, engaging ways. Reporting to Grist’s Board of Directors, the President will work closely with our founder/CEO and leadership team to ensure that Grist achieves our ambitious goals while thriving as an organization. You will oversee our whole show, encompassing editorial, technology, design, business development, fundraising, finance, and administration teams. The ideal candidate for this position is a strategic professional with a passion for and deep experience running an organization or business unit and delivering on strategy; a history of increasingly responsible positions in consumer-focused online media; and a track record of thought leadership, team-building, and revenue expansion. You must possess exceptionally strong leadership and interpersonal skills, as well as demonstrated excellence in problem solving, priority setting, planning, tactical execution, and analysis. We’d also be excited if you were passionate about the future of digital media, about mission-based work, and about building a more sustainable future.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide thought leadership and operational oversight that supports Grist’s mission
• Set priorities, develop plans with the team, and establish and monitor benchmarks to gauge progress
• Recruit and retain a talented, mission-driven team; supervise all senior staff
• Partner with the Founder/CEO to evaluate opportunities and develop plans accordingly
• Cultivate a strong relationship with the board and represent Grist to key stakeholders
• Foster a culture of creativity, collaboration, experimentation, and excellence, building and retaining a team that responds swiftly to changing technologies and takes advantage of emerging digital trends
• Expand and deepen Grist’s existing products with the goal of increasing audience, deepening engagement, and creating new sources of revenue
• Oversee comprehensive marketing and branding work across Grist to increase reach and influence
• Manage efforts to expand and diversify revenue streams, both contributed and earned; e.g., play a key role in fundraising efforts, including identifying and meeting with major-donor and foundation prospects, and drive efforts to increase sponsorship and advertising dollars
• Assume full P&L responsibilities, including developing long- and short-range financial plans, monitoring the budget, and ensuring sound financial controls.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience running an organization and delivering on strategy
• Experience building and leading a senior management team
• Substantive leadership experience in a new media or technology company
• Demonstrated success in motivating team members to fulfill and exceed personal and organizational goals in an environment that rewards sharing, collaboration, and experimentation
• Experience leading an organization through rapid change and transformation
• Proven history of identifying strategic opportunities, building strong internal and external relationships, and delivering on initiatives, projects, and products
• Experience overseeing financial operations for a high-growth business
• Experience expanding and engaging external audiences, especially through social media
• Ability to interpret media-related trends, transfer knowledge to a leadership team, and tack organizational plans as appropriate
• Experience working in a non-profit and/or a mission driven organization ideally focused on the environment and sustainability

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to president@grist.org with “President Search” in the subject line. We are looking for a thoughtful, personalized cover letter that demonstrates your qualifications and communication style. No phone calls, please. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer.