About Us
Agriculture is the key to unlocking a better future for billions of people. But while rural families sustain the world, they struggle to sustain themselves. At the same time, they face increasingly urgent challenges, from volatile crop prices to extreme weather.
Root Capital is an impact investor that provides financing and business training to agricultural enterprises in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since 1999, we have loaned over $2B to more than 800 businesses that are too big for microloans but too small for commercial lenders, and have trained more than twice as many businesses. As these businesses succeed and scale, they become engines of impact for local communities, raising incomes, creating jobs, expanding opportunities for women and young people, preserving nature, and building rural prosperity.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Root Capital has more than 180 employees operating in more than a dozen countries in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and has associated offices in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, and Kenya.
Position Overview
The Account Specialist, Institutional Philanthropy & Partnerships (IPP) will work with IPP Primary Relationship Managers (PRMs) to support the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of a set of key accounts – Root Capital prospects and donors. This will include collaborating with the PRMs on generating and producing written content for funding concept notes, pitches and proposals, as well as donor reports and communication.
The Account Specialist will monitor the solicitation process, budget needs, interim and end-of-grant reports, on-going communication, and information management for the assigned group of donors and prospects. The Account Specialist will also be responsible for some administrative functions of the IPP team in partnership with the IPP Account Associate, including serving as internal liaison with the Development Operations team, Grants Management team, and Finance. The Specialist will support the PRMs in the rigorous use of databases and approvals processes.
The Account Specialist, Institutional Philanthropy & Partnership, reports to a Senior Manager, Institutional Philanthropy & Partnership. The Specialist is a critical member of the Development team who will help Root Capital optimize cultivation and stewardship activities. This role offers a dynamic growth opportunity for someone seeking to advance to front-line fundraising as a next step of their career.
Duties & Responsibilities
Purpose (25%)
- Collaborate with IPP PRMs on executing strategies for institutional donors and prospects within the set of key accounts.
- Monitor and address the needs of each institutional funding partner within the portfolio, including general stewardship, communication needs, budget tracking, evaluation, and reporting.
- Alongside PRMs, implement creative and comprehensive partner management strategies for funders within the portfolio, supporting on cultivation and solicitation, and leading on stewardship.
- Monitor and analyze resource mobilization trends, including philanthropy, impact investing, blended capital and ESG approaches to supporting social change, so that market opportunities may be capitalized on, ensuring that Root Capital’s proposition remains compelling and competitive.
Engagement (30%)
- Coordinate information flows between IPP PRM, prospects/donors and program staff.
- Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with Partnerships colleagues and Root Capital program and support staff globally to increase communication, coordination, and efficiency to achieve IPP’s internal and external objectives.
- Provide strategic support for the IPP team overall and as needed, including initial fielding of inquiries as needed.
- Serve as internal liaison with the Development Operations team, Grants Management team, and Finance.
- Support the involvement of the PRMs, Senior Director of IPP and other Root Capital staff (including the CEO), in high-level funder solicitations and relationship management with briefing materials, agendas, background research and appropriate follow-up for key accounts.
- Support the involvement of Root Capital’s Board members in relationship-building and funder management activities.
Delivery (45%)
- Provide communications that support the PRM’s interactions with portfolio donors or prospects, including general and targeted communications, concept notes, proposals, presentations and reports, from drafts through to final line-editing and formatting of finalized material.
- Prepare and contribute materials, agendas and briefings for external prospect and donor meetings and for internal strategy meetings.
- Track the internal drafting and approval processes necessary for proposals, reports, and budgets.
- Ensure delivery of high-quality funder acknowledgement and stewardship letters.
- Ensure accurate recognition of funders in Root Capital materials.
- Provide support in tracking activity, entering data, and managing the data integrity and quality of information in the database for the core portfolio.
- Support PRMs in completing funder follow-up tasks, as requested.
- Undertake special assignments, as directed.
Perform other relevant duties as assigned.
Required Skills and Experience
- 4-6 years account/project management experience gained in either a development/ fundraising office, nonprofit program context, or within a client-service focused for-profit company.
- Knowledge of multi-/cross-sector partnerships, especially those involving corporations, with an understanding of the particular issues affecting these types of partnerships.
- Exceptional written communications skills and solid verbal presentation skills.
- Highly developed project management skills with the ability to work on own initiative, accurately to tight deadlines, and to prioritize conflicting demands.
- Sophisticated understanding of the role of written communications in building and maintaining complex individual and institutional relationships.
- Understanding of, and experience working with, complex CRM databases (Salesforce preferred), including data entry, usage, reporting and analysis functionality.
- Comfortable working with quantitative and qualitative data and information, with the ability to construct and understand relevant narratives arising from their analysis.
- Ability to identify and create processes necessary to support effective partnerships.
- Ability to respond quickly to changes in short-term work priorities.
- Ability to analyze and interpret financial data.
- Commitment and passion for mission based international development.
- Experience in a vibrant development office/fundraising environment (preferred).
- Root Capital is a bi-lingual organization. Spanish proficiency (written and spoken) is a plus but not critical to the role. Advanced English proficiency is required for this position.
- Deep belief in and dedication to the mission of Root Capital, with a passion for promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development and rural resilience in low- and middle-income countries.
- Enthusiasm for thriving in diverse, multicultural settings, with a strong preference for experience in global and multi-location work environments.
- Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with the ability to build a respectful and inclusive work environment.
- Proactive approach to problem-solving with demonstrated decision-making capabilities.
- Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to a dynamic environment.
- Skilled in effectively working and communicating within remote teams.
- Committed to practicing and supporting wellbeing and a work-home life balance.
- Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
- Flexibility to travel locally or regionally is required according to the nature of the role, including the possibility of visiting clients in rural areas. Expected travel: 1 – 2 times a year under normal circumstances.
Applications
More information about Root Capital is available at https://rootcapital.org/ Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply using the form below as soon as possible, making sure to include a resume and cover letter that describes your interest, qualifications, language abilities, salary requirements, and how you learned of the position. Finalist candidates will be required to provide at least three work-related references.
Root Capital provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and expressing breast milk), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that upholds our leadership principles of: empowerment, equity, integrity, service, and transparency.
