The Andes-Amazon Initiative’s goal is to conserve the Amazonian natural ecosystems, which provide habitat for biodiversity and regulate the regional climate cycle. To achieve this goal, the foundation supports work that addresses the following elements:
- Protected area national and sub-national systems,
- Targeted individual protected areas and indigenous territories in selected countries,
- Integration of selected clusters of protected areas (mosaics) into regional economies and land use planning.
- Environmental and social impact of infrastructure projects, particularly roads and dams, in key targeted areas.
The role of a healthy Amazonian forest is particularly significant for global climate change mitigation as well as regional hydrological function that support human livelihoods. The foundation began funding conservation in the Amazon basin in 2001 and has since invested over $490 million in a protected area approach to conserving forest cover and in associated supporting strategies. This approach has achieved the creation and improved management of approximately 150 million hectares, or around 29% of the original forest cover of the Amazon. The foundation recognizes that this approach is necessary but not sufficient to secure additional forest cover in the Amazon, and for this reason the foundation is also working on integrating protected areas into regional economies and land-use planning by addressing the drivers of deforestation to reduce external threats and exploring options for tailored and long-lasting sustainable development in selected mosaics. In 2017, the foundation expanded its work to address the impact of infrastructure (roads and dams) in targeted areas, and to incorporate an added emphasis on freshwater conservation.
The Initiative is currently active in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The Initiative team also makes a small number of grants outside of these countries to support basin-wide research and key approaches that will benefit its target geographies.
For more information please visit: Andes-Amazon Initiative
The Position
The Operations Associate is a team operations focused position that provides key coordination and support for the Initiative staff and is accountable for enabling effective operations.
This role reports to the Program Director and works closely with the Program Officers on the team, as well as the Program Manager of the Environmental Conservation Program (ECP) in coordination of the Andes-Amazon Initiative’s full-cycle grantmaking process and assisting with the Initiative’s budgetary management.
The position is based at foundation headquarters in Palo Alto, California; however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, foundation offices are closed until at least July 1, 2022, and work will initially occur remotely.
Key Responsibilities
Initiative Team Operations:
- Track and prioritize key information within multiple work streams to support the Program Director’s decision-making and Program Manager’s oversight of Program operations.
- Work proactively to develop and implement templates, timelines, analyses, and processes to continue and enhance initiative operations. Use good judgment with understanding of Initiative context to identify priorities and enhancements.
- Facilitate team coordination, work plans, internal functional relationships, and knowledge management.
- Support complex meeting and event management, drafting and maintaining agendas, preparing and distributing meeting notes and synthesis documents, and coordinating follow-up with individuals and teams.
- Track Initiative budget, ensuring informed financial decision-making of the Program Director and regular coordination with Program Manager.
- Coordinate with Administrative Assistant regarding operating expenses, managing contracts with vendors and consultants, including preparing draft contracts and ensuring timely payment.
Grants Operations:
- Coordinate the new grant submission process and documents for the Program Director and Program Officers, ensuring high quality, consistent, timely, and appropriate products for decision-makers.
- Support the Program Director and Program Officers with proposal reviews, budgets, and active grant records, monitoring narrative and financial grant reports and grant payments.
- Exercise judgment within defined internal grant procedures and practices to determine appropriate courses of action. Serve as key internal contact for the Initiative, problem solving and consulting with Grants Administration and Program Manager as needed.
- Manage expenditure responsibility and equivalency determination requirements, working with grantees and foundation legal staff.
- Communicate with grantees regarding procedures and grantee relationship management.
- Support the team in managing data to be uploaded in GrantCentral (grant information system) and in PowerBi.
- Contribute to monitoring and evaluation work at the Initiative and grant levels by helping the team develop systems to collect data from grantees and support the data management platforms.
Education and Experience
- A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
- 3+ of relevant work experience with proven experience in administration, program coordination, and/or project management.
- Fluency in Spanish and/or Portuguese.
Competencies
- Excellent project management and analytical skills.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Ability to think critically and provide practical solutions based on thorough analysis in the face of real-time issues.
- Ability to obtain knowledge in a variety of different fields.
- Willingness to ask for help and identify appropriate resources to accomplish tasks, when necessary.
- A strong team orientation, positive attitude, integrity, self-motivation, discipline, and reliability.
- Proficiency with office productivity software (e.g., MS Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Strong written, oral, and graphic communication skills (e.g., phone inquiries, webpages, PowerPoint presentations, correspondence, and research summaries).
- Experience in reviewing and managing budgets.
- Ability to work independently, self-manage priorities and goals for projects, meet deadlines, and multi-task while working well under pressure.
- Willingness to support and promote the foundation and colleagues through commitment to enhancing the foundation’s considerations of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Attributes
The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following attributes that describe how we at the foundation strive to do our work with each other and our partners.
- Committed to Excellence
- Passionate
- Collegial
- Open and Honest
- Humble and Self-Aware
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation includes a competitive base salary and an excellent package of health, retirement savings and other benefits.
COVID-19
The Moore Foundation requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except as required by law. Any employment offer will be contingent upon satisfactory proof that you are fully vaccinated from COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and/or as otherwise required by applicable law.
Application Process
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the ordinance.
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse pool of candidates for this search. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and welcome individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.
All correspondence will remain confidential.
