External Affairs Associate
August 2022 | Boston, MA / Remote
Organizational Summary
Upstream USA is a fast-growing, national nonprofit working to expand opportunity by reducing unplanned pregnancy across the U.S. Upstream partners with states to provide training and technical assistance to health centers, increasing equitable access to the full range of contraceptive options. Our transformative approach empowers patients to decide when and if they want to become pregnant, a critical step towards improving outcomes for parents and children.
Upstream is growing rapidly and is on track to achieve nationwide impact. After launching our first statewide initiative in Delaware in 2014, we have since launched projects in Washington state, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Rhode Island. By 2023, Upstream will have partnered with health centers that serve over one million women of reproductive age annually across these states.
Upstream is funded primarily through philanthropic individuals and foundations, and does not accept funding from pharmaceutical companies. Upstream’s budget has grown from $1.7 million just four years ago to approximately $42 million in 2022. Upstream’s work has also garnered attention from many leading publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, CNN, Vox, Forbes, and Marie Claire.
Position Summary
The External Affairs Associate will play a critical role in supporting the full scope of External Affairs operations as part of Upstream’s Development Team during an exciting time of continued organizational growth. Reporting to the Director of External Affairs, the External Affairs Associate will be responsible for supporting activities led by the Director, Advisor, and two Officers related to Upstream’s broadening portfolio of influencers, including former public officials, academics, thought leaders, and other high-profile, high-touch stakeholders. This support includes ongoing database maintenance, reporting, as well as the planning and execution of in-person or virtual convenings of the board of directors and/or key stakeholders.
The ideal candidate will bring a background in project management, CRM systems, and operations to engage these high-impact influencers in Upstream’s mission and goals. This is a stimulating and rewarding role for someone who loves to create systems and processes in service of relationships and organization-wide impact. The External Affairs Associate will be a collaborative, proactive, team-player, who genuinely enjoys working with others. The role requires experience with Salesforce and operations or processes that support contact / relationship management. Attention to detail and strong project management abilities are essential for this role.
Upstream celebrates and fosters an inclusive work environment and encourages people of
all identities, perspectives and backgrounds to apply.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Collaborates with the Director of External Affairs and other members of the development team to provide support for Upstream’s external affairs function, including developing and enhancing systems and processes
- Manages and maintains all data related to high-impact influencers by leveraging systems (e.g., Salesforce) and processes, including communications
- Collaborates with the development team to manage the integration of External Affairs’ processes with Development’s
- Maintains accurate, real-time information in Salesforce database, including contact, account, and activity history
- Supports the Advisor and Director on contact tracking, capturing meeting notes and action items
- Provides calendar, scheduling, and travel logistical support for Advisor and other team members as needed
- Monitors and manages annual engagement plans to ensure all output goals are met
- Builds draft Salesforce reports summarizing relevant contacts, activity (engagement) history), and communication lists for the External Affairs portfolio of relationships as well as other functions
- Supports planning and execution of in-person convenings, meetings, and events with high-level influencers in partnership with the Director, External Affairs, and other Development Team staff
- Prepares meeting materials, as needed
- Collaborates with the Senior Manager, Development Operations to operationalize relationship management in service of Upstream’s engagement goals and integrate External Affairs activities with development operations
Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Ability:
- 2-5 years of project management, operations, and/or customer service experience in a related field, preferably development, fundraising, philanthropy
- Strong command of Salesforce, Google suite, and Microsoft Suites
- Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail and analytical orientation
- Customer service and solutions-oriented
- Able to manage up and prioritize effectively
- Experience developing and managing systems and processes within a CRM environment
- Exceptional project management skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities
- Demonstrated ability to operate with a high degree of urgency, self-motivation, focus on goals, and commitment to high-quality work
- Strong communicator (written and verbal), and listener
- Team player and strong individual contributor
- Keen attention to detail and ability to exercise discretion
- Commitment to Upstream’s mission and to mission-driven work
- Desire to develop skills and learn from mistakes
- Sense of humor
- Able to attend work related in-person meetings and functions as needed (Upstream employees are required to be fully vaccinated to attend in-person work-related activities. Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals with a sincerely held religious belief or disability who are not vaccinated)
- In our hybrid work environments, there is a basic expectation that our Upstreamers will ensure that their work from home setups will have reliable access to phone and Internet to ensure connectivity to their teams.
- At Upstream we gather for moments that matter for training, teaming and connection. Our teams come together for occasional in person meetings and organizational retreats. As part of our hybrid work practices, this travel expectation will be applicable for all Upstreamers, even those based remotely.
How to Apply
Please apply directly on our career site which can be seen here. Please contact Laura Hunko at lhunko@upstream.org or Anna DeOcampo at adeocampo@upstream.org should you have any additional questions.
Upstream Benefits
Upstream USA offers a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long and short term disability, 401K with a match, generous vacation, personal, sick and holiday time off, parental leave, professional development and a fitness and cell phone allowance for all full time employees and part time employees who work a minimum of 24 hours per week.
Hiring Range
The hiring range for this role is $48,991.59 – $69,300. Final offers for this position will be based upon several factors including the scope of the role, market compensation analysis, position requirements, candidate’s experience level and capabilities, specific candidate geographic location, internal pay equity considerations and will be made within the parameters of Upstream USA’s compensation framework and philosophy.
Upstream Careers
At Upstream, we embrace diversity. We nurture it and we thrive on it because it benefits our organization, our partners, and our community. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain exceptional people, and to create a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. Upstream is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. Learn more about working at Upstream, our values, and our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Upstream USA participates in E-Verify.
Upstream Headquarters:
2 Oliver Street, Suite 402, Boston, MA 02109
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