Board Liaison

Board Liaison

Permanent

Executive

Union of Concerned Scientists

Remote

Bargaining Unit Position: No

Our Organization

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is an independent nonprofit that puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future. We envision a peaceful, healthy, and just world where science serves people and the planet by guiding policy decisions, reducing risks, and improving lives.

For over five decades, we have been working as scientists, engineers, economists, advocates, and everyday people to create and advocate for innovative, practical solutions to some of our planet’s most pressing problems—from combating global warming and developing sustainable ways to feed, power, and transport ourselves, to fighting disinformation, advancing racial equity, and reducing the threat of nuclear war.  Values informing our work include:

• Science in the service of people and the planet. 

• Justice and Equity for people of all races and incomes—now, and for future generations. 
• Courage to take principled, science-based stands in the public arena. 
• Integrity to always examine evidence critically, openly, and honestly. 
• Democracy to promote a voice for all in government decisions. 
• Action inspiring and mobilizing people to build a healthier, safer, and more just world. 

The Position

The Board Liaison will work with the Chief of Staff and Chief Development Officer to help coordinate and support the UCS Board of Directors including meeting planning and logistics, onboard new board members, and support board activities and governance. The Board Liaison also directly works with and supports the CEO and President in her engagement and relationship building with Board members, as well as in preparation for all Board meetings. The position will also oversee strategy for Board events, cultivation, and stewardship, and provide event support for other high profile UCS events, such as National Advisory Board (NAB) and other prominent programmatic events. Further, the Board Liaison will support the UCS Development team to implement and execute communications strategies to educate, engage, and inspire our Board and NAB members about the breadth and depth of UCS work and accomplishments. The Board Liaison will work closely with the Chief of Staff and Chief Development Officer to coordinate and plan the Board meetings, support high-profile UCS events virtually and in-person,  oversee Board data entry in the UCS CRM, maintain the Board document repository, manage Board stewardship initiatives, and other tasks as needed. 

The Liaison will also work closely with the following, as appropriate: 

• Director, Stewardship, Events and Engagement
• Associate Manager, Stewardship, Events, and Engagement
• Administrative Manager to the President

• Special Assistant to the Executive Office

Responsibilities

·        Serves as the primary liaison to members of the UCS Board of Directors for meeting coordination, strategic communications, questions, and updates. This includes supporting and attending Board Executive Committee meetings, and regular Board committee meetings (e.g., Audit, Development, Finance, Investments, JEDI, and Governance Committees). The Board Liaison will support Executive Team members in their support of Board Committees (e.g., CFO/COO for Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees).

·        Communicates proactively with, and is responsive to, the President and CEO and Chief of Staff. Establish regular communication with both Executive and Development Departments for effective coordination and collaboration.

·        Provide exceptional customer service and relationship management with Board members in tight coordination with UCS President and senior leadership staff.

·        Plans and executes UCS Board meetings and related board events, including but not limited to: Board meeting prep and materials, day-of-meeting assistance, Board dinners, and Friends of UCS event receptions.  Manages the creation and editing of the Board book 

·        Manages new board member onboarding and emeritus board member off boarding, in collaboration with the Chair of the Governance Committee.

·        Serves as a critical thought partner on organization-wide events, including on stewardship and engagement concepts. Assists in the planning, coordination, and execution of high visibility events that benefit the organization to advance enterprise-level priorities, working closely with the Director and Associate Manager of Stewardship, Events and Engagement

·        Helps the Chief of Staff, the Director of Stewardship, and the Chief Development Officer to identify new engagement opportunities for the Board in partnership with the Development team 

·        Serve as a thought partner on stewardship and engagement concepts for the National Advisory Board (NAB) members in connection to UCS work and Development staff . With support and oversight of the Director of Stewardship, Events and Engagement, contribute to implementation of the onboarding plan for new National Advisory Board members 

·        With direction from Director of Stewardship, Events and Engagement, as needed, support with planning and logistics of UCS National Advisory Board (NAB) meetings and events, as appropriate, and including but not limited to meeting prep and materials, day-of meeting assistance, NAB field trips, meeting receptions, and post-event debrief and database updates 

 OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED include but are not limited to:

·        Entry for non-Major Gift Officer-related NAB and Board updates and emails into Mission CRM Database

·        Assist with sharing of timely and regular UCS updates and newsletters with the Board or NAB as needed, and in consultation with relevant Departments including Development and Communications

·        Assist Board members with technical issues, connecting with IT as appropriate

·        Help ensure that organizational equity work and speakers from diverse backgrounds are appropriately represented throughout programs, and UCS’s commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is represented in program content. 

·        Become sufficiently knowledgeable of  project management systems (Monday.com) the CRM systems (Mission CRM and EveryAction), communications channels, and file storage (Board repository on SharePoint) while maintaining organization of the event scheduling process and UCS event calendar. 

·        Maintain familiarity with the breadth and dept of UCS programs and fundraising models to contribute to the development of the annual workplan and annual budget. 

·        Maintain awareness and stay up to date on benchmarks and best practices of non-profit board engagement.

·        Help run virtual events, including but not limited to content prep sessions and co-hosting the Zoom platform to assist with presentations, attendee chat management, and audience questions 

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY 

May supervise consultants, and/or UCS staff who directly support events and the UCS Board, as appropriate.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS 

·        Spends extended periods at computer monitor and keyboard; ability to control a mouse and keyboard. 

·        Modest exertion: Ability to Lift 50Lbs, lifting of boxes, movement of tables and chairs and other mobility to execute events as needed. 

·        Communicate in verbal and written formats with internal staff and external constituents. 

WORK SCHEDULE 

Regular office hours. Some nights and weekend are required during events and NAB meetings. 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS 

10-20 days annually of travel (day- and overnight-travel) for Board meeting, NAB meetings, and other events as needed. 

EEO STATEMENT 

UCS is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth)

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

·        Excellent project management, communication, and organizational skills. Experience with event planning preferred.

·        Previous experience providing exceptional management and customer service of an organization’s board of directors especially in a non-profit setting. Familiarity with donor relations techniques and principles required. 

·        Detail oriented, strong proofreading skills, experience with social media platforms desired.

·        Vendor management experience required. Leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills required. 

·        Able to communicate effectively and quickly and work flexibly in a team environment and across departments is critical.

·        Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint skills required; experience with merge functions and knowledge of donor databases required.

·        Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. At UCS, comparable training and/or experience can be substituted for degrees when appropriate. 

·        5 - 7 years of comparable events and project management experience is required. Project Management Certification a plus. 

Benefits

Details:

This is a full-time remote position. For those who meet all position requirements, the salary is $109,232. UCS offers excellent benefits and a rewarding work environment. *CA Resident Only, we offer a 12% salary differential*

Information about the organization is available at http://www.ucsusa.org.

Comparable training and/or experience can be substituted for degrees when appropriate.

More about the team:

Our team is made up of a dedicated group of researchers, scientists, communicators, campaigners, and advocates from wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and a collaborative and supportive work environment where all staff can thrive. We continually strive to create an environment which is a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, parents, empty-nesters, and people with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds.

To Apply: We know there are great candidates who won’t check all these boxes, and we also know you might bring important skills that we haven’t considered. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. Please upload a cover letter and resume. In the cover letter, please confirm that the listed salary meets your expectations. Upload materials in Word or PDF format only. No phone calls, please.

This position is NOT in the bargaining unit.

Covid Mandate for New Hires:

For in office roles, UCS employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees are considered fully vaccinated as defined by the CDC. All new hires who will be reporting to an office location must provide notice of their vaccination status and vaccination documentation, on or before their first day of work. For all others, UCS strongly encourages full vaccinations among its employees, up to and including booster shots, even if working remotely.

All new employees must comply with the mandatory vaccination requirements outlined in UCS policies as soon as practicable. Union of Concerned Scientists will notify candidates for employment of the requirements of this policy before the start of employment.

Deadline: Until filled.