New York, NY

Senior Associate, Sourcing and Studio Initiatives, Blue Meridian Partners

The Organization

Blue Meridian Partners is a pioneering philanthropic model for finding and funding scalable solutions to the problems that trap America’s young people and families in poverty and limit economic mobility.

We operate with an investor mindset, but measure success in terms of greater social impact, rather than financial returns. Blue Meridian takes a rigorous, strategic approach to philanthropic investing: identifying, funding and scaling the most promising strategies poised to make a national impact. Our portfolio of “investees” addresses some of the root causes of inequity and lack of opportunity—poverty, mass incarceration, foster care, unemployment, and more.

We believe in the power of scale to address intractable social challenges, but we also know that organizations face barriers on the path to meeting the magnitude of the problems they seek to address. In order to catalyze more organizations’ readiness for significant scaling, we have recently launched The Studio @ Blue Meridian Partners, an initiative which promotes strategic refinement and intentional experimentation. The Studio encourages social sector leaders to think bigger and prepare for scaling by providing flexible resources—both coaching and capital—to develop, test, and enhance their solutions. The Studio supports Blue Meridian’s mission to boost the economic mobility of young people and families trapped in poverty and is central to our commitment to continuous learning.

We come to this work with a decades-long track record of innovation in philanthropy and a comprehensive investing approach developed at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF). We are constantly learning, exploring, and seeking out new collaborations in relentless pursuit of creating lasting impact at scale that can change the lives of generations.

Position Overview

Position Profile

The Senior Associate will support ongoing sourcing and diligence of investment opportunities as well as initiatives of The Studio to test and replicate promising strategies to accelerate social sector organizations’ readiness for impact at scale.  The Senior Associate will also support senior leaders to manage Blue Meridian’s relationships with select investees and develop innovative plans and / or investment roadmaps to help them achieve greater impact.

Position Type

Exempt

Location

New York City

Primary Responsibilities

The responsibilities of this position include but are not limited to the following,

Support Blue Meridian Studio Initiatives

With senior team members’ guidance and collaboration, the Senior Associate will:

  • Develop concepts, strategies and proposals for building the pipeline of future investments for Blue Meridian.
  • Support the process for selecting organizations to partake in pipeline-building activities.
  • Project manage to support execution and evaluation of pipeline building and innovation initiatives.
  • Participate in learning to guide the evolution of pipeline building and innovation work, including helping to surface and reflect on new opportunities, successes and challenges on an on-going basis.

Support Sourcing and Diligence

With senior team members’ guidance and collaboration, the Senior Associate will:

  • Contribute to, and sometimes lead, activities to support Blue Meridian’s efforts to explore potential investment opportunities including regular research to advance Blue Meridian’s perspective on compelling investment opportunities across domains.
  • Conduct due diligence including qualitative and quantitative research, interviews, financial analyses and evidence reviews, for top investment prospects.
  • Develop investment hypotheses of how Blue Meridian capital could be transformative in helping organizations achieve national impact.
  • Help develop and maintain the tools and processes to strengthen sourcing work.

Support Relationships with Investee Organizations
With senior team members’ guidance and collaboration, the Senior Associate will:

  • Contribute toward investee leaders and their teams’ receiving excellent relationship management and support from Blue Meridian. Earn and maintain the respect of investees and be a trusted point of contact.
  • Support the development and implementation of investee scaling plans and / or investment roadmaps that support the basis of investment recommendations. Support preparation of investment recommendations and help craft performance milestones with investees and chart a roadmap for success.
  • Take ownership of investee performance reports, capturing current performance, risks, and future potential. Prepare materials and talking points for Partner and other updates.
  • Contribute to the design, participate in, and sometimes facilitate investee meetings, strategy sessions and performance reviews.

Qualifications

  • Aligned to Blue Meridian’s mission and driven by personal values that align closely with Blue Meridian’s core values.
  • At least seven years of professional/advanced academic experience in finance, management consulting, innovation, design thinking, philanthropy, economic mobility, social justice or a related field is required.
  • Experience working in or advising clients in the nonprofit field is an advantage. We also value experience working in a fast-growing startup.
  • A Bachelor’s degree is required, an advanced degree in a related field (e.g. business, law or public administration) is desirable. Perspectives from direct experience living or working in communities with significant low-income or otherwise disenfranchised peoples preferred.
  • Strong relationship skills, with the ability to represent Blue Meridian externally.
  • Outstanding interpersonal skills with a professional and genial demeanor, and the ability to work with people with different backgrounds and experiences.
  • Sophisticated and diverse analytical skills and facility in quantitative and qualitative methods are essential.
  • Strong project management skills, including experience managing complex, multi-year projects.
  • Strong oral and written communications skills are essential, including the ability to present to senior groups and craft well-written prose and PowerPoint materials.
  • Demonstrated strategic and highly rigorous approach to problem solving, balanced by a flexible and empathetic demeanor and responsiveness to the needs of others.
  • Sound judgment and discretion, seeking input and feedback, listening well and sometimes making difficult decisions independently while understanding the need for collaboration and leadership’s endorsement of results.  Open to finding creative, alternative solutions to challenges and disagreements that may arise.
  • Strong computer skills with extensive knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and the ability to master new software quickly; experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SharePoint is a plus.
  • Willing to travel as needed.

Salary & Benefits

Total compensation includes an annual base salary, the potential for an annual incentive award based on performance, and an exceptional benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 403b retirement plan with employer contributions and generous time off. Base salary will be set commensurate with chosen candidate’s knowledge, skill and experience.

Blue Meridian Partners is committed to equal employment opportunity, without regard to race, color, gender, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. These opportunities include all terms, conditions and privileges of employment, including (but not limited to) recruiting, hiring, job assignment, training, compensation, benefits, discipline, promotion, and termination.

How to Apply

For consideration, please include the following in your application:

* cover letter

* resume

No phone calls or in-person applications, please

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