All Things Urban

WRI's mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Teams you will support

Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) team is a cross-cutting team that manages research for the Ross Center, leads research in new areas, and is currently leading the work on WRI’s flagship World Resources Report (WRR) Towards a More Equal City.

Over the final period of work on the WRR (2019-2020), the key responsibility of the PC will be to support project management and budgeting, other operational tasks, communications and event organizing needs for the team.

Urban Development (UD) team helps to build more holistic infrastructure for cities by emphasizing sustainable and equitable integrated transport, land-use planning, and urban design. Key pieces of this work involve the WRI Ross Prize for Cities, several multiple country grants, and ongoing work on urban data innovation and transformative urban change.

The key responsibility of the PC will be to support project management, budgeting and financial management, communications, event organizing and other operational tasks for the workstream.

Program / Project Management

• Process documentation for project commitments (i.e. agreements, contracts, work authorizations, and purchase orders)
• Work with partners to help them understand and meet subgrant and contract requirements
• Monitor program / project performance against contract requirements and deliverables
• Manage various program, department and organizational trackers (publications, performance monitoring and others)

Financial Management

• Update and maintain project budgets utilizing WRI’s budgeting and forecasting software (TM1).
• Update and maintain project funding and allocations in coordination with workstream director(s) and project managers. Process invoices and payments for projects in compliance with WRI’s policies (subgrants, consultancies, work orders, etc.).
• Assist project team in project closeout process including turnover documentation and financial reconciliation
• Coordinate and advise on project budget management and reports
• With project managers, review on a monthly basis the transactions and finances of the projects and update the budget
• Prepare financial review template(s) for review with workstream director(s) and operations staff.
• Develop outlook budgets for the program and possible proposals to donors and contractors
• Work with Salesforce to add new proposals
• Develop fiscal year budget forecasts on a yearly basis in coordination with operations and workstream directors of both teams.
• Prepare participant agreements and provide travel support for WRI Ross Prize finalists, jury members, and other high value stakeholders

Grant Management

• Lead the drafting of grant proposal budgets and assists in the collection & submission of formal proposals for grants
• Submit all required grant forms as instructed by grant
• Keep track of deliverables and reporting required under grants
• Keep timely and accurate information on donors and contacts

Administration

• Coordinate and schedule team meetings regarding projects among team.
• Provide timesheet guidance to workstream team members on a bi-weekly basis.
• Coordinate recruitment and manage onboarding of new staff members as needed. Update and maintain new hire staffing information with operations.

Communications Support (20% of time)

• Provide support in organizing presentations, workshops, conferences, research seminars and other events for the program as needed
• Help prepare presentations for external meetings
• Assist with review of blogs and support team with research and writing tasks as needed.

• Minimum of 1 year of relevant, full-time work experience supporting project management functions
• Bachelor’s degree in economics, accounting, public policy, political science, international affairs, or similar subject required.
• Master’s degree preferred
• Keen interest in the mission and work of the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
• Detail-oriented, highly organized individual with experience and interest in program management, financial management, budgeting, and writing
• Must be adaptable to rapidly changing priorities and have the ability to manage multiple projects with varying deadlines
• Strong process orientation with sensitivity to quality
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Strong writing, database management, and proofreading skills
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, and internet research; experience with statistical analysis and budgeting software is highly desirable
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to work well in a team and with international colleagues
• In addition to excellent written and spoken English, additional language skills are a plus, especially in
  Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Chinese, French, Hindi
• US work authorization is required for all WRI US opportunities. WRI cannot offer visa sponsorship for this opportunity.

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.