POSITION: PORTFOLIO IMPACT ASSOCIATE

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1 POSITION: PORTFOLIO IMPACT ASSOCIATE ABOUT A BETTER CHICAGO: A Better Chicago is a venture philanthropy fund devoted to dramatically improving educational opportunities for low-income students. The organization invests in a select portfolio of high performing nonprofits that are putting low-income students on a path toward high school and college success. Current challenge and A Better Chicago's solution: Despite decades of reform efforts, only 16% of Chicago Public School freshmen are graduating from college by the age of 25. In response, A Better Chicago is harnessing best practices from the private sector to find, fund and scale a portfolio of high-performing nonprofit organizations that puts lowincome students on a path to high school and college success. Through a combination of funding and management support, A Better Chicago is providing Chicago's most effective nonprofits with the financial and intellectual capital to thrive. Key elements of A Better Chicago's model include: Rigorous due diligence: A Better Chicago carefully screens organizations and only funds those that have strong leadership, a compelling program model and a demonstrated commitment to outcomes measurement Adding value: It takes more than just money. A Better Chicago provides strategic support in areas like business planning, executive search and leadership development all of which are critical to building strong organizations and achieving meaningful outcomes Results: A Better Chicago's team works tirelessly so that every dollar raised has the maximum possible impact. The organization openly shares its performance because it believes in accountability. It's part of how A Better Chicago is transforming philanthropy 100% impact: A Better Chicago's board of directors and leadership council cover all of our operating expenses, so 100% of all donations are directly invested in our portfolio of outstanding nonprofits Since launching in 2010, A Better Chicago has made compelling progress: Raised over $25 million to invest in Chicago's most effective education nonprofits Built a founding board, leadership council, impact council and high-performing staff Reviewed 700+ organizations and built a portfolio of 14 high-performing organizations Developed partnerships with leading professional services firms to help grantees tackle their most pressing strategic and operational challenges For more information, please visit

2 ABOUT THE POSITION: In 2015, A Better Chicago launched a bold strategic plan, with the goal of dramatically improving educational outcomes for Chicago s low-income youth by significantly expanding the service capacity of A Better Chicago s portfolio organizations. As part of its strategic plan, A Better Chicago developed two primary portfolio objectives: 1) expand the service capacity of its portfolio by 80,000 students, and 2) achieve a 60% college graduation rate for the students served by its portfolio. A Better Chicago also seeks to raise the bar on analytic rigor in philanthropy and for our brand to connote excellence to those we fund and those who aspire to be part of our portfolio. The Portfolio Impact Associate will play a critical role in helping A Better Chicago make progress towards its ambitious goals and aspirations. To be successful, this individual will hold him/herself to high performance standards, possess exceptional analytical skills, and be eager to grow in a fast-paced environment. Why this is your dream job: For the rising star who is eager to put their analytical mind and natural curiosity to use to truly make an impact, life doesn t get any better. This is an incredible opportunity to directly contribute to A Better Chicago s strategic direction, accelerate your professional growth, work with an amazing and collaborative team, and gain meaningful exposure within the nonprofit, philanthropic, education, and private sectors. If you re looking for an unparalleled opportunity to grow while making an impact, this is it. Why this is a challenging job: This is a demanding role. A Better Chicago is a young, lean, highly entrepreneurial organization with high standards and ambitious targets. You should expect to work hard and spend plenty of time outside your comfort zone. You will receive meaningful support within a highly collaborative team, but your success will rely on your ability to be a self-starter and quick learner. The right person will be excited about these aspects of the role Specific responsibilities include: Identify and assess candidates for A Better Chicago s portfolio (50-60%) o Build a pipeline of candidate organizations, helping add approximately 50 new candidates annually Proactively identify candidates through referral networks and research (e.g., review of news sources and program evaluations) Develop and support creative approaches to surfacing and attracting candidates o Assess candidates in A Better Chicago s pipeline, supporting the comprehensive review of up to 150 organizations annually Assess fit across A Better Chicago s investment criteria areas (program, leadership, operations, scale)

3 o o Conduct ROI analysis on high-potential candidates Meet with promising candidates, as relevant Develop rationale supporting recommendations to invite candidate organizations into due diligence Support the development of new investment approaches through crafting exploration plans, conducting research, and synthesizing findings Analyze portfolio performance (20-25%) o Analyze grantee performance over time to develop insights informing portfolio strategy and investment decisions o Calculate estimated ROI for each grantee annually, interpreting changes over time and analyzing the potential impact of programmatic shifts on ROI o Own and aggregate grantee performance data to produce annual update to A Better Chicago s portfolio performance dashboard o Support the development of compelling presentations and reports on portfolio performance to drive decision-making, support donor stewardship, and build A Better Chicago s thought leadership o Provide support and guidance to equip other members of the Program team to assess grantee performance o Support efforts to ensure all Growth Fund grantees have rigorous external evaluations by providing project management for this work Lead data management and provide operational support (15-20%) o Build and maintain warehouse for a broad range of portfolio data (e.g., academic outcomes, student demographics, organizational growth metrics) o Develop and maintain warehouse of external sources for benchmarking grantee performance o Capture data on contacts, organizations, and meetings related to sourcing and evaluation efforts in Salesforce o Provide light administrative support for director of portfolio impact Organizational collaboration (5%) o Actively contribute insight to the Program team and organization across a range of topics, including through curating a bi-weekly education news round-up o Coordinate with Advancement team to provide data for key collateral (e.g., investor report) o Occasionally represent A Better Chicago at sector events and peer funder meetings o Work with and provide guidance to interns, as relevant

4 REPORTS TO: Director of Portfolio Impact CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS: The ideal candidate may bring experience form the private, public, and/or nonprofit sectors and will possess the following qualifications and attributes: Deep commitment to A Better Chicago s mission to drive socioeconomic change through investing in organizations and schools creating high-quality educational opportunities for lowincome Chicagoans Demonstrated commitment and track record of excellence across A Better Chicago s values: o Courage We proactively step up to challenges, make tough decisions and act decisively. We say what we believe, even if it s unpopular. o Empathy We respect and seek to understand a diverse range of perspectives from our teammates, partners and the communities we serve. o Impact We consistently accomplish outstanding work. We hold ourselves accountable to delivering results. We have a bias toward action. o Judgment We take a deliberate approach. We make wise decisions despite ambiguity. We cut through noise to focus on the most important issues. o Positive attitude We bring energy, optimism and a sense of possibility to our work, especially in challenging times. o Self-awareness We actively work to fully understand our abilities, our growth opportunities and how our actions affect others. o Stretch We get better every day through constructive feedback, reflection and growth. We find creative solutions to overcome challenges. o Teamwork We support and challenge our colleagues to be their best. We work collaboratively to solve problems. We put our team above ourselves. Skills and experience o Bachelor s degree o 2+ years of professional experience working in challenging roles with increasing levels of responsibility, which may include relevant experiences in academic and/or internship settings o Strong analytical skills and quantitative orientation o Meaningful experience working with data in a professional or academic setting o Adept at Excel and eager to continue building expertise in tools and platforms for quantitative analysis and data visualization o Exceptional attention to detail o Highly organized o Ability to prioritize, multi-task and meet deadlines in a dynamic, fast-paced environment o Excellent written and verbal communication skills

5 COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. A Better Chicago offers an excellent benefits package, which includes medical, dental and vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance. Paid time off includes three weeks of vacation, five sick days and 16 days off for public holidays and office closure. A Better Chicago is also committed to providing all staff members with frequent opportunities for meaningful, individualized professional development. TARGETED START DATE: January 2018 LOCATION: Chicago, IL TO APPLY, SEND COVER LETTER AND RESUME TO: PIA@abetterchicago.org A Better Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.