Solving Sacramento Project Manager

Solving Sacramento is a collaborative of non-profit and for-profit local newsrooms, education institutions, and community partners working together to produce and share solutions journalism stories on the issues that most impact the larger Sacramento metro region.

We believe the diversity of our metro is our strength. We are committed to engaging with members of every Sacramento community to identify solutions to the problems our thriving metropolis faces as we grow into the future.  

We launched in 2022 with one initiative: solutions to affordable housing. In 2023, we plan to expand our coverage areas to include economic development, arts and the environment.

Solving Sacramento seeks a project manager to build and strengthen the collaborative; to manage relationships between and among collaboration partners; to fundraise for ongoing sustainability of the collaborative; and to support and coordinate projects, including hiring consultants, editors and fellows as necessary.

This is a contract position starting at 20 hours/week at a rate of $40/hour. Contingent upon longer-term funding and project assessment, the position may be extended and grow.

Timeline: Please apply by March 27. We hope to hire by April 3 for an April 17 start date. 

How To Apply: Please send a cover letter, resume or LinkedIn link, and three references to jobs@localmedia.org by March 27.

Responsibilities:

Financial/Fundraising

• Key responsibility for identifying future funding for the collaborative.
  • Outreach to potential funders/sponsors/major donors.
  • Set up regular individual donor campaigns.
  • Author project and funding proposals.
  • Produce required grant and impact reports.
•  Manage the relationship with Local Media Foundation (administrative agent), including:
  • Support LMF to manage service provider relationships.
  • Monitor the project budget.
• Support collaborative members to submit invoices, reimbursement forms, etc. with fiscal sponsor (editorial invoicing is managed by Project Editor).

 Program

• Support collaborative members to develop vision and strategic direction for the collaborative.
• Manage relationships between collaborative members, including:
  • Setting up and facilitating regular meetings of collaborative members.
  • Resolving conflicts among collaborative members.
• Identify and recruit new members to the collaborative.

• Onboard new collaborative members.

• Serve as the primary contact between collaborative and key stakeholders, including:
  • Solutions Journalism Network, James Irvine Foundation, other funders.
  • Fiscal sponsor/administrative agent (Local Media Foundation).

• Support collaborative in engaging deeply with community by:
  • Planning collaborative-organized community forums and town halls.
  • Supporting engagement events related to collaborative topics put on by collaborative members and community partners.
  • Developing tools for engagement.
• Stay updated with the Project Editor on the editorial calendar, story assignments and other editorial items.

Communications

• Participate in the ongoing building of any external communications such as a website, newsletters, social media accounts, etc.

• Work with the Project Editor and fiscal sponsor to update the website as needed.
• Build awareness about the collaborative with media organizations, journalists, university journalism programs, and community members.

Qualifications and capabilities:

• Fundraising skills.
• Strong time-management and project-management skills.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Understand how to build and maintain positive community relationships and manage effective communication.
• Comfort in working as lead of a virtual organization with little daily outside supervision.
• Basic knowledge of financial statements and financial projections.
• Passion for empowering people of all backgrounds to participate in sustainable living and community building.
  
  Preferred but not required:
• Multimedia and social media skills; knowledge of digital content management systems.
• Tech-savvy — ability to learn new technology and stay current with advances in digital journalism.