Guardians Fellow

ABOUT THE ROGER ARLINER YOUNG FELLOWSHIP

In an effort to make the conservation and clean energy fields more equitable and accessible, the Roger Arliner Young (RAY)Fellowship Program aims to increase and facilitate environmentally-related career pathways for emerging leaders of color. The RAY Fellowship Program is a paid fellowship designed to equip recent college graduates with the tools, experiences, support, and community they need to become leaders in the conservation and clean energy sectors—one that, in our visions of the future, fully represents, includes, and is led by the diverse communities, perspectives, and experiences of the United States.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Guardians Program Fellow will play a pivotal role in supporting the Guardians Program and its portfolio of partners and programs. The role involves supporting  the growth and alignment across the Guardians Program (40%), which includes supporting multi-year grants, logistical and administrative tasks as assigned, and implementing effective systems for document and report management. Additional duties include contributing to outreach, marketing, and communications (40%) by developing strategies, crafting visual materials, and organizing and managing content creation in partnership with Re:wild’s Marketing and Communications team. The role also involves monitoring program effectiveness (10%) through surveys, data analysis, and report coordination. Finally, the position includes RAY Fellowship responsibilities (10%), such as engaging in professional development, community building, and creating a Personal Leadership Plan to reflect on and achieve leadership goals.

The Guardians Program Fellow will work closely with the Guardians Senior Program Officer, Guardians Senior Director, project-specific managers, Re:wild´s operations, priorities and monitoring and marketing and communications teams to coordinate and build internal systems to advance our work. 

We’re a fast-moving, flexible organization where innovation thrives. Our team is independent, adaptable, and thrives in a dynamic, ever-evolving environment. We embrace change, move quickly to meet new challenges, and empower each other to take ownership. If you love solving problems, working autonomously, and growing in a high-energy setting, you’ll be a great fit. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Guardians Program Coordination (40%) - Grant-making, Associates and Conservation Pathways for Youth Programming: 

• Provides general logistical, administrative, and coordination support to the Guardians Programs.

• Organizes and implements project management processes for multiple on-going multi-year grants, working closely with grant leads to manage information and processes across the Guardians grant-making portfolio and programs. 

• Establishes and maintains document / report management systems.

• Collaborate with the Re:wild operations team and grants manager to ensure that project activities and administration comply with donor and Re:wild policies. 

• Support the Associates Program, including creating systems and tracking documents to operationalize improvements and communicate with staff and Associates. 

• Support in-person and virtual (zoom) program sessions by providing facilitation, logistics coordination and technical coordination.

• Co-develop and support implementation of programming for cohort of Re:wild’s graduate scholarship recipients. 

• Represent Re:wild in the Conservation Leadership Community of Practice by attending monthly meetings, providing administrative support during meetings and facilitating sessions.

• As assigned, coordinate across various Re:wild teams and projects to highlight their Guardians related work and connect them to our networks. 

Outreach, Marketing  and Communications (40%):

• Support the creation, collection and organization of assets across Guardians programs, projects and individuals to support fundraising, promotion, and educational outreach.

• Create a system to share Guardians content with Re:wild’s Marketing and Communications team (MARCOM) in a timely, organized and aligned manner.

• Track assets and updates from grantees and partners to create media content. 

• Employ creative design skills on Canva or similar platforms to craft visually engaging graphics and materials.

• Design story maps to highlight the multiplier effect of Guardians programming.

• Manage blog posts from graduate scholarship recipients, including editing, securing assets and submitting to MARCOM.

• Liaise with MARCOM on general strategy and timeline for content for Guardians.

Priorities and Monitoring (10%):

• Create and administer program surveys to gauge effectiveness and amplify program impact. 

• Analyze program data to glean successes, challenges and lessons learned. 

• Coordinate timely reporting and report reviews of Re:wild and sub-grantees to the donor.

• Support the collaborative development of technical and narrative reports and data collection from partners by organizing media assets and writing report sections.

• Maintain current Guardians project and partner information and data in AirTable.

ADDITIONAL FELLOWSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES (10%): 

In addition to the responsibilities at the host institution outlined above, RAY Fellows will spend, on average, 2-4 hours per week (5-10% of work time) on the following:

• Actively communicating and building community with their RAY Fellow cohort and previous RAY Fellows. 

• Meeting regularly with mentors both inside and outside the host institution. 

• Attending monthly professional development webinars, trainings, and other opportunities to build knowledge and skills as scheduled.

• Developing a Personal Leadership Plan (PLP) in their 2nd year with the support of supervisor(s), mentors, RAY program staff, and their RAY Fellow cohort. The PLP will serve as a tool for self-reflection, planning, and assessing progress towards professional, personal, and leadership goals.

• Preparing and leading an hour-long end-of-fellowship webinar highlighting their Fellowship experience.

• Engaging in other professional development opportunities within Re:wild and with our partners to explore personal and professional interests. 

RAY Fellows will also attend:

• A 3-day Orientation Retreat in late Summer/Fall 2025.

• A 3-day Mid-Fellowship Leadership Retreat in Fall 2026.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Eligible RAY Fellow applicants will:

• Come from a racial/ethnic background underrepresented in conservation and clean energy and demonstrate a commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Be no more than 3 years out of college and have a Bachelor's Degree by July 2025 (we are not considering individuals with graduate degrees at this time).

• Have not had a full-time job in conservation or clean energy.

• Have the ability to work in the United States and commit to the entire fellowship.

SKILLS / QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE

• Education / Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and some relevant experience in program management and grants administration with relation to nature conservation or similar, or equivalent combination. 

• Organizational Skills: Ability to meet deadlines and due dates. Strong attention to detail, with ability to maintain accurate and thorough records according to donor and organizational requirements.

• Creative Design Skills: Must have an eye for detail, strong aesthetics, and the ability to deliver professional, on-brand visuals that captivate and connect with audiences.

• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and persuasively in all situations. Listens and asks for clarification as needed. Responds well to questions. Demonstrates group presentation skills. Participates in meetings. 

• Problem Solving & Curious: Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner, including appropriate escalation as needed. Gathers and analyzes information skillfully. Develops alternative solutions. Works well in group problem-solving situations and is curious to learn and grow. 

• Project Management: Develops clear project plans. Coordinates projects effectively and manages project team activities. Communicates changes and progress. Completes projects on time and within the approved budget. 

• Teamwork: Must possess ability to work across cross-functional and cross-cultural teams in a positive and productive manner. Experience supporting or co-leading complex projects in an unstructured, independent environment.

TERM / LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT

This is a two-year, full-time fellowship (one year with a one year renewal) starting on or after July 15, 2025.

COMPENSATION

• This is a full-time, exempt position. 

• Projected salary range of $48,000 - 56,000 with the final determination to be made commensurate with the candidate’s experience. 

• Re:wild provides medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, and life insurance, with Re:wild covering up to 80% of the premiums. Re:wild also offers a 403b retirement plan with up to 3% match after a year of employment.

• Re:wild observes 16 paid holidays each calendar year. Full-time employees can also accrue the following annually: up to 15 days of vacation leave, 12 days of illness leave and 2 volunteer days.

• Travel/hours: Possible occasional domestic and international travel to meet with key stakeholders. The position may require working outside of normal business hours to engage with donors, partners, and staff located in different time zones around the world.

Learn more: Apply here