ROBERT F. KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS

Since 1968, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has advocated for a more just and peaceful world. The organization works alongside local activists to ensure perpetual, positive change within government institutions and corporations. Its goal is to pursue strategic litigation on key human rights issues, educate millions of students in human rights advocacy, and foster a social good approach to business and investment both nationally and abroad. The organization’s programs are designed to serve individuals from every background and demographic; however, they specifically focus on audiences who have been systematically oppressed by authoritative powers and historically excluded from leadership positions.

Investor Engagement Fellow, RFK Compass Program

NEW YORK, NY
Supervisor: Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Investor Engagement

JOB DESCRIPTION

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing entities, even outside the financial sector, are embracing ESG (environmental, social, and governance) as a critical measure of success. With the current administration promising a return to stronger governmental oversight of financial and ecological compliance, ESG is poised to take on growing importance in 2022 and beyond. However, with no single ESG programming, assessment, and reporting mechanism, organizations face a rapidly evolving ESG landscape of competing rankings and principles. As organizations are increasingly being advised to work with an integrated team of consultants to ensure that good intentions lead to good results, the need for lawyers that understand ESG is growing in demand.

The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Compass Investors Program convenes, connects, and catalyzes investment decision-makers on the importance and intersection of social justice issues in their investment processes. Its investors collectively control close to $7 trillion in assets under management and are keenly focused on seeking superior risk-adjusted returns. As a result, the organization’s work offers insights and connections for these leaders around the “S” in ESG, economic and racial equity to yield both profits and positive impact for people and the planet.

As a Compass Investor Engagement Fellow, collaborating with leading experts in the field, the Innovator will be tasked with exploring new and innovative ways to engage and assess the private equity community on action steps to back up their commitments on following a social good approach. The Innovator will receive a bespoke, advantageous learning opportunity, putting them at the forefront of a growing field in the legal and financial industry.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Engaging with investors, human rights advocates, academia, and others operating at the intersection of business and social justice to share best practices and co-create content that is focused on the thematic priorities of the RFK Compass Investor Program.
• Developing a five-year plan to track and measure actions taken by the investment community to advance racial and economic equity; primarily related to the actions listed in the RFK Compass 4 Point Investor Action Plan.
• Tracking progress and commitments towards racial and economic justice, which involves developing criteria for measuring progress towards commitments, including methodology, indicators, participants, outputs, and outcomes.
• Working with a cohort of 10-15 fund managers and institutional investors (phase 1 of the tracking) to collect data related to the actions of their organizations towards racial and economic justice.
• Working with external RFK partners, such as the Thomas Reuters Foundation, Refinitiv, and the NYU Stern School of Business to continue the work of defining the “S” in ESG and develop standardized indicators to measure social factors in the industry.

DESIRED SKILLS

• Experience with conducting research for varied audiences and synthesizing information quickly and coherently.
• Able to move forward complex projects with many stakeholders.
• Interest in working in the nonprofit, impact investing, or finance sectors.
• Effective and creative Keynote, PowerPoint, or Google Slides skills.
• Ability to crunch numbers and utilize systems such as Microsoft Excel & Google Sheets.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proactive with the drive to propose and execute ideas individually.
• High level of integrity and discretion in handling confidential information.
• Innovative thinking, willingness to voice opinions, and a strong work ethic are essential.
• Ability to build positive relationships with colleagues and to help others.
• Ability to foster inclusivity and work with people who have different viewpoints backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
• Experience working with senior-level executives in the financial services/asset management sector.

Young Leaders Fellow

NEW YORK, NY
Supervisor: Young Leaders Program Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

The RFK Young Leaders program builds the power of young people in communities and at the ballot box by organizing and training college students and young people of color in a multi-issue, intersectional social justice framework. Young Leaders focuses on leadership development, issue advocacy, grassroots organizing, and civic engagement. Currently, RFK Young Leaders has a presence on 14 college and university campuses across nine states.

As a Young Leaders Fellow, the Innovator will have the opportunity to help further the organization’s programmatic work by bringing together grassroots activists, movement leaders, young people, and communities of color to support a broad progressive agenda. Responsibilities include developing training materials, conducting virtual workshops, and providing one-on-one technical support to college chapters. The Innovator will also assist with planning and executing a national summit, recruiting new student leaders, expanding the RFKYL chapter network, and organizing cross-chapter actions (such as lobby days, protests, virtual campaigns, and others high-impact events).

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Organizing and leading workshops, trainings, and class presentations on voting, civic engagement, and organizing.
• Assisting in designing and implementing issue advocacy campaigns, civic engagement, and fieldwork.
• Canvassing for pledge cards or petitions on college campuses, community events, and other spaces.
• Recruiting and activating students to participate in cross-chapter or issue-based campaigns that involve multiple stakeholders.
• Providing technical assistance to chapter leaders and Campus Ambassadors.
• Building relationships with campus administration, faculty, student clubs, and student leaders to advance the civic engagement of students.
• Helping coordinate logistics for Young Leaders outreach events, including trainings, visibility events, speaker forums, and lobby days.

DESIRED SKILLS

• An authentic, grounded person with a strong understanding of the issues at hand and a deep commitment to building power for young people at the margins.
• A self-starter who shows strong initiative and is committed to growth and getting results.
• A compassionate person who shows commitment to the progressive values, mission, and goals of the organization, which includes having experience working with communities of color and having a desire to be part of an anti-racist organization.
• A resourceful, creative problem-solver and solutions-finder who can collaborate with young leaders on campus and in the community.
• A flexible person who can adapt on-the-go for the best results.
• A relational person who empowers and develops young leaders.
• A highly organized person who can work independently, as part of a team, and under pressure.
• Experience growing up or working in diverse communities and a demonstrated commitment to diversity.
• Strong judgment in effectively and strategically navigating varying relationships and collaborative environments.
• Experience working with young adults from diverse backgrounds preferred.
• Experience in canvassing, working on campaigns, or other civic engagement initiatives preferred.
• Experience working with college students and/or operating and maintaining a college-based student organization preferred.