Open Lunar is Hiring

Applications are now closed

Organization Overview:

Open Lunar supports and invests in projects and opportunities to help create a peaceful and sustainable presence on the Moon. We are looking for a Program Coordinator who is passionate about our mission and has a knack for organization, administration, community, and program support. This role is vital for enhancing our programmatic efficiency and ensuring the smooth operation of our initiatives. This role will be the lynchpin for administrative support of our programs, operations, and community. Open Lunar is a small organization with a growing international community of Lunar and adjacent field experts. Our community has an incredibly diverse set of experiences and perspectives. Open Lunar is an independent, neutral, United States 501c3 non-profit public charity that works and hires globally to achieve our vision.

Key Responsibilities:

This role encompasses work across multiple aspects of the organization and will require a strongly organized individual with experience working internationally to surface priorities, triage needs, communicate continuously, and know when to ask for help. The role will support Open Lunar’s programmatic and operational activities. You will report to the Open Lunar Innovation Program Director, noting that Open Lunar prioritizes a flat leadership structure, and you can expect to be engaged in strategic discussions. This role will involve coordinating efforts to ensure that our new and existing project pipeline functions smoothly. You will support the Innovation Director with scheduling, admin, research, and documentation development as needed. You will liaise with fellows and project leads to ensure they have the best support we can provide. The operations element of your role will include working with the Operations Director to ensure timely completion of administrative tasks that underpin the organization’s effectiveness, including managing correspondence, IT infrastructure, scheduling, and financial administration.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Program Support: Provide comprehensive support to our Program Director in the running and development of Open Lunar’s research programs and projects. Work includes, but is not limited to:

• Recruitment and management of fellowship applicants. Managing administration across programming, including onboarding, schedules, and timelines.
• Organization and administration support related to Open Lunar’s Innovation Process, including organizing regular online events that showcase our work.
• Organizing, facilitating events, and working with our Affiliate network to connect experts to our areas of work.
• Creating documentation for meetings and supporting event outreach and communications.
• Engaging with Open Lunar community members through Slack. Creating and maintaining relationships with our community members.

Operations Support: Provide assistance to the Operations Director on organizational administrative work. Work includes, but is not limited to:

• Operations administration, including correspondence and scheduling, IT management, and financial administration.
• Organize and overhaul organizational systems such as Google Drive, Notion, Slack, etc.
• Oversee operational tasks critical to program success, such as Weekly checks of the virtual mailbox and state registrations; Monitoring shared contact and account emails for important communications; Billing and payments.

Key Skills:

• Project management experience, with the ability to work in a decentralized environment and manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
• Conduct work with a well-organized approach including thoughtfully scheduled and prepared meetings, plans, and updates. Capacity to work across international time zones and cultures.
• Convening, event planning, execution and coordination experience; a plus if done in a remote environment.
• Demonstrated community-building experience is a plus, but not required.
• Proficiency in digital tools and platforms, including Asana, Loom, Google Suite, Slack, and Notion to maintain and organize program-related documents and communications.
• Independent problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively in a remote setting.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively communicate program needs and statuses.
• Supporting overall team systems and processes including addressing emergent needs within the small core team.

Experience Required:

• Demonstrated experience in program support or administration, preferably within a nonprofit or technology-focused organization.
• 1–3 years of work experience in related and adjacent work environments required.
• Comfortable working remotely using asynchronous tools like Slack, G Suite, Zoom, Asana, etc
• Comfortable working in a small remote team environment.
• Willing to be flexible to take occasional calls outside typical work hours as needed especially if located in a timezone outside of North America.
• Fluent English speaking and writing skills. Second languages are an asset.
• Experience in the space industry OR demonstrated capacity to enter new/adjacent fields of technical and geopolitically sensitive expertise.
• Ability to quickly absorb and understand complex ideas through research and analysis, and leverage other peoples’ expertise.
• Track record of working with empathy while being professional and holding accountability.
• Proven ability to self-manage, and keep all colleagues and stakeholders informed.
• Undergraduate degree, preferably in policy or STEM. Post-graduate degree welcome.
• Preferred locations are North or South America and Europe due to the time zones of other team members. Willing to consider applications globally, provided candidates can work close to North American working hours.

Work Environment and Benefits:

• Full-Time - 40 hours per week on average. You manage when you work, and coordinate with the team to make it most effective for work and family.
• Remote - Work from anywhere as long as you have a good connection. Our team works remotely, across many time zones. Slack is our office, Zoom is our meeting room, and G Suite and Notion work as our intranet. Our main time zones are PT, ET, and CET. Locating outside these time zones for short periods is possible provided there is a commitment to be online during normal work hours/meeting times PT/ET/CET.
• Flexibility - Communication is key to successful remote collaboration, and we all communicate about our work plans. We do not prescribe or limit vacation time. On average, the team aims to take a generous 6 weeks per year, of which a 3-week break is over the Western Winter holiday.
  
• International - though registered in the US, we are an international organization and work with and from many cultures.
• Whole Self - Our team is made up of smart, caring humans who take the time to know one another personally and cater to individual needs or perspectives.
• Compensation is based on location and experience. Compensation range US$40,000 - $50,000 USD for North America/Europe, consummate on experience.
• Primary and/or extended healthcare is offered and is provided via third-party providers (Remote & Gusto).
• Open Lunar is a small organization and does not currently offer pension benefits.

Culture:

• Cooperative: We work closely together across programs and everyone carries a lot of responsibility.
• Comfort with collaborative decision-making: We are community-oriented, with a flat organizational structure.
• Open Communication: Good listening skills allow us to hear others' inputs and integrate them.
• Excited to work closely as a team: We’re committed to sharing feedback and helping one another grow personally and professionally.
• Flexible and experimental: This is central to the work that we do.

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide accommodations to candidates who may require them during the application process.

If you require accommodations to participate in the application process, please reach out to contact@openlunar.org.

Fundraising Research Associate – Contract RFP

• Hours: 120
• Duration: 3 months
• RFP Closes: 15 April 2024
• Compensation: Negotiated

About Open Lunar Open Lunar was founded in 2018 to invest in a peaceful and sustainable Lunar future. We do this by investing in the talent and ideas that enable this vision. Open Lunar follows an innovation lab model to generate durable outcomes. We work collaboratively with partners from around the world, including government, academia, and the private sector. These stakeholders help us to source and incubate projects that would not otherwise be prioritized by those stakeholders but are considered beneficial by all stakeholders. Through convening cross-disciplinary experts, conducting in-house research, and coaching and funding talent, we aim to take innovative ideas to self-sustainability, enabling our vision. Open Lunar is an independent, neutral, United States 501 (c)(3) non-profit that works and hires globally to achieve our vision.

About this Contract Open Lunar is now undertaking to develop our fundraising capacity further. We are seeking to develop a database of grant-making institutions that are accepting grants and may be excited to support our work. Accordingly, we are releasing this RFP to engage a research associate to develop this long list for us, and then help us prioritize it. There is an opportunity for future work writing and submitting grant applications for the qualified candidate. The project is expected to take up to 120 hours. It will comprise desk research, including using solicitations, grants, and contract platforms (such as Charity Navigator, Foundation Directory, and others) along with interviews and analysis.

Desired Outcomes * Identify areas of alignment between Open Lunar’s work and thematic areas prioritized by philanthropic organizations (institutional grantmakers both government and institutional philanthropy). * Preliminary Research on brand strategy and alignment for fundraising opportunities. * A spreadsheet summary of target institutions and/or grant opportunities, along with a description of the grant application process, grant windows, and an assessment of the likelihood of a successful grant outcome. A summary should be prioritized in rank order. * A short 3-5 page report or slide deck outlining the research process, outcomes, and recommendations for further work, followed by a Q&A session with the team to agree on the next steps.

Skills and Experience * 3–5 years of experience with and knowledge of the US fundraising environment, including understanding how to research and prioritize grant and solicitation opportunities. * Ability to synthesize information, thinking strategically, with a view to highlighting top opportunities. * Knowledge of fundraising for scientific and technical (STEM) non-profit and/or start-up organizations is an asset. * Understanding of the space industry is a benefit, but not a requirement. * Strong research and prioritization skills, combined with independent research and team coordination capabilities.

Proposals must include * Resume of the individual[s] who will provide the service. * A cover letter showcasing relevant skills and experiences that align with the RFP. * A cost breakdown. * Any additional information such as examples of past work, portfolio, etc. * Minimum 2 references.

All proposals must be sent to Jacob Malthouse, jacob@openlunar.org.