The Center On Rural Innovation is a nonprofit action tank advancing economic prosperity in rural America through the creation of inclusive digital economy ecosystems that support scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation. We are seeking an innovative leader who is committed to expanding access to tech jobs for workers living in rural America.
Guided by a strong belief in rural ingenuity and small-town potential, CORI and its collaborating organization, Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc. (RISI), provide strategic support to rural communities wanting to develop inclusive, resilient digital ecosystems. Our systems approach to digital economy ecosystems involves building a nationwide network of local economic change agents; increasing the digital workforce and access to digital jobs both local to rural areas and remote; using mapping and data to highlight rural opportunities; making direct investments in underserved rural entrepreneurs; and closing the digital divide so all Americans can participate in the 21st century digital economy. We are currently working with 25 towns across 18 states in the Rural Innovation Network to execute on this model.
Rural America is home to 15% of the workforce overall, but just 5% of the tech workforce. Smaller populations and lack of broadband in rural areas have historically translated into inequities in access to training in fast growing tech careers, leading rural employers to outsource their tech demand to urban market. This has led to a vicious cycle in which there is never enough demand to justify tech training in rural areas, and because training is not available, employers continue to outsource their tech needs. CORI aims to break this cycle by showing that digital economy jobs and tech talent can exist in rural areas, and we are seizing the moment to create a more equitable distribution of accessible future-proof jobs.
The Head of Future of Work will lead efforts to accelerate the growth of the tech workforce in the RIN Communities – with a specific focus on women and BIPOC workers – in jobs that offer opportunities for career advancement and pay higher than the median income in the region. This cutting edge work to bridge the digital divide has been funded by national organizations like the Ascendium Education Group, Walmart, and the Siegel Family Endowment.
This role is responsible for leading efforts to build the capacity of the Rural Innovation Network communities to grow their programming through recruiting and engaging diverse communities. This role is also responsible for creating and providing the curriculum for internal working groups specific to community engagement and strategic partnership as well as creating and managing the content of the Mighty Networks platform.
We are seeking a creative community builder as a Rural Innovation Network Coordinator that is looking to join a fast-growing team committed to expanding access to economic opportunity for people living in rural America.
The Rural Innovation Network (RIN) Coordinator will:
- Provide coordination and logistical support to our multidisciplinary RIN team of subject matter experts to elevate the value that they are able to provide to our members
- Use RIN leaders’ understanding of the needs and challenges faced by rural tech workers, learners, and entrepreneurs — particularly women, BIPOC, and Latinx people — to support content and event planning
- Organize and support virtual and in-person events for RIN members
- Coordinate the onboarding of new communities into the Rural Innovation Network
- Maintain an internal database of RIN communities, contacts, programs and events
- Interview RIN members and build systems to support data collection related to their programming
- Contribute to a thriving online community by working in collaboration with our Community Engagement Lead to create and curate engaging content — e.g., videos, infographics, articles, posts — on our Mighty Networks platform used by RIN members
Requirements
- Experience working with diverse groups of people, particularly those who identify as rural, women, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA+
- Ability to use analytics to further knowledge and learnings
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Excellent written and communication skills
- Experience developing and administering surveys
- Comfortable working with Zoom and other video conferencing tools (general tech savviness)
- Experience working with data in Excel or Airtable, preferred
- Prior experience working on remote teams and collaborative projects
Essential job functions and requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
Benefits
- Personal and professional development opportunities
- Health, dental, and short-term disability insurance
- 15 days PTO plus 8 floating holidays
- Employer matched 401(k) after 90 days
- We offer competitive compensation. The salary for this position is $50,000-$60,000, depending on experience.
CORI/RISI is an Equal Opportunity Employer—people of color, people with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to a diverse workplace, and to supporting our staff with ongoing career development opportunities. We are interested in your ambitions, personal experiences, great ideas, and passions, and believe that everyone’s unique story and perspective adds value to our organization.
Location: This is a remote position.