Latin America Programs Learning Fellow

About Us

Root Change is a development laboratory, testing new ideas and leveraging learning to advocate for far-reaching change within the development sector. We believe that traditional approaches to development have failed to address the systemic causes of poverty, injustice, and vulnerability in the world. That is why we design programs, technologies, and interactive experiences that help people, organizations, and communities build better futures for themselves. Our daily work is focused on putting more power in the hands of local communities, developing the capacity of systems—made up of civil society, government, and citizens—to work together more effectively, and creating adaptive approaches that are responsive to ever-changing environments. 

Most recently, our work has supported:

• Community problem solving through Social Labs in Malawi;
• Investment in families and peer-learning in Colombia;
• Collective approaches to advocacy in Nigeria;
• Locally-led program experimentation in the Philippines; and
• Social network analysis of youth employment opportunities in Kenya.

We’re looking for a 2021 Latin America Programs Learning Fellow to join the Root Change team in the development revolution for 40 hours/week for 6 months!

Your Role

The 2021 Fellow will support the Root Change team as an independent contractor, working closely with the entire staff and our diverse partners—international NGOs, movements, foundations, civil society organizations, and more—to develop and implement surveys, clean and analyze data, engage with partners through meetings and webinars, share learning and stories from our programs in written materials, offer high-quality customer service, and more. More specifically, your work will include:

Survey and Product Development 

• Create and test sophisticated data collection surveys, including complex skip logic and more, for the Community Independence Initiative (CII); and
• Participate in design sessions and offer rigorous, detail-oriented product testing for our social network analysis platform, Pando.

Data Collection & Analysis

• Clean and convert raw survey data collected from monthly CII “Family Journals” into informative metrics, summaries, graphs, and visuals; and
• Clean and analyze social network analysis data about social entrepreneurs in Malawi, educators in Kenya, etc. collected through Pando.

Partner Engagement, Facilitation & Customer Service

• Develop polished presentations and learning materials in English and Spanish;
• Engage in client meetings, webinars, and presentations to take detailed notes, facilitate discussions, and/or provide Spanish translation;
• Respond to clients questions with stellar email customer service; and 
• Share individual local perspective, context, and experience in Root Change program design and implementation meetings.

Communications & Knowledge Management

• Draft blog posts that tell stories about what we’re learning from our programs and to elevate the experiences and ideas of our local partners; and
• Work with Root Change staff to organize and maintain programmatic knowledge management systems, using Dropbox, Sharepoint, Google Drive, and more. 

Your Background

• From Latin America (Experience in Guatemala, Mexico, or Colombia a plus)
• Fluent in English and Spanish
• Strong educational or professional background in international development, non-profit work, community organizing, or similar field (Ideal candidates will be early career professionals, graduate students, or recent graduates)
• 2+ years of relevant work, internship, or volunteer experience
• A passion for supporting locally-led development and listening to the voices of the communities we seek to serve

Your Skills & Experience

• Comfort with Excel (Experience data cleaning and data processing using Excel formulas a must; experience with pivot tables and visualization tools a plus.)
• Experience using online survey tools such as Alchemer/Survey Gizmo
• Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative data analysis
• A meticulous attention to detail, especially when cleaning data, setting up surveys with skip logic, and formatting, saving, and organizing documents
• Experience writing professional communications including blogs, one-pagers, program reports, and/or digital marketing materials for a variety of audiences, 
• Comfort applying fonts, colors, and other branding guidelines in Word and PowerPoint
• Experience engaging in client meetings and offering email customer service (Facilitation experience a plus)
• Ability to adapt in response to feedback and work collaboratively as a team player in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Comfort questioning assumptions, testing new ideas, and pivoting on established work plans instantaneously 
• Readiness to set goals, track deadlines, and execute high-quality tasks independently in a virtual work environment
• Previous experience with social network analysis and feedback methodologies (such as Constituent Voice) a plus

(Equivalent skills that align with those above may be considered.)

Perks

• While working on a small, tight-knit team, you will gain exposure to all aspects of international development and social change work. From scoping research, to project design, to monitoring and evaluation, you’ll walk away with a diverse skill set that can be broadly applied in the sector. 
• Opportunity to participate in Root Change’s Design, Partnering, Management, and Innovation (DPMI) Certificate Program, a $1,250 value, for free from August 2 – August 20. 
• Take advantage of other unique Root Change resources such as the Thinking and Working in Systems course to augment your professional development.
• Work from anywhere! Fellows are required to provide their own computer and strong internet connection.
• Root Change strives to offer a great work/life balance. As an independent contractor, you will set your own 40 hour/week schedule. We ask that Fellows are available for internal and external meetings 9 am – 5 pm EST.
  
  

  Our Values

  Each member of the Root Change team is expected to embody the organization’s core values, including belief that:

  • All people have a right to participate in decisions affecting their lives
  • Gender and racial equity is mandatory for social transformation
  • Local development actors should drive the development agenda in their own countries
  • Diversity in background, race, gender, and age strengthens our capacity to be wise managers of public and private funds

  Position Duration & Compensation

  This is an entirely remote and  hourly position consisting of 40 hours/week at $15/hour. The preferred dates of this fellowship are June 1 – November 30, 2021.

  We are looking for someone who can be available online, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm EST. Applicants may be based in Latin America or the United States. U.S-based applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. 

  Application

  Submit a one-page cover letter and your resume using this online form by May 7. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. 

https://www.rootchange.org/2021/04/21/latin-america-fellow/