The Consensus Building Institute is seeking a highly motivated, early career professional  to serve as a Junior Associate, initially in our Cambridge, Massachusetts office.

The Consensus Building Institute (CBI) is a not-for-profit organization created by leading practitioners and theory builders in the field of dispute resolution. CBI serves public, non-profit, and private clients worldwide by providing facilitation, collaboration, and dispute resolution services; training in negotiation and consensus building techniques; and evaluative research.  CBI believes that our most challenging problems are solved through collaboration. When the ideas, values, and voices of all affected stakeholders are included, we can achieve outcomes that are wise, fair, and lasting.

CBI also plays a key role in helping to build the intellectual capital of the field by pioneering work on negotiation, documenting best practices in multi-stakeholder consensus building and dispute resolution, and building online negotiation and collaboration trainings. CBI senior staff and Board members are associated with the Public Disputes Program of the Program on Negotiation at the Harvard Law School and the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

Consensus Building Institute (“CBI”) is an equal opportunity employer. We aim to be a place where a diverse mix of talented people do their best work together. We encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation. Persons of color are strongly encouraged to apply. CBI is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion both within our organization and in our collaboration practices .

For further information about CBI, please visit our website at: www.cbi.org.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The CBI Junior Associate position is an apprenticeship for a highly motivated  professional early in their career to explore the field of public collaboration and consensus building, build valuable knowledge and skills, and work on a wide range of challenging public issues. Junior Associates work with multiple senior staff on CBI’s domestic and international projects.  Expected tasks include:

• Conduct research and evaluation
• Assist with internal CBI projects
• Participate in conflict assessments
• Support facilitation, mediation, and collaborative planning processes
• Develop training curriculum and support training delivery
• Support practice development
• Write articles for CBI Reports and publications
• Participate in professional organizations (e.g. ACR) and conferences

Travel is required, normally in the range of 1-2 days per week.

We are looking for someone who is interested in exploring the field of public collaboration and eager to work for two to four  years at CBI.  Our expectation is that the Junior Associate then moves on to other graduate educational or professional opportunities, with a possibility of returning to CBI sometime in the future.  The Junior Associate will report to the Associate Managing Director. The Junior Associate will also work with a mentor to set and achieve professional development goals.

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Self-motivated and hard-working
• Excellent writing and communications skills
• Able to reliably work on several projects at the same time, communicate effectively with project managers to clarify and prioritize tasks when necessary, and meet project deadlines
• Able to take direction, work independently, get feedback, and adjust
• Able to work in an intensive, fast-paced professional work environment with high expectations for outstanding performance
• Willing to locate in the Boston area for at least the first year of employment. Thereafter, relocation to another city with CBI presence (Washington, DC, New York City, Denver or San Francisco) is possible.

Desired but not required skill sets include:

• Foreign language fluency (Spanish in particular)
• Social media expertise

• Experience working with spreadsheets, data bases, GIS mapping, and/or graphics

Education and Experience:

• An undergraduate degree is required, preferably in social sciences with exposure to public policy, political science, international relations, natural resources management, sustainability, or other related fields.
• Work experience in fields related to CBI’s work, via post-undergraduate employment, summer or school-year internships, is preferred

Compensation is $45,000 – $55,000/year depending on experience. In addition, CBI offers an excellent package of benefits, including health and dental insurance, three weeks vacation, training and mentoring, and a retirement plan.

To apply:

Send cover letter, resume, and writing sample (5 pages or fewer) to:

Consensus Building Institute

100 Cambridge Park Drive, Suite 302

Cambridge, MA 02140

Attn: Sossi Aroyan

Application may be e-mailed to:  sossi@cbi.org, with the subject line “Junior Associate Application”