SUMMER INTERNSHIPS
The HKS-Broadmoor Project is pleased to announce up to three paid summer internships in community-driven disaster recovery in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans. The initiative is designed to provide an opportunity for Kennedy School students to apply their policy analysis training, research skills, and operations and leadership experience to support community-based recovery and redevelopment efforts in New Orleans in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This is the fourth year of the Broadmoor summer internships, and it provides a unique opportunity to build on earlier work done by HKS students. Interns will work with residents and community leaders in Broadmoor to plan and implement the recovery of their community. The initiative is facilitated by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and sponsored by Shell Exploration and Production.
Stipend:
Interns will be in New Orleans from June 1 – August 30 and will receive a stipend of $2,000 per month. Housing and round-trip airfare will be also provided.
Application Process and deadline:
Please submit your CV and a cover letter tailored to one of the three openings to by through the HKS Office of Career Advancement’s JACK system by 5:00 pm Friday, March 13, 2009. We will notify you if you have been selected for an interview.
Position Descriptions:
Strategic Planning/Finance Consultant
Background
Recovery efforts in the Broadmoor neighborhood have coalesced around four interlinked resident-driven non-profits: The Broadmoor Improvement Association (BIA) existed pre-Katrina but has grown significantly and substantially reoriented its activities to support the recovery, while the Broadmoor Development Corporation (BDC), Annunciation Mission (AM) and the Andrew H. Wilson Charter School Board were newly created to address emerging needs in the wake of the disaster. Each of these organizations has attracted cash and in-kind support from various sources on an ad hoc basis, but the sustainability of this portfolio of community-based organizations will depend on the creation and execution of a viable long-range financial plan. In January 2009, a team of Harvard Business School students developed an initial 5-year financial model for the BIA and BDC. This will serve as a starting point for a more deliberative discussion of programmatic priorities and the associated resource requirements.
Overview of Responsibilities
The Strategic Planning/Finance Consultant will refine and extend the 5-year financial sustainability model for the BIA and the BDC and expand the model to include the Andrew H. Wilson Charter School Board and the Annunciation Mission. The consultant will research national models of community-based organizations to help inform discussion about potential programmatic activities, funding sources, and impact measures. In close collaboration with the executives and board members of each of the neighborhood organizations, the Strategic Planning/Finance Consultant will identify and cost out annual revenue and expenses related to likely program activities and develop several alternative 5-10 year scenarios. He/she will also develop reasonable assumptions about potential resource generation (including cash grants, in-kind support, and volunteer labor) given local, regional, and national trends. Deliverables will include a well-documented multi-year financial model, 3-4 detailed scenarios generated by the model, and a professional-quality strategic plan and budget to reflect the long-range scenario that is ultimately selected by the community. The Strategic Planning/Finance Consultant will also contribute to the development of impact metrics with the goal of creating a set of planning and performance-management tools that not only serve Broadmoor but can be made available as templates to other communities struggling to recover from disaster.
Requirements: Experience in budgeting/financial management and strategic planning or consulting is required. Deep knowledge of the community development and/or non-profit field is preferred.
Development Consultant/Foundation and Government Relations
Background
The Broadmoor Improvement Association (BIA) is a multi-service, community-based agency with an annual budget of $2.5 million. The BIA is driven and supported by residents of the Broadmoor community. In order to sustain growth and promote progress, there is an immediate need to engage with foundations, grant-making organizations and government agencies to secure resources to maintain the organizations that will support the vision and mission of the Broadmoor community for years to come.
Overview of Responsibilities
The Development Consultant will devise and implement a comprehensive resource development strategy for the BIA. He/she will research available government and philanthropic funding sources, prioritize among them, and develop a calendar for proposal submission. In collaboration with BIA leadership, the Development Consultant will prepare a set of concise marketing materials aimed at foundations and government detailing Broadmoor’s accomplishments to date, goals, and resource needs to serve as the basis for funding proposals. He/she will be expected to complete and submit 5-8 proposals for immediate grant funding over the course of the summer, including detailed program activity plans and budgets as required by the funding sources. The Development Consultant will also support BIA leadership in cultivating relationships with program officers and individual donors, including stewardship of major gifts contributors.
Requirements: Grant writing or marketing experience required. Knowledge of government and foundation sources of funding for community revitalization is strongly preferred.
Property Acquisition Consultant
Background
The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) has obtained title to thousands of blighted properties throughout the city, including hundreds in Broadmoor. In order to eliminate blight and foster redevelopment, NORA plans to sell these properties on favorable terms via an RFP process to get them back into commerce. To assist developers in lining up financing for buyers of the properties once they have been renovated, NORA will provide a soft-second mortgage on each parcel. In addition, NORA has implemented the new QuickTake process to expedite the transfer of titles to potential developers. To foster the redevelopment of the remaining 17% of blighted properties in Broadmoor and to take advantage of the soft-second funding, the BIA seeks to obtain as many of the NORA properties as possible within the Broadmoor community through the QuickTake program.
Overview of Responsibilities
The Property Acquisition Consultant will lead the BIAs efforts to identify and obtain title to an estimated 200 NORA properties in Broadmoor. NORA has trained Broadmoor Development Corporation (BDC) staff to identify NORA-owned blighted structures in Broadmoor and assemble QuickTake files. By forging a successful partnership with NORA, the Property Acquisition Specialist will test-pilot this new model of community-city partnership. If the pilot is successful, NORA will consider replicating in other interested neighborhoods throughout the city. The QuickTake process includes field work, photo-documentation, researching tax issues, writing narrative summaries, and assembling the legal case for each property. The work requires constant effort and follow-through, and the ability to steward a strong working relationship with city officials at NORA. The acquisition of these properties will enable Broadmoor to fulfill the community’s vision to eliminate blight and reach their goal of 100% repopulation of their neighborhood while building a replicable model for community-city partnership.
Requirements
Real estate development experience and/or experience working with local government is preferred.
Special Job Requirements for All Positions:
- Interns must be prepared to work independently with little oversight to develop and advance projects.
- Interns must support the community’s overarching vision and leadership structure, and they should proactively work to keep community leaders abreast of their activities and progress on an ongoing basis, dynamically integrating feedback from the community and external partners.
- Interns should be detail–oriented and able to produce step-by-step guides to operationalizing critical components of the recovery process.
- Interns should have strong research, writing and communication skills and be willing to work as part of team.
- Workloads and projects are subject to change and applicants should be comfortable with multi-tasking and managing multiple projects at once.
