External Consultant, Indigenous Communities

Established by philanthropists Pam and Pierre Omidyar, Omidyar Network is a social change venture that has committed more than $1.86 billion to innovative for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations since 2004. Omidyar Network reimagines critical systems, and the ideas that govern them, to build more inclusive and equitable societies—for the benefit of the many, not just the few. Omidyar Network partners with funders, advocates, innovators, businesses, scholars, and others to advance responsible technology, reimagine capitalism, and build cultures of belonging so that all individuals have the social, economic, and democratic power to thrive. 

To learn more, visit https://omidyar.com/.

Imagine a world that has embraced repair – the loving practice of mending what’s broken and restoring wholeness. As part of Omidyar Network’s Building Cultures of Belonging focus area, Cultivating Repair aims to support a growing ecosystem of largely Black and Indigenous-led efforts to heal the multigenerational harms of slavery and colonialism in the United States. We hope to contribute toward:  

• Stronger infrastructure connecting organizations and communities that are practicing repair across multiple dimensions: cultural, spiritual, relational, and material;  
• Creative pathways for more Americans to experience how it looks and feels when healing follows harm;    
• Collaborations to expand funding so a culture of repair can thrive over the long term.

The Consultant will provide the following services for ON:

1. Workstream strategy development
   1. Advise and aid development of strategy for the Cultivating Repair (CR) workstream and potential intersections with New Belonging workstream where applicable. 
   2. Provide insights on how to leverage philanthropic investments to drive social change and strengthen future resourcing for organizations working at the intersection of material, relational, cultural and spiritual repair.
   3. Inform agenda setting and facilitation considerations for strategic convenings.
   4. Support and shape strategic communications activities that elevate a shared point of view on building a healthy repair ecosystem and engage aligned and persuadable donors and funders (e.g., healthy cultural narratives, stories, policies, “bright spot” case studies, and shared resources generated by field practitioners and funders).
2. Internal education/communication
   1. Limited ad hoc meetings with investment teams to inform Omidyar Network of investment opportunities that align with the Omidyar Network's programmatic strategies.
   2. Ad hoc direct interactions with Omidyar Network's SVP of Programs, and Office of the CEO as well as limited ad hoc programs- and/or firm-wide informational sessions that may be led, designed or facilitated by the Consultant.
3. Relationship building with Indigenous-led organizations and Indigenous leaders
   1. Identify Indigenous-led organizations that Omidyar Network should engage with and consider supporting that act as core infrastructure for healthy ecosystems of repair and healing while advancing thriving Indigenous people, communities and cultures.
      1. “Core infrastructure for healthy ecosystems of repair and healing” should be understood to include organizations that are shaping and scaffolding the emerging field of repair and healing and nurturing collaborative relationships through activities such as cultivating leadership pipelines; cross-pollinating, learning, and creating strategic alignment across disciplines and partners; testing and scaling effective practices, models and frameworks; elevating cultural and spiritual traditions; weaving networks across place; mapping and amplifying narratives, policy issues and data; fueling and diversifying resourcing.
   2. Advise and aid strategies for long-term engagement/partnership with the repair ecosystem and cultural leaders within Indigenous communities.
   3. Advise relevant current grantees on their strategies and implementation, with a focus on coalition building and advocacy across the different levers of repair (eg. relational, cultural, material) and the different levels of repair (eg. community, movement, national)
4. Funder engagement
   1. Identify and build relationships with aligned and persuadable donors and funders who advance thriving Indigenous people, communities and cultures.
   2. Identify operational and relational requirements for engaging with Indigenous-led philanthropies.
   3. Identify learning opportunities for funders, especially on success signals, impact metrics, new language and models for learning in repair/belonging space relevant for advancing thriving Indigenous people, communities and cultures.
   4. Support the establishment of a new multi-donor funding entity through informing the design, governance, and strategic plan for the entity in alignment with advancing thriving Indigenous people, communities and cultures.

Key deliverables include:

1. Work plan, 3-year strategic roadmap and implementation plan for advancing thriving Indigenous people, communities and cultures in alignment with ON’s capabilities
2. Report on conceptions of repair and healing among major tribal communities and nations on land colonially known as the United States (e.g., Cherokee Nation, Haudenosaunee, Diné/Navajo Nation, etc.) including key terminology, guiding principles, practices, key influencers, experts and community leaders, needs, areas for philanthropy to act 
3. Assessment of prospective partners (organizations that Omidyar Network should engage with and consider supporting that act as core infrastructure for healthy ecosystems of repair and healing while advancing thriving indigenous people, communities and cultures)
4. Funder landscape report on philanthropic practices within Indigenous worldviews and potential funder collaborators
5. Meetings/calls with other leaders and teams at ON, where relevant (no more than once monthly) accompanied by either short presentations (no more than 15 minutes) and/or 1-2 page summaries of relevant information and associated resources

• 12-month contract role at no more than 20 hours/week beginning no later than January 2024

• Must have a legally recognized business entity;
• 5-12 years of relevant experience in community engagement and organizing, philanthropy, grantmaking, nonprofit or tribal nation programming;
• Pre-existing, deep relationships and trust with Indigenous communities, Indigenous leaders and Indigenous-led organinizations required;
• Approach to work that prioritizes integrity, flexibility, and a commitment to learning;
• Dedication and demonstrated alignment towards incorporating a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) lens;
• Ability to successfully communicate key findings, and strategy recommendations based on those findings, to staff and partners;
• Interest in seeking to address complex problems through systems change and cultural change strategies, experimenting with innovative approaches, and comfort with ambiguity; and
• Ability to establish trust, forge close relationships, work collegially with the project team and external partners.

At Omidyar Network, diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly aligned with our fundamental belief that people are inherently capable, but they often lack opportunity. We know that a diverse workforce allows us to see problems in more nuanced ways, creating the thought leadership needed to have outsized positive returns on the world. We actively recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Omidyar Network is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes people from all experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply.