Broadband Analyst
Rural Innovation Strategies Inc., United States

Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc. (RISI) is a social impact nonprofit consulting firm with a multi-disciplinary team of strategists, advocates, and capacity builders.

Our capabilities reflect the depth and breadth of our commitment to serve rural America, and the local leaders there working to advance tech-enabled economic development. Our work provides critical support to secure funding, develop infrastructure, and implement the programs needed to unlock the potential of rural America.

We work with rural communities across the country as they build tech economies that support scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation. From writing federal grants and launching accelerators to convening stakeholders and securing funding, our team supports communities through the entirety of their tech-based economic development journey.

Rural America is home to 12% of the U.S. workforce, 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 for fast-growing tech careers, leading rural employers to outsource their tech talent demand to other markets. 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. RISI aims to break this cycle by showing that tech 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.

RISI and its collaborating organization, the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), are headquartered in a historic general store building in the village of Hartland, Vermont, part of New England’s Upper Valley and greater Dartmouth College region.

This role is responsible for supporting communities looking to develop their broadband infrastructure. RISI’s approach centers on supporting public sector leaders in rural communities who do not have the infrastructure needed to support 21st century jobs. This role will support client projects, working in conjunction with broadband consultants and the Practice Area Lead to deliver high quality client services to a variety of public sector leaders as they move from initial ideation, through pre-development and feasibility, through funding acquisition and finally into construction.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• None.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Provide direct capacity-building and/or consulting support to communities, working directly with community leaders to:
  • Communicate technical broadband infrastructure topics to clients - developing clear, actionable materials and recommendations move our clients forward in building broadband infrastructure
  • Prepare and present quantitative data analysis of community’s broadband indicators, as necessary by project
  • Create, analyze, and adapt financial models on a variety of topics related to broadband implementation
  • Identify and engage local leadership and partners necessary to ensure strategy development and deployment
  • Lead virtual and in-person client meetings
  • Support communities to achieve fundraising and partnership goals for building broadband infrastructure
  • Internally collaborate with organizational staff to support communities in the long term
  • Improve processes and tools used in broadband work with rural communities
• Assist with administrative functions that support consulting projects with communities, including:
  • Lead project management activities for individual projects (e.g., project organization, note-taking and follow-up)
  • Coordinating and building schedules, managing project documentation, tracking project activities
  • Adhering to all RISI policies such as travel policy requirements, managing expense filing, and maintaining proper filing systems

• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

Required Skills/Attributes:

• Demonstrated experience with creating high quality client deliverables in a professional services environment
• Verbal communication skills, including active listening, small group facilitation, and public speaking
• Strong writing skills and experience developing powerful deck presentations
• Has experience in research/analysis and structured problem solving
• Demonstrated ability to manage relationships with a diverse range of people, experiences, and constituencies
• Self-directed, and able to thrive in a collaborative team environment
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple tasks/projects in a fast-paced and entrepreneurial environment
• Committed to the belief that rural America pr

Job Rewards and Benefits