The Foraker Group

Job Summary

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Alaska Census Working Group Coordinator

FTE – 20 hours/week (.5 FTE)

NON-EXEMPT

Effective – November 1, 2026

Reports To – Vice President of Programs

Work Schedule and Location

• This is an Anchorage-based position primarily in-office with some remote work possible as the work advances.
• As the work advances, rural travel is possible and may include small planes or ATV

The Position Summary

The Foraker Group seeks a passionate and organized Alaska Census Working Group (ACWG) Coordinator to support ACWG co-chairs, convene meetings, and deploy resources. ACWG is a bipartisan, multisector coalition from across Alaska. Foraker’s role is to provide substantive organizational support and participate in overall leadership of the group’s census efforts. The primary objective of the working group is to ensure that every Alaskan, particularly those in hard-to-count populations (e.g. rural areas, Alaska Natives, people of color, immigrant communities, and low-income individuals) are counted. The work of the ACWG is in connection with but distinct from the State of Alaska-led or US Census Bureau-led efforts.

The ideal Coordinator is adept at project management and a self-starter who can take information from a variety of sources and move the working group forward tactically and strategically. The right person is passionate about the role of the Census in informing systems and structures across all sectors of Alaska’s economy. The Coordinator ideally is an Alaskan with a deep understanding of life in urban and rural Alaska and can work across sectors, political ideology, and geography to bring people together for a set of common goals.  The coordinator is someone who understands how to work in coalition environments and is adept at diplomacy and discreet with confidential information, while also ready to keep the momentum of the group moving forward.  The right person has energy and is ready to engage a wide range of people and interests, and has an aptitude for the economic and statistical details inherent in census work.

Leadership Opportunity

This is an opportunity to be part of a uniquely positioned coalition that has national recognition and will impact every Alaskan and our economy. The Coordinator will have a unique opportunity to support the ACWG by managing details and relationships to have lasting statewide results. This is also an opportunity to work closely with dynamic statewide leaders and work within the Foraker team while leading the details to keep the momentum of the team flowing.

The Foraker Environment

Foraker offers the opportunity to engage in meaningful work to improve our communities. Our team is comprised of leaders who embrace a team approach to systems change. Staff members are passionate and committed to meeting high expectations of themselves and others while working collaboratively and creatively in a supportive environment. We believe that workplace wellness should always be a priority and we encourage staff to practice self-care.

Our goal is always to serve to the highest degree possible while maintaining a workplace that is respectful, safe, flexible, and welcoming.  

The Foraker Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foraker Group is especially interested in candidates whose background and experience have prepared them to grow our commitment to engagement and inclusion with culturally diverse groups.

Key Responsibilities

The ACWG Coordinator is the internal driver of this effort and will work very closely with Foraker staff and Census Working Group co-chairs and members to ensure hard-to-count Alaskans are counted in the 2030 census. The Foraker Group will take the lead on certain tasks, and support the rest of the ACWG members in a variety of tasks.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Convene, Coordinate, Engage Alaska Census Working Group (ACWG) co-chairs and members
  • Re-energize the ACWG Support ACWG leadership
    • Identify continuing ACWG members from 2020
    • Identify gaps in ACWG membership
      • Connect with potential new members
      • Support the ACWG in the recruitment of new members
  • Support development of a high-level, ACWG Strategic Plan for supporting 2030 Census
  • Coordinate at least quarterly meetings of the ACWG beginning in spring 2026, and moving forward
  • Support any committees established by the ACWG
  • Lead ACWG budget development – Overall project-based and annually
  • Support ACWG communication and outreach
• Internal Foraker Support & Project Management
  • Establish internal policies and procedures in support of Foraker’s 2030 Census efforts
  • Provide budget support and monitoring (with other Foraker staff support as necessary)
  • Identify other necessary (new) internal staff and/or external consultant support (i.e., Alaska Fellows Intern, consultant expertise, etc.)
  • Engage in necessary annual planning
  • Grant applications and compliance as necessary
  • Website update and maintenance – Alaska Counts
  • Collaborate with Rasmuson Foundation staff on shared ACWG goals/responsibilities
  • Project close-out support to include but not limited to grant reporting, project summary, budget close out, etc.
• Influence Census Policy (local, state, fed)
  • Connect and remain engaged with Alaska’s federal congressional delegation
    • Ensure adequate federal funding
  • Engage with the U.S. Census Bureau
    • National leadership
    • Regional offices
    • Alaska presence as it is established
  • Engage with the state’s next Governor regarding a state census committee/task force, in support of a complete and accurate account
    • Budget support for state and ACWG efforts
  • Active outreach to the Alaska Legislature to support state Census work through 2030
    • Budget support through state appropriation(s)
  • Work with local governments to support their local census engagement, partnering with the Alaska Municipal League and others
  • Engage with national organizations with a census focus, for instance the National Council of Nonprofits, other state nonprofit associations, national census advocacy organizations, etc
• 2030 Alaska Counts Leadership
  • Partnering with other Census-focused organizations in Alaska
    • Alaska Federation of Natives
    • Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AKPIRG)
    • First Alaskans Institute
  • Budget monitoring and compliance as necessary

Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate

While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes and experiences:

• A minimum of 3 years of community organizing, project management, nonprofit or tribal experience is required
• Deep understanding of Alaska, both rural, remote rural and urban communities
• Ability to provide strategic and tactical guidance
• Ability to see the holistic landscape; able to integrate various elements of the work and facilitate discussions that lead to success
• Excellent project management skills
  • Ability to organize and prioritize work
  • Ability to be self-motivated and detail-oriented
  • Strong commitment to both process and results
  • Ability to effectively communicate within the engaged team and with the broader Foraker team; be a bridge in the conversation
  • Ability to work in a dynamic environment and to deal effectively under pressure
  • Ability to exercise flexibility, initiative, good judgment, and discretion
• Ability to work with culturally diverse people and organizations in rural and urban Alaska, including the ability to celebrate culturally appropriate census work.
• Clear communicator with a high level of trust and discretion for sensitive leadership issues inside and outside of our team.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills.
• Strong emotional intelligence skills to understand and lead in a variety of team dynamics
• Superior ability to work within a team, harnessing the power of a team, while also working in a self-directed approach on specific projects

Qualifications of All Employees on the Foraker Team
Agreement and endorsement of Foraker Consultant and Staff Guiding Principles

• Ability to reflect Foraker values in interactions and communications with others
• Strong commitment to a relationship-based approach to work
  • Ability to project a welcoming and helpful approach to all requests for assistance or information
  • Ability to treat others with respect and consideration regardless of status or position
  • Ability to be collaborative and flexible in approach to work
• Willingness and adaptability to meet each group where they are by working with organizational leaders with a variety of skills and capacity to understand and implement the subject matter
• Ability to appreciate a high level of ambiguity while tracking work to completion and success
• Ability to identify and resolve problems promptly
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to review and evaluate data to inform decision-making and team
• Ability to act in humility and ask for support
• Open to learning and growing personal knowledge of/ support of the nonprofit sector and tribes
• Commitment to excellence in culturally appropriate communication and live Foraker’s diversity, equity, and belonging commitments. (provided in the Workforce Handbook)

The Foraker Group is committed to creating a welcoming environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.  

The Foraker Group is especially interested in candidates whose background and experience have prepared them to grow our commitment to engagement with culturally diverse groups. 

To Apply

The salary range is $26,460 to $30,453 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience.The Foraker Group provides competitive benefits.To apply, email your credentials to censusjob@forakergroup.org. Applicants should include a resume and cover letter describing interest and qualifications.  For questions, contact Jocelyn at censusjob@forakergroup.org.  Communications will be treated in confidence, and resumes will be accepted until position is filled. Resume reviews begin immediately.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

We would like to get to know you and your original voice. Original work and thought is essential to the way that we conduct all of our business at Foraker including our hiring process. We would like the opportunity to authentically evaluate your materials. Please do not use artificial intelligence to create your application materials or responses or your application will be withdrawn from our process. If you need reasonable accommodation, please let us know.

Our team is committed to a genuine engagement with you throughout the application process and beyond so we will not use artificial intelligence to review any of your materials or responses. We look forward to getting to know you.

About The Foraker Group:

The Foraker Group is a 501(c)(3) organization with the core purpose of strengthening nonprofits. Our deep commitment to advancing dedicated, skilled, and compassionate professionals and volunteers to serve Alaska’s nonprofit and tribal organizations is guided by the Foraker Nonprofit Sustainability Model. Foraker offers Alaska nonprofits and tribes the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to thrive.

Our values and theory of change articulate the way we work with organizations, leaders, and the sector to achieve our goals. They ensure that we provide excellence to our current programs and services while we strive to achieve new goals.  These values are Sustainability – Strategic – Collaborative – Urban/Rural/Native/Non-Native. The last value reflects our commitment to serving all of Alaska’s people and communities.