Junior Partner – Catch Together

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Once, there were small fishing villages dotting our coastlines. Places where hardworking fishermen were among the social and financial leaders of the town. Diligence and a boat were all you needed to earn a livelihood from the oceans and provide for one’s family. Communities were connected to their adjacent rich natural resources. Local boats prospered by staying flexible and diversified. However, overfishing resulted in seafood quota systems that separated the community from its wealth by privatizing community rights and consolidating them into the hands of bigger businesses. What had historically been accessible, stable, and reliable community assets were now positioned for sale to the highest bidder.

Catch Together is on the forefront of innovation to develop permit banks and community ownership of tradable seafood quotas as a way to anchor fishing quota to localities and ensure that they are stable, available and affordable. Since 2017, Catch Together has invested and sourced co-investments of nearly $11 million to help local fishermen’s organizations and their fishermen buy over 900,000 pounds of seafood quota which has created over $5 million in community equity since our launch. We are making a tremendous impact in fishermen’s lives around the nation.

Now, we seek to recapitalize our vision and expand to serve more fishermen and in more geographies around the nation.

Catch Together is an independent operating project of the nonprofit umbrella organization, Multiplier, a nationally recognized nonprofit with a growing portfolio of innovative initiatives that conserve and protect a sustainable and resilient world (www.multiplier.org).

OVERVIEW

The Catch Together Junior Partner will work with the management team at Catch Together to launch a national program that raises capital to buy and co-manage fishing assets with fishermen and small fishing community organizations around the country. This is a highly entrepreneurial role that requires someone who can:

  • lead the development, launch and management of a national social enterprise
  • develop expertise in seafood quota markets around the country, building tight & trusting relationships with fishermen and community leaders
  • activate fishermen as key stakeholders and ownership partners
  • gather and report on financial and impact data
  • raise a diverse capital pool
  • lead the day-to-day operations

The Junior Partner will work with fishing community organizations around the country to help save commercial fishing as a vitally important way of life along our waterfronts. The Junior Partner will be at the center of a novel strategy that defines the long-term success of this deep impact strategy.

KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Junior Partner reports to the two Partners of Catch Together. They must be well-versed in critical topic areas, able to respond quickly, and self-sufficient. Their skillset must include basic knowledge of and willingness to learn about impact investing. The Junior Partner will be passionate about saving our working waterfronts and ensuring that the oceans are a robust and resilient place for the next generation of fishermen to make a living.

They will play a variety of roles and associated responsibilities, as follows:

Business Management/Operations

    • Assist to hire, train & support the staff at fishing community organizations
    • Coordinate amongst the community partner organization s and with legal counsel to optimize an appropriate new structure that will preserve fishing quota in rural communities and small-scale independent fishermen
    • Work with fishing community organizations to develop regionally-appropriate program standards and objectives that align with Catch Together vision
    • Ensure legal compliance (annual reports, paperwork, etc.)
    • Manage program budget; regularly reconcile program cash flow

Fundraising and Investor Relations

      • Help launch a fundraising campaign with direction and support from Catch Together staff and the broader national network
      • Identify and develop grant opportunities, steward existing donor and investor relationships, identify and cultivate new national and regional-specific donors and investors
      • Manage and complete proposals and reports
      • Prepare investment prospectuses and philanthropic cases for support

Acquisition and Management of Quota Assets

    • Support fishing community organizations to buy new fishing quotas that match local vision and goals
    • Support completion of fishing quota transactions
    • Track impact of program, including regular data collection from fishing businesses and analysis of data

Fishermen Engagement, Relationship Management, Leasing/Equity Interests

    • Build relationships with fishermen and fishing community organizations
    • Identify needs for business training, evaluate business health, execute lease/equity deals, and engage in program development
    • Build expert knowledge of fishing quota sales, leases and markets
    • Cultivate fishing community organizations that can provide appropriate business training and other business services to fishermen participants
    • Cultivate new fishing community organizations

Communications and Messaging

    • Provide content for regional communications, working with the team to gather and share stories of our work with community members, partners, and funders
    • Cultivate a growing network of friends, allies, partners and funders
    • Develop literacy in fishery policies and advocacy to strengthen communications with stakeholders
    • Distill fishermen’s challenges, solutions, and impact data into public-facing communications

Coordination and Collaboration with the National Network of Fishing Communities

    • Develop a shared equity ownership model that includes fishermen
    • Participate in regular network team meetings that cultivate team well being, advance projects (team reports on project progress, finances, needs), business development, fundraising, partner relations, regional finances, and more
    • Collaboratively develop novel mechanisms central to the success of this deep impact strategy
    • Deepen relationships with partners through conscious leadership on critical issues, supporting community initiatives, and more

WHO WE ARE

We are like minded community-based organizations, working with independent fishermen throughout the United States, to lead programs, raise and deploy capital, and build programs across the community-based commercial fishing industry that lead to substantial and enduring positive impact on:

  • Fisheries sustainability
  • Financial security and prosperity of independent fishermen
  • Economic vitality of fishing communities
  • Resilient and effective community based fishery trusts
  • Regional and national fisheries management policy

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Professionals with passion for delivering deep impact at the intersection of community development, capacity building, and natural resources conservation. We recognize that each applicant for this role will bring unique skills, knowledge, experiences, and background to this position, lending his/her/their flair to the trajectory of the Junior Partner role. We welcome diverse experiences and perspectives in our applicant pool, and will be looking for candidates who possess many, but not necessarily all, of the following qualifications and experience:

  • Experience working in a startup environment
  • Leadership & the ability to craft new trusting relationships with ease
  • A passion for creating a fun work environment under challenging conditions
  • Investment management training and experience
  • Asset Class / Market Expertise – bringing a unique perspective on fishing quota as an asset class and appreciation for wide array of assets, the art and math of understanding the market, market shifts and volatility, and implications for Fleet Forward and its partners
  • Capacity to produce and own a bold vision
  • Drive to achieve ambitious community impact objectives
  • Entrepreneurial energy
  • Data oriented, outcome-driven approach
  • Facility with market-based approaches and financial modeling
  • Ability to foster collaboration across numerous constituencies
  • Excellent communications skills
  • Ability to engage effectively with a range of constituents from fishermen and regulators to impact investors and donors
  • Expertise in or strong commitment to develop expertise in impact finance and philanthropy
  • Deep commitment to having a positive impact
  • Experience with cultivation and stewardship of donors and/or investors
  • Facility with measurement and reporting of impact

WHY YOU MATTER

The Catch Together Junior Partner will participate in bringing the vision of our national network of fishing communities to fruition by helping develop and execute a cohesive operational and financial strategy. Among the envisioned first order objectives:

  • Determine legal structure for the new program
  • Develop working relationships with fishermen and partners
  • Develop regionally-appropriate standards and objectives that align with community needs and priorities

Structure: Catch Together brings extraordinary leaders onto our team in ways that work for them. This position is full time. This is an ideal opportunity for an early career leader who wants to leverage their work for impact. Let’s chat about how to make it work for you.

Compensation: Multiplier and Catch Together provide a comprehensive compensation package, including competitive salary ($100,000-120,000/yr) and amenable to performance based raises, excellent medical and dental benefits, retirement savings, and generous vacation and sick leave policy.

Open: August 1-October 1, 2023

Diversity: Catch Together is committed to increasing the diversity of the team, including board and staff, and improving compensation and benefits. We welcome candidates of all backgrounds and value life experience and educational achievements.

Multiplier and Catch Together celebrate diversity and are committed to building teams and partnerships that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Multiplier and Catch Together are also committed to providing an environment of mutual respect that is free from discrimination and harassment. Multiplier and Catch Together prohibit discrimination in its governance, programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, marital status, amnesty, status as a covered veteran, because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from public assistance, or for any other non-merit based factor.

How to Apply: To Apply; please submit a cover letter and a resume or CV to Paul Parker at paul@catchinvest.com by October 1. Please include a statement of your vision for the position, your fit with Catch Together, your impact purpose, and a statement of diversity.

Contact us about this opening