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Executive Director

Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York and CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies

Full Time

Posted: 02/1/2022

Location:

New York ,

                                             

 

 

Position Description

January 2022

Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice

at

Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at

The City College of New York and

CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies

Executive Director 

 

About Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice 

The overarching goal of Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice is to lift up and support emerging leaders across the country to drive change that will solve complex social problems. Two schools at the City University of New York—the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York and the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies—are establishing a national institute to recruit, develop and connect diverse leaders for social change who can imagine and implement visionary solutions for the enormous challenges we face in the 21st century. Utilizing cohort models and larger scale outreach programs, the institute will prepare emerging generations of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders for successful careers in the social change sector through study and exploration of social justice organizing traditions, ideology, literature and history; as well as offering teaching and mentorship from leaders who have robust experience in social change.


 

Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice has the following goals:

  • Shift Power to people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, people from low-income and working class backgrounds and those most affected by injustice to effect social change;

  • Create a Wide and Inclusive On-ramp for young people and BIPOC to enter and sustain careers rooted in social justice and support mid-career leaders to advance into positions of leadership;

  • Cultivate Leadership centered not only on technical skills but on a broad historical and theoretical grounding, ethics of leadership, intersectional lens, and agile mindset;

  • Maximize the Potential of the upcoming generation of leaders to take power in all sectors of society;

  • Develop not just strong individual leaders, but a networked community of leaders throughout their careers in social change.
 

In addition to its in-person training programs, Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice will also be virtual and national, with a robust web platform, including online mentoring and career services along with the ability for participants to engage the curriculum online. Outside of the core programs, the institute will be equipped with robust wraparound services that enhance and are integrated with core programs: Mentorship, Career Services, Community Building / Communal Care, Alumni Program.

Pending formal approval as an institute this spring by the CUNY Board of Trustees, Leadership for Democracy and Social Change will benefit from a home at the City University of New York, the largest public university system in the United States with more than 250,000 students, mostly people of color and immigrants from lower income communities. CUNY students will be among the many outstanding candidates for training and support by the new institute. Within CUNY, CCNY and CUNY SLU are the right home for Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice. In 1847, The City College of New York was founded as a radical effort by the people of New York to make higher education available to all, regardless of income, religion, ethnicity or background. It was the first free public university in the United States, and today is the oldest CUNY campus. In 2018, the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) became the newest CUNY campus, established through the collaboration of twenty-six labor and community organizations to train adult and traditionally-aged students for labor and social justice leadership. CCNY and SLU serve among the most diverse student populations in the nation, and their missions align squarely with the ambitions of Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice. 

While housed at CUNY, the institute has its own Advisory Board and a distinct mission and structure. CCNY will provide the physical and fiscal home, central finance and human resource services, and a portion of the administrative support for the institute until it achieves greater scale.  The 30-person Advisory Board includes leaders who straddle the social justice and academic worlds. The institute projects an initial 3-year budget of approximately $15 million, of which approximately half has been raised to date.  The institute anticipates significant growth in staff and budget over the next 5 years. 

 

About the Position

The Executive Director will carry ultimate responsibility for the success and impact of Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice, ensuring that it delivers on its mission of preparing and nurturing social justice leaders to drive change that will solve complex social problems. The Executive Director will have the opportunity to leverage the resources of a major university to collaborate in the creation of new infrastructure, influential curricula and programs that support social justice across the country, and other initiatives and partnerships that can promote equity, access, participation, and human rights. 

Reporting to the Dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership as well as to the Co-Founders of Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice, who chair the Institute’s Advisory Board, the Executive Director of the institute will be a visionary leader who serves as a catalyst to leverage best management and leadership practices to guide the organization’s development; and develops relationships and resources to promote an inclusive, enabling environment for staff and emerging social justice leaders. 

The Executive Director will have in-depth experience and knowledge of social change movements, a deep racial equity analysis, a successful track record as an effective leader and manager and, ideally, practical grounding in leadership development and training programs as well as an understanding of how to navigate higher education institutions.  The Executive Director will have the singular opportunity to co-create the institute working closely with internal colleagues across the university community, staff, community organizations and labor leaders, and partner organizations. 

 

Essential Responsibilities 

The Executive Director will:

Provide Strategic/Visionary Leadership

  • Work with the Advisory Board and staff to lead the institute in setting overall direction and priorities and developing and implementing programmatic and organizational strategies and goals;

  • Ensure that the organization develops and delivers a distinctive and high-quality experience for participants, taking into account the perspectives of emerging leaders, movement organizations, and organizations in the wider leadership development field;

  • In partnership and close consultation with CUNY and its staff, lead the institute's programmatic work, fundraising, communications and external relations, financial management, administration, operations, and human resources; ensure sound financial, operational, and administrative policies are in place and in practice; develop and administer budgets; 

  • Enhance and sustain a highly collaborative workplace culture that reflects the institute's values; Ensure open and clear channels of communication; Employ transparent decision making; nurture and support a team that is passionate, knowledgeable, and flexible;

Lead Organization's Startup

  • Serve as a talent scout and organizational ambassador to help ensure that the institute has the talent to lead each area of its work;

  • Ensure through equitable leadership, active support and professional development opportunities that the institute retains the depth of talent needed throughout its ranks;

  • Provide an open, accessible, and engaged leadership presence and help to develop a culture of nurturing and excellence with the team and institute participants. 

Leverage Communications, External Relations and Fundraising

  • Cultivate, develop and steward relationships with external stakeholders and potential donors;

  • Heighten the institute's visibility and presence and strengthen its voice within the social justice sector; 

  • Position the institute and its programs effectively within the academic units of the Colin Powell School and CUNY SLU; 

  • Regularly align the leadership team with key stakeholders: Advisory Board, University leadership, key funders, social justice leaders and other partners;

  • Work to increase awareness of the institute’s mission and objectives; Regularly communicate the vision and goals of the institute;

Financial Management

  • Lead financial planning, implementation, and management, including budgeting and forecasting; Manage the long-term financial stability of the organization;

  • In partnership with the founding directors as well as CUNY staff, develop an annual development strategy that includes fundraising events, donor cultivation program, and fundraising appeals; Identify opportunities and secure revenue from a wide range of funding sources;

Program Management

  • In partnership with staff, facilitate the development and implementation of curricula, programs, projects, and initiatives; 

  • Identify and develop opportunities to connect the Institute’s work to other academic and co-curricular programs at the Colin Powell School and CUNY SLU;

  • Develop a thoughtful and ambitious plan for growing and scaling programs for the institute to have maximum impact in the sector; Regularly assess the institute’s initiatives and programs and use data to guide decision-making;

Ideal Experience and Qualifications

Candidates for the position should possess the following skill set and base of experience:

  • A passion for the institute’s mission and a demonstrated commitment to social justice and civil rights; A solid understanding of the diversity and complexity of movements for social change; Deep racial equity analysis;

  • A minimum of 10 years non-profit management experience, including direct experience in community, labor or social movement organizing or policy advocacy; Problem-solving skills that facilitate thoughtful decision making; 

  • Successful experience leading the growth of a project or organization; Start up experience is a plus;

  • A successful track record managing a healthy organizational culture as a unifying team builder who inspires collaboration and accomplishment among staff;

  • Demonstrated successful collaboration across organizations and movements;

  • A history of thought leadership and engagement within the leadership and management arenas; Demonstrated track record of developing early- and mid-career leaders, particularly BIPOC and women, as well as people from working class and low-income backgrounds;

  • Experience with training programs for organizers or other social justice leaders is highly desirable; An analysis of the kinds of training and leadership development the social justice sector needs in order to move change is highly desirable; as is a willingness to model innovative leadership approaches within the institute itself;

  • Familiarity and experience with higher education. Capacity to navigate the complexities of a major university and able to leverage the synergies among the institute’s programs and the faculty and staff of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership and the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies;

  • Familiarity with at least some of the sectors that the institute will prioritize, including labor, progressive policy and advocacy and movement organizations, as well as other leadership intermediaries; Substantive depth in at least one of the institute’s areas of curriculum development;

  • Credibility and experience to connect the institute to a range of resources and opportunities; A successful record of enthusiastically raising money from a variety of sources is highly desirable; 

  • Respect and appreciation for the role, resources, and rhythms of higher education institutions; Experience in a higher education setting is highly desirable; 

  • High level of emotional intelligence, humility, and the capacity for deep listening and self-reflection; 

  • Energetic, resourceful, persistent, resilient, and flexible, with a good sense of humor;

  • Bachelor’s Degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Commitment to Equity

CCNY and CUNY SLU are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, disability, whistleblower status, or any other category protected by state or federal law. We strongly encourage people with traditionally marginalized identities to apply.

Salary, Compensation, and Location

The Executive Director position offers a competitive salary. The person hired will be an employee of the CUNY Research Foundation, which provides a generous and comprehensive benefits package. The position is based in New York City, and the principal offices of Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice are on the campus of The City College of New York. 

Application Process

Please submit a substantive cover letter highlighting interest, relevant experience and values alignment, as well as a current resume by March 1, 2022 to:  

 

Lauren I. Gumbs

Senior Partner, Gumbs + Partner

Via email, applications@gumbspartners.com

LDSJ welcomes co-director applications from qualified candidates who propose sharing the Executive Director job.

For more information about Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice, please visit: 

www.socialjusticeleadership.org 

For more information about the Colin Powell School and The City College of New York, please visit: 

https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/colinpowellschool

For more information about the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, please visit: 

https://slu.cuny.edu/

 

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