Position: Executive Director
Organization: Level Playing Field Institute
Location: San Francisco, CA
The Level Playing Field Institute, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and implementing innovative approaches to fairness in education and the workplace, seeks an Executive Director. The ideal candidate will have prior success implementing and expanding new programs, will be well versed in higher education, non-profit management and program scaling, and have a commitment to racial justice. S/he will have an executive presence and strong operational skills as well as a deep passion for LPFI’s work and its outcomes, and an appreciation and love for the students it serves.
This is a unique opportunity for someone looking to use strong leadership skills and new ideas to create great change as part of a dynamic organization. The coming year is a pivotal time for LPFI as it works to prepare education programs for scaling to achieve national impact, and they are in conversation with nationally recognized civil rights organizations to explore next steps. This is a full-time, exempt position located in San Francisco, CA.
Responsibilities:
The Executive Director will provide visionary thinking, innovative strategizing, effective program evaluation and implementation, financial management, organizational development, program scaling and performance, fundraising, staff management and board development. Specifically, the Executive Director’s responsibilities will include:
Organizational Leadership and Management
• Serve as spokesperson and ambassador, increasing LPFI’s visibility and national reputation
• Develop and scale programs to further LPFI’s vision and impact
• Engage Program Directors to ensure that programs are in alignment with agency vision, are rigorously evaluated, evolving as needed, and creating maximum return on investment
Program Strategy
• Lead the organization through development, implementation and monitoring of strategic and operational plans
• Build local and national programmatic partnerships to help realize the organization’s mission.
• Ensure financial success of programs
Financial Management
• Develop, manage, and monitor financial models and organizational budgets
• Engage the board in their capacity as fiduciary agents
Development and Communications
• In partnership with Development Staff and Board, raise at least $1M annually, a goal which will grow significantly as we scale our programs
• Cultivate and steward relationships with diverse funding sources, including foundation, corporate, and individual donors
Staff Supervision and Human Resources
• Oversee and inspire all LPFI employees, working closely with the existing management and program directors
• Further develop and support a culture that fosters staff development, learning, risk-taking, open dialog, responsibility; providing mentoring where necessary
• Cultivate an enthusiastic, inclusive, fair and flexible work environment
• Serve as a key participant in an inter-entity team of senior managers that share office space and shared values, ensuring collaboration between LPFI and sister organizations co-located with LPFI
Board and Volunteers
• Work in partnership with Board of Directors on appropriate issues, including policies and strategic direction and support the growth of board to meet the new direction of programs
• Engage board and stakeholders to refine LPFI’s vision, and build consensus on how to achieve this vision
• Communicate effectively and be accountable to a sophisticated and diverse board of directors, including LPFI founder
• Include volunteers (students, mentors, others) as active participants in LPFI
Qualifications:
LPFI seeks a seasoned professional who is curious in nature, analytical in approach, and committed to the principles of diversity and inclusivity. The successful candidate will be a systems thinker with a passion for LPFI’s mission, have a strong network within the non-profit sector and a demonstrated track record of strong leadership skills and of moving a project from vision to implementation. The successful candidate will also have the following characteristics:
• Master’s degree in business, public administration, education, science, or closely related field
• Lived understanding of oppression or great personal or professional ‘distance travelled’
• Minimum 10 years progressive experience in management, relationship building, and resource development
• Proven ability to implement a new program and scale programs nationally
• Energetic, entrepreneurial nature that combines leadership and intellectual curiosity with practical management skills
• Sophisticated understanding of diversity issues, education issues, and the dynamics of power and privilege in education and employment
• Proven fundraising successes and strong budget management skills
• Strong network in the non-profit world that will help to develop collaboration with LPFI
• Impeccable writing and communication skills
• A deep respect for colleagues, staff, and ability to lead a team of diverse individuals
• Commitment to our Organizational Values:
- Sustainability and Impact
- Individual Initiative
- Openness and Transparency
- Personal integrity and Accountability
- Transformation and Growth
- Teamwork
LPFI provides competitive compensation commensurate with experience, and an excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life/disability insurance and more. Its dog friendly, eco-retrofitted office is located in the SOMA district of San Francisco. LPFI shares space with other like-minded organizations and has excellent access to public transportation. Lunch is provided for all co-located organizations twice weekly so as to facilitate inter-entity collaboration.
To Apply:
Level Playing Field Institute has engaged Koya Consulting to help in this hire. Please send a compelling cover letter and resume to Molly Brennan at executivesearch@koyaconsulting.com.
Additionally, please respond to ONE of the following questions (maximum 1 page):
- What in your own lived experience, personal and/or professional, gives you an empathic connection to our scholars' struggles or to our mission?
- How can technology be used to close the achievement gap in education and what are its limits? What experience do you have with information technology?
- Please describe a significant organizational growth, replication, or scaling effort you've been part of and assess what made it succeed or what contributed to a lack of success.
About Level Playing Field Institute:
The Level Playing Field Institute is a San Francisco-based independent non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and implementing innovative approaches to fairness in education and the workplace by removing barriers to full participation for women, people of color, and LGBT people. Founded in 2001 by Freada Kapor Klein, LPFI now runs two education programs for high-achieving low-income underrepresented students of color and provides cutting edge research, tools, and consulting about fairness in the workplace. LPFI’s education programs are very successful, with 100% of its high school students and 64% of its college students going on to seek additional higher education opportunities. LPFI’s workplace programs work to ensure that when students enter the workforce after their studies, their place of employment will be primed to recognize each individual’s value and will accept them based on merit. For more information, please visit www.lpfi.org.