About Community Change and Community Change Action

“Community Change” is both a name and a statement of our purpose. Community Change is a national organization founded in 1968 by leaders of the civil rights, labor, and anti-poverty movements as a living memorial to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Community Change Action is a 501(c)(4) national advocacy organization aligned with Community Change, its 501(c)(3) sister organization.

These organizations believe no one should struggle to make ends meet, and that sweeping change comes when directly affected people lead a movement powered by community organizing, big ideas, and the ballot box. The people closest to the problems must lead the struggle for change and social movements—anchored by community-based organizations—drive social change.

The role of Community Change is to put people who are directly affected at the center of the conversation—not to speak for them. Since its founding, Community Change has built the power of people directly affected by injustice—people of color, women, immigrants, people struggling to make ends meet—to envision and fight for a society where all people and communities thrive.

Community Change has won billions of dollars for investments in communities of color and helped expand social programs to improve the lives of families struggling to make ends meet. Community Change played a pivotal role to build the modern immigrant rights movement. Community Change brought community organizing into electoral politics, and in 2018, Community Change Action joined with core allies to run one of the largest independent programs that turned out infrequent voters of color.

The country needs sweeping, systemic change, so Community Change has embarked on a 15-year plan, our Path to Power, to enact it. The strategy includes four interconnected pillars: strengthening Black and immigrant leadership and power at the grassroots; reimagining the practice of community organizing for the 21st century; developing and deepening lasting electoral power at scale in communities of color; and developing visionary ideas and winning a bold national agenda for economic and racial justice and immigrant rights.

For more information on Community Change Action, please visit: https://communitychangeaction.org/ and for Community Change, visit: https://communitychange.org/.

The Opportunity

The Chief of Staff will leverage their strategic leadership to oversee and advance the effectiveness and impact of the Office of the Presidents. They will work closely with key leadership teams to coordinate, align and build cohesion across the organization and to advance the organizations’ priorities. The Chief of Staff will execute this by:

• Supporting the strategic alignment and focus between the Presidents;
• Coordinating and driving the activities and decisions of the Presidents with key stakeholders, including those of the Senior Leadership, Executive Team and Boards of Directors;
• Leading the strategic management and delivery of the organizations’ annual priorities; and
• Managing effective communication and workflow across the organization.

This is a role for someone who takes a holistic view on organizational and programmatic operations.  They are a natural problem solver and thrive in fostering clarity and alignment in complexity by identifying strategic solutions that deliver results and align with our values. This person is confident, compassionate, and takes pride and joy in work that elevates the success of the broader organization, and often play a role that is primarily internal and behind the scenes.

This position also supports Community Change Action, an affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. While motivated by the same core values – equity, inclusion, and justice – Community Change and Community Change Action operate independently of one another and each organization has its own board of directors.  The Chief of Staff reports into the Presidents of Community Change and Community Change Action.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have a strategic mindset, be results-driven, and possess a high level of emotional intelligence. They are incredibly thoughtful and decisive, and will bring strong energy, joy and passion around advancing racial and social justice issues.

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, a successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

Manage the Office of the Presidents

• Maximize impact of Presidents by aligning strategic focus on the priorities of the Office of the Presidents through strategic time management, internal communications, and effective management of the responsibilities for the Presidents. This will include:
  • Setting and maintaining focus on key outcomes, including the planning and implementation of short and longer-term priorities with the Office of the Presidents.
  • Developing and managing processes within the Office of the Presidents’ office, and within the organization at large, to debrief, learn from and improve our work.
  • Maintaining and reporting on key metrics related to the work of the Presidents.
• Refine and maintain effective internal communication and workflow processes, systems, and norms of the Office of the Presidents to ensure that the appropriate staff have the information they need, there are clear ways of providing feedback into organizational decisions, and work is managed and executed transparently.
• Supervise and work with the Senior Advisors to the Presidents to integrate, track and support the Presidents in meeting internal and external expectations and deadlines. Senior Advisors to the Presidents provide high-level strategic support in planning, executing and driving the success of the Presidents’ priority areas of program work. This includes developing and managing effective systems and processes to drive the tactical implementation of the Presidents’ vision across key initiatives, ensuring and supporting the delivery of high-quality products and assets (e.g. meeting notes, talking points, visual materials).

Organizational Leadership

• Provide strategic management and coordination of the Senior Leadership Team and Executive Team in implementing organizational priorities, identifying challenges and opportunities, and providing cohesive organizational leadership.
• Support the Senior Leadership Team and Executive Team in continuing to adapt to changing conditions, innovate, and strengthen the organization’s strategic roadmap, including monitoring & developing a point of view on the implications of industry trends and other social factors, and conducting competitive intelligence.
• Support strong collaboration among teams and staff to drive programs, maximize impact and nurture organizational health.
• Organize convenings of and communications between senior staff and cross-organizational bodies to ensure strong internal coordination and alignment, surface questions and concerns; ensure that we have the right makeup of cross-organizational bodies, with an eye toward equity.
• Provide strategic oversight to staff spaces and practices in the organization to align, build relationships and connections, and inspire learning to advance our work and the movement.
• Model leadership that inspires organizational values of courage, compassion and creativity.

In addition, candidates will offer:

• Full understanding of the progressive movement ecosystem (at least 5+ years) and the roles of all the organizations and players within the ecosystem.
• A strong structural racial, gender and economic analysis in agreement with Community Change’s vision and values.
• Effective writing and communication skills across varied formats and contexts; ability to communicate complex ideas in clear, concise terms (verbally and written).
• An organized systems thinker who brings an organizational architecture lens.
• A relational manager with high emotional intelligence and experience being emotionally supportive to staff during stressful or difficult periods.
• Experience with coordinating the work of a Board of Directors or comparable experience.
• Demonstrated program and/or project management skills and significant internal and external stakeholder/partnership experience (nonprofit/social justice organization experience strongly preferred).
• Impeccable verbal, written, research, communication and deck creation skills, and experience.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and take initiative in an environment with shifting priorities.
• High-level proficiency in MS Office, Google docs, Slack, Salesforce (or other CRM software) , and social media platforms.
• Ability to prioritize competing projects and multi-task across a broad spectrum of collaborators, based in various office locations or working remotely.
• Able to work independently in a fast-paced environment, with a proactive approach.
• Dedication and ability to work flexible hours.
• Commitment to confidentiality and ability to exercise absolute discretion.
• 15+ years of professional experience, with at least 5+ years of working closely with C-suite/VP-level management while also influencing across multiple levels and functions of an organization.
• 5+ years of team/people management experience.

Compensation & Benefits

A robust benefits package reflects the organizations’ values and enables staff to lead their work and personal lives with presence, power and vision. Community Change offers competitive salary and an excellent benefits package which includes 4 weeks of annual paid vacation; additional paid holiday leave between December 24 and January 1; 8% employer contribution to retirement account after six months of employment (and 3% employer contribution for the first 6 months); and a choice of generous health insurance plans.  To learn more about our employee benefits and Community Change’s values, please visit here.

Community Change recognizes a staff bargaining unit affiliated with IFPTE Local 70, a union for non-profit workers. This position is not included in Community Change’s bargaining unit and therefore not covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

Contact

Alicia Salerno and Melissa Madzel of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in this role please submit your materials here.  All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

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Community Change Action and Community Change’s work on social, economic, and political equity as well as the pursuit of a just society is informed and inspired by the diversity of its staff. Community Change Action and Community Change celebrate diversity in gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, class, ability, life experiences, and background. Community Change Action and Community Change are committed to maintaining a work environment that recognizes, understands, respects, and encourages the unique contributions of each member of its team.

Community Change Action and Community Change are Equal Opportunity Employers – women, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a member of the Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

At Koya, we don’t just accept difference—we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our team, our clients, and the communities we serve.

Koya is an equal opportunity employer fully committed to creating an environment and team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, styles, and experiences. We encourage all to apply because we believe a diversity of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone. Koya does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status, genetic information, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

For more information about Koya Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.