Sector

Function

State

LIFT is a growing movement to combat poverty and expand opportunity for all people in the United States. LIFT currently runs centers staffed by trained volunteers in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles to serve low-income individuals and families.

LIFT clients and volunteers work one-on-one to find jobs, secure safe and stable housing, make ends meet through public benefits and tax credits, and obtain quality referrals for services like childcare and healthcare. Simultaneously, the LIFT experience pushes volunteers to grapple with our country's most challenging issues related to poverty, race, inequality, and policy. Since LIFT's founding, over 10,000 volunteers have served more than 70,000 individuals and families. For more information, please visit http://www.liftcommunities.org.

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and entrepreneurial leader to drive the growth of one of the nation's most innovative organizations committed to combating poverty. With support from local civic groups, funders, and pre-eminent members of the Washington, D.C. community, the Executive Director will be responsible for the expansion of LIFT’s work in the community. The Executive Director will report to the Chief Operating Officer and work closely with the Founder/Chief Executive Officer and Chief Development Officer, all based in LIFT’s National Office in Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Strategic Leadership

• Provide vision, direction, and oversight for the region, leading the planning required for the region to meet its ambitious goals
• In coordination with LIFT’s 5-year strategic plan, adapt and refine the LIFT operating model to successfully grow in the Washington, D.C. region, leveraging the existing paradigm while refining and improving its effectiveness in the D.C. context
• Share best practices and key insights from the Washington D.C. region with other regions and future LIFT launch sites

External Relations and Development

• Serve as key external voice and representative for LIFT in the region, acting as ambassador, thought partner, and advocate with all critical stakeholders
• Lead and manage all fundraising and outreach activities with existing and prospective funders, including sources of corporate, foundation, and individual support
• Coordinate site visits, host special events, and lead the creation of a multi-faceted stakeholder engagement program
• Cultivate and support local champions, developing and cultivating the D.C. Board of Advisors charged with providing financial support and programmatic guidance to the organization

Operational Effectiveness and Entrepreneurialism

• Oversee all aspects of LIFT’s programmatic initiatives, including program planning and implementation, site expansion, and program evaluation
• Manage a small and growing team of LIFT staff as well as a group of volunteers and interns, establishing a culture of results-orientation while promoting a fun, vibrant, and collaborative environment
• Ensure that all sites within the region operate efficiently and effectively, working with the national leadership team to develop and monitor site budgets

Candidates should possess the following:

• 8+ years of experience as a successful leader in the nonprofit, government, or private sector with proven management and strategic-planning capability
• Commitment to LIFT’s mission, purpose, and values, and to its theory of change, history, culture, programs, people, and constituencies
• Experience creating and maintaining high-level relationships within the philanthropic community, government, and private sectors
• A record of success in raising significant amounts of money through major gifts, events, corporate partnerships, and institutional grants, or demonstrated achievement utilizing transferable skills (business development, sales, etc)
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, and the charisma to use words to inspire in multiple formats with diverse audiences
• Proven success managing a team through a period of rapid expansion and successfully meeting or exceeding organizational targets
• Discipline and high energy level, with the ability to execute ambitious plans across all functional areas with limited resources
• Entrepreneurialism and resourcefulness, with the ability to deliver results in a rapidly growing, deadline-driven, fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the intellectual depth and maturity to work with the CEO, other regional executive directors, staff, Board members, and others in programmatic and development-related activities
• Knowledge of the local cultural and political landscape, with the ability to network and collaborate with a wide array of stakeholders
• Experience recruiting staff, managing employees, and creating cohesive teams; strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative working style
• Financial acumen and the ability to develop and manage budgets

Competitive compensation commensurate with experience