POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: PRESIDENT & CEO

EMERALD CITITIES COLLABORATIVE

Reports To: Board of Directors

Status: Full Time; Exempt Location: Washington, DC Preferred; LA, Bay Area, Seattle, Boston, or New York Negotiable

Closing Date: January 7, 2022

ABOUT EMERALD CITIES COLLABORATIVE

 The Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC) is a national non-profit organization comprised of a powerful network of national and local community, climate justice, energy, labor, policy, and business organizations and advocates. ECC partners are united around the goal of building high- road regional economies that are sustainable, just, democratic, and publicly accountable. ECC envisions a future in which American cities are the greenest and most equitable in the world, tackling global climate change while creating a vital new economic sector with low-income and communities of color as central actors and beneficiaries.

Founded in 2009, ECC has built a movement of change agents who’ve demonstrated that an equitable, high-road approach is the best path to a sustainable, just future. ECC has proven that multi-stakeholder, intersectional models work across core focus areas of Energy Efficiency/Clean Energy, Water & Food, Economic Inclusion, Community Climate Resilience, and Participatory Democracy & Climate Justice. Visit our website for more information:  http://www.emeraldcities.org/

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Emerald Cities Collaborative seeks a visionary, entrepreneurial bridge-builder as President & CEO to be its organizational leader, spokesperson, and chief fundraiser positioning ECC for its   next phase of growth and impact. ECC is in a stage of expansion and organizational development with substantial private, foundation, and government programs and resources that support ECC's high road mission and programs. The President & CEO has overall strategic and operational responsibility for ECC staff, programs, expansion, and advancement of ECC’s “high-road” mission and will develop new strategic initiatives and relationships with like-minded Latinx and Black-led organizations, NGOs, government, labor unions, funders, and businesses committed to justice- centered climate actions. The President & CEO will strengthen and expand: 1) ECC’s regional programs in the Northwest, California, New England/Northeast, as well as the South and Midwest; 2) Its high road economic inclusion advisory services to public, private, and other institutions interested in designing and implementing justice-centered climate commitments; and 3) Energy democracy policies and initiatives working with environmental, climate justice and frontline

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Management

• Build upon ECC’s strategic vision, providing long-term direction and delineating the organizational activities to be pursued and the capabilities needed of the Lead the organization with a sense of purposeful action.
• Enable ongoing local programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, communications, and systems; Ensure timelines and resources needed to achieve strategic goals.
• Engage and energize ECC staff, board members, partner organizations, and funders to define and fulfill their contributions to the mission; instill a strong sense of partnership and cohesion across the organization; use open channels of communication to reinforce a   culture of excellence toward achieving the highest standards of practice.
• Develop, maintain, and support a strong board; Serve as ex-officio of each committee, seek, and build board involvement with strategic direction for both local and national opportunities.
• Lead, coach, develop, and retain a high-performance team of staff.
• Build and maintain effective systems to track scaling progress, implement clear metrics of success, and regularly evaluate program components, to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other stakeholders.

Development & Communications

• Sustain and manage a mid to high seven figure annual budget.
• Expand revenue generating and fundraising activities to support existing and future program operations.
• Serve as the principal spokesperson for the organization.
• Oversee engagement to deepen and refine all aspects of communications—from web presence to external relations— with the goal of creating a stronger brand.
• Build and utilize external presence and relationships to garner new opportunities.

Program & Policy Development

• Advocate for and support the development of progressive and sound public policies. 
• Determine and oversee the implementation of programmatic activities.
• Solidify ECC’s reputation as a national leader in implementing high road regional economies that are sustainable and climate resilient, just, and inclusive of low-income and communities of color.
• Work with and support staff to develop a comprehensive plan to strengthen, continually refresh, and enrich ECC’s programmatic goals.

Planning & New Business

• Design and execute expansion plans, including geographic and programmatic. 
• Build partnerships in new markets, establishing relationships with funders, the political sphere, and community leaders.
• Serve as an articulate and persuasive spokesperson on behalf of the organization establishing a local, statewide, and national presence while publishing and communicating program results with an emphasis on the successes of the local program as a model for replication.

Operations

• With the Board of Directors and supported by senior staff, translate ECC’s organizational strategy into annual operating plans covering finance; compliance; governance; policies and procedures; and HR/administrative needs.
• Ensure that the organization develops sound annual budgets; builds the organization’s financial strength and stability; and oversees financial management and administration.
• Lead and motivate direct reports to advance employee engagement and develop a high- performing managerial team.
• Oversee all operations and business activities to ensure they produce the desired results and are consistent with the overall strategy and mission.
• Make high-quality investing decisions to advance ECC’s goals and resources
• Enforce adherence to legal guidelines and in-house policies to maintain the company’s legal compliance and business ethics.
• Review financial and non-financial reports to devise solutions or improvements.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Cultural competence to work in and with communities of color.
• Demonstrated commitment to environmental, climate, and economic justice with working knowledge of sustainable community development, clean energy, environmental planning, and/or economic development.
• Ability to effectively collaborate and build coalitions with diverse groups of disparate interests including community, labor, industry, and government.
• Demonstrated history of financial management and fundraising in support of a mid to high seven figure organizational budget with $3-4 million in new revenue a year.
• A 10-year track record of mid- to senior-level management experience including regionally or nationally scaling a performance- and outcomes-based organization and staff.
• Excellence in organizational management with the ability to attract, manage, develop, and coach a high-performing team; set and achieve strategic objectives; and work with the Board and partners to scale the work.
• Experience developing and operationalizing strategies that have taken an organization to the next stage of growth.
• Persuasive and passionate written and verbal communication skills; strong marketing and public relations experience; and the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills.
• Past success working with a Board or steering committee with the ability to cultivate existing member relationships.
• Strong commitment to a collaborative work style with Board, staff, and other key stakeholders.
• Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to planning.
• Passionate, trustworthy, positive, mission-driven, and self-directed.
• A fast learner and creative problem-solver.
• A Bachelor’s degree.

Preferred

• Nationally recognized expertise in climate, sustainability, and community economic development fields.
• 5+ years of senior/executive non-profit or private sector management experience. 
• Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development Planning, Environmental Policy, Environmental Management or related fields or experience in excess of the minimum required.

ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Emerald Cities Collaborative is partnering with Black- and woman-owned strategic management consulting and executive search firm Walker and Associates Consulting for this search. To apply, please email a cover letter explaining why you’re interested and qualified, resume, and list of three references (you will be contacted before any outreach to references) to  emeraldcities@walkeraac.com by January 7, 2022, at 5:00 pm ET. Use the subject “ECC CEO.” One combined Word or PDF file is preferred. All applications will be acknowledged promptly.

Questions? Contact Jeannine N. Walker, President and CEO, at jwalker@walkeraac.com.

Emerald Cities Collaborative encourages diversity and prohibits discrimination in the office place. The organization exceeds the anti-discrimination policies of the District of Columbia and of the federal government. Specifically, ECC prohibits discrimination in hiring on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence or business, gender identity, or socio-economic status.