Executive Leadership

Job Summary

Executive Leadership plays the pivotal role in ensuring fruitful collaboration among members, staff, and Executive Committee – the Alternate ROOTS community. Executive Leadership supports and guides operational teams, keeps a consistent overview of ROOTS’ programs and initiatives, leads fundraising, and participates in presenting the public face of the organization. Executive Leadership works in partnership with the ExComm to hold the collective responsibility for assuring ROOTS’ programs and services align with ROOTS’ mission and values. 

Competencies

• Commitment to work at the intersections of art and social justice movements; familiarity with the language, histories, theories, and practices that undergird this field and Alternate ROOTS’ singular approach to organizational structure.

• Knowledge of southern cultural traditions as well as social and artistic movement infrastructure and landscape.

• Knowledge of nonprofit board governance best practices and how to tailor them to ROOTS’ structure.

• Ability to work collaboratively and build relations with colleagues, coworkers, and others.

• Knowledge of principles of marketing, promotion, and public relations.

• Knowledge of business and management principles of strategic planning and human and material resource allocation, and skill in implementing them.

• Ability to gain others’ support for ideas, proposals, and solutions, and to motivate them to take action.

• Familiarity and experience with formal conflict resolution and mediation practices, and commitment to working towards fully implementing a Transformative Justice process.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment in making critical decisions.

• Ability to discover new opportunities and solutions for problems by looking beyond current practices and using innovative thinking.

• Ability to develop and manage a budget and work within the constraints of that budget.

• Skill in people management through motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and identifying the best people for the job.

• Ability to communicate information effectively in writing and orally to a wide variety of audiences.

• Organizational skills in managing multiple projects while developing satisfactory work products that are  delivered on deadline.

• Ability to work remotely and manage a remote staff.

Essential Job Functions & Key Outcomes

Strategy & Vision

• Manifest the vision and strategic direction for the organization in partnership with the staff and membership. This includes marshaling the people, financial, programmatic, and infrastructure resources that ensure operational excellence and a successful future.

• Partner with the ExComm, membership, senior leadership team, and staff in identifying and implementing strategic initiatives that expand Alternate ROOTS’ programming and capacity.

• Ensure that Alternate ROOTS’ core values are embraced and cultivated by leadership, the membership, and reinforced by all staff.

Operational Leadership

• Ensure that mission-aligned strategic plans are in place.

• Provide leadership and executive oversight for all operations and programs of the organization, including staff, community engagement, finances, and fundraising.

• Responsible for the fiscal integrity of Alternate ROOTS, including providing the ExComm and Membership a proposed annual budget and accurate quarterly statements.

• Ensure compliance with laws and regulations of government, funders, and organizational policies.

• Responsible for signing all notes, agreements, and other instruments made and entered into on behalf of the organization, within policy guidelines as established by the ExComm/Board of Directors.

• Assist with the identification, recruitment, and hiring of qualified individuals.

Board Relations

Alternate ROOTS’ structure includes a Board of Directors with more than 150 members who guarantee mission-directed operations and fiduciary responsibility. The Board’s elected representatives, the Executive Committee (ExComm), carry out most of the functions of a traditional Board.

• Responsible for communicating in a timely and accurate manner, all information necessary for the ExComm and voting members to function effectively.

• Leverage the ExComm to serve as ambassadors of the organization in raising the public profile of Alternate ROOTS and to be strategic partners in policy development, fundraising efforts and campaigns and the development of new programs.

• Ensure that ROOTS’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is manifested in the nominations and election process of new ExComm members and that the structure of the ExComm represents best practices of continuity and development of leadership, stability, orientation, and racial and social equity.

• Share and communicate cultural policy issues with the membership to promote mission-aligned activism.

External Relations, Partnerships & Visibility

• Serve with other staff, ExComm, and members to represent ROOTS as a spokesperson, ambassador, and external face of the organization.

• Raise the profile and visibility of Alternate ROOTS by maintaining and strengthening relationships with stakeholders.

• Serve as a liaison on behalf of Alternate ROOTS at national and regional conferences as well as those presented by Alternate ROOTS.

• Maintain existing formal partnerships and develop new relationships with similar organizations nationally and regionally, serving on boards and attending meetings as necessary and appropriate.

Resource Development

• Serve as the chief Alternate ROOTS fundraiser.

• With Development and other staff, ensure that ROOTS’ strategies increase and diversify revenue streams, safeguarding the health of the organization.

Job requires travel up to 40% of the time.

Alternate ROOTS will not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, religion, age, disability, genetic information, political affiliation, personal appearance, family responsibilities or status as a covered veteran or any other attribute or characteristic protected in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

Compensation and Benefits:

Salary: $110,000-$140,000

This is a full-time salaried position with competitive compensation and benefits, including health insurance, paid vacation, and a retirement plan.