Posted on November 7, 2009

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Executive Director

Peace Games seeks an Executive Director with a blend of experience and entrepreneurial spirit to lead their program in their New York office. The position builds from a strong base of existing assets, including a solid plan, a growing group of excited supporters, a strong track record of results with local schools, and experienced program directors to manage day-to-day operations in the schools, and strong fundraising and program expertise. The ideal candidate will have strong fundraising and operational management skills, deep cultural competency, and a passion for the Peace Games mission and goals.

Responsibilities:

The New York Executive Director will play the lead role in directing the Peace Games program in New York. Major areas of responsibility include:

• Fundraising: Much of the ED’s work will center around building on efforts already underway to reach out to corporations, foundations, and individuals to raise this money.
• Advocacy/Outreach: The ED will work closely with the Founder to serve as the “face” of Peace Games in: speaking, writing, and organizing in order to call attention to the needs and potential of young people and to help build the organization’s credibility as a force to assist in developing that potential.
• Relationship Building: The ED will be responsible for establishing and growing strong relationships with school principals and administrators and other potential partners in areas ranging from funding to program delivery to evaluation.
• Operations: The ED will be responsible for the overall management of the program and ensuring consistent, high quality delivery of Peace Games to our current New York schools and to pilot service delivery to new schools.
• Administration: The ED will serve as the chief administrative officer of the New York region, with responsibilities for budgeting, staffing, and managing day to day operations. The ED will represent the New York region’s interests and contribute to work with national and other regional staff around program development and evaluation, communications and fundraising, and finance and administration.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will possess most, if not all, of the following skills and experience:

• Significant experience managing and growing social service/change programs: At least 5 to 7 years experience launching or expanding a social service or social change program. Ideally this would be a philanthropically funded program, working in a related area (youth, schools), and one with tangible evidence of success in establishing or expanding the program’s footprint.
• Significant experience with fundraising or growing income: At least 5 to 7 years experience soliciting donations, grants, or earned income, with tangible evidence of significantly increasing income over time. Knowledge of the New York donor base strongly preferred.
• Self-Starter: Previous experience working independently yet in close collaboration with remote offices to build relationships and organizational infrastructure from the ground up. Comfortable prioritizing tasks in a resource constrained environment. A flexible problem solver, good at striking the balance between innovation and continuity, deliberation and action, independence and collaboration.
• Deep cultural competencies: Peace Games schools tend to be located in urban neighborhoods wrestling with issues of race, youth violence, and financial challenges. The New York Executive Director will be most effective possessing a deep understanding of the history and dynamics of these neighborhoods, and a strong appreciation for both the resources and challenges that New York’s children and families bring to our schools. The Executive Director must be a culturally competent leader: eager to learn, open to diversity, a good listener, and capable of working well with people from different backgrounds.
• Strong communicator: The Executive Director will represent Peace Games in many different settings—from a funder’s office to City Hall, from the school hallway to a partnering organization’s playground to a neighborhood meeting. He or she must be able to listen well and hone in on what is important, as well as to succinctly, articulately and compellingly present the work and mission of Peace Games in diverse settings. The Executive Director should be a clear writer and a comfortable public speaker.
• Strong management and administrative skills: The Executive Director will need to be well organized and able to prioritize and manage effectively given ambitious goals, evolving plans and uncertain resources. The ED should have experience developing and managing annual budgets in excess of $250K and be comfortable playing whatever managerial role is needed in the early phases of growing the program.
• Passion for Peace Games mission and goals: The Executive Director will need to be able to persuade others convincingly of the need for and benefits of our program.
• Education: The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree in a related field (such as education or management).

Compensation and Benefits: Peace Games offers a competitive salary (depending on experience), with a generous benefits package.

Next Steps: Peace Games has engaged Koya Consulting to help in this hire. Please send a compelling cover letter and resume Molly Brennan at the email address below.

Peace Games is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status.

About Peace Games: Peace Games was founded in 1992 on the belief that young people have the power and responsibility to change the world. It is an innovative school-based violence prevention/social-emotional learning program that teaches students in grades K thru 8 to be peacemakers. The unique Peace Games approach engages whole school communities—families, teachers, volunteers, and students—to teach lessons of cooperation, communication and conflict resolution using games and community service projects. Peace Games has operations in New York, New York, and Los Angeles as well as affiliate programs in sites ranging from Chicago to Colombia. Learn more at the Web site listed below.

About Koya Consulting: Koya Consulting is a national retained search and consulting firm that works exclusively with non-profits and social enterprises. We deliver measurable results, finding exceptionally talented people who truly fit the unique culture of our client organizations. For more information about Koya Consulting, please visit www.koyaconsulting.com.

E-mail: executivesearch@koyaconsulting.com

Find out more by visiting the organization's web site»

Job Type: Executive
Organization Type: Nonprofit Organizations