Posted on August 29, 2012

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Associate Director

The Life Lab associate director will work closely with the executive director to:

• ensure the financial health and sustainability of the organization,
• facilitate the strategic direction of the organization in partnership with the staff and board of directors,
• support the work and growth of fellow staff, and
• manage administrative functions.

This position may evolve into a co-director role with the executive director over the course of the first year of service.

The associate director position is currently 50% time (20 hours/week). If desired, the position may expand to 75-100% time in the future.

About Life Lab

Life Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located on the farm of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Life Lab teaches people to care for themselves, each other, and the world through farm- and garden-based programs.

Founded in 1979 at an elementary school in Santa Cruz, Life Lab is a longtime leader in the field of garden-based learning, providing educational programs and curriculum resources to schools and educators throughout California, the U.S. and internationally. We host more than 3,000 children for field trips and day camps here each year in our Garden Classroom. Life Lab offers professional development workshops here and around the U.S. for more than 800 educators annually and supports Central Coast teachers with conferences and mentoring through the Monterey Bay Science Project, a regional California Subject Matter Project. Our “Food, What?!” teen program is an award-winning youth empowerment and food justice program. We serve a broad array of children, youth, families and educators, at least 30% of whom are from low-resource households.

Responsibilities

Life Lab is seeking an experienced leader to help us build our individual and major donor programs, collaborate with other staff to grow our program capacity, and partner with the executive director to manage this special organization day to day.

Development

• maintain and implement Life Lab’s development plan;
• work closely with the executive director and program leaders to identify individual donors and prospects and connect them with Life Lab activities and giving opportunities;
• oversee coordination of benefit events;
• work closely with the executive director and program leaders to research funding opportunities and to craft and submit grant proposals;
• work closely with the executive director and program leaders to maintain timely grant reporting and communication with funders;
• support board members in their fundraising work.

Organizational Leadership

• facilitate organizational advancement in alignment with strategic plans;
• develop and maintain relationships with organizational partners;
• participate in strategic planning meetings with the staff and board;
• help the staff and board maintain timely implementation of strategic objectives
• honor and steward Life Lab’s culture of support, cooperation, individual initiative and positive communication.

Board of Directors

• assist with meetings and communications;
• contribute to board reports and agendas;
• respond to information and action requests from board members;
• contribute to the identification of board recruitment priorities and the solicitation and orientation of new board members.

Staff Support

• support fellow staff members’ work with your skills, experience and perspective;
• facilitate and participate in productive staff communication to identify, prioritize and address important organizational issues;
• coordinate and participate in regular staff performance reviews.

Financial Management

• collaborate with the executive director and the bookkeeper to ensure that sound financial systems and practices are maintained and updated;
• assist in daily financial operations.

General Organizational Support

Collaborate with other staff on occasional organizational tasks, such as updating outreach materials and developing conference workshop proposals.

Core Values

Life Lab values respectful communication, collaboration, connection with people and nature, and open, inquiring minds. The executive and associate directors undertake management functions as partners with the rest of the staff, in support of their work toward Life Lab’s mission. A management team of program directors and the executive and associate directors cooperatively assesses strategic choices and organizational direction with the support and partnership of the board of directors. We value individual initiative and cultivate a culture in which it can thrive.

Qualifications

We’re looking for someone with the passion and commitment to help shape the organization for sustainability and future growth. Key qualities we seek are:

• team orientation;
• self-awareness and excellent daily interpersonal communication;
• a passion for farm- and garden-based learning and youth development and empowerment;
• demonstrated leadership;
• flexibility and a sense of humor;
• excellent organization, with systems for maintaining personal and team focus and priorities;
• individual initiative within a collaborative group culture; and
• multicultural experience and/or competency.

The ideal candidate will have the following professional qualifications:

• proven fundraising experience, particularly with individual and major donor development;
• experience working in the fields of education, garden-based learning, and/or youth programs, with active networks and professional relationships;
• excellent skills for communicating with diverse audiences, colleagues and partners in writing, by phone and in person;
• strong organizational management and administration skills and experience;
• strong computing skills in spreadsheet, word processing, database, and online research and communication tools.

Additional qualifications that would be beneficial in this position include:

• experience with donor management systems and software;
• experience with project management systems and software.
• school-based teaching and/or administrative experience;
• organizational development and/or strategic planning skills;
• experience with the development and marketing of print and/or digital publications;
• marketing, branding, communications and/or public relations skills and experience;
• board support and/or service experience;
• outdoor, environmental, and/or nutrition education skills and experience;
• farming and gardening experience;
• experience with QuickBooks or other nonprofit financial software;
• Spanish language fluency.

Compensation

Salary: $60,000 full time equivalent.

Full medical, dental, and vision benefits provided.

Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays.

403(b) retirement plan available.

Process

Please send a cover letter and resume to Life Lab executive director Don Burgett at lifelab@lifelab.org. We will review materials and schedule interviews on a rolling basis, and we hope the new associate director will begin work at Life Lab in early October. A background check will be conducted with finalists for this position.

Life Lab is an anti-discrimination, pro-equity organization. People of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Life Lab is committed to a policy of non-discrimination as an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment candidates and employees will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or any other basis in accordance with applicable law.

The Life Lab office and surrounding Garden Classroom and farm are designated nonsmoking areas.

Application Instructions

Please send a cover letter and resume to Life Lab executive director Don Burgett at lifelab@lifelab.org. We will review materials and schedule interviews on a rolling basis, and we hope the new associate director will begin work at Life Lab in early October. A background check will be conducted with finalists for this position.