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Chief Innovation & Impact Officer

About YWCA South Hampton Roads
YWCA South Hampton Roads (YWCA SHR) is the oldest and largest multicultural women’s organization in the world. YWCA SHR is dedicated to the fullness of its mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

Serving approximately 11,000 individuals each year, YWCA SHR is a source of strength, courage and empowerment for women and families facing crisis. We are a community catalyst for meaningful change and the advocate for shaping vital impact through quality services responding to the critical needs of survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence. YWCA SHR works across racial, gender, religious and social lines with organizations-partners in all sectors to educate about disparities, advocate for change and provide resources and tools to dismantle oppressive systems.

YWCA SHR is in the midst of a rapid transformation from a well-established direct service provider for women and families facing crisis to an organization working at the intersection of eliminating racism, empowering women and standing up for social justice, helping families and strengthening our community. 

With this period of exciting growth comes a greater need for operational excellence and strategic thinking. We have created the Chief Innovation & Impact Officer (CIIO) position to help YWCA SHR plan a path for continued innovation, scale and impact to firmly and strategically address racism, racial and gender equity and social justice in all of our work.

We provide leadership and work with partners to produce a thriving community exemplified by opportunities for all to:

  • benefit from a strong nonprofit dedicated to antiracism, equity, justice and freedom for all
  • reside and work in a vibrant economy that supports all people
  • flourish through the strength of our diversity and building an antiracist community
  • live with a sense of dignity and self-worth

 

The Association is looking for a creative, dynamic, data driven and experienced change maker who is:

  • a systems thinker, strategic thought partner and collaborative problem solver with the CEO, Executive and Advancement teams, and other internal and external stakeholders;
  • adept in creating and supporting a highly professional, outcome-oriented work environment through an antiracist, racial and social justice, gender equity and advocacy lens;
  • able to expertly communicate the Association’s mission, actions and policies clearly, advance its reputation and ensure it remains a successful, viable and visible asset for our community; and
  • a relationship building expert and passionate advocate for marginalized communities and people.

About the Position

The Chief Innovation & Impact Officer is an executive leadership position, reporting to the CEO, and providing strategic direction, management, and guidance to the Association’s leadership, strategic initiatives, and impact efforts through community engagement, racial and social justice and other programs and advancement and communications efforts.  The CIIO will ensure the Association’s impact goals and objectives are achieved and will lead development, implementation, iteration and evaluation of the Association’s strategic direction to ensure its antiracism, racial and social justice, gender equity and advocacy work is fulfilled.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

As a trusted steward of the Association, the CIIO leads the following areas:

Advancement:

  • Develop a fundraising strategy and/or business model that ensures the long-term stability and scalability of the mission
  • Oversee annual Advancement budgets, including developing systems, policies and procedures.
  • Meet with donors, provide tours, attend events and interact with board as needed and requested
  • Lead and motivate Advancement team to work to the highest standards of excellence, grow professionally, and provide opportunities for team to be satisfied and challenged by their positions.
  • Possess extensive grant writing experience and relationships with external funders
  • Create and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with key outside colleagues, donors, community partners
  • Lead and expand internal and external communications and platforms and raise engagement on anti-racism efforts and platforms
  • Provide support for marketing and fundraising materials (written, web, video, etc.) as requested.
  • In partnership with the Strategic Advancement and Communications Manager, strategize and refine the Association’s impact communications to a diverse constituency
  • Work closely with Advancement Team and other association leaders to advise and partner on anti-racism-related external communications, including coordination of information for annual reports, scorecards, surveys and other public-facing communications
  • Work closely with Advancement Team and other association leaders to advise and partner on anti-racism-related internal communications, including promoting staff training and support, announcing new policies and practices, acknowledging historical events, milestones, and timely news events, and communicating progress on the strategic goals
  • Collaborate to develop marketing strategies to promote the YWCA SHR’s image for donor cultivation and determine emerging trends for new solicitations
  • Lead all aspects of impact, program/initiative and grants activity, especially as they relate to community leadership and donor engagement of the association

Community Engagement:

  • Believes in a shared value of equity with proven capacity to respectfully work in a diverse and inclusive workforce
  • Possesses a deep understanding and comprehension of key local issues and challenges, including those affecting communities that have been historically marginalized
  • Cultivate and deepen key community partnerships with external stakeholders committed to advancing racial justice and gender equity
  • Engage stakeholders in developing strategies to center the mission of the association in the community
  • Attend and take a leadership role in community programs and events as a representative of the association

Program Development:

  • In collaboration with Advancement and Executive Leadership Teams, assist with implementation and evolution of the Association’s strategic plan with an openness to being responsive to changing conditions
  • Stay abreast of research and best practices in anti-racism and ensure alignment with the racial equity strategic framework
  • Lead program assessment and evaluation process through a data driven approach to ensure outcomes are met, improvements are made and impacts are demonstrated
  • Lead select racial equity strategic initiatives at the association level
  • As needed, develop and staff internal working groups to support the implementation of association wide racial equity initiatives
  • Partner with working groups and consultants to build internal capacity and capability of staff and board members to promote and model anti-racism
  • Work collaboratively with the Executive Leadership Team to develop annual budgets to support the implementation of the anti-racism strategy
  • Source consultants as needed to advance racial equity priorities, and serve as a strategic thought partner, subject matter expert, and primary contact for consultants

Racial and Social Justice and Equity:

  • Participate in community equity collaborations on behalf of association
  • Embrace the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and ensure they are reflected in the impact portfolio of work
  • Provide oversight for the racial equity impact assessment process for internal and external stakeholders
  • Cultivate the potential for stakeholders to effectively partner with the association’s mission for progressive social change
  • Help organizations to identify and align their race equity and social justice principles with their operating practices to become more equitable workplaces
  • Provide staff leadership for the Racial Justice Committee and any other representative staff groups to help implement, educate, communicate, and embody anti-racism and gender equity commitment
  • Capture and disseminate data and insights in external communications, both written and verbal, and as appropriate, participate as a speaker, panel member, or moderator in professional settings
  • In collaboration with program leaders, identify and initiate improvements related to social justice programs and procedures
  • Curate a variety of diverse educational resources for internal and external stakeholders

Strategy and Organization Development:

  • Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, and proven track record of success in solving complex and dynamic situations, with excellent analysis, communication, and writing skills in identifying challenging issues, distilling opportunities for engagement, and strategically synthesizing information from both the community and association experience
  • In collaboration with the CEO and key stakeholders, develop an integrated strategy and associated plan that advances racial equity across the association. The plan’s specific goals and targets will translate priorities into action plans that further YWCA SHR’ anti-racist stance
  • Provide strategic consultation and technical assistance to external stakeholders to guide implementation efforts, and identify and resolve barriers to success in racial equity programming and service delivery, public policy, learning and development, and internal systems, policies and practices
  • In collaboration with the CEO and program leadership, ensure that policy and advocacy efforts, and participant-facing programs are advancing anti-racism in the communities served
  • Serve as a center of expertise and advice for leaders across the association. Share advice and guidance on the best approaches to shape programs and other activities to support anti-racism and gender equity goals and objectives
  • Work closely with HR to define internal education programs’ objectives and act as an expert resource to support association-wide anti-racism learning
  • Develop and implement metrics intended to measure and demonstrate the impact of mission plans and related activities
  • In collaboration with the leadership teams, create dashboards to continuously monitor, analyze, and report progress and challenges
  • Oversee data analyses to inform decision-making, communications, and resource development to include process and quality improvement, professional development, fund development, and change management
  • Serve as subject matter expert and support proposal development and reporting
  • Sets a vision and creates strategies in the midst of a complex, uncertain, and changing environment
  • Thinks big picture to make long-term decisions
  • Thinks innovatively to improve processes and services
  • Inspires innovative thinking and helps the organization adapt to change and face adversity
  • Synthesizes data and inputs efficiently, focusing only on selecting effective and strategic outcomes given limited resources

Additional Responsibilities:

  • Contribute to the overall success of association by performing all other duties, responsibilities and special projects as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

The CIIO position could be the right role for you if:

  • You have deep knowledge of racial equity and real-world experience with change management, as well as education / training in areas that enhance this work
  • You are curious, like working with a team as well as independently and can navigate between toleration of ambiguity and collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders
  • You value continuous learning and are comfortable with discussions that challenge assumptions
  • You have a drive for excellence and impact. You strive to be ahead of the curve by identifying and addressing ways to make communities more equitable
  • You have a record of strong community engagement experience, grounded in antiracist work and a shared value of diversity, equity and inclusion, focusing on how diverse perspectives and opportunities for participation from all communities lead to greater effectiveness, improved outcomes and stronger community life
  • You have experience working for underserved communities from a systems perspective
  • You have the ability to simultaneously manage multiple, complex projects in a deadline-driven and high-achieving environment
  • Practice rigor, resourcefulness, collaboration, flexibility, creativity, and patience.

Minimum Requirements

Education and Experience

  • Master’s degree and background in ethnic studies desired – will consider Bachelor’s degree with significant and relevant work experience
  • 5 years’ experience with strategy development, change management and strategic racial and social justice programming yielding measurable results
  • 5 years’ business development and grant writing experience in an equivalent position or similar setting and familiarity with the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors
  • 6 years’ experience in program strategy development, implementation and assessment
  • Demonstrated experience successfully leading teams and engaging with senior executives (C-suite level)
  • Experience working across diverse environments with training or direct expertise and work experience around justice, equity, and inclusion, especially racial equity and antiracism and familiarity with the theories, principles and practices underpinning these fields
  • Skilled fundraising for cultural and social impact projects

Other Requirements

  • Strong skill in coaching and developing others
  • Commitment to personal learning and development and openness to feedback
  • Engage diverse perspectives in order to establish a common ground and work towards solutions
  • Foster a strong, positive team environment and provide mentorship and guidance to team members as required

Skills and Competencies

  • Demonstrated commitment to end racism and promoting gender equity
  • Demonstrated respect and sensitivity for cultural differences
  • Strong, persuasive, audience-centered communications and presentation skills (verbal and written)
  • Skilled at cross-functional and cross-divisional advocacy
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills
  • Experience with budgeting and financial management of operating budgets
  • Competency with MS Office Suite and database management

CORE VALUES

The Chief Innovation & Impact Officer is expected to model YWCA SHR Core Values:

  • Compassion
  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Ownership
  • Responsibility
  • Empowerment


WORKING CONDITIONS:
 Work is performed in a typical office environment with a high standard of confidentiality.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:  The Chief Innovation & Impact Officer is responsible for the daily management and supervision of the Strategic Advancement & Communications Manager, Public Relations, and Marketing Specialist within the Advancement department.  This includes general coaching and mentoring, annual performance reviews, goal creation and tracking, timesheet review, new employee onboarding-90 day review and training if applicable. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:  The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. 

  • Ability to travel in varying weather conditions.
  • Must have the use of sensory skills in order to effectively communicate and interact with other employees and the public through the use of the telephone and personal contact as normally defined by the ability to see, read, talk, hear, handle or feel objects and controls
  • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to:
    • Frequently walk, use hands to finger, climb a ladder, handle or feel objects, tools or controls and talks or hears
    • Often required to stand and sit; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, bend, squat or crawl
    • Ability to lift and carry up to 60 pounds
    • Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus
    • The noise level in the work environment is moderately loud
    • Physical capability to effectively use and operate various items of office related equipment, such as but not limited to, a personal computer, calculator, copier and fax machine

COMPENSATION

This position offers a competitive salary that is based on experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package. We actively welcome all candidates from a wide range of backgrounds who have the skills to fulfill this role – regardless of compensation history.   This is a full-time, exempt position.

START TIMEFRAME

Position will be open until filled. Interested applicants are requested to submit cover letter with salary requirements and resume to: kmoten@ywca-shr.org.  We anticipate this being a highly competitive process. Only qualified candidates who meet the minimum requirements will be contacted. No phone calls and no recruiters please.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) REQUIREMENTS

YWCA SHR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires YWCA SHR to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

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