Chief Executive Officer

ABOUT OPEN COMMUNITIES

Next year we will celebrate our 50th year. Serving individuals and families in the North and Northwestern Chicago Suburban. area with education, fair housing enforcement and advocacy. We know that quality housing is a human right and fair housing is the law.

Open Communities’ mission is to educate, advocate and organize to promote just and inclusive communities in north suburban Chicago.  We seek to eradicate housing discrimination, in all of its forms and against all persons, because of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, disability, familial status, or source of income. 

POSITION SUMMARY

Our CEO will be a passionate, mission-driven, collaborative, and visionary leader to the organization. The position is varied and complex. Our CEO must establish and maintain relation­ships with government, private and nonprofit sectors. As our leader you will not only be a strategic organizational leader managing finances, staff, and services but you will also serve as the face of fair housing in the community, with the media, key stakeholders, and donors. The CEO will take our current strong position of providing services and leverage it to provide superior services for our clients and stronger advocacy for fair and equitable housing in our communities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direction of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the overall administration and management of the agency.

Organization Management

• Oversee the day-to-day operations and ensure overall successful long-term operations.
• Assure that the organization makes consistent and timely progress in achieving its mission and programmatic impact.
• Manage, direct, and develop staff. Currently there is a direct report of four senior staff and total of 10 staff members.
• Ensure we are staffed appropriately while delivering the highest quality of services to our clients. Hire, supervise, evaluate and (if necessary) terminate senior staff.
• Oversee staff management including creation and updating of job descriptions, grievance procedures, benefits, and other human resources issues, and assure that all employees receive regular evaluations.
• Promoting a safe, positive, inclusive, respectful working environment, free from discrimination and harassment.
• Create a position succession plans which allows for cross-training and quick hiring and transition plans for future openings.
• Grant and contract management that ensures compliance with reporting requirements of all funding entities.
• Manage organizational financial projections accurately for Board oversight. Prepare budgets and track expenses. Oversee timely and accurate financial statements, funder and grant reports, cash flow projections, audit and accounts receivable ensuring a monthly positive balance.
• Work with the Board of Directors to achieve good governance practices, grow financial resources, and recruit and onboard new members.

Fundraising and Relationship Management

• Establish strategic relationships to develop and implement fundraising plans that secure and grow revenue-generating partnerships with government grantors, corporate funders, foundations and private donors.
• With support from the Development Director, design and execute strategies to enhance annual fundraising results, building towards unrestricted gifts, new major gift pipelines and targeted grants.
• Provide leadership in creating and growing an individual giving program. Solicit major gifts.
• With Development Director, participate in the grant writing process, both private and governmental, including producing appropriate narratives, budgets and financial reports; securing grant renewals; and analyzing program outcomes.

Communications, Marketing and Public Relations

• Represent the organization externally by participating in public speaking engagements, maintaining a robust social media presence, and regularly participating in and attending community events.
• Serve as a thought partner to local government, community organization and other groups focused on fair and affordable housing. Collaborate with local, regional and national fair housing, social justice and other organizational engaged in our mission-related work.
• Oversee a consistent communications and outreach strategy that maximizes the number of clients and donors.
• Provide regular reports to the Board that highlight organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Assist in the recruitment and orientation of new Board members.

Minimum Requirements

• A strong commitment to justice and equity as it applies to fair housing and/or community advocacy experience.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience and progressively responsible work in nonprofit sector or management and leadership experience in an organization of comparable size and mission.
• Ability to earn the trust, confidence, and respect of stakeholders.
• A demonstrated track record of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• An ability to build partnerships and collaboration with the community.
• Experience in staff leadership, personnel development, and building teams.
• Experience in diversifying revenue and increasing current revenue streams.
• Financial management including budgeting.
• High level of intelligence, intellectual curiosity, a desire to explore new ideas and innovative approaches to solving problems.
• Strong writing and public speaking skills.

Desired Experience

• A graduate degree or significant experience in a related field, including law, policy or social work.
• Experience working with a housing agency, knowledge of HUD Programs including Testing, Enforcement, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, Education and Outreach.
• Knowledge and experience with contract compliance and reporting requirements; investigating and filing discrimination complaints; legal case management; working with contract attorneys.
• Experience in raising money, especially individual gifts and grants management.
• Experience in nonprofit organizations including development and financial management.
• Fluent in Spanish

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS PACKAGE

One of our core values is taking care of each other, and this includes offering competitive salaries, benefits, paid time off, and options for remote work for staff.  Our employees have been vaccinated against Covid 19 and this is a requirement of the job to keep both our employees and our clients as safe as possible.