M4BL Managing Director

M4BL MANAGING DIRECTOR

Schedule: Full-time

Location: Remote, with 20-30% travel requirements

Reports to: Infrastructure & Operations Executive 

Salary: $150k commensurate upon experience, with full health benefits for employee and dependents, employer-funded retirement plan, remote work stipend, and 28 days of vacation

MOVEMENT FOR BLACK LIVES

The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) is an ecosystem of organizations and individuals creating a shared vision and strategy to win rights, control, power and resources for Black people. Building on the legacy and strategies of past movements, the Movement for Black Lives has created a broad political home for Black organizers, activists, and their organizations. Our ecosystem is held together by politics of abolition, anti-capitalism and radical Black Queer Feminisms and a value system that fights for the marginalized amongst us. In this phase of our growth, M4BL is looking for new staff members to join an expanding team that will help innovate new systems designed to center Black liberation and freedom. Learn more about M4BL by visiting www.m4bl.org 

POSITION SUMMARY

M4BL is seeking a new senior leader and organization-builder to serve in the role of Managing Director. In partnership with the Executives, the Managing Director will develop and drive an operational strategy to maximize M4BL’s assets including its people power, politics, as well as financial and operational resources, to build the power necessary to change the lives of our members, leaders and communities.

We are looking for an experienced, strategic, insightful, and mission-driven leader who thrives on creating and managing systems and community in service to an organization’s mission. Reporting to and working in partnership with the Infrastructure & Operations Executive, the Managing Director ensures that organizational management, culture and practices best serve our strategic priorities and are a reflection of the organization’s vision, politics and values. 

The Managing Director is a top strategic thought partner to the Executives on strategy, program, internal operations and team management, as well as on external relations and is the chief implementer of that cohesive strategy. The role is primarily focused on overseeing the internal leadership, communications and systems of the organization. This position works with all members of the internal leadership team including the Senior Team and the Executive Leadership Team and will coordinate internal processes across departments to cultivate and maintain an effective team, a commitment to excellence, and healthy organizational culture. 

The successful candidate will be passionate about M4BL’s mission and be highly motivated to work in a fast-growing, front-line, history-making organization. They must be committed to leadership development, power building for Black and marginalized communities, and building collaborative structures which make the most of a diverse and highly talented staff team.

This role may require travel and work on occasional weekends and evenings as determined. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Strategic Thought Partner

• Serves as thought partner to the Executive Director on all aspects of organizational strategy including programs, internal operations and team management, growth, and identity.

Internal Leadership: 

• Serve as a visible and active member of the Executive Leadership Team.
  • Support Executives in leading a strategic, impactful, and equitable organization, including building culture and effective internal communication systems.
  • Work with Executive Directors to provide day-to-day management of the Senior Leadership Team and ensure that the Senior Leadership Team is a high functioning, collaborative and effective leadership body.
  • Lead all-staff and key senior level staff meetings and gatherings, including identifying key staff development needs and ensuring their execution
  • Represents the Executives or speaks on their behalf in internal settings as and when required
  • Serves as the chief of internal communications, crafting and/or approving internal communication materials related to M4BL’s organizational effectiveness
  • Supports the Executives to ensure the achievement of key internal culture and operational goals such as Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Supervision

• The Managing Director will supervise the Director of People Operations & Culture, Director of Security, and the Director of Technology, and create staff and consultant support systems as needed to ensure their success

Special Initiatives 

• Leads organizational projects or initiatives, in coordination with team members on internal projects as needed

Organizational Leadership

• Strengthen the culture: Ensure a welcoming, accountable, and inspiring organizational culture for staff to excel in. Model and uphold M4BL’s values of creating an inclusive and equitable working environment
• Demonstrate embodied leadership: Prioritize taking care of your physical and emotional health as a key component of thriving in your role. Practice self-care behaviors in ways that work best for you and proactively encourage your staff to prioritize self-care as well. Project trust & confidence in your abilities and skills and recognize the achievements and abilities of others
• Manage organizational change: As the organization undergoes continued growth and innovation, the Managing Director will manage organizational change in a way that inspires and activates the staff, Strategy Table, leaders, members, and community.

Note: The Movement for Black Lives is committed to responding flexibly to changing circumstances and priorities which means that the expectations of every position are dynamic. This description reflects the assignment of essential functions, but does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

• Personal alignment with the M4BL’s vision and values

• 8+ years of experience in the progressive, non-profit or movement space with a well rounded background across organizational departments
• Well developed emotional intelligence and communication skills, is able to build trusting relationships with a wide array of individuals
• Critical thinker, capable, flexible and curious generalist
• Demonstrated experience in successfully developing and executing major, large-scale project plans involving many moving pieces and collaborators
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an ability to understand a wide range of audiences and interests
• Demonstrated experience in building staff teams, management, coaching and leadership development
• The ability to build strong relationships internal to the organization and external for the organization
• Experience with seeing the long term vision of an organization while understanding the importance of accomplishing short and medium term objectives.
• Experience with being able to conceptualize and approach problems and solutions in a proactive, constructive, and innovative manner that will result in improved performance across the organization
• Strong follow through with the Executives and collaborators
• A passion for the mission: We believe that those closest to the pain are the closest to the solutions, therefore a successful candidate must be “all in” on M4BL and its values

Interpersonal Skills

• An exceptional team player; exemplifies a work style that is committed to the excellence that our members and teams deserve while being flexible, respectful, collaborative and nimble;
• Can build trust, confidence, and leadership among a diverse range of staff, teams and partner organizations - across race, gender, and other identities

Cultural Competency

• Strong understanding of the Black experience(s), preferably with direct lived experience as a Black person, or living in Black communities
• Understanding of race, gender, sexuality and other aspects of identity, and their intersections, and how that plays out in the work. Experience building strong relationships and trust across race, gender, class, and other group identities, both internally and externally
• Brings a pro Black, feminist, anti-capitalist lens to their work and understands the role that white-supremacy, capitalism, and anti-Blackness play in the environments in which we operate
• Demonstrates self-awareness of their own multiple group identities and their attendant dynamics, and can adapt the approach as needed
• Experience working in Black and QTI communities and/or building leftist or progressive efforts
• Knowledge of Black social movements, organizations, and organizing landscape is preferred

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY WORKPLACE

The Movement for Black Lives in partnership with its fiscal sponsor the Common Counsel Foundation is proud to be an equal employment workplace. We welcome and encourage job applicants who are motivated to work with us in addressing social injustice and those who have personal experience with injustice. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on any of the follow factors; race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), age, sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/ or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition (genetic characteristics, cancer or a record or history of cancer), military or veteran status, national origin, ancestry, disability (mental and physical including HIV/AIDS, cancer, and genetic characteristics), and genetic information.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Please submit a resume and 1-2 page cover letter to the BambooHR link. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job will remain open until filled. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.