Executive Director

Unified Youth

Executive Director

 

Our Client

Seeded by a mission-driven group of health care and entertainment leaders, youth leaders and policy experts, Unified Youth is committed to transforming the landscape of youth mental health and well-being. Slated to be launched later in 2024, the organization’s goal is to drive gains in youth mental health by harnessing the power of the arts and amplifying the voices of youth and family leaders.

 

Unified Youth will invest in youth and family-led organizations, creating new tools and resources, and partnering with the music, arts, and entertainment community to create urgency for change. By bringing together mental health policy experts, youth and family leaders and cultural icons, the founding board members hope to expand the conversation about youth mental health and lean into the power of music, arts and entertainment to contribute to change. To realize this vision, the founding board is seeking an innovative and visionary inaugural Executive Director (ED) with stellar fund-raising, leadership and organizational experience and skills to lead the organization from “start up” to a leading, national non-profit organization focused on improving youth mental health. As the leader of an organization that works extensively with youth and family-led organizations, artists, musicians and entertainers, and clinical experts and policymakers, the ED also will need to be singularly talented at building partnerships with a diverse set of individuals and organizations. 

 

The Role 

Vision & Strategy

• Lead with creativity and vision to drive the organization’s mission and objectives focused on improving youth mental health. 
• Develop and implement a strategic plan to accomplish its goals.
• Develop key metrics and performance indicators to measure the organization’s development and impact on youth mental health, as well as systems to establish accountability for outcomes. 

 

Safety & Operations

• Ensure that the organization empowers youth and family-led organizations and amplifies their voices.
• Foster collaborations with youth and families impacted by mental health concerns to develop ideas and solutions.
• Align organizational structure, operational systems, and business practices to bring cohesion and best practices between multiple sites and offices.
• Create an inclusive and affirming work environment for staff of all identities and cultures to thrive in.

 

Public Advocacy & Partnerships

• Forge and sustain a network of artists, musicians and entertainers to fundraise, raise awareness, and dismantle stigma.
• Work with youth who have lived and living mental health issues to partner on innovative solutions, idea generation, and establishing a focus for efforts and funding.
• Represent the organization in external and public-facing events and serve as a key spokesperson.
• Establish partnerships with national advocacy organizations, family and youth-led organizations, provider organizations and other invested parties at the national, state, and local level with a shared interest in youth mental health and well-being.

 

Fundraising

• Establish and implement a robust fundraising strategy that engages new partners in supporting efforts to improve youth mental health and well-being. 
• Oversee fundraising efforts, grant applications, annual budget, and strategic partnerships to ensure financial sustainability and growth.
• Guide Unified Youth in its effort to raise $250M across its first decade of operation. 

 

Talent Development

• Build, lead, develop, and support a diverse and talented team that is committed to its mission.
• Lead with passion to inspire a team that values community, transparency, collaboration, empowerment and accountability. 
• Bring excellence to recruiting, retaining, motivating, and inspiring staff, youths, families, partners, and Board members.
• Encourage others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrate and support the success of the team. 
• Create a sense of purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership beyond the Director’s own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for the organization as a whole.

 

Board Relations

• Work closely with the Board of Directors on the financial and programmatic growth of the organization.
• Collaborate with the Board of Directors to maintain an effective and motivated Board culture, while ensuring Board members’ involvement in meetings and achieving organizational goals.

 

Candidate Profile

Unified Youth is seeking a founding leader, an individual who is able to use the power of arts and music to shine a light on the youth mental health crisis and spark meaningful action. Unified Youth is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively encourage applicants from historically and presently excluded identities such as 2SLGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and people who are disabled, as well as people who are neurodivergent and/or living with mental health challenges to apply.

 

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

 

Founding & Nonprofit Competencies

• Experience establishing and running a national non-profit organization or advocacy effort, including significant fund-raising responsibilities, partnership development and organizational growth. 
• Demonstrated record of recruiting, developing, retaining, and motivating a talented, mission-driven team with a shared commitment to anti-racism and inclusion.

 

Operational Excellence in Execution: The founding Director will be a social entrepreneur with business instincts, who sees new possibilities and partnerships and is willing to take reasonable risks. Unified Youth seeks a leader who can manage the ambiguity of a new national start-up. Working closely with the Board, the Director will manage the development/refinement of overall performance goals and metrics – both programmatic and financial – and work with Board and staff to collect and analyze relevant data on a regular basis. 

 

Mission Alignment

• Commitment to the importance of amplifying the voices of youth and family leaders on mental health. 
• Prior work on youth mental health, youth and family advocacy, or adjacent fields and topics. 
• Strong relationships or demonstrated potential to develop such relationships with leaders on mental health and youth issues and campaigns.

 

Evolve the Vision and Implement Strategy: 

The Executive Director will serve as the key leader of the strategy and growth goals of the organization to successfully serve youths and families, ideally based on prior experience establishing and implementing an advocacy strategy that has resulted in concrete change. The Director will already have or be well-positioned to establish strong relationships with leaders across the music, arts, and entertainment industries, as well as with youth, mental health, and advocacy leaders who seek to improve youth mental health.

 

Preparedness for Director Role

• Media and public relations experience, ability to serve as primary spokesperson.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, communication, and collaboration skills.
• An advanced degree in a related field is preferred, but not required.

 

Lead with Emotional Intelligence, Integrity, and Humility: The Director will be an individual who thoughtfully builds trust across the organization and in the communities they serve, with authenticity and humility. They will understand, value and represent the perspectives of youths, families and staff. They will be an active listener and will demonstrate respect for others.

 

Compensation

Starting compensation includes a competitive salary in the range of approximately $250,000 to $350,000, dependent on experience and geographic location, plus an appropriate benefits package.

 

Contact 

Please send applications to: UnifiedYouth@russellreynolds.com

 

Jamie Hechinger (she/her/hers)

Russell Reynolds Associates 

1700 New York Avenue, NW Suite 400

Washington, DC 20006-5208 

 

Katie Nivard (she/her/hers)

Russell Reynolds Associates

101 California Street | Suite 4200

San Francisco, CA 94111-5867