Co-Executive Directors

About The Center for Economic Democracy
As a social movement organization, the Center for Economic Democracy (CED) builds programs and strategies to build the power of working class communities of color across the United States. Specifically, CED works to support a Just Transition from racial capitalism towards economic democracy, where communities govern land, labor and capital to sustainably meet collective needs.

As an intermediary, all of CED’s programs are built in partnership with community power building groups and alliances rooted in working class BIPOC communities. At the local level, CED fiscally sponsors key community organizations, and is seen as an important resource mobilizer for post-capitalist enterprises and policy strategies. In addition, CED provides staffing and resources so diverse organizations can act in coalition to advance larger, more resource intensive goals. As a multi-disciplinary organization, CED also helps bridge the divide between community organizing, cooperative economic development, social justice philanthropy, impact investing and post-capitalist economic theory.

In the national social movement landscape, CED has played a leading role in popularizing Just Transition strategies to “build the new” while also “fighting the bad.” CED is known for translating the highly theoretical models for democratically governed economies into concrete pilots and policies that everyday people can build, experience and defend. CED has shared its learnings and strategies with hundreds of organizations across the US, and helped connect groups in its geographic region to the rest of the country. Lastly, CED directly joins or helps build key national coalitions like the Rising Majority and United Frontline Table to share local learnings and advance trans-national political and narrative strategies.

CED runs four program areas to build community power in Boston, MA, across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and trans-locally across the U.S.: Popular Education & Narrative Change, Movement Infrastructure, Campaigns & Collaboratives, and Capital Strategies.

For more information on the Center for Economic Democracy please visit its website at https://www.economicdemocracy.us/

The Opportunity
As a social movement organization, the Center for Economic Democracy (CED) not only centers anti-oppression practices in its partnerships, programs, and operations, but also works to model forms of liberatory collective stewardship within its own organizational governance. CED is worker directed with much of its key decision making, including budgeting, hiring, salaries and strategy, being made by the staff collective. CED empowers all staff (regardless of title) in these decisions operating with a commitment to shared leadership.

CED is hiring two Co-Executive Directors (Co-EDs). The role of the Co-Executive Directors is to collectively, between themselves and with staff, lead the organization to achieve even greater levels of strategic influence, impact and innovation. In partnership with a Board of 5 and working in deep collaboration with an exceptional team of 16 staff members, the Co-EDs will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for a budget of $2.4million, CED staff, programs, sustainability, and the achievement of CED’s mission.

The Co-Executive Directors will divide responsibilities between themselves and be expected to work with the appropriate staff to perform key duties and responsibilities including, but not limited to:

Organizational Strategy
Lead the creation of a strategic plan that is values-aligned and actionable with measurable milestones and outcomes that leads to the fulfillment of CED’s mission.
Operationalize CED’s strategic plan in a way that ensures that strategy, structures, systems, staffing, and processes are aligned, adequately resourced, informed by the broader solidarity economy ecosystem, and functioning for maximum impact.
Respond to the needs of individuals and the organization as a whole, directing resources in order to support the success of programmatic work and health of the organization.
Manage organizational growth including overseeing the design and leading the administration of policies, procedures, and internal infrastructure in collaboration with other staff.
Identify challenges to timely progress and pinpoint and implement solutions with foresight; respond to crises with creativity, discernment, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
Development and External Relations
Lead CED’s fundraising strategy and initiatives, build fundraising capacity across the organization and ensure a strong base of institutional and individual funders.
Fundraise for grants and/or program-related investments to support racial and economic justice projects; advise and organize funders and philanthropic networks in support of these projects.
Contribute to the writing of grants and grant reports as needed.
Maintain excellent, consultative and deeply authentic relationships with CED’s stakeholders.
Serve as one of the external ambassadors for CED with the media, donors, and other external stakeholders.
Advance and disseminate CED’s mission by participating in public forums, movement spaces and press outlets and sustain a regular public presence through writing, and public speaking that expand CED’s reach and make its work highly visible; support staff in doing the same.
Team Leadership
Co-lead CED’s management team fostering collaboration across the organization, ensuring programs and teams are communicating, partnering, and working in concert at an appropriate pace toward a broader vision and set of goals.
Respect the expertise of staff and cultivate areas for power sharing and staff autonomy.
Maintain and build upon a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability while managing conflict with care and a restorative framework that is attentive to power dynamics and systems of oppression.
Provide strong partnership to the CED Board, cultivating open lines of communication and high levels of engagement.
Along with the Chief of Staff, support staff in professional development and ensure that staff HR policies, benefits and organizational culture are designed to encourage staff to show up as their full selves and step into their power.
Programmatic Support and Strategy
Provide strategic and thoughtful guidance to CED’s four programs with an eye to maintaining morale, building strategy and working through tactical challenges and solutions.
Work closely with the Program Directors and actively contribute to the work of programs including through representing CED externally with elected officials, business leaders, and other partners.
Co-develop new program areas through research, relationship building, and program conception and design.
Connect programmatic work back to CED’s larger mission and vision by working with staff to understand and advance theories of economic democracy in each programmatic area.
In order to provide programmatic support and strategy the Co-Executive Directors will each bring some experience and knowledge in the following areas:

Social Movement Ecosystem: working in or supporting grassroots and/or labor organizing sectors; experience with policy and/or corporate research and advocacy campaigns that advance racial justice, economic justice and/or other forms of social justice.
Solidarity Economy: familiarity with theories and practices that aspire towards more democratic, just, and sustainable worlds beyond capitalism; experience working with solidarity economy movements that are emerging in the U.S. and beyond.
Capital Strategies: familiarity with multiple dimensions of the US social capital ecosystem, ranging from community-based lenders, social justice philanthropy, to shareholder activists; affirm the need for critical capital and finance interventions in further visions for just transition.
Administration, Finance and Operations
In partnership with the Senior Director of Finance, develop and monitor short- and long-term financial plans, and set financial priorities including CED’s investment priorities.
Act as final signatory for CED and oversee legal and compliance functions.
Create, refine and manage processes and systems to improve organizational function while managing a growing team.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics and will be excited to grow in the role:

Demonstrates high emotional intelligence and is a strong interpersonal communicator with a collaborative orientation towards teams.
Is a talented facilitator, experienced in designing and leading collective planning and action processes.
Can build trusted relationships with partners including grassroots organizations, progressive philanthropic organizations, and others in Boston and beyond; create and manage collaboratives with integrity.
Has a command of business fundamentals with skills in financial analysis and basic accounting.
Is a strong writer, public speaker and clear communicator.
Is a highly organized, thorough and diligent project manager.
General Expectations of all CED Team Members
Committed to social, economic & ecological justice; working towards liberation & wellbeing of all people.
Is proficient with common technology platforms (Google Suite, Zoom, Microsoft etc.).
Can align with CED’s guiding team principles:

Practice trust through rigorous communication, collective reflection and input, and democratic work planning.
Create a community of collective care through support and accountability to our own lives, each other, our organizational partners, and the movement.
Find joyful abundance through collective problem solving.
Enjoys collaborative work environments and is interested in supporting the growth and success of teammates.
Balances initiative, vision, commitment to values & purpose with consistent attention to detail + ability to manage, prioritize, meet deadlines in a fast-paced work environment; embodies the venn diagram here.
Location & Travel
CED is headquartered in Boston, MA. A majority of staff are located in Massachusetts, with some staff in California and the DC metro region. Regular travel to Boston will be required. CED will prioritize candidates who live in or will move to New England, but will consider candidates who live in CA or DC, and is open to candidates from other locations. The role will also require periodic travel for programmatic and fundraising activities.

Compensation & Benefits
Salary for the role is from $115,000 – $140,000, commensurate with experience. The Center for Economic Democracy (CED) offers a generous benefits package including health, dental and vision coverage, 3% retirement match, student loan assistance program, health savings account, and remote work reimbursements. In addition, CED observes all federal holidays and maintains a Responsible Paid Time Off policy.

CED is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, height, weight, or marital status in employment or the provision of services.

CED seeks to center historically exploited communities of color with an attention to further marginalized residents within these communities. This is because it believes that long term change requires frontline residents (those facing one or more forms of oppression) to actively own and advance their solutions. CED understands that racial capitalism perpetuates not only white supremacy and class inequality, but also gender exploitation, dehumanizing ableism, environmental crisis and more. Therefore, CED staff, partners and solutions seek to reflect the leadership of these diverse communities who are on the frontlines of multiple crises.

Application
Trisha Sutrisno and Amber Gomes of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit your materials by filling out our Talent Profile or email Trisha and Amber directly at tsutrisno@koyapartners.com and agomes@koyapartners.com. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

To be clear, The Center for Economic Democracy is currently hiring two new Co-Executive Directors. Individuals may apply singly or as a team. When submitting your application, please include a cover letter which answers the following questions:

For those applying individually: a cover letter which specifically outlines how your strengths align with those from the “The Opportunity” section of this position profile.
For those applying as a team: the name of your co-applicant. You may also choose to write a joint cover letter, but please ensure that each individual completes the talent profile, submits their resume, and uploads the joint cover letter to both applications.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

About Koya Partners
Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

For more information about Koya Partners, visit https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/koya-partners/.