Reports to: Executive Committee – Emerald Cities Collaborative
Contract: Full time
Salary: Commensurate with experience; generous benefits

Overview and Background
The Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC) is a national start-up comprised of diverse groups— labor, business, community, development, social justice, advocacy, technical, research, and government — united around the goal of rapidly greening our nation’s cities and metropolitan regions in high road ways that promote shared prosperity, inclusion, and democracy within them. We want American cities to be among the greenest and most equitable in the world, leading the way to international climate mitigation while creating shared wealth and greater equity at home.

ECC proposes to advance this goal by providing technical assistance, leadership training, policy, communication, and advocacy support to a series of planned, scaled, financially sustainable “new energy” development projects in cities, deliberately designed to generate quality local employment and wealth generation and fair access to both for community members. Our first such project is a comprehensive energy retrofit of the our nation’s urban building stock. We will start by seeking as much coordination and learning as possible among our pilot cities.

Position Description
The ECC Executive Director will oversee the development and implementation of the initial program in the selected pilot cities. The position will be based in Washington, D.C. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Strategic Planning – In close coordination with the Executive Committee to:
• Define the national strategy and oversee the evaluation of all activities to ensure national consistency;
• Strengthen strategic alliances to advance ECC’s mission and goals;
• Serve as principal spokesperson and coordinator of program information while being respectful of partner organizations and able to promote, rather than compete with, partners;
• Assess ECC ’s strategic positioning, and recommend incremental and long-term shifts; and adjustments to strengthen effectiveness.

Fundraising
• Lead and oversee fundraising efforts for ECC in close coordination with the Executive Committee and with national partner organizations;
• Develop and ensure compliance with, protocols on approaching funders and upholding mutual promotion by all national member organizations.

Board Development and Coordination
• Oversee the activities of the Board, Executive Committee and other subcommittees as designated by the Board;
• Oversee development, distribution, review and revision of ECC Board documents and other materials;
• Proactively assess activities of the Board and identify potential candidates to strengthen the board and coordinate their review with the Board and its designated subcommittee.

Administration and Support
• Develop management structure to implement ECC’s plan;
• Recruit, hire, supervise, and develop staff;
• Maintain oversight of ECC finances;
• Oversee development of internal controls to meet audit standards and federal regulations;
• Oversee preparation of annual operating budget and reports in accordance with grant requirements;
• Oversee operations and coordination of all ECC committees, subcommittees, and affiliates.

Communication and Outreach
• Manage outreach and public relations;
• Act as spokesperson and advocate with local, state, and national organizations;
• Oversee effective internal communication and collaboration;
• Oversee development and ongoing evaluation of national toolkit.

Responsibilities will continue to evolve as ECC activities grow in depth and breadth.

Required Competencies
The candidate must have the leadership skills to speak with a strong voice and at the same time able to gather and deploy other strong voices on the board to build Emerald Cities. The candidate must have knowledge of the history of various movements involved in Emerald Cities or the ability to quickly acquire such knowledge. The candidate must have a proven track record of fundraising and senior-level management, demonstrating an executive leadership style characterized by passion, energy, integrity, team-building, and an ability to balance interests and needs of diverse stakeholders. The candidate must have demonstrated program planning and delivery experience in a complex, fast-paced environment with a minimum of 10 years in senior leadership, preferably in not-for-profit organizations. Skills and background particularly valued include:

1. Ability to draw from a wide range of disciplines to formulate strategy with a keen understanding of public policy and economic/social equity issues.
2. Skilled in navigating complex political landscapes.
3. Experience with diverse fundraising strategies and managing donor funds.
4. Outstanding communication skills - ability to communicate mission and strategy to a variety of audiences: ability to promote both ECC and partner organizations.
5. Proven success in navigating multi-stakeholder environment with experience in facilitating cross-sectoral dialogue and partnership with highly developed consensus management skills.
6. Exceptional strategic and administrative skills.
7. Strong planning and organizational skills – ability to meet milestones, work under pressure, balance multiple priorities, and provide leadership.
8. Excellent inter-personal skills - ability to motivate and lead diverse teams toward a common goal.
9. Marketing and publication experience.
10. Self-starter, demonstrating initiative and creativity.
11. High integrity as demonstrated over the course of candidate’s career.
12. Unify, engage, and clarify roles and responsibilities of Board and staff.
13. Track record of implementing leading-edge evaluation and performance metrics.
14. Versatility, sound judgment, and excellent listening skills are highly desirable.
15. Computer literacy with knowledge of emerging and alternative technologies.
16. Master’s degree or equivalent experience required.

Emerald Cities Collaborative is an equal opportunity employer.

To Apply: Please email a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the required competencies of the position and stating how you heard about this position, in Word or PDF, to ECC Search Committee at SearchECC@gmail.com with a subject line of “Executive Director-ECC.” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.