(Career Progress) [JOB] Executive Director of Ayuda

Ayuda - Executive Director

Washington, D.C.

Executive Summary

 Ayuda, a nationally recognized leader in providing services to low-income immigrants through direct legal, social, and language services, training, and outreach, is seeking an accomplished, strategic, and forward-thinking leader to join the organization as its next Executive Director.  The Executive Director will lead a passionate and dedicated team of staff members, volunteers, and interns and will be charged with implementing the organization's strategic vision.  S/he will oversee Ayuda's direct services, advocacy, linguistic, and other programs, lead the fundraising process and donor relations, manage internal operations in collaboration with the management team, assure fiscal integrity, provide leadership in community affairs and collaborative initiatives, and serve as the public voice of the organization.  S/he will seek, identify, and nurture relationships with the organization's donors and stakeholders and will report to the Board of Directors.  The Executive Director will have the opportunity to impact the lives of thousands of immigrants and their families and contribute to a proven model of service by leading a talented team that is mission-focused, results-oriented, passionate, and fun. 

The ideal candidate is a mission-driven leader with a proven ability to initiate, cultivate, and manage relationships with key stakeholders and funders to meet ambitious development goals.  S/he must demonstrate the ability to motivate, inspire, and build staff with an eye toward team building and fostering professional growth.  S/he will be entrepreneurial and nimble, with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and opportunities.  The Executive Director must be a committed advocate for the mission, the staff, and the clientele of Ayuda. 

About Ayuda

 Ayuda, a 501(c)(3) non-profit celebrating 41 years of service to the Greater Washington metropolitan area, has a longstanding history of assisting immigrants, and is poised to meet a growing and changing need in the immigrant community and to serve as an increasingly relevant partner in the region.  Ayuda is seeking an Executive Director who will advance the organization's mission in a new era of growth and help it to realize the vision of a community where all immigrants succeed and thrive in the United States. 

Ayuda is unique among non-profit providers in the DC metro area in providing a wide range of immigration and family law assistance, as well as social services support and language services, for all immigrants – including men, women, and children – from anywhere in the world.  Ayuda strives for a holistic approach to its work in order to serve as a single-stop resource for all client needs.  Ayuda staff members are leaders in providing specialized services for immigrant children, LGBT clients, and immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.  Ayuda's programs are designed to help its clients realize their legal rights and obtain lawful immigration status, including residency or U.S. citizenship, reunite with family members, and create a safe home for themselves and their children.

Ayuda has more than 25 staff members and has offices in Washington, D.C. and Falls Church, VA.  The operating budget for 2014 is approximately $2.5 million.  Last year, Ayuda assisted in more than 4,000 immigration, family law, and social services matters.

Key Responsibilities of the Executive Director

 Leadership and Management:  The Executive Director is accountable for Ayuda's performance in all areas.  S/he will be an inspiration and role model to all other staff members, will leverage their expertise in the fulfillment of Ayuda's goals, and will ensure that they have the support and guidance to successfully implement Ayuda's programs.  S/he will take a collaborative approach to addressing the challenges of the organization together with senior staff members and the Board. 

The Executive Director will provide support and supervision to the management team and the staff accountant, including assisting them in the development of performance goals, setting benchmarks, and conducting evaluations.

Fundraising and Development:  The Executive Director will be responsible for ensuring Ayuda's long-term financial stability and growth.  Effective fundraising will include the maintenance, strategic management, and expansion of both federal and foundation grants and the solicitation of support from individual and corporate donors through relationship-building, networking, and increased public visibility.  Ayuda's stakeholders range from the federal government to municipalities, and from corporations and law firms to other nonprofits and individuals.  The Executive Director will maintain, build, and strengthen these relationships through a range of communication strategies.  The ideal candidate will have several of these stakeholder relationships already established.

Program Development, Implementation, and Growth:  The Executive Director will support the successful implementation and growth of Ayuda's programs of legal consultation and assistance for immigrants (men, women, and children), human trafficking victims, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and victims of notario fraud.  S/he will seek out and implement new program opportunities that involve the clients of Ayuda, such as the critically needed expansion of social services, and will create public/private partnerships to meet clients' needs while responding to the ever-changing environment of immigration reform.  The Executive Director will also support the further development of Ayuda's language access programs, including legal and social services interpreter banks which expand language access for deaf, hard of hearing, and limited English-proficient individuals.  These programs are the foundation of Ayuda's mission and will be strengthened and expanded through the Executive Director's leadership.

Overall Operations and Finance:  The Executive Director is responsible for all aspects of Ayuda's operations.  This includes having a strong understanding of, and ensuring compliance with, government grant and private funding regulations, monitoring an annual budget of $2.5 million, and maintaining a clean audit each year.  Specifically, s/he will develop and ensure passage of the annual budget, monitor expenditures to ensure spending targets are not exceeded and income targets are met, and oversee compliance with all relevant regulations and the annual audit.  S/he will assess key needs of the organization, such as facilities and technology infrastructure, in partnership with the management team, to promote the highest levels of efficiency.  The linchpin of these responsibilities is developing an annual budget in close collaboration with key staff and the Board, including mapping out projected expenses and revenue sources.  The Executive Director will ensure the financial integrity of the organization and work closely with the Board of Directors to monitor financial achievement against financial goals.

Partnership Building and External Affairs:  The Executive Director will be a champion for low-income immigrants in the local community and nationally.  S/he will develop and maintain relationships with local and regional leaders in the corporate and non-profit sectors, as well as with government funders, law firms, other direct service providers, correlated community-based organizations, and media.  S/he will share the stories of Ayuda's clientele to communicate to stakeholders and potential new partners the unique and important role that Ayuda plays in the region's immigration challenges.  S/he will lead Ayuda's strategic collaborative efforts in the region's legal, social service, and immigrant communities.

Board Development, Diversification, and Expansion: The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and must work collaboratively with its members and committees to continuously support and encourage their leadership efforts, leverage their abilities, advise and report on the status of activities (particularly on issues of strategic importance), cultivate positive relationships between the Board and staff, ensure support for the organization's operations, and develop new members who complement the Board's existing expertise as well as the needs of the organization.

The responsibilities listed above and the projects associated with them are the ultimate responsibility of the Executive Director. It is understood that these projects may be assigned at times to direct or shared reports, vendors, or others as the situation dictates.

Qualifications/Skills of the Ideal Candidate

Above all, the Executive Director must have a profound respect for Ayuda's clientele and both understand and support that they come first in all activities of the organization.  

The Executive Director will come to Ayuda with the desire to change lives, the tenacity to never give up, and the unflagging belief that Ayuda's mission is imperative to improving the lives of the region's underserved immigrants.  S/he will be a visionary, a mentor, an inspiration, and a role model.  The ideal candidate will bring experience in leadership, fundraising, and collaborative partnerships sufficient to handle any and all challenges with grace, maturity, and the highest level of professionalism.  Finally, the Executive Director will bring sharp strategic thinking skills to the challenge of envisioning a future for Ayuda that is both ambitious and capable of creatively leveraging the financial reality of a nonprofit budget. 

While no one person will embody all of the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of these professional and personal characteristics:

·      A minimum of 8 years of executive leadership experience, with particular value placed on experience working in nonprofit organizations in fast-paced, high-growth environments;

·      Significant knowledge of and experience in community-based organizations, direct service provision, immigration, and/or related legal and policy issues;

·      An open-door approach to leading a skilled and dedicated team of professionals;

·      Proven ability to initiate, cultivate, and manage relationships with key individual and institutional stakeholders and to meet ambitious fundraising goals;

·      Proven success in managing teams toward ambitious, measurable results; the ability to motivate, excite, and inspire staff with an eye toward supporting new managers and developing new professionals;

·      Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills;

·      Demonstrated success in driving growth and change;

·      Demonstrated skills in advocacy, coalition building, and community-based organizing;

·      Impeccable reputation for integrity and high ethical standards;

·      Proven background in fiscal management and budgeting;

·      Proficiency in a relevant second language is strongly preferred. 

To Apply

Applications will be received until the position is filled, but due to the pace of the search we encourage interested individuals to apply as soon as possible.  To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and compensation history as attached Word or PDF documents to EDSearch@ayuda.com with "Executive Director Search" in the subject line. 

Please direct all inquiries related to this position to the same email address.

This job is based in Washington, DC with frequent travel to our Falls Church, VA office.

Ayuda is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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