Executive Director

Description

Job Overview

Reporting to the AVANCE National CEO, the Executive Director (ED) will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for AVANCE-Austin’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution of AVANCE, Inc.’s mission.

Job Responsibilities

Leadership & Management:

• Work in close partnership with the local Advisory Board and communicate regularly with the AVANCE National CEO to ensure that the progress and direction of AVANCE-Austin aligns with AVANCE’s mission and strategic plans.
• Collaborate with the AVANCE National CEO to establish annual goals for AVANCE-Austin; recommend timelines and resources needed to achieve the strategic goals.
• Ensure local programmatic excellence to include rigorous program evaluation, quality oversight and management of finance, administration, fundraising, and communications. 
• Actively engage and energize AVANCE-Austin volunteers, advisory board members, event committees, alumni, partnering organizations, and funders.
• Develop, maintain, and support a strong local advisory board; seek and build advisory board involvement with strategic direction for both ongoing local operations as well as for the national rollout.
• Oversee preparation of agendas for local advisory board meetings as well as subcommittees.
• Lead, coach, develop, and retain AVANCE-Austin’s high-performance senior management team.
• Establish and utilize effective systems to track scaling progress, and regularly evaluate program components, to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the local advisory board, funders, and other constituents.

Staff Leadership:

• Provide oversight to a growing and diverse staff, upholding the values and beliefs of the organization.
• Employ and direct staff in accordance with the policies and procedures set forth in AVANCE’s Personnel Policies and Procedures.
• Support staff development and assist staff in relating their specialized skills to the benefit of the agency, and maintain a work environment that attracts, retains, and motivates staff of top-quality talent and diversity.
• Create a healthy work environment that fosters innovation, leadership development and a culture of accountability.

Fundraising & Communications:

• Engage with local funders and partners to expand local revenue to support existing program operations and regional expansion.
• Deepen and refine all aspects of communicationsfrom web presence to external relations with the goal of creating a stronger brand.
• Use external presence and relationships to garner new opportunities.
• Participate in local activities that will bring awareness and notoriety to the organization.

Operations & Financial Leadership:

• Ensure fiscal integrity of AVANCE-Austin, to include development of realistic and achievable strategic and annual operating plans and annual budget, monthly financial statements that accurately reflect the financial condition of the organization, and submission of budgets and financials to the Board of Directors for review and approval.
• Engage in activities that reduce risk and liability to the organization.
• Communicate any risk or potential liability to the National office.
• Understand and fully implement the Chapter Operation Policy Manual.
• Assure compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, terms and conditions of all contracts and grants.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Qualifications

The ED will be thoroughly committed to AVANCE’S mission. All candidates should have proven leadership, coaching and relationship management experience. Concrete demonstrable experience and other qualifications include: 

• Advanced degree, ideally a master's in business, education, or related field
• A minimum of 5 years of senior management experience
• A track record of effectively leading and regionally and/or nationally scaling a performance- and outcomes-based organization and staff.
• Ability to point to specific examples of having developed and operationalized strategies that have taken an organization to the next stage of growth.
• Unwavering commitment to quality programs and data-driven program evaluation. 
• Excellence in organizational management with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high-performance teams, set, and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget. 
• Past success working with a board of directors or an advisory board with the ability to cultivate existing board member relationships. 
• Strong marketing, public relations, and fundraising experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills. 
• Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to business planning 
• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people. 
• Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed. 

Travel 

Up to 40% travel

Working Conditions

Mental and Physical Demands  

Maintain emotional control under stress; work with interruptions and deadlines; walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing, use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; occasional: lifting/carrying, pulling/pushing 10-30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. 

Environmental Factors