The Organization
Rooted in the tradition of the Civil Rights Movement, PICO’s work is America’s unfinished agenda—to overcome inequality and oppression and build an economy where people can work with dignity and take care of those they love. In this moment when division and despair hold many captive, PICO seeks an Executive Director eager to repair the breach providing moral vision and effective leadership to fulfill this dream deferred.
Founded in California in 1972, PICO National Network (PICO) is the largest grassroots faith-based community organizing network in the United States with over 200 multi-racial and multi-faith organizations working to advance racial and economic justice; domestically and internationally. PICO has the audacious vision that we are called as people of faith to change the world.
PICO is seeking an Executive Director who recognizes the urgency of the moment– the need of everyday people to engage one another across race, faith, gender and geography, to build power and contest for the direction of our country with values inclusive of our global concerns. The issues our families face need an organizing network committed in action to recognizing the dignity of all people and step into the breach to help heal our country and confront the harshest oppressions of our times.
PICO is that network. The PICO’s network of 55 U.S. member organizations with affiliates in Haiti, Rwanda and Central America are organizing residents, developing leaders, and advocating policy in 200 cities, 20 state capitols, Washington, D.C and in four countries internationally. Domestically, PICO organizations have fought for change in state and federal legislation. PICO has successfully helped families obtain affordable health coverage for themselves and their children, provide their children with a better education, provide greater protection for immigrants, reduced the number of private prisons, created sentencing reform, increased minimum wage and earned sick time provisions, generated home foreclosure prevention, and helped people secure good jobs. Internationally, PICO’s local leaders have worked with government to establish health clinics, built infra-structure and developed worker owned cooperatives.
PICO is an organizing network that believes change is possible when strong local organizing efforts are connected to one another in our country and to a broader international community. PICO is an organizing network that also believes that the sacred texts of all traditions should inform our care for one another and our commitment to justice. Through an innovative campaign infrastructure that ties together grassroots people-led organizing in more than 200 cities and towns with large-scale efforts to change federal policy, the PICO National Network brings together people from a wide variety of religious, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and political backgrounds, united by a common goal of finding practical solutions to pressing problems facing their communities, cities, states and the country.
Position Overview
As PICO National Network continues to experience significant growth and build upon its unique strengths, a search is underway for an experienced visionary Executive Director. PICO has exclusively retained Nonprofit HR to assist in its recruitment efforts for its next Executive Director. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and is responsible for providing strategic leadership, administration and management of PICO. The Executive Director must have experience creating and maintaining an organizational culture that attracts, motivates, and retains a diverse, talented staff to blend skill sets, meet objectives, and provide efficient program execution.
The Executive Director is the principal liaison between the board and all other organization stakeholders and local affiliates. The Executive Director works collaboratively with the Board of Directors to lead the continued growth of PICO from its current stage to an organization capable of delivering on its long-term vision.
The Executive Director must be a strategic thinker, and have the ability to create and sustain organizational partnerships, and manage day to day operations and staff. The Executive Director must be a hands-on leader with a commitment to moral leadership and integrity, with values deeply rooted in faith. This role requires a decisive and inclusive decision-maker with strong administrative competency. The Executive Director will oversee governance and operation – leading the charge in establishing new pathways to private and public resources that will generate sustainable programs and activities that support the organizational mission.
The Executive Director must have broad management experience in a non-profit, municipal or similar setting, including program and project development, implementation, and evaluation; short- and long-term strategic planning; and budgetary oversight. The Executive Director must have exceptional leadership presence and experience serving as a spokesperson for an organization, with demonstrated ability to leverage organizational visibility and credibility through the media and other public relations sources. The Executive Director must have proven fundraising experience to secure public and private contributions for PICO and be able to lead, execute and facilitate resource development initiatives and programs that establish fundraising partners.
Success in this role requires a deep commitment to the mission of PICO, and a leader that can see past existing systems and structures to imagine PICO national network as an integral part of the broader racial and economic justice movement to reimagine local, state, and federal governance and to ensure that communities of color around the country are defining and living into their visions for their own liberation. The Executive Director must have a strong commitment to cultural sensitivity with the emotional intelligence to work in a multicultural, multi-faith environment. S/he must have demonstrated an understanding of various faith traditions and have an ability to bridge the complexity. S/he must also have demonstrated capacity to work effectively with culturally diverse staff and populations, with the ability to be inclusive and respectful of differences.
The Executive Director must have the ability to inspire, and be able to demonstrate passion for PICO National Network’s mission and social justice issues and have the intellectual depth and skill communicating the needs and achievements of an organization to a wide range of constituencies. The Executive Director must be an excellent listener, employ an inclusive leadership style and be able to foster creativity among members and staff.
The successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree or advanced degree highly preferred, in one of the following disciplines: Business Management, Organizational Effectiveness, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Divinity, or related field and a minimum of 10-12 years of executive management experience of which at least seven years should include significant leadership and management experience. The position requires a proven track record in fundraising from a variety of sources, including but not limited to financial institutions, major gifts, individual gifts, grants, and revenue-generating activities, including demonstrated success in building relationships among and working effectively with diverse groups. It is essential that s/he possess excellent written and oral communication skills (bi-lingual is a plus), with considerable experience in writing and presenting information, particularly financial information to a variety of audiences. The position requires experience working remotely and managing a remote workforce.
PICO is committed to building a racially and culturally diverse team and encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply. The work is empowered by a staff that is rich in diverse faiths, thoughts, perspectives, cultures and human identities.
How To Apply
For consideration, interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume by close of business Friday February 16, 2018. Your cover letter must address your experience and qualifications being sought. Send materials to: execsearch@nonprofithr.com ATTN: PICO Executive Director Search in the subject line. Electronic submissions highly preferred. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply immediately. Please visit: www.piconetwork.org for more information about the organization. To obtain further details about this opportunity, contact Myra T. Mathis, Executive Search Practice Leader at Nonprofit HR at (202) 785-2060.