Washington, DC or Oakland, CA

The Organization

THE CLIENT

The Alliance for Safety and Justice (ASJ), a project of Tides Center, is a new national organization that works with state-based partners to replace wasteful prison spending with new safety solutions rooted in prevention, rehabilitation and community health. ASJ brings capacity and expertise in alliance building, issue education, and policy advocacy to its state-based campaigns to advance policy reforms that will significantly reduce incarceration rates and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. ASJ also operates a new national organizing network, Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, which elevates the voices and experiences of survivors in advancing justice reform. ASJ is committed to both reforming state justice systems to reduce incarceration and empowering the communities most harmed by crime and over-incarceration to increase community investments. ASJ was born out of the work of its sister organization of Californians for Safety and Justice (CSJ), also project of Tides Center, a five-year-old justice reform organization that is the largest state-based advocacy organization in the country. Californians for Safety and Justice operates as the flagship model for the programs and strategies ASJ aims to grow in other states. Additionally, Alliance for Safety and Justice Action Fund, a project of The Advocacy Fund, is the 501 (c)4 arm of both ASJ and CSJ.

ASJ and CSJ each have a three-person advisory board. Combined, ASJ and CSJ operate with 40 staff and an annual budget of over $20MM. ASJ co-founders also lead CSJ.

Position Overview

THE POSITION

ASJ is a dynamic, fast-paced organization and an accelerated/mature start-up campaign environment with ambitious plans to rapidly increase its national reach and impact in the coming years. The organization seeks a nimble and highly experienced operations management professional for a new leadership position: Chief Operating Officer. Reporting to the President with roughly five direct reports, and working closely on a daily basis with the Vice President, the Chief Operating Officer will ensure the effective operational, financial and administrative systems toward the growth and development of ASJ and CSJ. This is the position that will operationalize and develop effective systems to implement the programmatic and campaign vision set by the President and Vice President. The position represents a fantastic opportunity to play a key leadership role in an emerging organization that aims to transform’s the nation’s approach to safety and justice and have a lasting impact in the largest incarceration states in the nation.

Serving as the organization’s internal leader, the Chief Operating Officer’s primary responsibilities will include:

·         Oversight and enhancement of operations, budgeting and financial management, development, systems, internal communications, and staff training for ASJ and CSJ;

·         Building a strong day-to-day leadership presence and bridge state and national operations;

·         Developing and implementing an operational and financial growth plan for the organization that allows ASJ to scale-up to create advocacy operations in 15 states and a crime survivors’ network with national reach and a sustained CSJ;

·         Providing leadership and management to ensure proper operational controls, administrative and reporting procedures, and people systems are in place to effectively grow the organization and to secure financial strength and operating efficiency;

·         Creating and leading management training for senior staff at ASJ/CSJ and starting to develop a unified management culture across the organizations;

·         Overseeing organization’s budget management, from reviewing budget reports to engaging in budget analysis and seeking efficiencies and effectiveness with expenditure decision-making;

·         Collaborating with the management team to develop and implement operations, systems and personnel plans to accommodate rapid growth objectives;

·         Attracting and recruiting a diverse and high-quality staff, while ensuring measures are in place to retain high performing teams;

·         Cultivating a cohesive work culture and fostering a success-oriented, accountable environment within the organization;

·         Overseeing the operational stewardship of fundraising dollars, while supporting the President and Vice President in development initiatives as needed;

·         Integrating/harmonizing operations between ASJ HQ, CSJ and other state-run programs.

PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

The successful candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of seasoned executive leadership. This will include demonstrated success providing the direction, analysis and structures to realize strategic goals. The ideal candidate will be a confident leader energized by ambitious goals and driven to exceed expectations. Other requirements include:

·         Experience growing an organization and building infrastructure to support growth, change, sustainability and scalability;

·         Leading and building and managing a high-performance staff and managing the team in achieving strategic goals;

·         Strong finance and operations management experience;

·         Proficiency in technology communications and operations applications such as Salesforce, Action Network among others;

·         Bachelor’s degree; an advanced degree preferred;

·         Experience in leadership positions working with diverse staff and in communities directly impacted by crime violence and over-incarceration preferred;

·         A passion for advancing social justice, racial justice and criminal justice reform.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Our client is seeking a strategic leader with operational expertise to increase efficiencies and enhance the functionality of a rapid growth organization with staff working in offices across multiple sites. A commitment to entrepreneurialism, innovation and excellence are essential for success. The ideal candidate will understand campaigning and the rapid pace environment of campaigns as well as being motivated by the organization’s vision to win safety priorities and advance policies that help communities most harmed by crime and violence.

OPPORTUNITY

 This is an outstanding opportunity for an accomplished executive to join a highly-respected organization that is poised for national impact. The successful candidate will be part of a distinguished team, serving an organization changing policies in the largest incarceration states and changing the lives of those impacted by violence. With operational oversight for a growing agency, the candidate will be integral in shaping the organization and defining its future.