1 Social Justice jobs

Position Summary: In 2017, Advancement Project California (along with our partners California Calls, PICO California, and USC’s Program for Environmental and Regional Equity) launched RACE COUNTS and an online interactive tool ( www.racecounts.org ). RACE COUNTS is a comprehensive research and policy-analysis platform that tracks racial disparities across the state. Through cutting-edge, rigorous analysis, RACE COUNTS ranks all of California’s counties across seven key issue areas: Democracy, Economic Opportunity, Crime & Justice, Health Care Access, Healthy Built Environments, Education, and Housing. The primary goal of this project is to develop research and analysis that support community-led initiatives to transform antiquated public systems that have long oppressed California’s communities of color. With the successful launch of this data/technology platform, the RACE COUNTS Director will now focus the initiative on using these tools to further our collaborative work with partners and advocacy for systems change efforts to close racial disparities across the state.   The RACE COUNTS Director will report directly to the Managing Director of Policy and Programs (“Managing Director”). The Director will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the RACE COUNTS initiative including staff supervision, fundraising, program development, partnership building, campaign support/development, and external relations. The Director will need to be a strategic thinker, able to gain ground when opportunities present themselves, a visionary on behalf of communities of color, and a strong communicator internally, as well as with external partners and stakeholders. The successful candidate will work with staff across the organization to ensure that a variety of perspectives are well-represented.   The successful applicant must have a strong, demonstrated commitment to social and racial justice, documented project management skills and overseeing multiple streams of work at the same time, a track record of successful racial justice/systems change campaigns, be self-motivated, flexible, and great at fostering creative and collaborative spaces.   Specific Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Provide strategic vision for the RACE COUNTS initiative. Specifically, the Director will be responsible for the overall operation, growth and impact of the initiative. Directly supervise and support the RACE COUNTS Manager on day‐to‐day basis, including providing work planning and professional development support to successfully execute project deliverables. Facilitate operations, workflow and accountability between policy, research, communications and technical staff to ensure very high quality and effective work products on all grants and contracts. Collaborate with senior APCA staff to manage the wide range of capacities needed to execute the initiative’s policy and advocacy efforts. Set and implement strategic goals for the initiative with support and oversight from the Managing Director. Support the Executive Director in strategic fund development and partnership support efforts. Work with the Managing Director of Policy and Programs to develop and implement annual budget for RACE COUNTS. Ensure the department is running efficiently and effectively while staying within budgetary guidelines. Develop and successfully execute (in collaboration with other Directors) a policy platform that elevates racial justice policies, fundraising/development and budget management, staff management, and grant/partner development activities. The Director will report directly to the Managing Director of Policy and Programs. Engage and represent the organization and program area to a wide range of stakeholders including research, philanthropic, advocacy, and community‐based organizations as well as elected officials and other decision‐makers Work closely with the Director of Research and Data Analysis to review data and provide input regarding development of a new version of the RaceCounts.org website. Work closely with the Director of Communications to manage the external communications around the project, RACE COUNTS findings and on-going campaign efforts. Manage select grants and projects and work with staff and with partners to articulate project goals, scope of work and timelines. With project parameters confirmed, provide leadership and support to staff executing project deliverables and ensure the highest quality   Team Development/Management As needed, recruit and manage an appropriate team culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to equity. Mentor and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative approach on a consistent basis. Establish and monitor staff performance and development goals, assign duties, set objectives, establish priorities, and conduct performance reviews. Manage cross organizational leadership team to ensure buy-in and contribution to the RACE COUNTS efforts.   General Duties Support organization-wide planning, development, and communication activities as needed and ensure adherence to APCA’s goals and policies. Other duties as assigned, dependent on organizational needs and employee skills.   Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function assigned satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.   Sincere and demonstrated commitment to advancing social, economic and/or racial justice progress for the highest-need communities. 10 plus years of experience working in the public policy or related social justice field, ideally with at least five years in a leadership role or over a decade experience with community organizing. Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree in education policy, public policy, law, or the social sciences preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential job duties may be considered. Successful track record of fund development from a diverse array of funding sources, and maintenance of programmatic budget of over $1 million. Demonstrated success building coalitions/partnerships with community and movement-building groups representing a wide range of racial and ethnic communities. Direct experience in working with legislative and administrative sources of influence. Working knowledge of community‐based research and technologies. Strong presentation skills including skills for a variety of audiences (e.g., community partners, academics, policy‐makers, philanthropists, the general public, supervisees, teammates) and experience presenting to large audiences. Demonstrated leadership and strategic thinking capabilities. Demonstrated ability to work in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. Ability to manage and delegate to technical staff with expertise in a variety of disciplines. Demonstrated track record of successful project management and staff management. Strong analytical and problem solving skills. Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision. Demonstrated ability to work in a small team setting. Flexibility to adjust and contribute to continually evolving work situation and changing priorities. Excellent computer skills, proficient with MS Office applications. Excellent organizational skills with demonstrated ability to execute projects on-time and on-budget. Must be able to travel locally and statewide.   Physical Demands: Occasionally must be able to move office supplies and equipment weighing up to 15 pounds across the office or during events.   Salary : Competitive compensation depending on experience. Includes full health, dental and retirement benefits.   To Apply: Please email cover letter, resume and a policy-related writing sample to:   Jorge Jimenez Director of Human Resources, Finance and Administration hr@advanceproj.org   Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.