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The Future of Work Action Center is a new venture that will develop innovative models to drive large-scale economic improvements for American workers. In an increasingly globalized, outsourced, mobile, networked, and disaggregated economy, much of the workforce is being left behind. Novel solutions are needed to mobilize the power and voice of workers, individually and collectively. The Action Center will serve as a hub for experiments intended to raise economic standards and reduce income inequality by instigating and developing powerful new theories, strategies, and organizational models.
The Action Center will coordinate a broad and dynamically evolving portfolio of projects drawn from a wide range of sources, and cutting across sectors and industries. Whether they are efforts to build worker-owned businesses that can compete in the global marketplace, youth-driven campaigns using new media to push for more ethical corporate practices, alternative funding sources for non-traditional worker organizations, or campaigns demanding a higher minimum wage in specific industries, the Action Center will generate and cultivate ideas from every quarter.
The most promising projects will be piloted in the field with partner organizations and funders. Taking a cue from business and social entrepreneurship incubators, the Action Center will support each of its projects with hands-on guidance including strategic advice, training, and connections. Projects will be assessed after a period of time and, if successful, will be replicated, scaled up, and/or promoted to a wider audience. Learning and evolving will be a welcome and necessary part of the process.
Until the Action Center is functioning independently, it will be housed at the Roosevelt Institute. Initial funding is provided by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Major partners are located in Washington DC, New York City, and Seattle.
Position Summary
The Executive Director will lead the development of the Action Center from an idea to an organization. The Director’s first set of tasks will include convening key stakeholders and building consensus around a mission, vision, and strategic plan for the Action Center. Additional start-up responsibilities will include establishing a governance structure (e.g., a board of directors), creating a budget, hiring staff, and building a network of relationships with potential project allies and funders.
The Action Center is a new type of experiment in the field of socially-driven innovation. As such, its Executive Director must be:
• A strong leader, who is comfortable with and encourages smart risks, and who has the gravitas to inspire, guide, and retain high level staff, project partners, and funders.
• An entrepreneurial, “creative combiner” who is capable of carving out space to foster innovative solutions and driving change that disrupts the status quo; and
• A connector, forging a wide range of relationships to support and enrich the Action Center’s activities, and positioning the Action Center in the intersections of labor, business and social entrepreneurship, politics, policy, academia, social justice activism, and philanthropy.
The Executive Director will have the talent and versatility to both envision and implement. S/he will direct the Center both ‘up in the clouds’and ‘down on the ground’, translating strategic imperatives into logistical realities.
The Director will have the negotiation skills to align stakeholders around mutually acceptable plans, as partner buy-in will be important to the initial success of the Action Center. S/he will possess the political savvy to determine which directions are possible, and the thought leadership to determine which directions are most desirable.
Other key qualities of the successful Executive Director are strong personnel and program management skills, cultural competence, and a thorough understanding of the dynamics of organizational growth, scale, and investment.
Primary Responsibilities
The Director will first be primarily responsible for launching the Action Center, and subsequently will determine other duties of the position in conjunction with the board of directors or other governance body. Initial responsibilities include but are not limited to:
• Convening stakeholders and consulting with allies to develop the Action Center’s mission, vision, and strategic plan;
• Managing staff, consultants, and expert volunteers related to the general operation of the Action Center;
• Developing and managing an annual budget for the Action Center, its programs, and overhead operations;
• Evaluating the Action Center’s success, including developing an evaluation framework, creating metrics, reporting progress, and proposing adaptations based on lessons learned;
• Producing comprehensive written evaluations and reports for organizational and investment partners;
• Developing a plan to transition the Action Center from its temporary housing at the Roosevelt Institute into a stand-alone non-profit organization;
• Developing comprehensive investment strategies to support the vision and mission of the Center;
• Recruiting investment partners to resource the Action Center itself as well as capitalize project development; and
• Promoting the work of the Action Center through a comprehensive communications, marketing, and development strategy.
As the Action Center develops, the Executive Director’s portfolio of work will likely include requirements to:
• Create short and long-term strategies for the development of effective new models to improve the economic condition of American workers, including project goals, outcomes, and investment prospectuses;
• Research, identify, and recommend potential organization partners for new projects based on criteria established by the Executive Director for the Action Center’s engagement;
• Coordinate strategic planning and organizational development for each project with teams of expert consultants, staff, and partners;
• Oversee the execution of strategic development plans and provide regular progress-to-goal assessments throughout the project implementation phase;
• Coordinate and facilitate learning, best practices, and regular communication among the Action Center’s project leaders, experts in the field, academics, and other social-sector entrepreneurship programs;
• Develop and implement assessment tools and processes to evaluate individual and collective impact of projects, including metrics, monitoring, reporting, and adaptations;
• Facilitate collaboration and partnership among partner organizations and labor entities to refine organizing strategies, develop shared goals and strategies for organizing workers, and strengthen shared campaigns in the field; and
• Engage investment partners as a network to maintain long-term investment and align investment strategies with other donor partners in the field.
Qualifications Include:
10+ years of managerial-level experience in social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, alternative labor organizations, or collaborative investment projects. This position requires a high level of judgment, leadership and commitment to the goals of the Action Center.
All applicants must be able to effectively demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
• Experience working with partner organizations, maintaining organizational relationships, and working effectively within partner coalitions/alliances;
• Experience raising resources for coordinated project development from a variety of investment partners;
• Ability to communicate effectively, with particular emphasis on writing;
• Ability to manage and coordinate staff, consultants, and volunteers with specific expertise to develop and help partner organizations execute comprehensive plans;
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously;
• Skilled in small and large groups facilitation;
• Ability to work independently and develop and maintain relationships with all levels of staff, leadership, and partner organizations;
• Skilled in the use of Microsoft Office, including software for tracking budgets and disbursements, and willing and able to learn new software and forms of technology;
• Ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with coworkers; and
• Ability to conduct research, collect data and conduct sound analysis.
Preferred but not required: Experience with or advanced knowledge of worker organizing within a traditional labor union or alternate form of worker organization.
Direction and Decision Making
The Executive Director will report to a governance structure for the Action Center, once constituted. Initially, the Director will report to a steering committee composed of partner-organization representatives.
Location and Travel
Major partners are located in Washington DC, New York City, and Seattle. The successful applicant will not necessarily be asked to relocate to one of those cities, but should expect relatively frequent travel.
Compensation
Competitive salary and benefit package commensurate with Executive Director-level role in a prominent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
To Apply: Send resume and letter of interest to: settleson@verizon.net, subject line: Action Center Executive Director.