DC127 Executive Director

DC127

DC127 seeks an Executive Director who is a Christ-centered, transformational leader with a demonstrated track record of expansion and commitment to community engagement and development.

INSTITUTION OVERVIEW

Created in 2013 as a start-up and inspired by James 1:27, DC127 has thus far served over 120 children. With an operating budget of $470,000 and a staff of five, the organization deploys roughly 250 dedicated volunteers in its work of recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive parents and preventing as many children as possible from entering the child welfare system. By mobilizing DC church communities and their congregations to care for some of the city’s most vulnerable children and families, DC127 is restoring families and changing lives. DC127 is part of the nationwide 1.27 Network – which consists of groups across the country fulfilling the biblical mandate to care for vulnerable populations and building bridges between churches and child welfare systems. DC127 seeks to do this in a faith-centered, trauma-informed, and relationship-based approach. The next ED will architect and implement a growth strategy for serving twice as many families and growing DC127 to a $1 million operation.

THE POSITION

Within the context of its mission, vision, aspiration, and ambition, DC127 seeks an authentic and visionary leader for the role. This individual will, in partnership with the Board, strategically advance DC127 as a movement of the people of God, significantly grow and diversify the network of its church partners, and dramatically scale the level of local and national philanthropic investment in its cause. This next Executive Director will be the face and voice of this work, with proven and substantial leadership experience and an understanding of the major challenges facing vulnerable populations and child welfare systems today. The organization asks that s/he be genuinely committed to social justice, steeped in the work of racial reconciliation, and demonstrative in her or his love for Christ.

QUALIFICATIONS

• While no one person will embody all these characteristics, the successful candidate will bring most of the following personal convictions and talents to the work:
• Able to clearly articulate their Christian faith in discussing DC127’s mission; strong in their walk with the Lord and committed to the work of caring for vulnerable populations;
• Able to communicate and build partnerships with theologically diverse Christian churches;
• Compelling public presence and ability to represent DC127 effectively for purposes of fundraising and development— demonstrated success in personally cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting sizable gifts from individual donors, foundations, and government entities;
• Highly proficient in strategic financial planning, intelligent budgeting, development of achievable business plans and analyses, prudent expense control, and required non-profit financial reporting;
• A charismatic orator and community builder who excites and inspires listeners in any setting; an ability to write and communicate elegantly and brilliantly for a variety of audiences, in person, print, and on social media; capable of coaching others to do the same;
• A capacity to take the lead on important, and sometimes difficult, discussions about race, racial disparity, racial reconciliation, and the consequences of privilege, in regular day-to-day operations and, on occasion, in contentious settings;
• Demonstrated expertise in understanding and working with inner-city children and families and ability to provide on-call volunteer support when necessary;
• Significant experience in child welfare, advocacy, and/or nonprofit management including several years in a senior leadership role;
• A track record of leading a nonprofit organization through a period of significant change and growth;
• A successful history of staff recruitment, development, and team building, with an emphasis on managing and deploying volunteers; including a demonstrated commitment to building and supporting a richly diverse staff;
• Successful experience enhancing the capacity of an organization, sharing senior management responsibilities, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability, and implementing human resource protocols and compliance measures;
• A naturally transparent, consultative, participative, and accessible leadership style, that ensures trust in governance and the highest standards of honesty and integrity; coupled with the willingness to act decisively when consensus is elusive;
• Reputation as a great listener who can harvest and synthesize the smart ideas of others; reflects what’s heard and builds on it to articulate shared values and goals;
• Experience in partnering with a nonprofit board of directors;
• Knowledge of emerging digital technologies and their potential within the domains of nonprofit work;
• BA/BS required; Related advanced degree preferred.

Diversified Search has been retained to assist in this recruitment. Interested candidates should direct cover letters and résumés to DC127@divsearch.com