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Now Hiring! Managing Director of Programs

May 11, 2020

THE POSITION:  Managing Director of Programs

REPORTS TO: CEO

LOCATION: Oakland, California

THE ORGANIZATION
The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting people from toxic chemicals by working with communities, consumers, workers, government, and the private sector to demand and support business practices that are safe for public health and the environment. CEH uses litigation, scientific research, community engagement, public policy, public education, corporate engagement and market pressure to change the way companies do business. We have approximately 23 staff members, with headquarters in Oakland, CA and small satellite offices in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. 

At CEH, striving for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (“JEDI”) for all is critical to our mission and values. We know that having a team that is diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, ability, sexual orientation, age, and background and opinions — and fostering inclusion among that team — is core to achieving our organizational goals. We strive to recruit talent from a diverse pool of candidates and ensure that those that we hire are sufficiently supported so that they flourish. We want everyone to not only have a seat at the table, but to know that their presence and input makes our organization stronger.

THE POSITION
We are seeking a highly strategic Managing Director of Programs (MDP) to maximize the effectiveness of programs and provide leadership to program staff. Reporting to the CEO, the MDP is a newly developed role, and will be a key member of CEH’s Leadership Team, supervising up to seven Program Directors. The MDP will also collaborate closely with the Development Director and Communications Director to share our vision externally.  

We are looking for a seasoned and collaborative manager who leads with empathy, humility, and humor. The MDP will possess a true passion for environmental health and eliminating toxics from our bodies and our environment, and has a demonstrated commitment to and understanding of social and environmental justice principles. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Managing Director of Programs will:

Oversee Strategy Development, Program Management, and Cross-Program Synergy

  • Participate in the creation of, and lead implementation of, CEH’s programmatic vision for current programs and strategies including: public interest litigation, environmental health policy, and eliminating toxic chemicals from  food, food packaging, and the built environment.
  • Oversee strategic planning and evaluation processes, and lead organization in adapting strategies based on emerging internal and external events and issues. New programs currently being evaluated include addressing the health and climate impacts of three intersecting sectors: oil and gas, petrochemicals, and plastics.
  • Set and oversee ambitious goals that eliminate/reduce toxic chemicals from food, water, air, and consumer products. 
  • Assist staff in developing and implementing a well-defined work plan that utilizes CEH’s diverse program strengths.
  • Ensure programs are synergistic and coordinated, as compared to siloed. 
  • Participate in budget development by providing detailed justification for grant proposals and budget initiatives.

Serve as Leader, Mentor & Team Builder with Program Staff 

  • As a Supervisor, work with Program Directors to develop clear goals and priorities, and support them in achieving or exceeding them. Serve as a mentor and sounding board to Program Directors and their teams; maintain an “open door policy” encouraging input and feedback from staff.
  • Build on the strengths of staff members and support their ability to grow and develop as leaders, empowering staff to participate in decisions that affect their work.
  • Promote cohesive teams that have a strong sense of purpose. 
  • Identify and support opportunities to enhance cross-programmatic work. 

Partner with CEO, Leadership Team, and Wider Staff 

  • Serve on the Leadership Team and ensure that decisions made are in the best interest of staff and the organization.
  • Work as a thought partner with the CEO on management, budgetary, and personnel decisions.
  • Help identify, screen and assess new projects and ideas for programmatic or agency wide activities or actions.
  • Partner with the Communications Director to elevate CEH’s overall messaging and communications about CEH’s work.
  • Partner with the Development Director to successfully bring revenue into CEH to fund our programs.
  • Support program staff in generating earned income through consulting contracts, litigation, and other streams.

Represent CEH externally 

  • Serve as spokesperson for CEH with partner agencies, news media, the CEH Board of Directors, and the public.  
  • Represent CEH with donors, both in writing and in person.
  • Partner with coalitions and allies in the non-profit, for-profit and government sectors.

QUALIFICATIONS

We’re looking for a strategic and inspiring leader who has the following: 

  • Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible leadership positions and experience supervising multiple direct reports.  
  • Proven success working as part of a management team and employing personnel and project management tools that ensure team effectiveness and inform overall strategy. This should include partnering with other teams, such as Development and Communications, to integrate those functions into program activities.  
  • Management style that helps individuals succeed, equips teams to achieve more than the sum of their parts, supports and facilitates professional change and growth in teammates, and ensures achievement of program and operations objections. 
  • Expertise facilitating group discussions and processes that value each person’s expertise and important contributions to decisions/discussions.
  • A track record of planning and executing multiple tactics for successful program or campaign outcomes in the non-profit sector. 
  • Demonstrated commitment to–and ability to actively promote–diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, and experience communicating with, managing, and coordinating diverse groups within a multicultural workforce. 
  • Demonstrated commitment to intersectionality in priority-setting, program design, hiring and communications.
  • Shared vision that companies should be held accountable for their harm to human health and the environment, and that this sometimes requires directly challenging them, including in the courts and the media.
  • Shared vision that a progressive non-profit can successfully partner with businesses whose leaders share our values. 
  • Meticulous attention to detail.
  • An open mind and a growth mindset, with a proven track record of being highly creative and resourceful.
  • Excellent stakeholder engagement and partnership skills.
  • Enthusiasm and effectiveness in fundraising.
  • Excellent communication skills, both in speech and writing.
  • Competency in the use of a variety of technical platforms.
  • Background or experience in environmental or public health and environmental justice. 
  • Strong public speaking ability.
  • Master’s Degree preferred. 

To Apply:

Please submit a cover letter, resume and writing sample (in that order), all as one PDF to [email protected] with “Managing Director of Programs application” in the Subject line. This position is open until filled. 

CEH is an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we consider applicants equally of race, gender, gender identity or expression, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, age, ability, personal appearance, family responsibilities or national origin.