Job Description

Title: Executive Director

Location: Chicago, IL (hybrid)

Status: Full-time, exempt (Full-time preferred, but we are open to applicants interested in working in a part-time/contract capacity or as co-directors.)

Salary: $90,000 - $120,000 

Reports to: Interim Board of Directors

Desired start date: Q2 (April - June, 2025)

About the Chicago Peace Fellows The Chicago Peace Fellows is an annual nine-month fellowship program designed by and for grassroots leaders to collectively address underlying systems of violence in communities on the South and West Sides of Chicago through shared learning and collaborative action. The 17 South and West Side communities that are experiencing the highest levels of violence in the city of Chicago as identified by the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities include: Englewood, Austin, Humboldt Park, Woodlawn, Auburn Gresham, Back of the Yards (New City), Bronzeville, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, Washington Park, West Englewood, West Pullman, Greater Grand Crossing, Little Village, North Lawndale, and Roseland. Our Fellows live and work in these communities and reflect the communities they serve. Collectively, Fellows are 76% Black/African American, 14% Latine, 3% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1% Middle Eastern, and 6% White. 

Designed with past Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities grantees, the curriculum for the Peace Fellows utilizes GATHER, an online learning hub built by the Goldin Institute to empower grassroots leaders. The GATHER course provides a series of social change concepts, like Asset Based Community Development, intersectionality, and tools for authentic community engagement. This curriculum is supplemented with in-person workshops led by partner organizations doing violence prevention work. After exploring the concepts and practices in GATHER, Fellows team up to design and implement collaborative action projects which engage community residents in building peace and connection using a dedicated pool of funding. Fellows reach thousands annually through their action projects. 

After graduating, Fellows can join the Mutual Aid Collaborative, an initiative founded by Peace Fellow Alumni at the start of the COVID19 pandemic. Fellows continue to share resources and take collective action to address urgent needs in their communities, as well as build connections internationally with the Goldin Global Fellows, a peer program also hosted at the Goldin Institute. The Global Alumni network that meets monthly for shared learning and collaboration between Alumni in over 50 countries across the globe. 

About the Goldin Institute

Since its inception in 2002, the Goldin Institute has worked in over 50 countries to build grassroots partnerships for global change that are rooted in the power of communities working together to build their own solutions and determine their own futures. The Goldin Institute was founded by Diane Goldin and Travis Rejman in 2002 when grassroots leaders from Chicago and 14 countries spent a week sharing their unique community-building approaches and reflecting on how to design a platform that would help them work together. This meeting set the vision, mission and values for the Goldin Institute, with a core commitment to ensure that those closest to the issue, especially excluded voices with the most at stake, have leadership roles in any social change movement. The Goldin Institute helps communities achieve their goals through a combination of online and on the ground initiatives to help grassroots leaders address a wide range of issues facing their communities. Each year since 2019, the Goldin Institute hosts a Fellowship program for grassroots leaders in Chicago and around the world to help them learn and work together. 

The Opportunity: Executive Director

The Chicago Peace Fellows program is expanding from a program of the Goldin Institute into a new community safety organization designed and driven by the 120 Alumni of the program in collaboration with key philanthropic and civic partners across the city. The incoming Executive Director will be responsible for building on the success of the Chicago Peace Fellows to create a new non-profit organization, organizing and gaining buy-in and engagement, and building its management and financial capacity; overseeing the organization’s annual fellowship programming; caring for an active and powerful Alumni network; and driving a key violence prevention strategy for the city of Chicago. This is an external-facing role responsible for building and cultivating relationships and leading outreach to and across several key stakeholder groups, including fellows and alumni, peer programs, community organizations and advocates, funders, and more. 

An ideal candidate will be an experienced leader and strategist who has worked in violence intervention and prevention with a strong emphasis on grassroots leadership and community-driven social change. This position presents an exciting opportunity to expand a highly visible, credible, and successful Chicago Peace Fellows program and to catalyze transformative progress in building a more peaceful, safe and just city. This is also a wonderful opportunity for someone with experience in nonprofit fundraising and building strategic partnerships.

Responsibilities

Program Management + Planning

• Facilitate the annual Chicago Peace Fellows program for 20 grassroots leaders to support peer-to-peer learning and collaboration with a focus on the South and West sides of the city
• Expand and engage the growing network of grassroots leaders dedicated to community driven social change focused on violence prevention and peace building
• Support the Chicago Peace Fellows Mutual Aid Collaborative as the home base for the Alumni to build relationships, learn and collaborate as a community of practice
• Assess the structure, capacity, and overall health of the organization’s programs and events; identify opportunities for growth and partnership; and help implement project plans for improvement

Fundraising + External Relations

• Develop and implement a fundraising and development strategy for the Chicago Peace Fellows that spans annual, individual and institutional giving, including key performance indicators for success
• Identify and solicit viable prospects for giving ensuring alignment between the work of the Chicago Peace Fellows and prospective funders, including grant/proposal writing 
• Serve as the primary external representative of the organization, building and maintaining relationships across stakeholder groups
• Collaborate with peers in over 55 countries across the globe through the Goldin Institute’s Global Alumni Network
• Participate in events, conferences, and collaborative efforts of relevance to the organization

Communications + Thought Leadership

• Highlight innovative community builders and help document successful approaches to community-driven violence prevention by producing multimedia stories for our website and social media
• Facilitate a more informed public discourse around the urgent problem of gun violence and inspire meaningful action, convening a variety of partners and voices that need to be lifted up
• Develop materials that help donors and other audiences understand the fields of gun violence, violence prevention, peace building, and related issues holistically, translating complex concepts using clear and accessible language, with the goal of influencing donors and foundations to make investments
• Demonstrate strong proficiency in gun violence prevention research to inform decision-making
• Interrogate how the intersections between race, gender, class, and other individual characteristics inform redesign and reform of public systems and policy solutions

Team Management

• Lead team operations and develop team practices and workflows; design and implement systems and processes that support the team’s strategies and priorities
• Empower a team of direct reports (3-4) to do their best work by providing ongoing guidance, coaching, and feedback on their core day-to-day responsibilities, project management goals, and overall professional development
• Contribute to strong team culture of trust, collaboration, accountability, and efficiency
• Interview, hire, and onboard new staff, as needed
• Anticipate challenges, and resolve issues, managing crises effectively and with empathy and compassion

Budgeting + Financial Management

• Draft, manage, and monitor an annual budget
• Ensure that the board receives timely, clear and accurate financial data with a goal of maintaining a positive financial position
• Always maintain a solid understanding of the organization’s overall fiscal health

Board Governance

• Collaborate with the board to develop and execute a comprehensive strategic plan that aligns with the organization's mission and goals
• Presenting reports and sharing relevant updates with the board on organizational performance, including financial updates, program progress, and any key metrics
• Prepare agendas for board and committee meetings; guide and facilitate meetings in a way that motivates the board to commit to and follow through on specific tasks in an inclusive and efficient manner; and keep track of follow-up items
• Collaborate with board leadership on board development and recruitment strategies, bringing in best practices for board and volunteer management
• Overseeing compliance with relevant regulations and identifying potential risks to the organization, informing the board of necessary actions. 

Requirements

Skills + Experiences

We know that people of color and women candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every requirement. Please do not be deterred if you have not held an Executive Director title in a prior role. Your gifts and lived experiences matter to us more than titles. You may be exactly who we are looking for!

Required:

• Demonstrated commitment to community-driven social change and an appreciation for the uniqueness of Chicago’s diverse communities
• At least 10 years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector, or a related area, with at least five years in leadership roles
• Experience managing, supervising, and coaching small teams of at least three direct reports is required

Preferred:

• Preferably having experience or content expertise in an area of peace building, gun violence, violence prevention, or related issues
• Experience as a Chicago Peace Fellow or being aligned with an alumni-led organization is a plus
• Experience navigating an organization’s transition process from a sponsored/hosted project to an independent nonprofit organization is a plus

Other Desired Skills + Experiences:

• Demonstrated expertise in developing and executing fundraising strategies with clear and measurable goals
• Strong project management, organization, and planning skills, including the ability to prioritize, work both independently and collaboratively, and create a blueprint of the key elements that projects require for successful completion
• Strong facilitation skills with experience leading or participating in a community of practice
• Experience collaborating and building relationships across a variety of stakeholders and gaining alignment to create action
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills across diverse audiences 
• Sophisticated ability to create meaningful relationships; a strong customer service orientation and relational style
• The ability to deal with confidential information and delicate situations with discretion and care
• Strong computer and office software, application, and data management skills (Microsoft Office, Google Office Suite, cloud-based storage, and other tools)

Work Environment

• This is envisioned as a full-time position. However, we are open to co-leaders or working with someone who wants to start at a part-time/contract basis initially with a focus on the fundraising and development strategy, specifically. There is room on the application to indicate what arrangement(s) you would be interested in. 
• Evening and weekend work are occasionally required, particularly during events/convenings.
• This is a hybrid position located in Chicago, IL; we anticipate this role will require two to three days a week in office, with some weeks requiring more time in-person.
• This position operates primarily in an accessible, ADA compliant, office environment. Some travel to other off-site locations in the Chicago area is required. 

To Apply

A cover letter is not required to apply for this role. Instead, all candidates will provide a resume and written answers to application questions. Your responses will be shared with the hiring manager as well as the hiring committee for this search. Up to 3 paragraphs maximum per response, please. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Chicago Peace Fellows/Goldin Institute is an equal opportunity employer that provides a work environment that respects the dignity and worth of each individual and is free from all forms of employment discrimination, including harassment, because of race, color, sex, gender, age, religion or belief, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, pregnancy/maternity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Benefits

Salary + Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $90,000-$120,000. 
• Chicago Peace Fellows will have a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), and paid time off.

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