PHENOM is a grassroots organization of public college and university students, staff, faculty, alumni, and parents fighting for an accessible, affordable, well-funded public higher education system that benefits every resident of Massachusetts. Our ultimate vision is of a public higher education system that is free to all. Through grassroots organizing, intensive coalition building, and targeted legislative action, PHENOM has begun to change the public discourse and win concrete victories. PHENOM connects its work on day-to-day issues related to costs, staffing, and funding to larger social issues (taxation, privatization, rule of the 1%). For more about PHENOM’s principles and beliefs, see http://phenomonline.org/about-phenom/guiding-principles/
The Executive Director will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for PHENOM’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission. The Executive Director will report directly to the PHENOM Board of Directors. This is a full-time, partially benefitted position.
Responsibilities
The Executive Director may play a role in every aspect of PHENOM’s work, but the three main components of the position are:
a) Leadership & Management:
● Oversee PHENOM’s fundraising, communications, organizing and administration
● Work closely with the Board to set priorities, timelines and allocate resources needed to achieve strategic goals
● Actively engage and energize PHENOM staff, volunteers, interns, Board members, committees, partnering organizations, and funders
● Regularly evaluate program components, so as to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other stakeholders
● Supervise, oversee and regularly evaluate all staff and interns
b) Organizing:
● Supervise the building and maintenance of PHENOM chapters on campuses and in communities across Massachusetts
● Oversee and support PHENOM’s coalition efforts
● Provide training, mentoring and support to other staff, Board members, interns, and volunteers in order to expand the number and capacity of people committed to PHENOM. Develop new activists to become organizers and leaders in the organization.
● Develop, maintain and expand relationships with organizations and individuals in order to expand PHENOM’s capacity to win concrete campaigns and influence policy.
c) Finances & Communications:
● Develop relationships to create new funding opportunities
● Ensure sufficient fundraising via grants and organizational and individual donations to
increase PHENOM’s annual operating budget
● Prepare and monitor budget; ensure adherence to reporting requirements related to
PHENOM’s non-profit charity status
● Oversee and manage all aspects of communications (web page, newsletter, social
media, etc.)
Qualifications
The Executive Director must be thoroughly committed to PHENOM’s mission. All candidates should have proven leadership, organizing, and relationship management experience; strong
written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills; and passion, integrity, and selfdirectedness. The successful candidate must make at least a 2-year commitment to the position.
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
● Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in the field of higher education
● Several years of organizing experience (paid or unpaid) with a demonstrated ability to mobilize communities to win campaigns and develop activists into leaders.
● A demonstrated ability to engage and develop relationships with a diverse population of stakeholders
● Successful fundraising experience, preferably for non-profit advocacy organizations
● Ability to effectively lead a non-profit organization, supervise staff, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget
● Demonstrated success organizing students and/or youth
● Past experience working with a board
Fluency in a second language commonly spoken in Massachusetts (i.e. Spanish, Portuguese, French, or Chinese) a plus
Salary and Benefits
Total compensation will start at $45,000 – $60,000, commensurate with experience. Total compensation will be divided between salary and benefits as best suits the successful candidate.
Applications should be submitted by June 4, 2014 for priority consideration.
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and names/contact information of 3 references to massphenom@gmail.com or by US mail to PHENOM, PO Box 2281, Amherst, MA 01004. Please contact Ferd Wulkan at 413-627-5268 or ferdwulkan@gmail.com with any questions.
PHENOM is an equal opportunity employer. All persons regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sex, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation are encouraged to apply. Women, people of color, and LGBTQ people are strongly encouraged to apply.
Starting date is flexible.
