Los Angeles Executive Director

As a proven visible, visionary, and influential leader and fundraiser in the community, the Executive Director is the principal spokesperson representing the organization to internal and external constituencies in Los Angeles and nationally. The scope of responsibility includes overseeing fund development ($3M+), program management, people and team management, and strategic thinking and planning. As the Executive Director, you will build, foster, and maintain a balanced organizational culture that combines the richness and relevance of programs with the efficacy of organizational practices, fiscal accountability, and institutional impact.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a member of the national leadership team, contributing to organization-wide strategy and impact
• Lead and implement LIFT's national 3-year strategic plan in Los Angeles, ensuring a regional approach that is inclusive of all LA stakeholders, including staff, regional board, families, partners, etc.
• Partner with the leadership team on national partnerships and funding opportunities that could be leveraged across LIFT's regional sites
• Represent LIFT in LA and beyond at panels, conferences, etc.

Fundraising and Partnership Development

• Manage and direct a comprehensive fund development plan that is aligned to LIFT LA and LIFT National's growth strategies
• Identify, cultivate, and close local funding opportunities with support from LIFT National's leadership team, focusing on major gifts
• Mobilize, inspire, and leverage the regional Advisory board to play an integral role in developing prospective donors, cultivating major donors and funding agencies, and contributing to the financial sustainability of LIFT programs
• Identify and build relationships with program partners (e.g., city agencies, community colleges, other non-profit programs) to build their capacity to deliver LIFT's model (i.e., technical assistance)
• Secure key partnerships aligned with LIFT's mission to tackle poverty at the policy level and provide program insights

Team and Programmatic Management

• Lead, motivate, manage, and develop LIFT LA's regional team with a balance of empathy and accountability
• Foster an environment of shared accountability to meet ambitious program impact, talent, and revenue goals
• Ensure direct reports are supported and have the resources they need to thrive
• Evaluate programmatic efficacy and impact, ensuring that all LA-based initiatives are mission-aligned
• Oversee program development and implementation, creating and maintaining family and community partnerships, and resource development and allocation

• You will report to the Chief Advancement & Cities Officer and be accountable to the Regional Advisory Board.
• You will supervise the Los Angeles team of 4: a Deputy Director, a Development Director, an Operations Manager, and a Director of Entrepreneurship.
• You will frequently collaborate with the National Program and Development teams as well as the Regional Executive Directors and CEO.

• 8+ years of experience as a successful leader in the nonprofit sector with strong knowledge of nonprofit advisory board management and strategic planning
• Deep commitment to combating and eliminating systemic racism and inequities, and to LIFT's mission to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty
• Proven track record of fundraising across institutional and individual funders, ideally showing success in securing major gifts in the LA market
• Experience creating and maintaining high-level relationships within the philanthropic community, government, and private sectors in LA, possessing knowledge of the local cultural and political landscape
• Experience building collaborative and mutually beneficial partnerships within health care, post-secondary education, early child development, or government
• Proven success managing a team through a period of change and successfully meeting or exceeding organizational targets
• Collaborative orientation to meeting goals, with a track record of thriving in a dynamic, team-oriented, and matrixed environment
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to inspire and motivate others to take action

Don't think you have everything for this role but are still interested? Please don't hesitate to apply. We'd love to hear from you!  LIFT believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. LIFT's goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization.

Hybrid Work Environment

This is a hybrid position with an expectation to work in office ~2 days per week. 10-20% travel for leadership retreats, speaking engagements, panel presentations, etc.

Compensation

$150,000-$175,000. LIFT's compensation philosophy is to pay competitively for the non-profit sector and ensure equity across the organization. Compensation for the role will depend on several factors including qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. 

To Learn More About Benefits

LIFT provides an attractive benefits package that includes employer-paid health care coverage (100% for employees, 75% for dependents), a 403(b) retirement plan including an employer match contribution, 12 weeks paid parental leave, partial cell phone coverage, and pre-tax accounts for transit, health, and childcare benefits. LIFT also provides a generous paid-time-off policy, including one-week company-wide vacation over the winter holidays and a one-week company-wide vacation over the summer fiscal year transition. Please see here for a more in-depth overview of LIFT's Benefits and Culture.