Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
Executive Director
New York City, NY
Salary: $220,000- $250,000
BACKGROUND
The Organization
CHLDC is a dynamic not-for-profit community development organization and settlement house. With community residents leading the way, CHLDC builds a strong, equitable East New York, where youth and adults achieve educational and economic success, secure and preserve affordable housing, and develop leadership skills to transform their lives and community.
CHLDC was founded in 1983 by local residents and merchants after Cypress Hills had undergone a period of rapid neighborhood change, systemic disinvestment by city government and banks, flight of long-time residents, and loss of local businesses that devastated the Fulton Street commercial strip. Over the decades, CHLDC has gone from a one-program organization with an annual budget of $35,000 to an organization firmly anchored with the Cypress Hills/East New York Community serving over 20,000 people a year, and a budget of over $26 million.
East New York is a racially and ethnically diverse community, with thriving immigrant populations from the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador, Mexico, and Bangladesh. We serve residents from the neighborhoods of East New York, Cypress Hills, City Line, Starrett City and Spring Creek–a population of more than 200,000.
· Our services and programming are available to all in the community, strengthening the neighborhood through empowered residents who act as leaders and determine the future of their community. Residents are continually involved in designing and refining our work, and the majority of our Board members currently live or work in the neighborhood.
· Our program areas include Career and Education; College Success; Community Development; Youth and Family Services; Community Organizing; Housing Counseling; Cypress Hills Business Partners; and our newly opened (in 2022) Cypress Hills East New York Community Center, Community Kitchen, and the UCC (United Community Centers) Division (early childhood education, urban agriculture and sexual health education).
· CHLDC has a Community Board of 15, led by President Michael Lewis.
· CHLDC is actively committed to policies, systems, and norms that advance racial equity within the organization and throughout our work.
For more information about CHLDC, go to https://www.cypresshills.org/.
The Position
CHLDC is seeking a senior executive with the vision, skills, and experience to lead the organization into its next phase of growth and impact. The new Executive Director will be expected to advance the mission by upholding and building upon the existing strategic plan while navigating an increasingly complex and rapidly changing external environment. With the strategic plan as a foundation, the Executive Director will strengthen CHLDC’s respected position within the community and lead efforts to develop innovative approaches that address the evolving needs of those we serve.
With a strategic plan (2023-2027) in hand, CHLDC is launching an informed, inclusive, equitable search process to lead the organization into its strategic future, while deepening and expanding opportunities to meaningfully contribute to a thriving Cypress Hills and East New York–led by Cypress Hills and East New York residents.
ROLE OVERVIEW
Organizational Leadership
· Build a race- equity culture rooted in understanding of the history and context of structural racism in the United States and impact on the Cypress Hills East New York Community.
· Work to increase representation of the diversity of CHLDC community residents; create a greater culture of inclusion, aimed at internal change in behaviors, policies, and practices; consistently hold and apply a race equity lens to examine, assess, and course-correct how CHLDC and CHLDC programs operate.
· Refine and implement CHLDC’s strategic plan while ensuring that the budget, staff, and priorities are aligned with CHLDC's core mission.
Fundraising and Financial Management
· Working with The Chief Financial Officer, ensure financial management of the organization and its multiple subsidiaries is strong and sound, including: cash flow, reporting, timely audits, policies & procedures and review/analyses of monthly financial statements and quarterly financial strength indicators.
· Expand individual donations, corporate partnerships and earned revenue enabling CHLDC to sustain the back-office strides, specifically general operating support dollars.
· Prioritize stewardship of donors and corporate/foundation supporters to deepen giving and these partnerships.
· Oversee the financial status of the organization, including developing long and short-range financial plans, monitoring the budget and ensuring sound financial controls are in place.
· Set financial priorities accurately to ensure the organization is operating in a manner that supports the needs of the program and staff.
Staff Development and Operations Oversight
· Supervise senior leadership team and ensure performance management systems are in place.
· Champion a healthy organizational culture and prioritize staff well-being.
· Ensure the delivery of high-quality services while managing current and future growth in a multi-service context where programs and services range across a variety of offerings.
· Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and strengthen internal communications with staff throughout the organization; create and promote a positive, equity-focused, multicultural work environment.
Board Engagement and Governance
· Help build a diverse and inclusive Board–including young people–representative of the community, and highly engaged and willing to leverage and secure resources.
· Support effective governance and contribute to board development to support fundraising efforts.
Community Relations and Advocacy
· Build and maintain trusted relationships with residents, elected officials, and partners.
· Be a visible, vocal advocate for equity, housing justice, and neighborhood preservation.
· Leverage a strong external presence to secure and steward new relationships, resources, and other opportunities.
Program Oversight and Accountability
· Ensure ongoing programmatic excellence, evidenced by effective program evaluation across a variety of services, workforce development, organizing, advocacy and community development programs.
· Ensure effective systems to track scaling progress and regularly evaluate program components to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other constituents.
Annual Budget
# of Professional Staff
Size of Government Grants
$25M
7 Direct Reports, 150 FT, 350 PT
$14M
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate for the Executive Director position possesses the following competencies:
Who You Are
· An authentic, proven, equity- and community-centered changemaker with demonstrated commitment and success in localized community development.
· Significant previous nonprofit experience; community development experience preferred, especially in the operational, risk and liability management of physical properties and real estate assets.
· Skilled fundraiser with a track record of financial sustainability, donor stewardship, bold asks, and impactful results
· A politically astute relationship and coalition-builder, with ability to work effectively across internal and external stakeholders to build consensus.
· A strategic, optimistic problem-solver who supports and drives equitable and sound decision making and outcomes.
· Fully committed to advancing and engaging in CHLDC’s racial equity, inclusion, and diversity journey
· Committed to deepening and sustaining racial equity efforts that even the playing field for CHLDC community members - including opportunities and outcomes - regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and all LGBTQ+ identities, spoken language, disability status, economic class, educational attainment, religious affiliation, or immigration status.
· Demonstrated ability to translate vision and strategy into action and results.
· Unquestionable integrity, humility, clear vision; high level of self-awareness and self-regulation
· Leads by example; delegates with trust and fully aligned with the culture and ethos of CHLDC.
· A confident community-builder who can share power and advocate on behalf of CHLDC communities in private and public spaces with aplomb.
· A track record of fiscal management, including demonstrated success in raising annual, diversified funds from $10M- $60M.
· Lived experience within Cypress Hills/East New York or similar community and Spanish speaking is a plus
WHO WE ARE
Work Environment
CHLDC’s mission is to advance holistic development of the East New York Community and as such we value community governance/control, youth, and community leadership development interdepartmental collaborations. Working in a leadership role at CHLDC, you will work with board members, community residents and small businesses, citywide nonprofit leaders and staff from every division and sites all focused on building, serving, and mobilizing the community. We also value the health and well-being of our employees with generous leave policies and intentional efforts to promote health, reduce stress, bring diverse staff together and have fun!
Equal Opportunity Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. We promote recognition and respect for individual and cultural differences, and we work to make our employees feel valued and appreciated, whatever their race, gender, background, or sexual orientation. We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a pleasant working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with experience.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Our organization has worked tirelessly to lead the way in diversity, equity and inclusion with our staff, Board, and community. We have added racial equity language to our mission statement, personnel manual, hire letters, performance evaluations and exit interviews, we have monthly mandatory Race Talks and host staff training and workshops on race. We also have a Racial Equity Steering Committee which strives to create a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone belongs and where implicit bias is recognized and addressed. This individual will be a member of senior management and will work with all of CHLDC’s departments on internal equity programming and external efforts in the community. CHLDC programs and organizing initiatives are also designed and evaluated using a racial equity lens.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary: $220,000- $250,000
· Medical, dental and vision for individuals and family members on a sliding scale
· Vacation days 20 per year and sick days 12 + 3 personal days
· 403 B and 457 plan are available
· Professional Coaching is also available
· Professional development opportunities are also available through organizations such as United Neighborhood Houses, Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development and UnidosUS
TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS
If you are interested in this position, please click here. All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application.
We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply even if you do not meet all of the qualifications outlined above. If you are selected to move forward for an initial screening call, we expect you to hear from us by August.
Sarah Raful Whinston
Partner
Yasmine Coccoli
Talent Consultant
Bee Smith
Associate
Submit an application HERE.