OCCORD is looking for an innovative and compassionate leader who can effectively use all of our power-building strategies to drive change at the city and county levels. The ideal candidate should have a demonstrated commitment to advancing racial, economic, and gender justice with an intersectional approach. They should also be committed to identifying and addressing biases and believe in the importance of involving community members in decision-making.
The next executive leader of OCCORD must have at least 8 years of experience in social, racial, or economic justice issues and a proven track record of building and maintaining strategic relationships with coalition partners, allies, and funders. They should also have experience in leading and winning organizing or policy campaigns, working with the grassroots community, developing community leaders, and managing nonprofit organizations.
The OCCORD board is considering transitioning to a co-directorship to better support the sustainability and well-being of executive leadership and align with the organization's values for gender and economic justice. They are seeking an executive director who shares an interest in a co-directorship and will collaborate with the Board to explore models and options for implementing a co-directorship model of executive leadership within the next 2-3 years.
After a period of rebuilding, OCCORD is now in a position of strength, with healthy reserves, a dynamic staff, and the potential to lead collaborative governance reform campaigns in Anaheim and beyond. The next executive director will inherit an organization well-positioned for success.
Position Responsibilities:
The executive director serves as the chief executive officer of OCCORD. The executive director reports directly to the Board of Directors and is principally responsible for ensuring the overall success and effectiveness of the organization, including implementation of the organization's policies, programs, and financial and staff management.
Community Organizing Responsibilities:
- Oversee Community Organizing Strategy
- Oversee the development of the Neighborhood Union model and other city or county-wide organizing bodies
- Engage impacted community members in important decisions, including policy innovation and campaign strategy
Ideal Qualities and Experience:
- Knows Orange County's landscape & politics
- Knowledgeable about local community issues impacting residents of Orange County: housing, gentrification, immigration, etc.
- Bilingual in Spanish or other languages is a plus
Responsibilities:
- Build the organization's capacity to achieve its goals, including the strategic capacity needed to build power and move policy change
- Oversee and connect each of the power-building strategies of OCCORD (citizenship, neighborhood unions, communications, electoral work) into a cohesive plan that advances strategic goals
- Ensure the organization's campaigns and programs have proper planning, staffing, oversight, and strategy
- Connect OCCORD's organizational strategy into a regional power-building strategy alongside partners and develop OCCORD's unique niche within the Orange County ecosystem
Ideal Qualities and Experience:
- Understand the root causes of current community conditions, including historic policies, narratives, and systemic racism
- Able to lead a power analysis to understand competing interests and potential levers for change
- Experience as an architect of organizing and policy campaigns minimally at the neighborhood and city levels, ideally at the county and state levels
- Ability to navigate C3 and C4 structures in connections with OCCORD’s affiliated C4
Policy Responsibilities:
- Identify strategic openings and opportunities for policy campaigns in Anaheim and Santa Ana
- Oversee the identification of innovative models for policy change that can be duplicated or adapted to Orange County communities
- Oversee the development of advocacy strategy, position statements, and talking points.
- Represent OCCORD's positions alongside community leaders when needed
Ideal Qualities and Experience:
- Experience with researching or crafting community-based, innovative policies, especially in governance and housing
- Strong relationship with other local organizations and policy efforts in Orange County
- Understand how to analyze and utilize research data and community expertise in developing policies and strategies
Responsibilities:
- Oversee the fundraising plan for the budget
- Cultivate relationships and represent OCCORD to funders and donors
- Ensure grants are linked to organizational priorities
Ideal Qualities and Experience:
- Understands the progressive movement funder landscape and has experience fundraising for organizing and policy work
- Significant success in fundraising from various sources, including major donors, foundations, corporations, and grassroots donors, and in cultivating new funders and donors
- Experience leading a fundraising team composed of the Board, staff, key stakeholders, and consultants
Fiscal Management Responsibilities:
- Create the organizational budget for board approval and oversee the implementation
- Develop and oversee financial systems and checks and balances
- Ensure timely and accurate filing of all applicable taxes, licenses, insurances, and documents essential to the organization's proper fiscal and legal operation
- Ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements relevant to the organization’s C3 and C4
Ideal Qualities and Experience:
- Knowledge of financial health indicators and systems of checks and balances
- Experience in nonprofit management, including budget development, oversight, and forecasting
- Familiarity with IRS guidelines, local and state campaign disclosure laws, and legal requirements for C3 and C4 organizations who conduct advocacy and electoral work
Coalition/Partner Building Responsibilities:
- Build long-term, strategic partnerships with movement-building organizations committed to racial and economic justice
- Build coalitions with organizations, individuals, and legislators who share a common interest in advancing a specific policy change
- Serve as spokesperson and leader of OCCORD with allies, partners, public officials, and the general public
Ideal Qualities and Experience:
- Political savvy - able to discern what moves people, legislators, and organizations
- Experience with multiracial solidarity and coalitions
- Experience leading collaborative efforts
- Track record of developing a network
Staff Development and Supervision Responsibilities:
- Recruit, retain, and motivate a diverse, talented staff committed to social, economic, and racial justice.
- Ensure staff receives the training, supervision, evaluation, HR support, and leadership development that they need to succeed
- Maintain and advance an organizational culture that supports work/life balance and fosters positive staff relations
- With the support of the Board, negotiate a fair collective bargaining agreement and maintain a good management/union working relationship
Ideal Qualities and Experience:
- Able to demonstrate compassion and build trust
- Experience with trauma-informed strategies, distributed leadership models, and shared decision-making processes
- Experience deploying a toolkit of team-building strategies for conflict management, personal growth, communications, etc.
Board Support and Liaison Responsibilities:
- Support and motivate the Board of Directors in fulfilling its legal duties and responsibilities to the organization.
Ideal Qualities and Experience:
- Experience working with a nonprofit board
- Familiarity or experience with a co-directorship model of executive leadership
- Experience recruiting board members
This is a full-time, exempt position with a salary range of $110,000 to $130,000 annually. Additional consideration to salary range is possible depending on experience and track record of success.
OCCORD offers the following benefits:
- Flexible work hours - The position will require attendance at public meetings, collaborative meetings, internal team meetings, and events. Additional work responsibilities may be completed according to flexible hours.
- Hybrid working schedule with the ability to work from home.
- Monthly Wellness Fridays: Staff do a team building activity for the first 4 hours of the workday and the remaining 4 hours are paid time off to do self care or wellness activity.
- Paid time off:
- 2 weeks of paid vacation per year
- 1 Floating holiday and 2 comp days
- 10 accrued sick days
- 10 Paid holidays + Christmas Eve to New Years Day
- Optional enrollment in CalSavers provided by the state
- Monthly cell phone allowance ($65)
- Monthly wifi allowance for remote work ($30)
Instructions to Apply:
Please submit the following by email to as a single PDF attachment with Executive Director Search in the subject line of your email.
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae.
- A cover letter describing why your experience makes you a good fit for this position
- At least 3 references with a name, description of relationship, and contact information. Examples of helpful references include a former employer, funder, community partner, collaborative partner, or community leader. English and Spanish-speaking references are okay. A concerted effort will be made to accommodate references who speak other languages.
Timeline:
September 30 -- Application Deadline
October -- Phone screening & virtual interviews
October/November -- Site-visit “meet and greet” with staff and community leaders
November/December -- Final Interviews
Dec/January 2025 -- Start Date
Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
Our organization benefits from the perspectives and talents of a diverse staff. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, indigeneity, color, gender, religion, creed, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression (including people who are transgender), genetic information or characteristics or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local laws. We strongly encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply.
OCCORD believes the exchange of ideas and creative experiences inspires curiosity and understanding and that the inclusion of people with disabilities in our work improves this exchange and is required to be a just organization. We believe that accessibility begins with our proactive attitude and approach. OCCORD provides accommodations for people with disabilities in our employment, programs, and services, including but not limited to accessibility technology, alternative methods of communication, physical accommodations, and flexibility in our planning. We will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.
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