The Opportunity
At this exciting time in the organization’s evolution, Futures Without Violence (“FUTURES”) is seeking a new Executive Vice President (“EVP”) to work alongside its Founder and President and a highly committed and talented leadership team. The EVP will be an inspiring, mission-aligned collaborator who will provide strong organizational leadership ensuring all programs, staff, operations, and systems are working in support of the overall mission, allowing the Founder and President to focus on overall vision, thought leadership, fundraising, and leadership of large scale, high-impact engagements. The EVP will implement changes in Futures Without Violence’s operating model in support of the strategy and the outcomes it seeks in order to achieve more impact in the sector and more programmatic synergy across the organization.
Reporting to the Founder and President, the EVP serves as the number two executive at FUTURES and a member of the leadership team. This leader will bridge internal and external organizational needs, driving internal initiatives related to strategic planning, staff development, succession planning, organizational development, program measurement and evaluation, deeper integration across teams/departments, and external facing initiatives including fundraising and communications. This individual leads the development of focused execution plans and measurable objectives to deliver against the strategy and annual operating plan. The EVP will co-create a strategic approach to goal setting and programming, looking ahead into the future to help realize the potential of what FUTURES can achieve.
In close partnership with the Founder and President, the EVP will foster a culture of innovation and data and evidence-based learning among the leadership and staff focused on deepening our understanding of violence prevention and the creation of new strategic opportunities to advance our mission. The EVP will serve as a connector across team leaders, keeping people who are afflicted by violence at the center of all we do.
As an external representative of FUTURES, the EVP will cultivate and develop strong relationships with funders, key partners, and other stakeholder groups to leverage new opportunities and capabilities in service of our mission and the outcomes we seek to achieve. The EVP will be politically astute and savvy, and will interact effectively with other nonprofits, academia, community-based organizations, educational institutions, corporations, and government.
About Futures Without Violence
At Futures Without Violence, we are in the business of creating social change, guided by optimism. We come to this work with the fundamental belief that it is possible to disrupt the cycle of violence that cuts through so many families and communities; to spark healing and joy in children who endure its impacts; to support survivors as they heal — and above all, through education, research and activism, to prevent violence from occurring in the first place. Optimism requires resilience. There were many hard days in 2019, from bulletproof backpacks to the trauma of family separation, and the loss of cherished leaders. Yet, together we persevered. The late Congressman Elijah Cummings, a revered friend of our movement, and a longtime champion for children, used to say, “Through your pain you will find your passion, and through your passion, you will find your purpose.” We pursue our work in this spirit, as we take on daunting challenges at the intersection of gender, racial and economic injustice.
Our Mission
Futures Without Violence (FUTURES) is a national social justice organization dedicated to preventing violence and abuse, and to helping survivors and communities heal. Our vision is a future where all children and families can thrive. With headquarters in San Francisco, and offices in Washington DC and Boston, FUTURES has for 40 years developed and delivered groundbreaking programs, policies, and advocacy campaigns that have mitigated the root causes and abuse, transformed public policies, and shifted cultural norms.
In late 2021, FUTURES will open the Courage Museum, the nation’s first interactive exhibits dedicated to the prevention of violence, abuse and the hate that fuels them. Located at FUTURES’ home in San Francisco’s Presidio National Park, the Courage Museum will serve as a national resource for creating a society in which violence is not an inevitable part of the human experience, and as a laboratory for the next generation of activists.
Leadership
Under the leadership of Founder and President Esta Soler, FUTURES was a driving force behind passage of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994—the nation’s first comprehensive federal response to the violence that plagues families and communities. Watch Esta’s TEDTalk!
For more information on Futures Without Violence, please visit https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have the following professional competencies, qualities, and characteristics:
Strategic Leadership
The EVP will be an experienced leader with a proven record of converting strategy into effective execution both internally and externally. Working with the Founder and President as well as the leadership team, the EVP will help to translate the organizational vision forward into the organization’s next chapter, lead the team successfully, and continuously make improvements based on internal and external learning and feedback. The EVP will be skilled at managing in all directions and will approach others with a deep level of respect and curiosity.
This leader will have the ability to engage diverse stakeholders to build specific strategies focused on the achievement of outcomes and long-term strategic goals to position the organization for the future. The EVP will also possess certain level of foresight to plan ahead, being able to react and shift strategic goals as needed. This individual will demonstrate the ability to build, nurture, and retain a strong team of diverse professionals, maintaining a culture of accountability and high expectations for performance. The EVP will embrace principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in hiring, mentorship, teambuilding, network interventions, and stakeholder engagement. This leader will actively focus on building equity into structures, systems, and processes for employees and the communities FUTURES serves.
Programmatic Operational Acumen and Results Orientation
The EVP will bring deep experience in developing and directing programs in a complex, geographically dispersed context and will bring strong internal management capabilities. A proven general manager, the EVP will also bring the ability and confidence to ensure that Futures Without Violence’s programs are run efficiently and effectively. The EVP will apply strong quantitative and analytical skills to shape and implement major change initiatives including programmatic measurement and evaluation and the ability to demonstrate the intersections and impact of the work. This leader will have the ability to conceptualize and analyze problems and solutions in a proactive, constructive, and creative manner that will result in improved performance across the organization. The EVP will leverage technology, data, and analytics to measure outcomes and support the achievement of evolving strategies including online engagement.
Excellent Communicator, Relationship Builder and Collaborative Leader
The EVP will be skilled at building and sustaining effective relationships at multiple levels within a complex environment, including with internal and external constituents. This leader will have the ability to cultivate vibrant and productive partnerships within and beyond the existing FUTURES’ ecosystem. This individual will be a strong communicator and collaborator who is skilled at listening to, and learning from, constituents. It is imperative that the EVP is an excellent and persuasive communicator with exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and the ability to foster an atmosphere of collaboration and partnership across the organization. This executive will have the ability to develop a powerful sense of shared purpose in others and motivate them to engage in the opportunities and challenges ahead. The EVP will possess a strong sense of confidence and a style that will resonate within the FUTURES’ community and beyond. A natural consensus-builder, the EVP will be comfortable with ambiguity and have the persistence to drive process forward through collaboration, integration, and dedication.
External Relations and Fundraising
The EVP will be an effective spokesperson and fundraiser for FUTURES and will ensure that they can share their story in a coherent and impactful way, communicating with and garnering respect and support from a diverse group of stakeholders. They will strengthen and facilitate relationships with a broad range of constituents, including philanthropy, policy, and nonprofit leaders. With impressive networking skills, this charismatic fundraiser will have a strategic vision for long-term revenue generation, and will lead innovative ways to increase funding. The EVP will excel at articulating and motivating others around FUTURES’ mission and vision, creating champions and allies to collectively move a progressive policy, system, and community change agenda forward and raise the national profile of the organization.
A Passion for the Mission
The EVP will have a passion for the mission of FUTURES – a future without violence that provides education, safety, justice, and hope. This executive will embrace the core values of the organization and its commitment to transforming the lives of those in need. This leader will embrace FUTURES’ collaborative culture and will thrive in a mission-driven, non-hierarchical, and decentralized environment. The EVP will be energized working in a national organization, while continually innovating to help expand the reach of FUTURES. This individual will have a deep respect for the history of Futures Without Violence while staying focused on the opportunities that present for the organization to facilitate multiple stakeholders toward systemic and sustained impact. This leader will have a collaborative spirit and will be an empathic leader, treating others with respect. The EVP will be an individual of unquestioned integrity, ethics and values; someone who can be trusted without reservation.
Contact
Koya Leadership Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Michelle Bonoan, Miecha Forbes, and Medelene Beasley are leading this search. To make recommendations or to express your interest in this role please visit this link. All nominations, inquiries, and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
FUTURES welcomes applications from people of color, indigenous people, LGBTQ individuals, and other communities that have been marginalized and disproportionately impacted by violence and abuse. FUTURES maintains a diverse and dynamic workforce and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and promotions without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, age, national origin, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.
About Koya Leadership Partners
Koya Leadership Partners, a member of the Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
For more information about Koya Leadership Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.