Unidos 805 Executive Director

About Unidos 805

Unidos 805 is a new and growing partnership working to improve the lives of all those who call the Central Coast their home. Unidos 805 builds the grassroots power of everyday people to make sure that everyone in the Central Coast is taken care of. We work towards clean air, water, healthy food and a beautiful place to live, for the rights and dignity of workers, immigrant families, and communities of color, and for quality housing, healthcare, and education for all. Our aim is to reach this vision through formal means at the ballot box, through the leadership development of the people in our region, and by building a movement that will last generations. Its membership organizations are the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), Future Leaders of America (FLA), and the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), and its fiscal sponsor is the Fund for Santa Barbara. Together we are building the grassroots political voice and people power of our communities through training leaders, mobilizing voters, and aligning a long-term vision for systemic change.

Position Overview

Unidos 805 is seeking an experienced nonprofit and social movement leader who can grow and develop an emerging coalition rooted in longstanding community organizations in the Central Coast. The Executive Director will raise funds to support and work to oversee core staffing and operations, leadership development programs, and voter mobilization programs. They will develop relationships and facilitate the alignment of Unidos 805 member organizations while recruiting new members to the table. They will work with our fiscal sponsor, the FUND for Santa Barbara, on the financial administration and human resources needs of the growing organization, and with our legal compliance firm to maintain campaign finance reporting and compliance with election laws. The Executive Director will work with Unidos 805 member organizations to lead organizational strategic planning and development and mobilize member organizations to participate in Unidos 805 programs and activities. During voter engagement programs, they will train and supervise temporary coordinator staff to lead large teams of phone bankers and canvassers to turn our communities out to vote. The Executive Director can count on longstanding relationships and interdependence of its table members, a year one coach and co-conspirator and support from the member organizations.

Job Responsibilities

• Table Development and Coordination

• Coordinate member organizations to develop organizational strategic planning and development as well as political strategy for aligned civic engagement campaigns

• Facilitate monthly executive meetings and other subcommittee meetings of Unidos 805 member organizations and work with member organizations and consultants to facilitate planning retreats

• Develop and strengthen organizational systems and structures such as fundraising and resource-sharing agreements, decision-making processes, shared documents, budget and grants management systems, internal communication systems, meeting notes and agendas, and committee structures

• Build relationships with partner organizations, funders, public agencies, and policymakers throughout the region and state and recruit and onboard new members of the Unidos 805 table

• Organizational and Financial Development

• Raise funds to maintain and grow current $800k-1M annual budget, including grant writing and reporting and relationship building with donors and funders, with some support from member organizations’ executive staff, to resource Unidos 805’s leadership development and voter mobilization programs, staffing needs, and regrants to member organizations.

• Work with member organizations to draft and approve annual budget and balance priorities between core operating costs, program costs, and regrants to member organizations.

• Work with the fiscal sponsor, FUND for Santa Barbara, to maintain financial systems, process regrants to member organizations, manage contracts with partner organizations and consultants, develop budgets, and track spending and reimbursements.

• Work with the fiscal sponsor, FUND for Santa Barbara, to administer human resources processes for personnel hired under the fiscal sponsor, including approving timesheets, PTO, etc.

• Work with member organizations and consultants to develop long-term organizational financial and legal structures as Unidos 805 moves beyond fiscal sponsorship status.

• Develop job descriptions and manage hiring, orientation, and ongoing supervision of additional staff as Unidos 805 continues to grow.

• Work with legal compliance firm to maintain compliance with election and tax laws and campaign finance reporting.

• Program Leadership and Support

• Work with member organizations to mobilize their staff and grassroots bases to participate in Unidos 805 voter engagement and leadership development programs.

• Bottom-line large-scale voter mobilization programs within and outside of major election cycles that will contact thousands of voters, in the Central Coast, over the phone and door to door, including developing budgets and raising funds, supervising temporary coordinator staff, voter data management, and overseeing logistics, with the support of civic engagement staff at member organizations

• Work with member organizations to administer two leadership development programs, including refining their curriculum, managing budgets, coordinating speakers and trainers, planning logistics, overseeing applications, and continuing to keep in touch with alumni:

• Justice Leadership Institute, a public leadership pipeline academy for participants to learn about regional social movements and issues and prepare future civic leaders for elected offices, boards and commissions, and leadership in public agencies and nonprofit community organizations

• Movement Leadership Cohort, a training program for the next generation of organizational leaders from within Unidos 805’s member organizations to learn supervision, communication, and organizational management skills

• Work with consultants and member organizations to develop branding, communications, and narrative change strategies through digital and earned media for Unidos 805

• Advocate for local and statewide policies that expand voting rights and fair representation, including engagement in redistricting and other election rules

Requirements/Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in community or labor organizing, policy advocacy, civic engagement or electoral work

• Minimum 2 years experience in a senior position responsible for fundraising, financial management, and supervision

• 2-3 cycles of experience with voter contact strategies for integrated voter engagement or electoral field campaign work, ideally in a management role, is strongly preferred

• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred

• Ability to work with diverse organizations, build lasting relationships of trust and mutual respect, align strategic priorities, and harness the energy, expertise, and resources of member organizations to achieve shared goals

• Ability to navigate and facilitate collective decision-making processes and build consensus among diverse constituencies

• Strong writing and speaking skills to clearly communicate Unidos 805’s vision and mission, strategic approach, and effectiveness to funders, partners, and the broader community.

• Experience with grant writing and reporting and building relationships with local, statewide, and national funders

• Willingness to build a new organization’s systems, structure, and culture from the ground up and work with members to create a vision for its long-term growth and development

• Strategic and analytical approach to political issues and familiarity with the Central Coast political landscape

• Commitment to racial, economic, and gender justice and experience working with diverse cultures and engaging people from a variety of backgrounds

• Comfort with the high-pressure environment of electoral campaigns

• Comfort with metrics and numbers required to run electoral field campaigns

• Ability to interact professionally with elected officials, funders/donors, ally and member

organizations, and news reporters

• Able to set own work priorities, manage responsibilities and time, work independently, and be part of a team

• Must be a self-starter, able to work independently, problem solve, be willing to learn, and receive feedback to continue to evolve.

Physical Demands and Other Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions: a valid driver’s license and dependable access to a car to drive for work required.

Work Schedule/Location

This position will occasionally require evening and weekend hours and travel throughout the region, state, and nation. Most job functions can be completed through remote work from a home office but will require some in-person activities in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, requiring the Executive Director to be based locally. A physical office embedded with one of our partner organizations may be possible upon request. As staffing grows over time, the organization may need to lease a physical office of its own.

Compensation and benefits

Salary range for this position is $85k-100k per year, commensurate with experience. Benefits include full health insurance coverage, dental, and vision for staff and dependents, a retirement plan with a 3% employer match, up to three weeks of personal paid time off, and 15 paid holidays.

Apply

We will be accepting applications through December 31, 2024. Please email resumes with a cover letter and references to:

Lucas Zucker at lucas@causenow.org.

Subject line: Unidos 805 Executive Director

UNIDOS 805 AND THE FUND FOR SANTA BARBARA IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.

WOMEN, GENDER EXPANSIVE AND PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $85,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Evening shift
• Weekends as needed

Ability to Commute:

• Oxnard, CA 93030 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $1,000 - $800,000