Executive Director

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOB DESCRIPTION

Nueva Esperanza, Inc. is a leading arts and cultural 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to serving as the cultural hub of Holyoke. As a pioneer of community-based programs, we celebrate and uplift Puerto Rican and Afro-Caribbean culture through the arts, events, and initiatives that foster cultural pride and community development.

Rooted in our renewed mission and vision, Nueva Esperanza is rising once again—revitalizing spaces, empowering residents, and creating opportunities that strengthen our vibrant cultural identity. Through innovative programming and deep community engagement, we continue to be a driving force in preserving and promoting the rich traditions that make Holyoke unique.

JOB TITLE: Executive Director

JOB SUMMARY: The Executive Director will focus primarily on grant writing, building partnerships, and developing community-based projects to support the organization's growth and sustainability. This role requires securing grant funding and managing funded projects in alignment with Nueva Esperanza’s mission.

In addition, the Executive Director is responsible for the oversight and day-to-day management of all programs at Nueva Esperanza, Inc., including the management of staff, facilities such as El Mercado, and fiscal responsibilities. They must be able to galvanize and motivate a diverse population of professional staff, identify and assist in developing new programs or functions, and oversee and support the achievement of all licensing, contractual, quality assurance, and outcome standards and requirements. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for Nueva Esperanza Inc.’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Associate degree in related field
• At least two years leadership experience, supervising 3 or more employees
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to work with a diverse group of individuals
• Excellent leadership and organizational abilities
• Demonstrated success innovating solutions to increase program profitability and productivity
• Develop Nueva Esperanza’s marketing campaign and social media footprint.
• Oversee El Mercado: operations, rentals, policies, and marketing.
• In charge of Human Resource Functions to include payroll and managing employee records.
• Lead, coach, develop, and retain Nueva Esperanza’s staff.
• Engage in professional development, including short courses, seminars, and conferences as approved and funded by the Board.
• Work with the board and committees to create and meet performance benchmarks.
• Keep and calendar and track their time daily to allow the board to better assess and direct priorities and resource use. All time spent outside of the office on business or engaging in organization-related activities outside of normal business hours should be documented.
• Additional duties as required or requested by the board of directors
• Experience working in a multi-service non-profit with exposure to budgets and fiscal management.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure ongoing local programmatic excellence, program evaluation, and consistent quality of finance and administration; recommend timelines and resources needed to achieve the strategic goals.
• Actively engage and energize Nueva Esperanza’s volunteers, board members, event committees, alumni, partnering organizations, and funders.
• Expand local revenue-generating and fundraising activities to support existing program operations and expansion efforts, with a strong focus on securing grant funding.
• Build new partnerships, establishing relationships with funders, and political and community leaders.
• Manage community-based projects and initiatives funded through grants, ensuring alignment with Nueva Esperanza’s mission and objectives.
• Oversee Community Support position and work collaboratively with this position to create and implement programming that focuses on three main program domains established by the Board.
• Establish employee benchmarks and conduct staff supervisions monthly to ensure standards are met.
• Coordinate and lead annual budget preparations and reviews, monthly and quarterly reviews, and periodic forecast updates on operational finances.
• Develop policies and procedures to ensure the safeguard of Nueva Esperanza’s assets; annually reviewing risk and internal controls in place for efficiency and effectiveness.

JOB TYPE: Salary position. Employment is at-will; the executive director may resign at any time with or without notice, and the organization may terminate his/her employment at any time with or without notice by a vote of the Board of Directors.

SALARY: The organization agrees to pay the Executive Director an annual salary in the range of $60,000 to $70,000, subject to negotiation. This salary is subject to applicable withholdings and deductions and will be paid in installments on the same schedule as other employees of the organization. Opportunities for salary growth may be available based on the success of grant funding.

HOURS OF WORK: The Executive Director is expected to work 40 hours per week but has the flexibility to choose their schedule and break times, provided they fulfill their overall job responsibilities. The Executive Director shall track their hours worked on a daily basis.

VACATION TIME AND BENEFITS: The organization agrees to provide the Executive Director with 3 weeks (120 hours) of accrued paid PTO per year, plus paid holidays (New Year’s Eve (½ day), New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve (½ day), Christmas Day). PTO not used may be accumulated for use in a later year.

KEEPING REGULAR OFFICE HOURS: The Executive Director will make every reasonable effort to be physically present at the headquarters and available to staff and visitors during the organization’s regular business hours, with the exception of up to one hour per day for lunch. In cases where the executive director must be absent during regular business hours, it is their responsibility to make sure the staff is informed of where they are and how they can be reached. “Regular business hours” means those hours when the Nueva Esperanza headquarters is operating, whether or not open to the public, which shall generally be 8 hours per business day.

EXPENSES: The executive director shall be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, provided that any expenses above $100 are approved in advance by the board or the HR committee.

EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP IS SUBJECT TO THE BY-LAWS: The position of executive director and the relationship of the executive director to Nueva Esperanza, Inc. is subject to the Articles of Organization and the By-Laws of Nueva Esperanza, Inc. and rules adopted thereunder. A copy of the by-laws accompanies this job description and is incorporated herein by reference. It is understood that in the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the corporate by-laws and this job description or any other policy, procedure, or written communication, the Nueva Esperanza, Inc. corporate by-laws shall control.

ANNUAL GOALS: Annually, the Board and the Executive Director shall define the goals and objectives which they determine necessary for the proper operation of the organization and the attainment of the Board’s objectives, and shall further establish a general priority among those various goals and objectives, said goals and objectives to be reduced to writing. The goals and benchmarks shall, where possible, express themselves in measurable terms or otherwise state how attainment will be measured. The Board and the HR committee shall review progress at regular intervals during the year.

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit your resume and a cover letter to board-secretary@nuevaofholyoke.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

Salary : $60,000 - $70,000