What are the responsibilities and job description for the Executive Director position at Partnership for Rhode Island?
Leading business coalition, representing the CEOs of the state’s largest employers, is seeking a new Executive Director.
Founded in 2017, the Partnership for Rhode Island is a non-profit, 501c4 organization representing executives of the leading employers in our state. With a board of directors of fifteen chief executives, the Partnership has invested in the future of education, workforce development, infrastructure, and business attraction. Responsibilities:
The Executive Director will be responsible for:
• Managing the organization’s day-to-day planning, budgeting, and operations
• Maintaining consistent communication with board members, including monthly meetings and progress reports, quarterly board meetings and weekly communications with executive committee
• Representing the board in front of high-level elected officials (both federal and state), leaders in academia, the non-profit community and business leaders
• Building a business attraction initiative, Select RI, helping the state attract new companies by being the private sector convener by initiating conversations with businesses, consultants and associations nationwide while collaborating with public sector leadership
• Formulating short, medium, and long-term strategies for improving Rhode Island’s business environment and economy • Owning the Compete RI initiative, helping the state, cities and towns, community groups and others apply, and compete for, federal funding opportunities
• Leading the organization’s programmatic research and development processes, with a focus on identifying best practices among similar groups across the country
• Executing advocacy, public relations, and marketing tactics that advance these strategies among key stakeholders in the business and nonprofit communities, state government, and the media
Skills Required: The ideal candidate will be:
• Entrepreneurial. Constantly searches out opportunities for impact and seizes them. Achieves outsized impact with significant, though limited budget, paving the way for future expansion
• Persistent. Willing to keep at it, to advance the organization and its goals despite obstacles until they are realized
• An effective influencer and relationship builder. Able to articulate ambitious goals and attract others to them; builds strong relationships as well
• Strategic. Thinks several steps ahead: able to plot a course towards achieving ambitious medium and long-term goals
• High energy. Has enthusiasm for this work and, preferably, a passion for Rhode Island – displayed through a high energy approach to the effort.
Experience Required: The ideal candidate will have earned a bachelors’ degree, at minimum, and at least 10 years’ experience in both business and government/non-profits. The following areas of experience are particularly important:
• Experienced in state government and public affairs
• Leading small and/or organizations with a startup mentality
• Strategy planning and execution
• Public relations, marketing, and government affairs
• Stakeholder and/or community relations
• Ability to execute on a board directed vision