What are the responsibilities and job description for the SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CULTURE + EQUITY position at The Conservation Law Foundation?
Reports to : President & CEO
Classification : Full-time, Exempt
Location : New England (Boston preference)
ABOUT CLF
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) protects New Englands environment for the benefit of all people. A non-profit, member-supported organization, CLF uses the law, science, and the market to solve the regions most challenging environmental problems, from climate change to ocean conservation to transportation. Every day, CLF advocates stand up for New Englandersin state houses, court houses and board rooms, regulatory hearings, and community gatheringsto forge innovative paths to environmental progress and economic prosperity for all in our region. To that end, CLF works with communities of color, and those that are economically or otherwise disadvantaged, who often suffer disproportionately the impacts of environmental degradation. CLF is committed to diversity among our staff, volunteers, boards, and membership and creating a positive, inclusive workplace culture where all can thrive.
CLFS COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY EQUITY
Our highest priority is finding the best candidate for the job. We do not expect candidates to possess every one of the qualifications described in this job description. If you read this and are inspired to bring your expertise in culture and equity to the environmental justice movement in New England, we hope you will apply. Leaders who identify as Gender-queer, People of Color, or people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
We encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of our described qualifications or have a less traditional background.
ABOUT THE POSITION
As part of CLFs commitment to building a more equitable and impactful organization, CLF is seeking an experienced Senior Vice President of Equity Culture to join the executive leadership team, reporting to the President.
The SVP will lead transformational work to develop and drive the vision for an inclusive and equitable workplace, enabling CLF to live our values, vision, and mission from the inside out. This position will scale CLFs DEI ambition, collaborating with senior leaders to build strategies that more fully integrate equity and justice throughout the organization. The SVP brings expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion to advance crucial conversations and to strengthen CLFs policies and practices as we execute an inspiring new strategic plan.
Most importantly, this position will scale CLFs DEI vision and efforts by asking tough questions, identifying confronting challenging behaviors or practices, facilitating healthy dialogue, and building strategies for how to more fully integrate DEI throughout the organizations work and culture.
The position is based in New England with expectations for building a strong presence in the Boston office. Candidates residing in New England are encouraged to apply with preference given to those residing in or planning to relocate to the Boston area.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Organizational Leadership : Vision Strategy
- Establish a DEI vision, rationale, and theory of change that deepens CLFs commitment to equity and cultivates lasting organizational change
- Create and drive a collaborative organization-wide DEI strategic plan that leverages DEI work to date, organizational strengths and inspires continuous learning.
- Develop a series of benchmarks or metrics to measure the impact of the DEI strategy and DEI programming
- Serve as a thought leader and expert on DEI, both internally and externally
- Oversee DEI departmental budget and other administrative needs
Senior Leadership Peer Leadership Development
Workplace Culture Staff Engagement
Education, Continuous Learning Skills Development
CANDIDATE PROFILE, CORE & PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
With a proven ability to create and communicate a compelling vision for culture and equity within an organization, the new SVP, Culture Equity brings deep expertise in leading organizational change initiatives, especially those related to cultural transformation and DEI integration.
The SVP possesses exceptional communication skills and a track record of collaborating cross-functionally, influencing senior leadership, and engaging and inspiring diverse stakeholders at all organizational levels to build a culture of inclusion, belonging, and equity. They bring an advanced understanding of power, privilege, and systemic oppression and outstanding facilitation skills to effectively guide others through difficult conversations related to race, gender, power, privilege, and similar topics.
The successful candidate demonstrates high emotional intelligence, practicing empathy, self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-improvement. They model ethical leadership, comfort with discomfort, and the ability to engage in generative discussion while challenging cultural norms. Leveraging their familiarity with frameworks, tools, and methodologies to address systemic bias, the chosen candidate will lead and amplify organizational learning and champion improvements in CLFs policies and practices in the pursuit of our mission. The SVP will apply their expertise in creating systems and practices that hold leaders and employees accountable for fostering an inclusive culture, including individual DEI goals.
We anticipate that the most competitive candidates will have 10 years of executive-level experience making critical strategic organization-wide decisions, previously held a diversity, equity, and inclusion role, and 5 years managing people and building strong teams. Other preferred experiences include :