Emily Hall (c-67-169-160-189.client.comcast.net - 67.169.160.189)
| | Posted on Monday, May 17, 2004 - 1:51 pm: | |
DRAFT POSITION SPECIFICATION
May 11, 2004
Hidden Villa
Title
Executive Director
Location
Los Altos Hills, CA
Organization
Hidden Villa is a 1,600 acre nonprofit organic farm and wilderness preserve whose mission is “Inspiring a just and sustainable future through our programs, land and legacy.” The organization also has identified five core values:
- Hidden Villa reflects and is passionately committed to diversity, equality, and social justice.
- Hidden Villa demonstrates leadership in environmental and social sustainability.
- Hidden Villa works toward excellence in all its programs and community outreach.
- Hidden Villa balances preservation and change in the quest to be good stewards of the ranch and wilderness.
- Hidden Villa is committed to being a careful steward of its financial and organizational health.
Hidden Villa operates a number of programs, including:
- Multicultural summer camps
- Environmental education programs
- International hostel and Josephine’s Retreat (a personal retreat cabin)
- Organic farm and community supported agriculture program
- 8 miles of hiking trails on a wilderness preserve
- Community programs with multicultural performances, family and children’s activities.
The $2+million annual operating budget is funded 40% through fees and 60% through donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. Purchased in 1924 by Josephine and Frank Duveneck, Hidden Villa was donated, by the whole family, to the people of the region upon Frank’s death in 1985. The Duvenecks were social activists who were instrumental in founding the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, and Friends Outside, a support group for prisoners and their families. They sheltered Japanese-Americans returning from WWII internment camps and provided safe harbor for Cesar Chavez as he organized farm workers in the fifties.
Every year, Hidden Villa serves approximately 50,000 customers: 20,000 students and teachers for environmental education school programs; 1,000 summer campers; 5,000 hostel overnight guests; and 24,000 informal visitors and attendees at community programs.
Additional information is available at www.hiddenvilla.org.
Position Charter
The Executive Director is a creative, authentic leader who strives to maximize the potential in staff, board and volunteers and creates a climate that is visionary and innovative, as well as supportive and realistic.
This position reports to the Board of Trustees and supervises all staff.
Responsibilities
The Executive Director is responsible for the overall direction and management of the corporation’s programs, services, personnel, contracts and assets in accord with the organizational mission and operational policies. Specific responsibilities include:
Vision and Strategy
- Engage the board, staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders in refining and implementing the vision and strategy.
- Unify the internal vision and improve integration of and coordination among all programs toward this common vision.
- Ensure consistency among the vision, mission, strategic plan, and day-to-day operations.
- Build increased diversity among staff, Board, volunteers, and participants so that the organization serves as a model of its mission statement.
- Fulfill the current long-range plan and regularly lead the organization through long and short term planning cycles.
Programs Oversight
- Develop a thorough understanding of each program through regular participation and observation.
- Continue the thoughtful and comprehensive evaluation of all programs; strive for continuous program improvement.
- Ensure all programs are reflective of the organization’s mission, both independently and in cooperation with other Hidden Villa programs.
- Together with staff, develop program innovations in accordance with the strategic plan.
- Support managers and other staff in overseeing their respective programs and responsibilities.
Resource Cultivation and Management
Financial:
- Work closely with the Finance and Development Committees and staff to maximize the returns from all fund development and marketing efforts and to identify new sources of funding.
- Attract financial supporters to the organization through active and personal solicitation.
- Continue to build the reserve and endowment to ensure long-term organizational sustainability.
- Maintain the financial health of the organization by providing for sound budgeting and management within the fiscal policies and procedures established by the Board of Trustees.
Human Resources:
- Lead and direct all employees and volunteers of Hidden Villa.
- Maintain sound human resource policies and practices to support optimal staff and volunteer performance.
- Create a culture that fosters staff development, learning, risk taking, and responsibility, while providing support and mentoring where necessary.
- Foster an atmosphere of mutual learning, listening, and open dialogue; one that fosters real consideration of different points of view and that supports dialogue and debate over conflict and giving orders.
- Ensure compliance with all Federal and California Labor Laws and manage the administration of personnel policies and procedures.
- Continue to develop and engage a strong cadre of volunteers and provide recognition for their significant contributions to the organization.
- Work closely and directly with the Board, Board Chair, and committees to support effective Board governance.
- Serve as a non-voting, ex officio member of the Board of Trustees and other Board committees as directed by the Board.
Marketing and Collaborations
- Act as Hidden Villa’s spokesperson and representative.
- Develop clear and strategic marketing goals and oversee implementation.
- Generate increased presence in the community while balancing internal land/capacity use issues.
- Participate in and host appropriate community activities.
- Foster development of collaborations to advance the mission while effectively managing resources.
- Publish a regularly-scheduled newsletter distributed to Hidden Villa stakeholders.
- Manage the development, marketing, and distribution of Hidden Villa educational materials.
Facilities and Grounds
- Provide for the stewardship of all buildings and grounds as demanded by the organization’s mission statement.
- Regularly assess, prioritize, plan for, and budget maintenance and improvement projects to ensure safety and sustainability.
Other Operations
- Ensure that Hidden Villa’s operations and professional image are supported by sufficient technological systems and infrastructure.
- Responsible for awareness of and compliance with all legal requirements to which Hidden Villa is subject.
- Ensure appropriate risk assessment and risk management policies and practices.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have at least ten years of successful and progressively responsible experience in management, relationship building, and resource development. The individual will be creative, strategic, and pragmatic and will foster best practices in organizational development and human resource management. This person must embody the core values of Hidden Villa and may come out of the nonprofit or for profit sectors. Specific experience working with social justice, environmental, diversity, and/or sustainability issues is highly preferred.
Specific experiences and skills include:
- Excellent written and oral communication skills that are effective with the broadest diversity of audiences
- Ability to listen to and hear all constituents; experience fostering mutual respect and learning; track record in building effective teams
- Ability to build, manage, and lead an exceptional team; experience providing support and mentoring while effectively delegating and sharing authority and responsibility
- Strong organizational development, management, and planning skills
- Exceptional organizing and prioritizing skills
- Political savvy, diplomacy, and negotiation skills
- Experience motivating and bringing people together toward a common vision
- Proven track record in generating resources and revenue streams; ability to cultivate high-end donors successfully; ability to motivate fundraising volunteers and provide leadership in fundraising
- Financial and operational acumen sufficient to understand a complex organization with multiple programs, facilities, and acreage.
- Experience and ease working with a broad diversity of individuals and groups
- Track record in recruiting, developing and retaining diverse staff and volunteers
- Experience developing and working with collaborations
- Experience working with a board or other governing body
- Proven track record in engaging others in a vision while grounding that vision in effective implementation and realistic resource allocation
Specific competencies and traits include:
- Effective personal and interpersonal behaviors
- Values-driven
- Visionary
- Strategic thinker
- Charismatic and genuine
- Highest integrity
- Sense of humor
- Open to diverse cultures, lifestyles, and ideas
- Learning personality
- Open and approachable
Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and salary history. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
Individuals from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Hidden Villa is a non-smoking environment. EOE
Please address all nominations and applications in confidence to:
Emily Hall
Hall Consulting
resumes@hallconsulting.org
1412 Sanchez Avenue
Burlingame, CA 94010
650-685-4155 phone
309-214-3135 fax |