Chief Executive Officer
OPPORTUNITIES FOR A BETTER TOMORROW (OBT) SEEKS A
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)
Founded in 1983, the mission of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT) is to break the cycle of poverty through education, skills training, and employment. OBT programs serve as a bridge to economic opportunity for youth, individuals, and families in underserved communities, as well as to prepare participants for pathways to high-growth careers.
Building on nearly 40 years of success, OBT is at an exciting point in its journey with a unique opportunity to serve the community, particularly in response to dynamic shifts in workforce development and in alignment with an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes a blended (in-person/virtual) program model and organization, while continuing to build upon a career-pathways model that serves youth and adults from high-school equivalency through industry-certified trainings. OBT is seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to provide vision, leadership, and management of all aspects of the 85-person, $8M organization.
The CEO will partner with the Board of Directors in developing and implementing the organization’s next strategic plan, in addition to bringing innovative ideas to organizational operations, programming, external partnership-building, and revenue streams. The CEO will continue to cultivate and embody an anti-racist and inclusive organizational culture where staff and program participants see themselves reflected in and aligned with OBT’s mission, vision, values, and purpose. The CEO will serve as OBT’s primary fundraiser, partnering with the Board, staff, and participants to convey the organization’s story and impact.
The CEO will build on organizational changes of the past four years, develop new partnerships with businesses and employers, and take responsibility for the organization’s performance, while communicating with transparency and honesty. The ideal person knows how to lead a diverse team with empathy and inspires others to do the same, ultimately expanding OBT’s impact and influence.
Responsibilities
Strategic Vision & Organizational Leadership
• Collaborate with the Board to deliver on OBT’s core purpose, while developing and implementing a strategic plan informed by participant needs and goals, labor-market trends and opportunities, and professional values grounded in equity;
• Lead the Executive and Management teams to cultivate a diverse, equitable, anti-racist, and inclusive organization,
• Expand organizational capacity and advocacy grounded in career pathways that reflect a range of experiences, including employment, certification, higher education, and apprenticeships;
• Manage and coach the Executive Leadership team to deliver high-quality, innovative, and responsive programs and services for staff and participants, while developing young leaders capable of responding to current and future growth;
• Support and sustain high-performing teams centered around anti-racist and inclusive policies, while promoting a culture of trust, transparency, and collaboration at all levels of OBT
• Ensure effective decision-making processes that will enable OBT to achieve its long- and short-term goals and objectives;
• In partnership with the Vice President of Programs, provide strategic direction and general oversight for OBT programs and services, ensuring equal access to opportunity;
• Foster collaboration and innovative thinking across the organization to remain responsive to the needs of participants, funders, employers, and other key OBT stakeholders;
• Ensure that the organization’s technology infrastructure is current and able to meet all standards for quality programming;
• In partnership with the Board of Directors and the Vice President of Human Resources and Operations, provide direction in the selection and provision of all applicable employee benefits;
• Ensure that the hiring, development, and performance-management processes are grounded in OBT’s organizational values of integrity, excellence and empowerment, while demonstrating a consistent commitment to representing and reflecting the communities it serves.
Board Partnership & Fund Development
• Build upon a strong and transparent working relationship with the Board, ensuring open communication about organizational health and the measurement of financial and programmatic impact;
• Continue to develop and maintain a diverse and inclusive Board that is representative of the community, highly engaged, and willing to leverage and secure resources;
• Build OBT’s next strategic, organization-wide plan that considers current and projected needs, centers upon anti-racist and inclusive practices, and responds to the future of work.
• Engage with OBT’s existing public and private funding partners to support the organization’s strategy for growth and impact;
• Ensure the organization’s financial health and align fundraising goals to OBT’s short and long-term opportunities for growth and expansion;
• Lead OBT’s Development team in designing and aligning fundraising efforts with the strategic plan,
• In partnership with the Vice President of Finance and the Board of Directors, provide guidance and oversight for all aspects of financial management for the organization, including the development of the annual budget and management of organizational fundraisers.
External Engagement & Thought Leadership
• Continue to raise OBT’s visibility as a leader in the workforce community, while serving as the organization’s representative to all external stakeholders
• Work with the Communications Department staff, provide direction, and provide oversight of all formal communications tools, including newsletters and the OBT website;
• Foster relationships and partnerships with local, state, national, and global leaders of workforce and economic development, including media platforms and influencers that will elevate OBT’s mission and values;
• Build upon OBT’s capacity to leverage programmatic outcomes and experiences to inform research, influence policy, and support economic-development opportunities in service of the communities that OBT serves.
Qualifications
Concrete demonstrable experience and other qualifications include:
• Demonstrated passion with a record of service for OBT’s mission, young adults, and immigrant communities;
• Demonstrated commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, as evidenced through prior experience in organizational leadership and management;
• Demonstrated track record of fundraising success with a range of funders and partners;
• Experience with strategic planning processes, including developing and implementing an organization-wide strategic plan;
• Demonstrated experience in leading blended work and/or learning environments along with expertise in best practices for virtual programming and team development;
• 7-10 years of senior management experience in an organization similar to OBT in scope and scale,
Application Process:
OBT is working in partnership with Community Resource Exchange (CRE) to fill this position. It is strongly advised that you submit a cover letter that indicates why you are a great candidate for the Chief Executive Officer position at OBT, in addition to your resume that details all qualifications and experiences by e-mail to obtceo@crenyc.org. The deadline for submissions is Friday, 4/23, though interested candidates are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible. Please put CEO Search in the email’s subject line.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, OBT is committed to creating a workplace that respects and values diversity of cultural, ethnic, and experiential backgrounds. We strongly encourage candidates who represent the communities we serve to apply.