SENIOR CONSULTANT
ABOUT CRE For forty-one years, CRE has prepared leaders and strengthened organizations to drive social change. As a nonprofit consulting firm, we provide the strategies and tools needed to build equitable and sustainable, high-performing organizations, working with 500 organizations each year. As we adjust to our new reality and work to bolster our team, organization, and sector, we are seeking a skilled, thoughtful, seasoned leader to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a deep commitment to the social sector and alignment with CRE’s mission of strengthening organizations to reduce poverty, promote equity, and increase opportunity.
Critically, the ideal candidate also will exemplify and promote CRE’s values as shared below, including our deepening commitment to racial equity and to dismantling anti-Blackness.
- Collaboration: We are smarter and more creative when we work together (and it’s more fun too).
- Diversity, Equity + Inclusion: We believe that true impact can only be achieved when we lift up diverse voices that have not always been heard.
- Accountability + Excellence: We promise excellence in all that we do and hold ourselves accountable to the community, the people we serve, and each other.
- Reflective Practice: We appreciate the big questions, tough discussions, and unexpected answers.
- Power of Change: We believe that change is always possible and unleashes opportunity and the potential for creative solutions that improve communities.
- Courage: We embrace bold ideas and risks that allow us to partner with clients as they overcome challenges and move toward change.
ABOUT OUR TEAM Our team of 30 program/consulting and operations staff comprise dynamic, diverse, mission-aligned thought-partners, deeply invested in advancing social change. We co-create, transform, and challenge organizations to be their best. We value our people, the journey, and the promise of change. We believe all communities are rich in ideas, capacity, and care. We believe in love—love for our work, our clients, ourselves, and for each other. We lead with an unapologetic commitment to equity, especially in times of stress and uncertainty. For more, see our staff page, https://crenyc.org/about-us/our-team/.
ABOUT THE ROLE The Senior Consultant (“SC”) will play a key role at CRE, strengthening social sector organizations by leading the design and implementation of a variety of consulting, coaching, and training engagements. Partnering with a cross-section of CRE clients, the SC will be accountable for leading the achievement of expected outcomes and deliverables for those engagements, within a team-based model. The SC also will be responsible for product development; supporting client cultivation and development of opportunities to engage new clients; increasing CRE’s visibility in the sector; continuous learning; and sharing of new practices that deepen expertise within CRE and the sector. They will be expected to contribute to the organization’s growth and development, and may at some point have supervisory responsibility.
As a representative of CRE to internal and external partners, the SC must have the ability to maintain a broad focus while attending to details, and to prioritize and complete multiple tasks effectively and efficiently. This position requires significant writing, speaking, critical-thinking, teamwork and client engagement skills—at a level that builds trust within our team and with our social sector clients, and achieves timely, quality outcomes.
Client Services and Sector Impact
- Lead broad, multi-faceted consulting engagements, specifically in strategic planning, as well as in other CRE practice areas
- Lead leadership development using peer-based learning, team facilitation, and coaching
- Bring a variety of perspectives and analysis to client work, including broad knowledge of how different organizational development areas intersect and add value to the work
- Build and maintain client relationships grounded in trust and collaboration; navigate the various dynamics that can exist among multiple stakeholders
- Lead and contribute to client projects amounting to a specific revenue target each year, to be determined with CRE leadership
- Lead CRE project teams that involve multiple stakeholders, coordinating between team members and clients while also mentoring and supporting CRE team members
- Manage projects effectively and seamlessly – including budgets, schedules, and timelines – while ensuring clarity in client communications
- Share insights and expertise by writing for knowledge-sharing outlets and social sector publications, and presenting at sector-wide events and professional gatherings
- Prepare proposals to potential clients; over time, bring in repeat and new clients to CRE
- Develop and expand CRE’s services to meet the needs of clients
Contributions to CRE
- Support colleagues and internal efforts that drive CRE’s growth and development, including contributing to CRE’s knowledge management initiatives by writing articles, blogs, or case studies and serving as a resource to other colleagues and teams
- Participate actively in staff meetings and professional development initiatives
- Support, model and advance racial equity within the organization, and actively engage in all internal racial equity sessions for learning and activation
- Collaborate with marketing staff to promote CRE’s offerings and special events
- Adhere to CRE’s contracting, program policies, and processes (e.g., time entry, Salesforce entries, budget management, relationship management, documentation)
Qualifications and Experience
- A minimum of five years of consulting experience or executive leadership at a nonprofit
- Strong knowledge of, and experience with, the social sector—particularly in NYC, and particularly with organizations that address poverty and social justice; understanding of the philanthropic world is a plus
- Experience in organizational development and capacity building
- Understanding of and experience with strategic planning
- Understanding and appreciation of change management principles and processes
- Ability to identify and design appropriate consulting strategies/interventions for clients, as well as the ability to pivot when situations require a different course of action
- Experience in research and design methodologies such as survey design, program design, program development, prototyping, scaling or innovation, research to practice, and financial modeling a plus
- Familiarity with organizational assessment and diagnostics, quantitative and qualitative review methods, nonprofit finance, operations, compliance, and governance
- Knowledge of and point of view on societal and racial inequities that frame the challenges CRE’s clients tackle
- Self-awareness of social identities and how to manage dynamics of difference and power in interpersonal relationships with colleagues, clients and partners
- Proficiency in a second language (in addition to English) preferred
- Ability to effectively work from home at the highest level of accountability, as well as to be able to physically join the team should there be a new permanent or temporary office setup in New York City
Core Competencies
- Strong client service orientation and an approach to clients as partners
- Proactive and a can-do attitude
- Strong problem solver and creative thinker
- Exceptional interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to build relationships
- Analytical and quantitative skills; ability to synthesize data and recognize trends a plus
- Outstanding project management skills; organized, detail-oriented and able to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present ideas effectively with presence
- Committed and open to learning; open to asking for and giving feedback
- A team player; collaborative, collegial, and supportive; a sense of humor is a huge plus
- Empathetic; able to meet clients, partners, and staff where they’re at .
COMPENSATION The salary range for this position is $92K-$112K+, depending on experience (e.g., five years of executive/consulting experience versus 10+ years). CRE also offers a generous benefits package that includes 20 total days of PTO (paid time off), a modest bonus structure in years when both organizational performance and financial health support it, health insurance, flexible-spending accounts, and a 403b retirement plan.
HOW TO APPLY For consideration, please send your resume and a cover letter that explains clearly your fit for this role/CRE and the value you will add; your ability to engage in critical racial equity conversations and actions as part of your internal and external work; and your alignment with CRE values. Send to recruiting@crenyc.org and indicate “Senior Consultant” in the subject line.
CRE is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with the Americans with Disability Act.