Executive Director

About the role:The Executive Director is the primary leader of the organization and has the overall responsibility for the strategic, operational, and financial health of the organization. You will be expected to provide visionary leadership to build and drive forward the mission of the organization in a sustainable manner. The ED will work closely with the founders and Board of Directors to shape and define the strategy and direction of the organization. Besides ensuring that the organization's strategies are effectively implemented, the Executive Director will also lead fundraising in the organization, nurturing crucial external relationships and partnerships, and embodying the culture of the organization.

Role Summary:

1. Visionary leadership: Provide visionary leadership to ensure that the organization's mission and strategies are effectively executed and communicated to all stakeholders.
2. Organizational strategy: Lead the development of strategy across program and organizational areas, ensuring alignment and cohesion across teams.
3. External relationship building and partnerships: Foster and maintain strategic relationships with key stakeholders from the private, public, and civil sectors while representing the organization externally.
4. Fundraising: Identify, set, and work to achieve our fundraising targets
5. Organizational culture: Co-develop, exemplify, and nurture the organizational culture, ensuring that it is communicated and practiced throughout the organization.

Responsibilities:

1. Setting strategy and team alignment:
   a. Define, articulate, and champion the organization's vision, mission, values, and USP to ensure all stakeholders are working towards a common goal
   b. Work with senior teammates to develop, maintain, and implement a strategic plan that aligns with the organization's mission while adapting to evolving needs and challenges. This includes setting both short-term and long-term objectives
   
   
2. External representation of the organization:
   a. Represent the organization in public forums, media, and policy discussions
   b. Identify opportunities for others in the organization to also represent in such forums as well
   c. Serve as an advocate for our vision and approach, influencing public opinion, and driving systemic change
   
   
3. Maintaining stakeholder relationships:
   a. Based on our strategic needs, identify individuals and networks from the public, private, and civil society sectors with whom we need to maintain strong relationships
   b. Proactively build and maintain the above relationships through regular meetings, calls, and invitation to engage with our work
   
   
4. Fundraising:
   a. Work with other teams, including programmatic and finance teams, to set fundraising targets
   b. Based on fundraising targets, work with program teams and senior leadership to achieve them, including pitching to larger funders
   c. Create pitches and actively pitch to existing and new funders
   
   
5. Culture and team leadership:
   a. Commit to making time to work on yourself on a consistent basis in order to show up as your best self for the team
   b. Work with other senior teammates to celebrate the successes and diversity of our team
   c. Build the the capacity of your direct reportees directly and through external learning and development opportunities

Required Qualification & Abilities:

• At least 10 years of work experience in the impact sector (may include stints in other sectors as well)
• At least 4 years in a senior leadership role
• Able to see the big and small picture, and then able to prioritize accordingly
• Extremely strong communicator to a diverse set of actors including public, private, civil society, and community-based actors and organizations
• Ability to do end-to-end fundraising including research, high level pitch, proposal and budget writing, pitching, and then closing the deal
• Facilitation across a diverse team
• Ability to align team to systems
• Ability to mentor and coach others
• Strong connection to multiple funders in the impact sector
• Strong connection to organizations across multiple sectors in the Indian development sector
• Ability to build and maintain relevant professional networks
• Ability to communicate about our work in a way that builds new networks and connection
• Understanding of the the fundraising landscape in India
• Understanding of the impact landscape and trends
• Understanding of public policy and where nonprofits fit in
• Knowledge of challenges facing rural Indian youth and rural Indian communities