Director of the Center for Equity & Justice

ABOUT THE POSITION

YWCA GREENWICH launched a new Center for Equity and Justice in 2020 to serve as a community cornerstone dedicated to knowledge dissemination, capacity building, and collaboration to achieve its mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The CEJ is guided by four independent and intersecting pillars-community education, direct programming, policy advocacy, and systemic change initiatives.

The Director of the Center for Equity and Justice (“Director” and “CEJ”) is responsible for the overall strategy and implementation of the CEJ’s programs and initiatives. The Director reports to the President & CEO and is a “director” level position within the organization along with other department heads and program leaders. The Director is also an outward facing position representing the organization within or leading coalitions and other initiatives in the community, the state and the YWCA federation. The Director also works closely with the Equity and Justice Committee of the Board of Directors and supervises several part-time staff.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Community Education and Awareness Raising

• The Director is responsible for a robust variety of community education and awareness raising events. These events include the annual event marking Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in January and the annual Stand Against Racism (SAR) in April. SAR is conducted by YWCAs across the country with different themes each year.

• In addition, the Director is responsible for developing in collaboration with the President & CEO additional educational events and initiatives. In the last few years, these events have been virtual, reaching new audiences. Topics included “Beyond Petitions and Protests: The Art of Being an Authentic Ally,” “Black @: A Conversation about Race, Culture and Curriculum in our Schools,” Overcoming Racial Health Disparities: During and Beyond COVID-19,” and “Raising Our Voices: Women and Girls Discuss Intersectionality.”

Direct Programming

• YWCA Greenwich provides direct programming through a variety of educational and training programs.
• Direct programming is centered on YWCA Greenwich’s DIVE Program (Diversity, Inclusion, Values and Equity), recently renamed “Toward Justice”, which is a comprehensive, age-appropriate curriculum on foundational concepts in diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism. In the past few years, CEJ has delivered this training to 17 different nonprofits, schools, houses of worship and other institutions and businesses in the community, as well as to staff and other constituents at the YWCA. The Director will be responsible for delivery of this curriculum both inside and outside of YWCA Greenwich.
• The Director will also be responsible for customized training both internally and externally on Towards Justice and other related, individualized content.

Policy Advocacy

• YWCA Greenwich develops and publishes an annual legislative agenda and conducts policy advocacy on the local, state and federal level. The Director will be responsible for developing this annual agenda in collaboration with the President & CEO, which is approved by the Board of Directors annually.

• The Director will also be responsible for the advocacy of the YWCA, including writing testimony for the Connecticut General Assembly, and engaging in grassroots advocacy among YWCA constituents. All policy advocacy is conducted within the IRS limits for 501(c)(3) organizations. YWCA Greenwich also engages in other educational initiatives, collaborations and awareness raising around public policy issues central to our mission and programs.

Systemic Change Initiatives

• YWCA Greenwich and YWCAs around the country are devoted to addressing all forms of systemic oppression, whether based on race, gender, religion or any other dimension of personal or community identity. The Director will be responsible for the YWCA’s engagement in systemic change initiatives, which is a growth area for the organization. This often involves research and coalition building, and systemic change should intersect with the other areas of responsibility outlined above. YWCA Greenwich recently engaged a consultant experienced with developing a theory of change to help identify and plan for a systemic change initiative, and the Director will be responsible to drive this initiative forward in collaboration with President & CEO.

• Other opportunities for systemic change may include consulting, cohort learning opportunities, individualized capacity building, and other customized collaborations.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion work in the for-profit or nonprofit spaces is preferred
• Experience in policy advocacy, community education and/or systemic change initiatives are also preferred.
• Excellent writing skills, communication skills and experience in training/facilitation are required.
• Knowledge of Results Based Accounting or other social outcome measurement systems is preferred.

Key competencies include:

• Passion for YWCA Greenwich’s mission and vision
• Collaboration
• Goal setting
• Communication/persuasion o Relationship building/networking
• The ability to get others to support the YWCA’s mission

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $110,000 annually. YWCA Greenwich offers a competitive benefits package.

HOW TO APPLY

YWCA Greenwich has retained Morten Group, LLC to conduct this search. Applicants should complete the form available at https://bit.ly/ywca-cej, including the submission of a cover letter and resume in PDF format by the best consideration date of Friday, May 27, 2023. Cover letters will be evaluated as a writing sample.

YWCA Greenwich commits to provide equal employment to all qualified persons solely on the basis of job-related skills, ability, and merit, without regard to race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, genetics, physical or mental disability or handicap, or any other protected class status. YWCA Greenwich will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would result in an undue hardship, and provide a workplace free from sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.

Women, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI and LGBQ+ persons are encouraged to apply.