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Job Description for Part-Time Executive Director (ED) position

Industrial Design Outreach (IDO), a 501(c)(3) organization, is seeking an Executive Director, located in San Francisco, Bay Area, CA to replace the current Founder. This person will be responsible for leading all aspects of the organization. While strong leadership and strategic thinking is required, this position would be best suited for an entrepreneurially-minded professional with experience growing organizations, fundraising and scaling non profits or businesses. Must be passionate about our mission at the intersection of design innovation and education to underprivileged youth with ability to build connections to design-forward institutions, education partners and mission-aligned funders. The ideal candidate is excited for the opportunity to make a big impact and scale an organization and its mission with an opportunity to grow the ED role from a part-time into a full-time position over time. The Executive Director will report directly to the IDO Board of Directors.

Industrial Design Outreach, Inc. (IDO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization with a mission to foster curiosity, promote creativity and build self-confidence in high-school aged youth from underserved communities through design education. IDO provides project-based educational programs in the field of design directly within high schools, utilizing the experiences of design exploration to impart life and vocational skills such as creative thinking, decision making, and idea generation. The program is delivered to students by Program Directors assisted by a professional team of trained mentors. The IDO curriculum supplements students’ existing studies and occurs within the typical school day or as an after-school offering. To find out more, visit https://www.industrialdesignoutreach.org/.

Job Responsibilities:

● Provides leadership to the staff, the Board, volunteers and the community at large, by modeling and upholding IDO’s mission and values. Builds organizational and financial capacity to meet the demand for our services and ensures IDO’s positive reputation within the community.

● Leads long-range planning and visioning including assessment of programs, in partnership with the Board. Ensures that the IDO strategic plan is fulfilled and updated as necessary.

● In collaboration with the Board builds and maintains authentic relationships with funders and prospective donors and has major responsibility for developing, enhancing, and maintaining diverse revenue streams. The ED must be able to successfully engage with individual donors and other funders to communicate the lasting impact that IDO can provide to youth.

● Is the external face of IDO — cultivates robust partnerships, is a steward for new and prospective donors; recognizes and deepens relationships with current and future supporters, and educates the public at large to further IDOs’s mission.

● Plans, leads and executes IDOs development efforts. Oversees the research, writing and submission of grant proposals and related reporting; manages and pursues individual, corporate, community, government and foundation relationships; develops and manages events; writes and plans direct mail and donor campaigns; and builds fundraising donor databases.

● Responsible for recruiting and managing Program Directors, volunteer networks and (eventually) staff, and ultimately the delivery of IDO programs. The ED will oversee the quality of programs ensuring they have deep and long-term impact on target communities through participation in program planning, development by and with staff, and play a supporting role along with Program Directors to manage Staff and Volunteer Mentors.

● Develops the annual budget and ensures proper controls in accordance with the guidelines of funding sources and with sound accounting practices. Maintains fiscal solvency of the non-profit, working with the Board Finance Committee and a contract bookkeeper.

● Engages, develops and encourages a strong, active Board that assists IDO in fulfilling its mission. Ensures that the Board is actively involved in governance, planning, fundraising and outreach activities that help build relationships that benefit IDO. Help recruit and retain Board members. Ensure that the Board is supported in fundraising efforts.

Ideal Background:

● Remote role, ideally based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

● 5-7 years experience in fast-paced, start-up companies or non-profit management as an executive director, program director or equivalent.

● Demonstrated passion for and commitment to any of the following: growing movements, supporting youth from underprivileged backgrounds, the nonprofit sector, education, industrial design, arts and related issues. This should be evident from your work and/or volunteer experience. Please expound on this in your cover letter.

● Solution-oriented; able to inspire possibility yet maintains attention on accomplishing important work and milestones efficiently.

● Resourceful—able to set goals and respond to challenges creatively.

● Verifiable success in fundraising and/or development activity; start-up fundraising, major donor, grant writing and reporting, event management.

● Financial acumen; budgeting and financial management.

● Experience working with and for a Board of Directors.

● Proven ability to build and maintain a highly-motivated and diverse staff and volunteer network.

● Exemplary communication skills including public speaking and writing; ability to network with community partners, schools, business executives, foundation officials, donors and the media.

● Possess integrity, a strong work ethic and commitment to upholding the IDO mission, and values.

● Literacy, fluency in design and the language of design.

If interested, please submit a PDF cover letter and resume to ido@industrialdesignoutreach.org with the

subject line “Your First and Last Name/Executive Director Position.”

Job Type: Part-Time 1099 Independent contractor position. Exact compensation may vary based on skills and experience.

IDO is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company culture.

IDO does not discriminate against candidates and employees because of their disability, sex, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, or any other protected status under the law.

Get in touch.

As we strive to broaden our impact, we're seeking passionate volunteers to join us in various capacities such as mentorship, marketing, fundraising, and program development. If you're eager to share your creative expertise, enthusiasm, leadership skills, or mentorship, we'd love to hear from you. Together, we can inspire and nurture the next generation of innovators. Get in touch today to explore how you can contribute to our exciting journey!