Executive Director

About SAF

Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring students and farmworkers together to learn about each other's lives, share resources and skills, improve conditions for farmworkers, and build diverse coalitions working for social change.

SAF works with farmworkers, students, and advocates in the Carolinas to create a more just agricultural system. Since 1992, the organization has engaged thousands of students, farmworker youth, and community members in the farmworker movement.

Organizational Values

• Cultivate uncommon leaders for collective action.
• Center the experiences of farmworkers and young people.
• Bridge differences through the sharing of personal truths.
• Have fun and be creative.
• Fight the ongoing struggle for justice: un día a la vez (one day at a time).

Position Summary

The Executive Director is responsible for SAF's overall organizational health, strategy, and mission alignment by serving as the organization's primary fundraiser, financial manager, and leader in Board and HR development. This role oversees all aspects of the organization, focusing on compliance, best practices, inclusive participation, and strong community and partner relationships that advance farmworker advocacy.

As SAF prepares to welcome its 36th class of student interns working with farmworkers across the Carolinas, the Board of Directors seeks a strategic, compassionate leader ready to guide SAF into its next phase: someone with the experience and creativity to adapt a well-established, highly effective organization for long-term sustainability in a changing environment. Candidates should bring strong skills in finance, fundraising, strategic planning, and values-driven leadership. SAF's primary stakeholders are young people (college and high school-aged) as well as farmworkers and their families, and the ideal candidate will love working with these groups.

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Terms: This is a full-time position requiring a flexible schedule, as some evenings and weekend events/meetings are expected. Some overnight travel within North and South Carolina is required, particularly during the summer months when Into the Fields is operating. Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the U.S. and a valid driver's license. The role is hybrid, based at SAF's Durham, NC office, requiring 2–3 days on-site per week. Candidates must reside in the Triangle, NC region.

Duties and Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership and Strategy

The Executive Director is a strategic thinker responsible for the organization, building alignment with the mission, vision, values, and short and long-term goals. They are authentic, accessible, supportive, and consistently model the professionalism and accountability they seek in others. The Executive Director will foster a healthy working and learning environment for staff, board, and program participants.

• Strategic Planning: One of the Executive Director’s first and most important projects will be to lead an effective, collaborative organizational Strategic Planning process in 2027.
• Fiscal Evaluations: Evaluate the cost of programs and operations to ensure SAF’s long-term sustainability.
• Active Leadership: Listen actively and humbly to SAF’s stakeholders, including program participants, alumni, staff, board, partner organizations, and funders.
• Program Assessments: Work with the board and staff to evaluate new learnings, implement changes, refinements, and new initiatives to SAF’s programs and activities, while doing it in a way that supports SAF’s mission and values, and is sustainable for the long-term.

Financial Management

The Executive Director is responsible for understanding and interpreting financial statements, budgets, cash flow, audits, and the 990.

• Budgeting: Deep understanding of nonprofit fiscal management; including annual planning/budgeting, tracking program and operating income and expenses, and maintaining strong financial controls.
• Bookkeeping: Working knowledge of bookkeeping/accounting software, and ability to partner with Finance staff and external auditors on financial reports and the annual audit.
• Fiscal Governance: Collaborate with the Board Treasurer to help Board members understand their fiscal governance role.
• Transparency: Champions financial transparency with staff, stakeholders, and funders.

Fundraising and Development Experience

The Executive Director is the lead fundraiser for SAF, ensuring the Board, staff, and program participants have the resources and tools they need to succeed. The Executive Director is a strong writer and thinks creatively about fundraising.

• Fundraising: Leads the creation and execution of an annual fundraising plan with the Fundraising Team, cultivating relationships with government agencies, foundations, corporations, individual donors, and community partners.
• Donor Engagement: Carefully stewards donor and funder relationships, connecting SAF's donors and funders to the meaningful impact of their support.
• Grant Management: Serves as SAF's lead grant writer and manager, leveraging staff and Board skills and relationships to identify, pursue, and secure funding that advances SAF's strategic priorities.

Social Justice Advocacy and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Executive Director will lead with an understanding of social justice issues and a willingness and commitment to continue to develop specialized expertise in farmworker justice.

• Inclusion: Works to dismantle barriers to full participation in SAF's programs and structures, fostering a culture where staff, Board members, and program participants can bring their full selves.
• Language Justice: Practices language justice by supporting bilingual communications to the greatest extent possible.
• Learning & Training: Supports ongoing learning and growth through the Equity Team and monthly staff Equity meetings and identifying appropriate training and development opportunities on these topics.

Operations and Governance

The Executive Director ensures SAF operates with sound structure, effective systems, and strong governance partnership with the Board.

• Board Partnership: Ensures the Board has full and consistent access to information to effectively govern, including Board operations, planning, and policy implementation; collaborating with the Executive Committee; providing succinct written monthly updates; and supporting Board recruitment.
• Operations and Technology: Secures effective and reliable workspace, technology, procedures, and infrastructure that supports smooth daily operations. Ensures collaborative team meetings, and consistent deadline and workflow tracking.
• Compliance, Policies, and Procedures: Manages and mitigates organizational risk, by establishing appropriate risk management systems. Lead SAF compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Understands nonprofit governance, tax status and structure, and regularly works with Board and staff to maintain appropriate policies and procedures. Maintains an active membership in professional networks (e.g., NC Center for Nonprofits).

Human Resources

The Executive Director provides excellence in onboarding, recruitment, retention, management, professional development, and compliance, building and retaining a skilled staff that reflects SAF's broad base of alumni and program participants.

• Hiring and onboarding: Conducts employee hiring in alignment with employment law, best practices, and SAF's values, through supportive onboarding for new hires.
• Labor relations: Leads employee relations, addressing personnel concerns with confidentiality and compliance with SAF's policies and collective bargaining agreement; leads labor relations, including tri-annual CBA negotiations.
• Performance and development: Supports staff performance through supervision, training, professional development, and effective annual reviews, promoting work-life balance and identifying growth opportunities.

Relationship Building

The Executive Director will build and steward lasting relationships with SAF’s extensive alumni network, with partner organizations in the farmworker movement, as well as with funders, industry groups, media, and other nonprofit sector colleagues.

• Collaboration: Collaborate with partners who share SAF’s goals of improving working conditions in agriculture and educational attainment for farmworker youth.
• Engagement & Feedback: Network regularly with SAF alumni and partners, inviting their input and feedback, and providing regular opportunities to engage with SAF.
• Communication: Serve as SAF’s lead external spokesperson, and reviews outgoing communications for quality, tone, accuracy, and alignment with values.

SAF Programs, Vision, and Planning

The Executive Director helps the Program Team create the conditions to achieve SAF’s mission, with programs that are high impact, well-implemented, and evaluated on an annual cycle.

• Program Management: Collaborate with the Director of Programs to ensure that annual program plans are aligned with SAF’s mission, values, and long-term goals, and that staff have the resources they need to carry them out, including intentional participation in programs. Take part in program orientations and retreats, maintaining visibility with SAF program participants and sharing expertise.
• Sustainability: Ensure that SAF’s programs are conducted sustainably, achieving lasting results in accordance with the resources available.
• Youth Engagement: Create opportunities for youth to engage in SAF committees and governance.
• Advocacy: Serve as SAF’s lead spokesperson in advocacy efforts, and represents SAF in external coalitions, research partnerships, and programs that advance shared goals.

Qualifications

Minimum

• Strong commitment to popular education and SAF’s mission and values.
• At least five years of experience in a leadership position in a relevant field. Must understand the legal frameworks for creating and running a nonprofit. Executive Director or Assistant Director experience preferred.
• Three years minimum staff supervision experience and development of staff or equivalent experience.
• Experience managing program budgets and logistics.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in fundraising and grant writing.
• Experience representing an organization externally.
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse communities and partners.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proficiency with MS Office and comfort learning CRM/data systems.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel.

Preferred

• SAF alumni.
• Familiarity with farmworker experiences and advocacy.
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience).
• Bilingual English/Spanish.

SAF offers a generous benefits package, including 100% health, medical, and dental coverage for full-time employees, employer-supported 401K membership at the 1-year anniversary, and more than 30 days of annual paid holiday, vacation, and personal leave. Additionally, full-time employees are eligible for a paid sabbatical after 5 years of service.

Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.