Executive Director

Executive Director

Just Roots Chicago

Salaried, Full-Time, Exempt

Organization Background

Just Roots envisions caring communities that motivate and support all residents to participate and access food in ways that promote and sustain the holistic health of people and the environment. We strive to support our community in three primary ways:

• Improved holistic health and well-being for residents through the production, harvest, and consumption of healthy, culturally affirming food
• The development of a thriving community that learns and shares about local, healthy, regenerative food practices together
• Greater collaboration and resource sharing among urban farmers working to support the development of a local, regenerative, and community-driven food system

Guided by that vision, Just Roots works in collaboration with communities to develop and expand access to local, sustainably grown food. Founded in 2017, the organization began as a small incubator farm on Chicago’s south side. Since then, Just Roots has developed two community farms in collaboration with faith-based organizations — the Saint James Community Farm, located on Chicago’s south side, and It Takes A Village Community Farm, located in Chicago’s south suburbs. Just Roots’ farms are home to a range of healthy food access initiatives, education programs for youth and adults, and community events. Beyond the farms, Just Roots provides technical support to neighboring farms and gardens to co-create a more resilient and collaborative local food system.

Just Roots is entering an exciting new chapter. Since our founding, the organization has grown every year in revenue, staff size, and community impact. We are now seeking our next Executive Director to build on this momentum — a leader with genuine passion for local, sustainable agriculture and the ability to lead the organization into its next chapter of growth and impact, in partnership with the board, staff, partners, funders, and the broader community. The ideal candidate will bring strong organizational leadership and a deep alignment with our core values: Interdependence, Equity, Responsibility, Collaboration, Restoration, and Joy.

Desired Qualifications:

• A minimum of five years of experience in a leadership role for a nonprofit organization
• Experience with securing a diverse mix of revenue through government funding, foundation grants, individual donors, and corporate sponsorships with the ability to create and execute on a vision for sustainable growth
• An effective communicator with internal and external stakeholders
• Experience, cultural awareness, and sensitivity working alongside communities experiencing food insecurities
• A passion for our community-centered mission, vision, and values

Primary Responsibilities:

• Organizational Sustainability: Serves as the primary person responsible for the financial and operational sustainability of the organization
• Relationship Building: Serves as the primary person responsible for cultivating and stewarding long-term relationships with donors, funders, and strategic partners, including other organizations and communities experiencing food insecurities
• Management: Supervises three director-level positions and fosters a culture of professional growth and joy for all team members
• Board Partner and Liaison: Serves as the main point of contact for the Board, fosters individual relationships with all Board members, and works with Board leadership to ensure thoughtful onboarding of new members, smooth leadership transitions, and a healthy new member pipeline
• Strategic Planning: Leads implementation of Just Roots' strategic plan and primary responsibility for envisioning program development and tracking progress towards vision and goals
• Fundraising: Leads all development initiatives, including donor stewardship, fundraising events, grant writing, and development of earned revenue streams

Other Responsibilities:

• Ambassador to healthcare institutions, local community organizations and business, and other urban agriculture entities with the goal of building supportive relationships
• Leads all finance work, including budgeting and accounting
• Cultivates and elevates the environmental links between urban agriculture and social and racial justice for the organization and the team

Equal Opportunity Employment: Just Roots works affirmatively to provide equal opportunity among its workforce and does not discriminate in the selection of its staff on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, income, marital status, or any other dimension of identity. We strongly encourage applications from diverse candidates, particularly individuals from groups that have been historically under-represented, including but not limited to women, people of color, and immigrants (including individuals who were formerly detained, incarcerated, undocumented, or who have navigated the immigration legal system).

In addition to the above salary, we provide the following benefits:

• A competitive medical, dental, and retirement benefits package
• Partial travel reimbursement
• Regular professional development and opportunities for growth
• A 4-day work week during the winter months (December-February)
• A hybrid work schedule (2-3 days on-site, 2-3 days from home)
• Liberal flexible and assigned paid time off, federal holidays and accrual policies
• Optional no-cost enrollment in our CSA program
• An inclusive team environment where we actively work to foster joy, mutual respect, and continued personal and professional growth