Assistant Director - Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates

About the position

NOVA is a small non-profit organization that has served voters in Northeast Ohio for 13 years with both in-person voter registration services for underserved communities, and public advocacy for voting rights. We are currently in the process of becoming a more formal, professional, powerful organization, which requires shifting key responsibilities from our volunteer board of directors to paid leadership staff. 

The assistant director will work closely with the president of the board of directors, who currently handles most executive director responsibilities, as we seek grants, cultivate partnerships and hire additional staff. The assistant director will also supervise day-to-day staff and volunteer activities in collaboration with the board president. We expect the candidate for this position to ultimately step into the executive director role with commensurate salary, contingent on grant funding. The assistant director position is currently funded for 12 months.

Qualifications: 

This position is ideal for a mid-career professional interested in moving into nonprofit executive leadership. We are seeking applicants who share our passion for voting, have had direct experience in:

• training and organizing volunteers
• managing staff in a positive, supportive working environment; 
• building and maintaining productive partnerships with nonprofits, grassroots community groups and government organizations;
• cultivating relationships with community foundations and potential donors;
• working with spreadsheets and making data-informed decisions

A bachelor’s degree with at least two years of experience is preferred, but candidates with additional experience and no degree will be considered. Bilingual candidates are also preferred, particularly candidates who speak languages commonly spoken in Cleveland’s immigrant communities, such as Spanish, Arabic, Nepali, Swahili, Dari or Pashto.

The ideal candidate must work with diverse colleagues in partner and stakeholder organizations, including government and grassroots programs in health, food aid, housing, job training, and educational organizations, as well as carceral settings. Applicants should have experience in projects that have made measurable improvements in low-income or disenfranchised communities. Existing connections with community organizations and leaders in Cleveland’s underserved neighborhoods are valued. 

We encourage applications from all interested candidates, including those with personal ties or lived experience to any of the underrepresented voter communities we serve, including:

• Low-income voters 
• Unhoused or unstably housed voters
• Formerly incarcerated voters
• Multilingual voters
• Voters in Cleveland’s wards 5 and 7.

Assistant Director Responsibilities: 

The assistant director’s long-term role will include:

• Managing NOVA’s part-time data analyst and grant writer
• Assisting with the hiring, training, development and supervision of new staff and interns
• Working with the Board of Directors to establish employment and administrative policies and procedures for all functions and for the day-to-day operation of the organization. 
• Identifying and developing community partnerships.
• Regularly updating the NOVA President on responsibilities, requests, and related community activities. 
• Recruiting community members to various committees.
• Publicizing NOVA’s turnout and voting research to NOVA partners such as Ohio Voice, Cleveland Votes, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and other civic and neighborhood groups. 

At the time of hiring, the assistant director will be the single full-time NOVA employee. Until additional staff, interns or volunteers are recruited to take over these responsibilities, the assistant director will also be responsible for:

• Recruiting and training NOVA volunteers in person and via Zoom for Voter Registration (VR), Vote-by-Mail (VBM) and Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) efforts. 
• Maintaining NOVA’s website for volunteer scheduling for specific times and locations
• Overseeing preparation of volunteer materials and bags. 
•  Assist with training other organizations’ staff to register their own clients and work with NOVA on increasing turnout, especially in lower-income wards. 
• Conduct outreach (voter registration, vote-by-mail) in the community when needed
• Managing NOVA’s GOTV program including text messaging and phone banking
• Maintaining NOVA’s volunteer database 
• Creating and testing specific civic engagement and voting messages in-person and on social media.
• Must have access to reliable transportation

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree with two years of commensurate experience or no degree and 3 years of commensurate experience. 
• Two to 3 years of organizational experience is preferred with a non-profit, advocacy, or civic organization serving lower income citizens. 

Reporting Relationships: 

The Assistant Director will report to the NOVA president on a regular basis and provide the NOVA board with a summary report of activities, including metrics, at board meetings. 

Position Location and Timing: 

• This position is hybrid. NOVA has an office at Fairhill Center. Many tasks can be done remotely from a home office. Various community locations in Cleveland and adjacent suburbs have been used for meetings, training, and other purposes. 
• This is a full-time position. Days worked are typically Monday to Friday. In months prior to elections, Saturday and evening hours may be expected. Hours per week will fluctuate depending on peak and off season responsibilities. 
• Funding support for this position is secured for at least 12 months. 

Compensation:  

The salary range for the position is $55,000 to $60,000, depending on qualifications. Healthcare benefits and paid vacation are included. Mileage between sites will be reimbursed. Employees are paid twice a month. 

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and references to NOVA’s Board President, Meredith Hellmer at president@nova-ohio.org.