Executive Director

About the Fair Housing Justice Center

The Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) is an impactful non-profit civil rights organization that serves New York City and seven surrounding New York counties of Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester. FHJC’s mission is to: 1) challenge and eliminate housing discrimination; 2) promote policies that foster open and accessible communities; and 3) strengthen the enforcement of local, state, and federal fair housing laws.

Since its founding in 2005, the Fair Housing Justice Center has established itself as a leader in fighting housing discrimination. FHJC investigations have led to legal challenges that have opened more than 81,000 units of housing to previously excluded people, recovered more than $55 million in damages and penalties for housing discrimination victims, and changed the ways many private developers, landlords, housing providers and government agencies do business. Our large service area, broad range of investigations, energetic outreach, excellent policy advocacy, and strong litigation program make the FHJC one of the most effective and highly regarded fair housing organizations in the country.

For more information, please visit: www.fairhousingjustice.org

About the Executive Director Position

FHJC seeks an authentic relationship builder who is deeply rooted in civil rights and justice, brings a record of experience in nonprofit or government leadership, and possesses an in-depth understanding of the current issues surrounding fair housing and the laws that govern it. The ideal candidate has a steadfast commitment to the mission of the FHJC and thrives on building and sustaining trusting relationships with staff, board members, key partners, and individuals and families across New York City who rely on the FHJC as a deeply trusted and valued community leader.

The ideal candidate has a proven record as a strong manager and leader who cultivates a culture of mutual trust and partnership. They will empower their team with autonomy, practice active listening and support, and guide and coach the team to achieve objectives. Compelling candidates foster transparency, inspire accountability at all levels, and align the organization around a collective vision, all while remaining attuned to the complexities and challenges faced by both staff and the community, particularly the, structural traumas, both direct and vicarious, that are centralized in FHJC’s advocacy.

This leader will animate and model key organizational values as they engage, share power, and amplify the visibility of the organization. With a curious learning mindset, our future director is focused on ensuring the organization's long-term sustainability and impact. The ideal candidate will ensure the work of the FHJC is effective and efficient. To this end, they will be savvy with and embrace technology, understanding the importance of utilizing data and evidence to prosecute cases of housing discrimination and help measure outcomes of the FHJC’s efforts in an effective and efficient manner.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leader to build on a solid foundation of success and growth and continue to deepen and broaden the impact for which the FHJC is well known.

Responsibilities

Strategy and Leadership

• Collaborate with the board and staff to develop and implement the FHJC’s vision.
• Lead the FHJC’s strategy, collaborating with the board and staff to design, implement, and track organizational goals.
• Develop/maintain expertise in fair housing, overseeing fair housing litigation and assessing legal strategies.
• Develop and maintain trusting, transparent working relationships with the board and staff and ensure transparency about FHJC successes and challenges.
• Develop and implement plans that allow the FHJC to anticipate and address growth, meet unexpected challenges head on, adapt, adjust, and build resilience in staff and board.
• Ensure ongoing organizational excellence and accountability, rigorous performance evaluation and high-quality finance, administrative, fundraising, communications, and other systems.
• Collaborate with the board to maintain an active pipeline of potential board members, ensuring engaged leadership.

Culture and Values

• Model and animate the FHJC’s values, centering a sense of unity.
• Utilize these values as a north star for all activities by, within and amongst the FHJC, its staff, board and partners, as well as in our outreach and advocacy in the community at large.
• Monitor staff wellness, potential burnout and the presence of direct and vicarious structural trauma in the workspace, and implement meaningful practices and tools to ameliorate these issues.
• Facilitate positive, collaborative interactions among and between partners with a sensitivity to culture, identity, power structures and their organizational impact.
• Seek out and embrace feedback from staff and board and incorporate staff and board reflections and ideas into operations and planning.

Team Management

• Foster a collaborative culture of genuine teamwork and common purpose among all staff.
• Lead and manage the team of Directors and support their professional development as supervisors and the management and development of their teams.
• Oversee and support the full staff of 25 by developing structures and routines that facilitate effective teamwork, ongoing communication, and unity.
• Work with and shepherd the team through recent growth in size and scope, helping to identify and implement change in organizational structures, policies and procedures, as needed.
• Create clear expectations, holding staff accountable to fulfilling their responsibilities.
• Lead with a growth mindset, cultivating a deep bench of empowered, motivated, fair housing leaders.
• Promote collaboration across departments, functions, and tenures, and strengthen internal communications to cultivate strong, trusting working relationships at every level.
• Lead staff engagement, culture, and professional development while collaborating with staff for recruitment and hiring, ensuring a strong, engaged, and well-supported staff.

Financial Leadership

• Oversee the FHJC budget and finances and work in concert with staff to create and ensure adherence and compliance to applicable and appropriate financial policies, operations, and regulations.
• In partnership with the Director of Development, oversee and provide leadership for organizational sustainability with a focus on generating revenue from a variety of sources.
• Maintain and cultivate relationships with potential donors and institutional and government funders.

External Relations

• Serve as an active, external voice and champion of the FHJC with key leaders in the fair housing and civil rights community.
• Amplify the organization’s impact and advocate for critical issues that align with its mission.
• In partnership with the board and staff, seek out new partnerships and increase engagement and awareness in the NY region and nationally.
• In collaboration with the board and staff, design and implement comprehensive fundraising, storytelling, and marketing strategies to amplify the organization.
• Serve as a thought leader in fair housing, maximizing opportunities to present at conferences, speak on panels and other public media.

Qualifications

The FHJC Search Committee recognizes that not every candidate will bring every element of knowledge, skills, and experience listed below and welcomes candidates with a range of experiences.

• Passion, collaboration, and a deep and genuine commitment to the mission of the FHJC
• Leadership experience in fair housing and civil rights
• Record of open and human centered leadership and management with a committed, talented, and multidisciplinary staff who are exposed to trauma in their daily work
• Executive leadership experience with a proven record of building, empowering, supporting, and inspiring a group of staff and board members
• Demonstrated ability to build and nurture authentic, trust-based, cooperative, and high-impact relationships
• Leadership style rooted in humility, sharing power, co-creation and collaboration, and constructive guidance
• Record of proactive and creative problem solving and the ability to bridge the gap between strategy and execution, with experience overseeing key organizational functions, including strategy, finance, operations, and programs
• Experience working with a board of directors

The salary range for this role is $180-$220k. This is a full-time position with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage, paid time off (including parental leave), transportation benefit, stipend for use of personal phone, and an employer-matched retirement plan. This position requires work primarily from the FHJC’s office in Long Island City, Queens, NY.