Executive Director - NY

POSITION: Executive Director, NY

CLASSIFICATION: Full time – 40 hours, exempt

REPORTS TO: CEO

SALARY RANGE: $175-$200,000 Annually

POSITION START: Fall 2025

WORK SCHEDULE: Monday- Friday with some Saturdays. The schedule depends on organization needs and may include weekends and evenings.

Mission

A Sense of Home strives to prevent homelessness by creating homes and an ongoing community of care for displaced persons.

Why We Exist

At the moment of displacement an individual or family is at greatest risk of homelessness. We understand that to create a sense of home and sense of community is the most critical step towards preventing homelessness.

The cycle of homelessness begins after an individual or family abruptly loses their home. By providing furniture and home goods with the support of a community of volunteers, A Sense of Home provides the necessary foundation needed for a family or an individual to rebuild their lives and improve outcomes for themselves and those around them.

Who We serve

Former Foster Youth: 50% of the homeless population spent time in foster care and most young people that enter the foster care system are not adopted. At age 18 or 21 they leave the system without family or community and find themselves displaced. A former foster youth might be able to secure a housing voucher and a rental apartment but they have absolutely no means to secure the furniture and home goods to make it their home.

Disaster Relief: Over 11 million Americans are displaced by natural disasters in a single year. If trends continue, 1.2 billion people globally could be displaced due to disasters by 2050.The cycle of homelessness begins directly after displacement. Survivors of natural disasters will increasingly stream into homeless populations. After responding to the LA Fires with such speed and innovation by creating the new Disaster Relief Program, ASOH will bring this program to NY in readiness for when disaster strikes on the East Coast.

Additional programs will be launched in the coming years to support other displaced individuals and families such as women escaping domestic violence and human trafficking.

History

A Sense of Home was founded in 2014 by Georgie Smith and Melissa Goddard after a random act of kindness. They created a home for a 21-year-old young man who was released from the foster care system into a subsidized apartment with no furnishings and only a trash bag with his personal belongings. Smith's reaction to this young man’s cry for help was to create a home using secondhand furniture. What she thought was a one-off random act of kindness became a weekly ritual of community members renting trucks to collect donated furniture and home goods and creating up to four homes every Sunday. By October 2015, Smith formed a board and by March 2016, A Sense of Home was officially born. As of today, A Sense of Home has created 1,100 + homes for former foster youth placing over 3000 young people in beds.

Since launching the Disaster Relief Program in March, 20025 , ASOH has created over 300 homes for 1200 individuals.

After the transformation of thousands of lives — testing and honing the model within the greater Los Angeles area, the homeless prevention model pioneered by A Sense of Home is now expanding to major cities both in the US and internationally.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Given the success of the model operating in Los Angeles, and after much demand from the preeminent NY organizations in the foster care space, ASOH is opening in NY. The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring that the local site operates in accordance with established organizational policies, procedures, and guidelines.

The Executive Director is a mission driven, passionate and an excellent communicator who can share the vital way A Sense of Home is working to prevent homelessness. The ED will activate and engage staff and the NY board and strengthen partnerships with aligned organizations to enhance community engagement. This position will be able to identify new fundraising sources (as well as government grants) to further broaden the work of A Sense of Home.

The Executive Director will directly and indirectly manage a team of no less than five in the beginning including positions such as Program Director, Development & Communications Director, Operations Director, Community Engagement Manager, Resources & Housing Navigation Coordinator, Home Coordinator, Intake Coordinator, and the Logistics Coordinator. The ED will focus on continually improving the organization’s best practices and processes with a lens of promoting racial and gender equity.

The Executive Director will report to the national office and will work closely with the national staff to meet the needs of ASOH NY

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Management

• Manage executive team comprised of Program Director, Operations Director, and Development and Communications Director.
• Manage hiring/recruiting process for all open positions.
• Internalize all ASOH policies, procedures and guidelines and ensure thorough implementation by all stakeholders.
• Fulfill all aspects of existing local site budget, lead budgeting for future fiscal years.
• Establish and implement local site level strategic plans.
• Continuously improve best practices and promote racial and gender equity.
• Activate and engage staff and board as proactive brand ambassadors.

Development & Communications

• Represent the local site to all stakeholders and actively take part in certain high-profile public facing responsibilities such as leading Home Creations.
• Be the host of several VIP home creations each year, a one-of-a-kind immersive experience.
• Work with the DCD to tell ASOH’s story in accordance with guidelines, while setting and achieving revenue targets from grants, events, corporate sponsors, brand partners, online campaigns, Home Creation sponsorships and major giving efforts.
• Establish, maintain and grow relations with sponsors, donors and corporate partners.
• Each year introduce new strategic fundraising initiatives to increase individual giving, annually by 30% of gross revenue.
• Each year introduce new strategic marketing campaigns to increase brand partnership revenue by 25%, annually.

Program Management

• Ensure that the flow of applications is consistent, that all applications are processed with strict adherence to procedures, that all Home Creations are held in accordance to established protocols, that in-kind inventory is stable and growing, that the local site volunteer program is robust and expanding, and that the warehouse is operating safely and efficiently.
• Enhance reporting tools to honor participant voices in program design and evaluation.
• Develop and support the growth of young leaders; staff, pay it forward youth and student volunteers.
• Strengthen partnerships with aligned organizations to enhance community engagement.
• Monitor and adjust procedures as needed and ensure local site wide adherence.
• As a person with a track record of building strong systems, they will focus on implementing the strategic plan for sustainable growth and advancement whilst also expanding wrap around services.

Events & Fundraising

• ASOH provides an immersive transformative experience for all participants in a “Home Creation”. This Home Creation sponsorship is an opportunity for an individual, corporation or foundation to donate, volunteer and create a home for a young person in need. For cooperation it affords a one-of-a-kind team building experience. The ED and the team ensures all Home Creations are sponsored.
• The ASOH approach to the home creation is identical to our approach to development; everyone wins in the exchange. The immersive ASOH Home Creation (HC) experience is the standard for all ASOH events.
• The ASOH gala (and all events) must feel as authentic, emotional, grounded and inspiring as a Home Creation. The ED works with the national office to build upon the success of the annual ASOH gala https://asenseofhome.org/gala/.
• While HQ will help establish the first annual spring gala, the ED will manage the gala going forward and create new annual smaller fundraising events.
• Host an annual Holiday Gift Giving event and Summer Celebration.
• Harness the ASOH data base, custom online crowdfunding campaigns, and newsletters to increase annual revenue.

Operations Management

• Ensure all safety practices are communicated and implemented at all times.
• Ensure adequate inventory levels of supplies and home goods for Home Creations.
• Oversee procurement activities for the local site .
• Oversee in-kind donations management.
• Ensure proper documentation of inventory, recipients, sponsors, and donors in ASOH's proprietary workflow automation system (ASOH APP).
• Manage local site level human resources matters.
• Manage payroll for local site employees.
• Work with COO in regard to financial and data reporting.

Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted, modified or changed at any time at ASOH’s discretion, to fulfill the Position Purpose. Changes may be made formally, informally either verbally or in writing.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• A minimum of 8 years’ experience in progressively responsible roles within senior management positions.
• Ability to lead operations and collaborate with staff, work with diverse groups of people and a wide range of faiths, beliefs, ages, cultures, and experiences.
• Demonstrated fundraising success with major donors, private foundations and institutional partnerships.
• Demonstrated experience with community engagement, especially in regard to creating and implementing strategic outreach, marketing, and social media.
• Will be expected to drive as a part of the job. If licensed to drive, must have a valid driver’s license and sufficient auto insurance to comply with state laws.
• Strong working knowledge of Excel, Google Apps, email, social media networks, computers, smartphones, equipment, graphics software and CRM systems.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Salary is commensurate with experience. A Sense of Home offers a full benefits package including medical, dental, vision, short term disability, and life insurance.

The Executive Director will be expected to work full-time on location at the ASOH Operations Center. Schedule depends on ASOH needs and may frequently include weekends and evenings as well as some remote work.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Working with computers, cameras, scanners, phones, and printers
• Using various software including client database software, cloud based software such as Google Drive, Zoom, and DropBox.
• Communications over the phone, virtually and in person with persons outside the organization, supervisors, peers, etc.
• Organizing, planning, and prioritizing work
• Making decisions and solving problems
• Processing information and verifying accuracy of data
• Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships
• Assessing the qualities of things, services, or people
• Performing administrative activities
• Documenting/recording information and maintaining logs
• Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards/policies
• Estimating the quantifiable characteristics of products, events, or information

KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENT

Analytical Skills - Ability to process and analyze vague, abstract verbal and written instructions. Ability to visualize and assess abstract ideas. Ability to read, analyze complex documents, and communicate analysis in oral and written form.

Reasoning Ability - Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Communications and Media - Requires public speaking, phone conversations, use of email, writing letters and memos, face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams and contact with others.

English Language - Strong knowledge in reading, writing, and speaking of the English language. Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of the Company.

Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing superior customer and personal services.

Mathematical Skills - Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

Computers and Electronics - Working knowledge of email, social media networks, computers, smartphones, equipment, graphics software and CRM system.

Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology.

Law and Government - Knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Lifting and moving - Requires ability to lift, move, transport, and stage furniture and other home goods sometimes in excess of 50 pounds.

Body positioning - Requires using hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls and prolonged periods of standing and/or sitting

Competition - Requires competition or awareness of competitive pressures

Conflict - Requires dealing with potentially unpleasant, angry, or discourteous people, including conflict situations

Impact of decisions - Requires making decisions that impact the results of co-workers, vendors, sponsors, donors, volunteers or the company

Opportunity to make decisions without supervision - Requires making decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization

Level of challenge - Requires being exact or highly accurate. Also requires repeating the same physical activities or mental activities over and over - often with freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals

Pace and scheduling - Requires meeting strict deadlines and adhering to tight timelines

Personal Interaction - Requires work with external individuals, organizations, businesses, or the public. Also, requires coordinating or leading others in accomplishing work activities and work with others in a group or team

Responsibility for Others - Includes responsibility for work outcomes, results, and safety of others

WORK SETTING

Requires working in office space as well as warehouse space in cold or hot conditions as well as outdoors in hot, cold, wet, humid and/or dry conditions. Work is often performed in recipients’ homes. Also, requires ability to climb stairs or hills at times while lifting. Work is often performed in warehouse settings with tight spaces for travel/access. Requires ability to lift, reach, hold and move heavy items, at times onto and from shelving units.

COVER LETTER – When applying for this position, please attached answers to the following questions to your cover letter:

1. Do you have at least 8 years’ experience in progressive leadership positions? (Y/N)
2. Describe your experience creating, managing, and balancing a budget. What has been the largest budget you’ve been responsible for?
3. What are your best practices for developing and maintaining staff?
4. Describe your experience with the following fundraising efforts: Major Gifts, Grants, Corporate Sponsorships, Foundations.
5. Tell us about one of your most effective fundraising campaigns and the communications and marketing strategies that made it successful.
6. Why do you want to be the next Executive Director of the A Sense of Home?
7. What is your desired salary range?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Your employment relationship is and is intended to be at will. This job description contains the entire agreement between you and A Sense of Home as to the duration of your employment and the circumstances under which your employment may be terminated. Nothing contained in this, or any other materials generated by A Sense of Home or its employees, or any statement made by any employee of the organization, shall require the company to have “just” or “good cause” to terminate the employment relationship or to change the terms and conditions of your employment. Notwithstanding any disciplinary procedures or A Sense of Home rules or regulations, either you or A Sense of Home may terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without cause or prior notice. Further, A Sense of Home can demote, transfer, suspend or otherwise discipline an employee in its sole and absolute discretion. Nothing in this job description, or any other personnel documents creates or is intended to create a promise or representation of continued or indefinite employment or employment for a specific term, in a specific position, or at a specific rate of pay, or to prohibit A Sense of Home from terminating you for any reason even if previously agreed that such a reason would not result in termination.

I also understand that A Sense of Home has the right to change the compensation, assignments, duties, responsibilities, or geographical location of my job at any time, with or without cause.

By applying to this position, I confirm that I have read the A Sense of Home Executive Director, NY Job Description and acknowledge that a copy has been given to me at the time of signing below.