Executive Director

El Puente
160,000 - 175,000
United States, New York, New York
Mar 27, 2025
The Opportunity El Puente is seeking a visionary and strategic Executive Director who will lead this iconic nonprofit human rights organization into its next chapter. El Puente is a youth-centered organization, focusing on education, the arts, environmental justice, and health and wellness to inspire leadership for social justice. El Puente creates community-led movements of self-determination through a holistic leadership and membership program model. The new Executive Director will have an incredible opportunity to work alongside the organization’s Board of Directors, founders, and dedicated and passionate staff to chart the next chapter of El Puente at a critical time for the organization, our nation and the world. The Executive Director will bring a deep connection with Latine communities and the ability to successfully position El Puente with funders, elected officials and community leaders. The new leader will help El Puente expand its resources, facilities and programs in order to amplify its capacity to create a more just and equitable world. The ideal candidate will bring a demonstrated commitment to the mission of El Puente, experience in organizational and program management and a track record of successful fundraising. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead an organization with a significant legacy of impact across New York and Puerto Rico. About El Puente Founded in 1982, El Puente is a youth-centered organization that uses the arts and education to advance social and environmental justice. Its mission is to inspire and nurture leadership for peace and justice, working as a human rights institution in NYC and Puerto Rico with national and international impact. El Puente creates community-led movements of self-determination through a holistic leadership and membership program model, as a high-impact youth and community development organization. El Puente is a nonprofit 501c3 organization based in Brooklyn, NY and Puerto Rico. Today, it is also a leading environmental justice organization, working on the frontlines of climate change and its impact on communities. El Puente has a diverse and inspiring set of programs and initiatives that make a powerful impact, including six Brooklyn based Youth Leadership Centers, a nationally recognized public high school called The El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice, the recently launched and first-ever Climate and Environmental Justice Center in Puerto Rico, the Global Justice Training and Research Institute, the Green Light District Initiative, and Arts and Culture Organizing. The Role El Puente’s next Executive Director will lead and guide the organization into its next chapter, building on over 40 years of successful programming, community led campaigns and strategic community partnerships. They will work collaboratively with leadership to develop an exciting vision for the future of El Puente that is rooted in its culture, legacy, and core values. Working closely with the Board of Directors and executive staff, the Executive Director will define the key priorities for the organization moving forward; establish unifying and visionary strategic goals for El Puente’s continued fiscal health, excellence, and growth; and inspire staff and members to work together to achieve those goals. The Executive Director will be an enthusiastic fundraiser who will oversee the strategy for successful and diversified fundraising. They will build and sustain relationships with donors, identify potential new funders, and oversee grant development plans. They will build and lead the Board of Directors’ engagement in fundraising, governance, financial oversight, and strategic partnerships. The Executive Director will directly manage a small cohort of executive staff, by mentoring, empowering and providing opportunities for professional development. They will model and foster cohesion among the staff across the organization and ensure a collaborative and integrated leadership model. The Executive Director will bring substantial experience developing partnerships and connections with community leaders and elected officials, policy makers and funders to nurture long standing relationships and funding. This leader will bring a passion for community organizing and a demonstrated commitment to human rights, youth-leadership development, and the social and environmental justice movements. Key Responsibilities Vision and Leadership Provide visionary, aspirational and decisive leadership to advance the mission and movement of El Puente Build and communicate a strategic vision for the future of the organization that includes fundraising to support and expand existing programs and initiatives Guide the organization with confidence, clarity, and collective decision-making to ensure strong budget management and clear budget priorities that are reflected in El Puente’s policies and programming Embody a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and ensure those values are operationalized within the organization Envision, lead and execute evaluation and modernization of internal systems and policies that further strengthen the organization, and the people experience, for years to come External Affairs Leadership Serve as a spokesperson and ambassador for El Puente with nonprofit, political and community leaders Build partnerships and collaborate with external leaders on issues related to youth development, education, art as activism, environmental justice, social justice, self- determination and human rights Develop and sustain long-term relationships with elected officials, policy makers, and cross-sector organizational and institutional leaders on behalf of the organization Collaborate with the senior staff to create and drive effective narrative strategies for media, funder and public engagement Fundraising and Development Lead El Puente’s fundraising initiatives to grow capacity and sustainability Inspire confidence in the organization’s work to create a network of supporters including government funding, individual donors and philanthropic support Manage and collaborate closely with development staff in strategic fundraising goals Continue successful leadership of capital campaigns in Puerto Rico and Brooklyn Develop and expand trusted relationships with current and future donors and funders Build and execute engagement with Board of Directors and staff in fundraising efforts Envision and develop revenue generating initiatives across the organization Organizational and Staff Management Collaborate with and report to the Board of Directors, including seeking and building board engagement on strategy, governance, financial oversight, and resource development Oversee the day-to-day work of the organization, including programs and initiatives, operations, budget, legal and compliance Lead and empower staff in a collaborative management model Oversee and manage work with key consultants Lead annual goal setting processes to align programmatic priorities with organizational strategic goals Key Qualifications Successful candidates will have a proven commitment to social, economic, racial and environmental justice, and a successful track record in fundraising, relationship building, and strategic organizing. The ideal candidate is a dynamic, experienced leader who will uplift and inspire the team, the membership, and the community. Please note that if you have most but not all the qualifications listed below, we encourage you to apply. With that, we seek a candidate who brings: A minimum of 10 years of professional experience, with program or organizational management experience in mission and value driven organizations Excellent fundraising skills and a demonstrated track record of generating new resources and revenue streams, including individual donors, foundations or government funding Knowledge in grant writing and securing government funding and nonprofit grants Experience building and managing a program or organization, with demonstrated financial oversight, budgetary, operations and staff management skills Superb interpersonal skills with an impressive history of building strong relationships with diverse stakeholders Excellent written and oral communication skills Experience working with a Board of Directors or other governing body Significant experience with federal, state or city government leaders across New York and Puerto Rico People and team management experience with a high value on mentoring and coaching Ability to lead, model, and embed equity, diversity and inclusion principles across the organization Experience serving as the representative for an organization to the public, particularly in public forums, community meetings, and engagements with media Proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred Location, Salary and Benefits El Puente is in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. This is a full-time position, and in-person office work will be required, with flexibility. The salary range for this role is $160,000 - $175,000 annually and includes a competitive benefits package including healthcare, retirement, and paid time off. Some travel in New York State and Puerto Rico will be required. To Apply To apply, submit a cover letter and resume online at https://grossmansolutions.applytojob.com/apply/. The cover letter should be concise, compelling, and outline the specific ways in which you would be a good fit for this position. El Puente is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace that reflects the communities it serves. It provides equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under local, state or federal law. It strongly encourages and seeks applications from women, people of color, DREAMers, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ communities.