Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic in Washington, District of Columbia at GRID ALTERNATIVES

Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic | Washington, DC

Why this is a big deal...

The GRID Alternatives regional Executive Director (ED) works with GRID’s national leadership, regional Advisory Board(s), and regional and centralized staff to sustain and build on the successful track record of the GRID region. Working closely with and reporting to the national GRID Alternatives organization, the ED is responsible for the GRID region’s consistent achievement of its mission and financial objectives. The ED also contributes to the overall stewardship of the collective GRID organization.

The ED must be an inclusive, strategic, and organized leader with strong operations, financial, staff management, and partnership development experience. Above all else, the ED must be committed to GRID's vision, mission, and values, our team, and a collaborative culture. The ED reports to GRID’s Chief Operations and Affiliate Officer. This is an AMAZING opportunity for someone who wants to run a non-profit and shape the vision and strategic direction in the region with the benefit of having the resources and infrastructure of a robust national organization.

The Opportunity…

KEY AREAS of RESPONSIBILITIES:

LEADERSHIP, ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT & EQUITY

• Hire, onboard, support, manage, develop, and lead a diverse staff of top-quality people, ensuring they have the needed information, tools, and resources to do their jobs well. When staff changes are necessary, including terminations, they should be handled with empathy, adherence to legal requirements, and consideration for the overall well-being of the organization and staff.
• Practice inclusive leadership, visibly advance the organization's equity, inclusion, and diversity initiatives, and work to build an internal culture that seeks to examine and dismantle systems of oppression and habits of white supremacy culture
• Serve as an effective role model for staff by actively demonstrating GRID’s values of integrity, collaborative action, equity, and safety
• Ensure regional and centralized teams are connected, coordinated, and collaborative
• Do what needs to get done to make the mission happen even if it means taking out the trash, having difficult conversations, making hard decisions, and being adaptable and open to change

FUNDRAISING & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• Manage the finances of the GRID region with the support of the centralized finance and accounting teams, including preparing and updating the regional budget and managing expenditures to that budget
• Partner with the centralized Philanthropy team to drive fundraising initiatives for the region. This includes partner development, stakeholder relationship engagement, providing accurate funding needs to the fundraising team, designing grant budgets, program reporting, and donor engagement support.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

• Deliver on organizational mission in an impactful, timely, high-quality manner. The project types that GRID undertakes to benefit economic and environmental justice communities include, but are not limited to, workforce development; solar electric, battery storage, and EV charger installations for single-family homes, affordable multifamily housing, and non-profit facilities; tribal; clean mobility; and building electrification/decarbonization.
• Collaborate with the centralized operations, programs, and workstream teams to ensure all operations are consistent with GRID SOPs, policies, best practices, culture, and vision, including developing/updating regional systems and structures as needed
• Develop and engage with the GRID regional Board(s), communicating effectively and providing, in a timely and accurate manner, all information necessary for the Board(s) to function properly

STRATEGY & ADVOCACY

• Work with regional staff and centralized teams to establish the vision for the GRID region in alignment with GRID’s Strategic Plan and develop, prioritize, and implement strategies and goals to accomplish the vision
• Grow GRID’s presence, policy influence, positive public image, mission impact, and financial viability in the region, including networking and speaking presentations
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships, joint programs, and collaborative relationships with external stakeholders

What you need to bring to this role…?

• Strong commitment and passion for GRID’s mission of building community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy
• Min. 5 years senior/executive management and leadership experience
• Diplomatic, strong negotiator, conflict mediator, and team builder
• Broad-minded, able to flex between big picture and detail
• Adept problem solver and has growth mindset, able to learn and adopt new skills and approaches
• Excellent communicator (written and verbal)
• Seasoned manager (particularly managing and motivating a diverse team with a mix of technical and non-technical staff and ensuring organized, efficient, quality delivery of services)
• Comfortable working with and communicating with diverse populations
• Self-motivated and driven
• Able to both work independently, as well as collaboratively with GRID staff and stakeholders
• Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, and refining systems and structures to improve team and organizational effectiveness and succession planning

It would be great if you also had…

• Previous non-profit management experience
• Connections to affordable housing, philanthropic, job training, solar, clean transportation, and low-income advocacy organizations/communities in the region that can be leveraged for GRID
• Knowledge of solar energy development and/or construction
• Technical skills (specifically MS Teams, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, and Salesforce.com)
• Strong ties and roots in the region
• Experience with trauma-informed and restorative justice practices
• Lived experience that enables an understanding of poverty and systems of oppression

Where you will sit & the places you may go…

This position is based where the GRID region has its office location(s). This position may require up to 25% out-of-town travel to GRID’s headquarter offices in Oakland, CA, other GRID regional offices, and special projects both in and outside of the GRID region. Availability to work nights and weekends may be required.

GRID Alternatives provides vehicles for work travel and may also require personal vehicle use. In the latter instance, GRID will provide travel reimbursement for work-related personal vehicle use in accordance with our payroll schedule. Additionally, all applicants will need a valid driver’s license and good driving record to be considered.