Position Profile
Deputy Director
Southern Coalition for Social Justice
www.southerncoalition.org
Durham, NC
POSITION FILLED
The Organization
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 whose community lawyering and multi-disciplinary approach makes lawyers, organizers, communication professionals, and social scientists available to serve as a resource for local low-income and people of color communities in North Carolina and elsewhere throughout the South through several main activities: community lawyering, leveraging social, economic, and other demographic data through geographic information systems to support advocacy, issue framing, and coalition and network building. The mission of the organization is to promote justice by empowering minority and low-income communities to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights. SCSJ partners with underrepresented people in developing strategies to achieve their visions for themselves and their communities, incorporating an international human rights perspective, and linking their efforts to broader processes of political, legal, social and economic change in the South.
Some current efforts include these interrelated issues:
- Protecting minority voting rights and strengthening meaningful opportunities for effective civic participation for all.
- Advancing environmental justice and advocacy supporting community-driven efforts.
- Challenging racial discrimination at all stages of the criminal justice system and its impact on racial and ethnic minority communities, including the impact of unjust collateral consequences.
- Ending discrimination against immigrants and the mistreatment of undocumented persons.
- Advocating for increased human rights protections across a broad range of social justice issues.
SCSJ has successfully created an innovative, multi-professional, and highly effective enterprise to empower community based organizations in the South. It is a democratically-run organization that seeks to deepen democratic participation, and that works in coalition with local, regional, national and international social justice and human rights organizations. SCSJ believes that communities will succeed in realizing their own goals and people will know from experience that they can make a difference on issues that matter to them.
The Area
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is located in Durham, North Carolina. Centrally located in the southeastern United States, the city of Durham is ideally situated with convenient access to the region and serves as a hub for communication and travel; more than half of the U.S. population lives within a day's drive or an hour's flight of Durham. Durham also occupies a prime location in the heart of North Carolina and is a nexus for learning, achievement, creativity, and research. Durham is a culturally and economically diverse community, with a unique identity and exceptional history, including key roles in civil rights activities, women and minority-owned enterprises, and a strong progressive voice.
Flanked by Raleigh and Chapel Hill, these three cities form the internationally-known Research Triangle. Featuring outstanding educational resources, the Triangle offers seventeen universities and colleges that attract students, faculty, and academic partners from across the country and around the world. Research Triangle Park is home to groundbreaking research and technology. As a result, the Triangle is one of the nation’s fastest growing areas, with a current total metropolitan population of 1.3 million.
For more information about Durham and the Triangle, visit triangle.citysearch.com and The Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.durham-nc.com.
The Candidate
As it moves toward its five-year anniversary, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice is quickly becoming one of the leading social justice organizations in the Southeast. To prepare for the expected continued growth, SCSJ seeks an experienced nonprofit manager to serve as Deputy Director. The Deputy Director assists the Executive Director with the responsibilities inherent in the management of the organization and is able to act in the Executive Director’s capacity when the Executive Director is absent or in need of support. The Deputy Director serves as the key staff person addressing the organization’s strategic planning and program evaluation needs, in addition to responding to the day-to-day needs of the organization with a focus on operations, including grants management and reporting, development and oversight of internal systems and processes, finance oversight, and Board and external relationships and communications.
The Deputy Director must be a strategic thinker and self-starter who weighs initiative with necessary collaboration. The successful candidate will be organized and professional, able to balance competing priorities, promote high quality expectations, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously. The individual must have strong management skills, with experience establishing goals and obtaining desired outcomes. Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills are required to interact with diverse audiences, including excellent writing and public speaking ability.
One of SCSJ’s core values is being a democratically run organization that is egalitarian and respectful of every person's contribution. The Deputy Director role is critical in maintaining and promoting this environment.
The Position
The Deputy Director reports to the Executive Director and provides leadership, management, and oversight to the implementation of the SCSJ Mission, Vision, and Values. A passion for the mission and commitment to community-led social justice work and building an egalitarian, sustainable, multi-disciplinary community lawyering organization are essential.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Work Style
- Proven ability to assume leadership role, work collaboratively, understand teamwork in an organization with a small staff, and achieve concrete results.
- Willingness and ability to take initiative, set goals, and meet deadlines.
- Demonstrate and promote high standards of excellence and quality of work.
- Ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with diverse people, cultures, and programs.
- Cultural competence with diverse cultures in the South.
Organizational Development and Management
- Effective strategic planning, program evaluation, and project management skills.
- Ability to analyze and establish effective and supportive cross-program coordination, organizational procedures, and management systems.
- Strong grant research, development, management, and reporting experience.
- Staff development and performance appraisal experience, including building cohesive teams, effectively monitoring performance, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging others to achieve at their highest levels.
- Budgeting, financial management, and policies and procedures oversight experience.
- Coordinating fundraising planning and implementing strategies to increase private donor giving.
Communications and Outreach
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Track record of building strong connections in a community.
- Ability to communicate with, energize, and support a Board of Directors.
- Effective service as organizational representative to colleagues, clients, coalition partners, community members, and donors.
- Spanish language skills a plus.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required.
Specific Requirements:
- MBA, MPA or other advanced degree
- 7-10 years of progressively responsible managerial experience in a nonprofit organization
- Experience with organizational leadership, strategic planning, program evaluation, grant management, budgeting and financial tracking and analysis, and staff development
To Apply
This position has been filled. Thank you for your interest.