Executive Director

About Instituto:

Instituto's mission is to build sustained political power with low-income and
communities of color in Arizona. We believe that every community has the
essential leadership, capacity, and resources to create its own solutions and
enact change in places that have historically been under-invested in,
particularly in the face of adversity.

At Instituto, we accelerate organizations by focusing on initiative
development and scaling electoral and advocacy programs. We also incubate
organizations and guide toward the solutions that will help mobilize voters
and build political capacity.

Role Summary:

Arizona is a critical battleground state, and is on track to become a state
where communities of color will be majority by 2028, with voter participation
in the last election reaching all-time highs.

Instituto is looking for a strategic leader who is aligned with our values
and dedicated to scaling power building in Arizona. This role will work
closely with the Founder, Luis Avila, as well as the team, to build programs
that invest in Arizona’s next generation of leaders. The Executive Director
will be fearlessly innovative, bringing a passion for equipping
underrepresented communities with the tools to win.

This is an incredible leadership opportunity for someone deeply committed to
building sustained political power with low-income and communities of color
in a critical battleground state.

Responsibilities:

Effectively create and implement a multi-year strategic plan, building upon
the vision and mission of the organization to increase our impact in
Arizona’s low-income and communities of color
Thoughtfully develop a strategic approach with the Founder and board to
deepen relationships with partners and coalitions
Serve as Instituto’s strategic leader and spokesperson with confidence and
humility, operating as a coach, collaborator, and advisor to executive and
senior level leadership within our communities
Deepen and refine the process of identifying, managing, and assessing ongoing
programs and projects, optimizing their design processes to achieve goals
Establish comprehensive methods to ensure that Instituto is able to scale our
capacity for incubating and accelerating organizations with programmatic
excellence
Cultivate new and existing relationships with funding partners and individual
donors, ensuring Instituto’s financial stability
Boldly generate fresh and imaginative ways to generate revenue and monetize
programs
Effectively manage decisions related to Instituto’s annual budget and
staffing to increase our capacity for impact
Build in practices to foster a team culture rooted in anti-racism,
willingness to take risks, and strong feedback loops to inform future
programs

The ideal candidate will have:

Deep commitment to racial justice and a drive to empower low-income and
communities of color in Arizona
A proactive approach for identifying new opportunities for impact, with a
track record experimentation and launching new programs
Experience leading programs that are rooted in collaboration, respect and
humility, and inclusive of experiences from varying backgrounds and
experiences
The ability to effectively communicate a shared vision to fundraise, build
relationships, and mobilize a coalition
Experience successfully developing, pitching, evaluating, and implementing
programs that consistently reach desired goals and impact
Hands-on experience effectively coaching, managing, and advising others,
confidently mediating when conflicts arise
Demonstrated experience using a political analysis to inform strategic
decision-making and effectively managing limited resources like staff
capacity and budget
The ability to point to specific examples of having developed and
operationalized strategies that have taken an organization to the next stage
of growth
Prior experience in electoral politics or advocacy-based organizations
helpful, though not required
Direct experience with budget planning and financial management helpful,
though not required
The ability to speak Spanish helpful, though also not required

Our Values:

Independence: We believe in the strength of communities and that they have
the power to independently fight for social justice for all.
Proximity: We believe solutions should be community-based and that everyone,
regardless of race, gender, language, and education, has a place at the
table.
Resilience: We believe communities are already extraordinary and can develop
leadership from within to continue their path forward.
Knowledge: We believe in learning from history and other communities, with
the ability to create and manage knowledge for power.
Excellence: We believe in striving to be the best version of ourselves in
order to serve our people and communities.
Trust: We believe in building relationships with communities by prioritizing
trust and respect.

More Information:

Salary: $100k - $120k annually, based on experience. This is a full-time
exempt position.

Benefits include:

$1,000 annual professional development fund
$1,000 annual technology fund
100% employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and 50% for partner and/or
dependents. Full insurance package includes medical, dental, and vision
Retirement plan matched up to 4%
Flexible vacation and sick time policy

Application deadline: December 15, 2021

How to Apply

Click the "Apply for this position" link below and submit a resume.

Instituto is committed to the inclusion of all individuals, so if there is
any reasonable accommodation we can provide for you interviewing any other
element of this hiring process, please let us know.

Instituto is an equal employment opportunity employer and strongly encourages
diverse candidates to apply. Instituto does not discriminate on the basis of
race, color, religious creed, sex (including pregnancy), gender, national
origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, medical condition including genetic
characteristics, mental or physical disability, veteran status, marital
status, sexual orientation, gender identity, (including transgender status),
weight, height, linguistic characteristics (such as accent and limited
English proficiency, where not substantially job-related), citizenship
status, or any other basis prohibited by law.