CEJA is looking for two (2) exceptional, strategic, and collaborative leaders to fill our newly created Co-Executive Director positions. Through a shared leadership model, the Co-Executive Directors will steward CEJA as we enter a new chapter of growth, stability, and impact – while centering our commitment to social and racial justice and staff well-being. We seek two leaders who will work together to build and strengthen CEJA’s organizational infrastructure, culture, policies, practices, and programs. The Co-Executive Directors will share certain core responsibilities, such as Board and staff management, while each leading distinct areas of CEJA’s operations.

The Co-Executive Director – Programs will oversee CEJA’s complex and high-profile programs, including our Energy Justice, Climate Justice, Land Use, Legislative, and Civic Engagement programs. The Co-Executive Director – Development & Operations will oversee CEJA’s thriving fundraising and communications work, as well as administration, finance, and human resources.

The Co-Executive Directors will report directly to CEJA’s Board of Directors and supervise, coach, and lead CEJA’s 20+ staff. These are remote positions, but with occasional travel to CEJA’s hubs in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, and elsewhere in California and beyond.

Duties & Responsibilities

Shared by both Co-Executive Directors:

• Establish a culture of care and belonging at CEJA that is centered around anti-oppressive leadership and relationship-building and creates a professional, positive, and equitable work environment.
• Support the Board of Directors and its Committees, promoting effective discussion and decision-making and ensuring that the Board meets the governance needs of the organization.
• Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of CEJA’s organizational strategies, goals, and power-building approach, as established in the strategic plan.
• Lead CEJA’s annual planning process, working with the Board and staff, to make sure staff have concrete, ambitious, and achievable goals and are provided with the support they need to succeed.
• Lead CEJA’s Management Team, establishing a consistent leadership model and clear expectations that reflect CEJA’s values throughout the organization.
• Determine CEJA’s staffing needs and recruit, interview, and select staff as needed; oversee annual performance evaluation process.
• Maintain strong working relationships and collaborative arrangements with CEJA Members and other allies.
• Serve as a CEJA spokesperson and represent the Alliance in internal and external contexts, including as a media spokesperson.

Specific to the Co-Executive Director – Development & Operations

• Develop and maintain sustainable financial and administrative systems, ensuring that CEJA upholds the highest possible fiduciary and organizational standards, manages risk, and creates transparency and clarity; work with the Finance Director to create and implement a comprehensive organizational budget; oversee CEJA’s annual external financial audit.
• Supervise the Finance Director, Communications Director, and Development Director and serve as primary liaison with consultants as needed.
• Manage CEJA’s staff recruitment process, establishing consistent recruitment practices with a DEI focus; oversee the development and implementation of human resources policies and practices, including system for handling HR concerns.
• Work with the Development Director to prepare an annual fundraising plan; help maintain and expand CEJA’s network of foundation funders; support building CEJA’s nascent private donor campaign and explore pursuing government grants; build relationships with individual and institutional donors.
• Work with the Communications Director to prepare an annual communications plan, identifying predetermined communications events and creating systems for responding to unexpected crises/opportunities.

Specific to the Co-Executive Director – Programs

• Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of CEJA and CEJA Action’s programs, including the development of annual program plans to operationalize the Alliance’s strategic plan and its focus on fossil-fuel phase-out and the building of resilient communities.
• Supervise the Energy Justice Director, Climate Justice Director, Land Use Director, Political Director, and Legislative Director and serve as primary liaison with consultants as needed.
• Oversee the work of CEJA’s Energy Justice, Climate Justice, Land Use, Civic Engagement, and Legislative teams (c3 and c4 work). Current program focus areas include: speeding up our transition off fossil fuels; retiring gas-fired power plants; protecting EJ communities from harmful hydrogen and other false solutions; promoting clean transportation; integrating equity and EJ into land use planning; promoting EJ through strategic legislative, budgetary, and regulatory activities; and electoral campaigns.
• In collaboration with program directors, serve as lead CEJA representative in key movement alliances and coalitions to advance CEJA’s mission and long-term strategies.

About the Ideal Candidates

Successful candidates will possess/demonstrate:

• Deep commitment to environmental, racial, social, and economic justice, a Just Transition, and CEJA’s mission.
• Excellence in organizational management with experience supervising and coaching a diverse staff and developing high-performing teams.
• Successful track record of at least 10 years of leadership experience in a non-profit setting, including at least 5 years of executive-level experience.
• Extensive experience reporting directly to a non-profit Board of Directors.
• Strong financial management skills, including budget preparation, analysis, reporting, and decision-making.
• Self-confidence, emotional maturity, and capacity to be a lead thinker and strategist within a fast-paced Alliance; ability to communicate with diplomacy, professionalism, and tact, exhibiting excellent relationship management skills; ability to facilitate conflict resolution between individuals and organizations.
• Outstanding communications skills (written and verbal), with the ability to facilitate understanding across multiple audiences and experience serving as an organizational spokesperson.
• Ability to develop a team-oriented environment; commitment to democratic participation.
• Ability to multitask while maintaining attention to detail.
• Ability to work flexible hours to respond to position needs.
• Experience managing an alliance/coalition strongly preferred.
• Experience managing both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4) organization strongly preferred

Co-Executive Director – Development & Operations should also possess/demonstrate:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and education in a discipline related to organizational development, fundraising, business administration, or other relevant field; a Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, administration, strategic leadership, fundraising, or equivalent relevant experience, with a proven track record of success.
• Proven knowledge and experience raising funds for a non-profit organization, including from individuals, foundations, and government agencies.
• Proven knowledge of best practices in non-profit management, including legal compliance, human resources best practices, equitable policies/procedures, and change management.
• Familiarity with environmental justice issues and the organizational EJ landscape in California strongly preferred.

Co-Executive Director – Programs should also possess/demonstrate:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and education in public policy, urban planning, environmental science, law, or other relevant discipline; a Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience working on climate justice, energy justice, and/or land use policy, including cross-sector strategies to promote a Just Transition, as well as proven expertise in the workings of California’s legislative, budgetary, and regulatory systems. Outstanding strategic planning, program evaluation, and project management skills.
• Experience working with or demonstrated commitment to movement building and the building of grassroots and political power.
• Ability to advocate before various policy-making bodies, cultivating and furthering relationships with a variety of decision makers and stakeholders, including elected officials, labor unions, and environmental and social justice organizations.
• Electoral expertise, including experience developing civic engagement campaigns and electoral strategy strongly preferred.

Salary and Benefits

The Co-Executive Director positions are full time, at-will, and exempt. CEJA staff must be residents of California.

The Co-Executive Director salaries will be commensurate with experience, within in the range of $150,000 to $175,000.

CEJA offers a generous benefits package, including: excellent orientation program; generous vacation (10 to 25 days per year); 11 paid holidays; 2-week paid winter break (December 19 through January 1), select health, dental, and vision insurance, medical reimbursement plan, wellness leave (12 to 18 days per year), 401(k) retirement plan, professional development funding, and a 2-month sabbatical after 7 years of continuous employment. CEJA is currently piloting a 32-hour, four-day work week, during which staff work Monday through Thursday.

How to Apply

CEJA has retained Impact Search Advisors by Nonprofit HR as their Executive Search Partner for these critical leadership hires. To be considered, applicants must submit a resume and cover letter via the Nonprofit HR website at https://nonprofithr.applytojob.com/apply/v4kxjwgUqj

Please direct inquiries regarding this search to Hakimu Davidson, Senior Executive Search Consultant at hdavidson@nonprofithr.com

Legislative Director

The Legislative Director oversees the development and operation of CEJA’s Legislative Program, including CEJA’s policy advocacy work with the California legislature and various regulatory agencies. The Legislative Director reports to CEJA’s Interim Executive Director, supervises one manager position, and collaborates closely with CEJA’s member and partner organizations. The Legislative Director must be creative and enjoy working within a diverse organization that is mission-driven, results-driven, and community oriented. The ideal individual will exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, with strong communications, administrative, and organizational skills and the ability to maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities. The Legislative Director must be able to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion.

This is a regular, full-time, exempt, at-will position.

Location and Employment Status

CEJA has a strong preference for a candidate based in Sacramento. This is a hybrid position that requires significant in-person work in Sacramento, as well as occasional travel to CEJA hubs in Los Angeles, Oakland, and elsewhere in California.

Primary Responsibilities 

Administrative

• Organizational Leadership: Work closely with CEJA’s Management Team, identifying and implementing organizational strategies and ensuring that CEJA is a well-managed organization aligned with its mission, goals, and core values; interact with and attend occasional meetings of CEJA’s Board of Directors.
• Staff Management: Oversee the work of CEJA’s Policy Manager, serving as thought partner, mentor, and supervisor. Provide clear and useful feedback and strategic guidance, including thorough regular performance evaluations.
• Grants and Development: Support CEJA’s fundraising by contributing to grant proposals and reports related to CEJA’s legislative and policy advocacy work, supporting the execution of grant agreements; build and maintain relationships with key donors.
• Fiscal Stewardship: Propose and manage the Legislative Program budget, in collaboration with CEJA’s Finance Director. Monitor spending and compliance, ensuring that staff adhere to the highest possible fiscal standards.

Programmatic

• Campaign and Program Direction: Develop CEJA campaigns and initiatives – with ambitious, attainable, and actionable goals, objectives, and work plans – for the Legislative Program, including its legislative agenda; budgetary and regulatory policy advocacy; in-person and virtual lobbying; and annual legislative scorecard.
• Committee Leadership: Oversee CEJA’s Legislative Committee and any other committees/working groups that fall under the Legislative Program.
• Relationship Building: Foster strong working relationships with CEJA members and partners, coordinating efforts to maximize the Alliance’s impact. Cultivate relationships with a variety of decision-makers and stakeholders, including elected officials, regulatory agency staff, and environmental justice organizations.
• Advocacy: Serve as representative and spokesperson for CEJA and advance CEJA’s legislative and policy goals, including advocating before the state legislature, executive branch, and regulatory agencies; provide media interviews as assigned.
• Policy Analysis: Oversee CEJA’s policy analysis of legislative and budgetary proposals, and coordinate CEJA’s work on regulatory matters with relevant Program Directors. Support the Policy Manager in developing landscape assessments for CEJA members and partners.
• Civic Engagement Coordination: Work closely with CEJA’s Political Director to coordinate policy advocacy, civic engagement, and electoral efforts, including building CEJA’s political power, cultivating legislative champions, and promoting long-term strategy development and implementation.
• Media and Communications: Work with program staff and CEJA’s Communications Director to integrate strategic communications to advance program goals and help strengthen CEJA’s capacity to produce timely and relevant communications materials.

Qualifications and Skills

• Commitment: Deep commitment to environmental, racial, social, and economic justice and to CEJA’s mission.
• Supervisory Track Record: Successful track record of at least five (5) years as a staff supervisor, preferably in the EJ community; ability to engage, inspire, and maintain transformational partnerships around shared values, purpose, and goals. Emotional intelligence and resilience, ability to engage in courageous conversations and to thrive in a feedback environment, both giving and receiving feedback.
• Critical Thinking: Strategic planning, program evaluation, and project management skills, including the self-confidence and capacity necessary to be a lead thinker within the Alliance.
• Subject Matter Expertise: Significant policy/program expertise in environmental justice issues and familiarity with California’s EJ policy landscape, community, and advocacy groups; specific expertise in how to successfully and strategically navigate the legislature, ensuring that CEJA’s priorities gain traction with elected officials; deep understanding of how to stimulate change within regulatory bodies.
• Advocacy and Mobilization: Outstanding communications skills (written and verbal), with the ability to facilitate understanding across multiple audiences and to navigate and advocate before various policy-making bodies.
• Conflict Resolution: Ability to intervene when challenging group dynamics play out, in ways that build understanding, trust, and deeper self-awareness of team members.
• Non-Profit Operations: Non-profit financial literacy and a clear understanding of the core functions at 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) non-profit organizations, including governance, operations, development, and communications.
• Education: At least a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as Public Policy, Environmental Science, or Urban Planning. Master’s or law degree preferred.

SALARY RANGE: $100,000 – $110,000

BENEFITS: CEJA offers a generous benefits package, including: excellent orientation program; generous vacation (10 to 25 days per year); 11 paid holidays; 2-week paid winter break (December 19 through January 1), select health, dental, and vision insurance, medical reimbursement plan, wellness leave (12 to 18 days per year), 401(k) retirement plan, professional development funding, and a 2-month sabbatical after 7 years of continuous employment. CEJA is currently piloting a 32-hour, four-day work week, during which staff work Monday through Thursday.

DEADLINE: Position will remain open until filled.

APPLICATIONS: To apply for the Legislative Director position, please submit your application along with your resume and cover letter to the CEJA career webpage at https://caleja.bamboohr.com/careers

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The California Environmental Justice Alliance is an equal opportunity employer. CEJA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.