Title: Director of Strategic Operations and Organisational Effectiveness

Location: Ideally based in one of JASS' regions (Mesoamerica, Southern Africa, or Southeast Asia)

Position: Full-time, remote for the foreseeable future

Deadline: March 8, 2021

About Just Associates (JASS)

JASS is a feminist movement support organisation that strengthens the voice, visibility, leadership and collective organizing power of women to resist injustice and transform institutions, policies, practices and social norms that perpetuate violence and inequality. Our partnerships, programs and multi-generational team of activists and organizers are anchored in MesoAmerica, Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia.

JASS embraces the tension between the rigidities of institutionalization and the flexibility and agility needed to support innovative social movements. To ensure our responsiveness and accountability to changing regional contexts and the needs of women on the frontlines of crisis and change, our nimble operations have relied on relationships of trust, shared leadership, strategic coherence, and light internal structures. In 2020, we saw the advantage of this agile organisational model as JASS quickly shifted to creatively support our allies and constituencies in the face of multiple global crises. 

Position Overview

JASS is seeking an experienced senior leader to join our team as Director of Strategic Operations and Organisational Effectiveness. This new position will be critical in identifying and operationalizing the infrastructure needed to strengthen our systems and expand our impact, without losing our responsiveness and grounding as an activist-driven movement-support organisation.

As a member of a shared leadership team, the Director will report to and act as a strategic partner to the Executive Director (ED).  Overseeing a team of regional finance and operations staff, the Director will closely monitor and participate in JASS’ annual planning cycle, provide strategic leadership on operations, finance and human resources, and support JASS' inter-connected multi-regional parts. This is not an administrative role; it is a highly strategic and facilitative one that requires the candidate to be a skilled listener, open learner, micro and macro thinker and decision framer, connector, project manager and change agent rooted in the feminist values and principles of the organisation. The successful candidate will be a leader who shares JASS’ enthusiasm for making change happen through shared leadership and decision making and who thrives working in teams of strategic thinkers.

Key Responsibilities and Areas of Oversight

Organisational Planning, Strengthening and Capacity Building. To ensure our complex, multi-regional organisation is equipped to respond to the demands and opportunities before us as JASS  enters a period of institutional strengthening and capacity building,  the Director will:

• Contribute to a robust review, visioning and planning process designed to optimize JASS’ organisational architecture;
• Play a key leadership role in our annual organisational-wide planning process; ensure that infrastructure and resources enhance our capacity to be effective, efficient and aligned to annual strategies, budgets and operational priorities; 

Financial and Operational Oversight. In line with an ambitious plan to expand our movement offers and impact, the Director will ensure fiscal and operational strength, including:

• Lead budget forecasting and long-term sustainability planning in collaboration with other Directors; ensure alignment with our Road Map; create benchmarks to measure progress and keep staff and Board informed;
• Provide leadership and oversight to our Finance, Operations and IT teams; strengthen capacities for effective operations and systems;
• Oversee an IT needs assessment to identify and implement systems and practices to improve online communication and collaboration across JASS, seeking out solutions that reflect our activist values and need for accessibility and security;
• Oversee legal, fiscal and administrative compliance across the organisation; stay abreast of laws and regulations that impact regional operations and govern US 501(c)3 operations and registration
• Oversee risk assessment, management and mitigation protocols

Human Resources Development and Implementation. JASS’ 42  person staff are located in 6 international offices, though the majority of staff operate virtually. We also rely on a talented network of activist and professional consultants who play a critical role in our work.  The Director will manage human resources and as an immediate priority, will:

• Scale and strengthen JASS’ human resources systems, in alignment with our core values and feminist practice;
• Oversee and provide recommendations for strengthening staff recruitment, hiring, orientation, performance evaluation and retention;
• Enhance work planning in a way that reflects JASS' strategic priorities and integrates individual work related goals

Senior Leadership. As a member of the Organisational Management Group (OMG), the Director will:

• Serve as a key member of the JASS Leadership Team (JLT) with shared responsibility for achieving the organisation’s vision and goals; advise the JLT on financial and operational health and growth trajectory; collectively explore opportunities that strengthen and/or challenge our capacity and resources;

As this new role evolves and integrates within the organisation, and in response to the interests and skills of the successful candidate, we expect some responsibilities to emerge and/or be adapted.

Qualifications and Attributes of our ideal candicate 

While we intend to bring on a candidate with commensurate qualifications, it is essential that our Director of Strategic Operations and Organisational Effectiveness values and thrives in JASS’ ecosystem and has a deep desire to listen to, learn from and collaborate with our talented and diverse teams. For this reason, we will strongly prioritize qualified candidates whose lived and professional experiences align with the feminist values, culture and principles of JASS. To be successful in this role, a candidate must demonstrate:

• Deep desire to work in an organisation whose mission and culture are rooted in intersectional feminism and a transformative approach to equality and justice;
• Experience as a senior level non-profit leader overseeing and/or directing finance, operations, and HR functions and managing compliance with laws that govern non-profits; previous role as a COO/CFO, Director of Operations, Executive, Deputy, or HR Director with operations functions, or equivalent, a plus;
• Excellent planning, forecasting, strategic thinking, problem solving and analytical skills; expertise in project management with demonstrated track record managing detailed processes and people;
• Experience guiding organisational growth, navigating uncertainty and holding complex processes including big leaps of faith; a sense of how to build structures that value and draw on a vast and diverse community of people;
• Facilitative and collaborative approach to feminist leadership with ability to inspire and strengthen cross-functional and cross-regional teams as a fellow do-er rather than a delegator; sensitivity to multiple cultures and contexts; ability to leverage diversity as an organisational strength;
• Earned reputation for being a consensus builder, with excellent judgment and discretion; skilled at communicating respect to people at all levels; effectiveness in proactively assessing and managing conflict;
• Strong self-awareness, emotional intelligence, sincerity and humility;
• Ability to self-manage, prioritize, be resourceful, and adapt in a fast changing environment with multiple demands; combination of focus and agility;
• Ability to work remotely, across time zones, with flexibility in working hours as needed;
• Ability to travel internationally as needed;
• English fluency and excellent written, oral and virtual communication, presentation and negotiation skills; Spanish fluency a strong plus. (JASS is a bilingual English-Spanish organisation and values language diversity.)

Compensation

The salary range and benefits package is competitive for a senior level NGO position and will be based on location and experience. Benefits include employer paid health insurance, generous vacation leave, national holidays and sick leave. Non-monetary benefits include the opportunity to make significant strategic contributions to an innovative and respected movement support organisation with a global presence, a supportive and feminist work environment that encourages leadership development, and the ability to work remotely and travel internationally.

How to Apply

Please send the following materials (in English) to demetri@justassociates.org with the subject ‘Director Applicant – YOUR NAME’:

1. Full curriculum vitae (detailing the nature, scope and scale of responsibilities held)
2. A cover letter highlighting relevant skills and experience for this position; including 2 paragraphs on why you are the ideal “fit” for JASS and how and what you would contribute to the organisation
3. Names and contact details of 3 references.  At least one should be someone with whom you have worked on organisational leadership and management and one should be able to speak to your political and strategic leadership.

The deadline for applications is March 8, 2021. Successful candidates will be invited to begin interviewing in early March. Due to the volume of applicants, only candidates who advance to interviews will be contacted. No phone calls please. The successful candidate is expected to assume the role as soon as possible but not later than May 2021. JASS is not able to support visa or relocations costs.

JASS is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an equitable, inclusive, feminist working environment for all employees. We value and are enriched by diversity and our leadership, staff, culture and structures reflect this. We strongly encourage qualified candidates of all races, ethnicities, colors, religions, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations and abilities to apply.  For this role, candidates from the Global South, particularly one of JASS’ three regions, will be prioritized.