Chief Executive Officer

Location: Bayside, CA
Reports To: Humboldt Area Foundation Board of Directors
Status: Regular Exempt
Time Commitment: Full time Monday- Friday, may include early morning, weekend, or after hours work as needed to fulfill the requirements of the position
Salary Range:  $133,000 - $155,000 per year depending on qualifications and experience, plus health benefits, retirement benefits, paid holidays and sick time
Application Deadline:  Friday, March 1, 2019

About Humboldt Area Foundation

Humboldt Area Foundation (HAF) is a community foundation based in Bayside, CA. Its headquarters are the original estate of Vera Vietor, who founded HAF in 1972, leaving her property and a financial bequest to serve the community.  HAF partners with its affiliate Wild Rivers Community Foundation (WRCF) to serve more than 200,000 residents across Humboldt, Trinity, Del Norte, and Curry counties and Tribal lands.

Humboldt Area Foundation’s mission is to promote and encourage generosity, leadership and inclusion to strengthen our communities. To accomplish this mission Humboldt Area Foundation offers a broad spectrum of services to respond to the complexity of our communities’ needs.  HAF listens to those we serve about where to dedicate staff time and resources to make our region stronger.  Our services include:

• Donor Engagement: HAF stewards the generous gifts of our donors through establishing and managing funds, and providing planned giving assistance.  HAF manages $126 million in assets and pools investments for over 800 funds. 

• Grantmaking: HAF distributes over $4 million annually in grants and scholarships focused on community building, youth services, health and wellness, art and culture, and much more. HAF supports the Humboldt Health Foundation to provide additional resources for health and dental care, and partners with eight other local funders through the North Coast Grantmaking Partnership to collaboratively strengthen impact in the region. Since 1972, more than $80 million in grants and scholarships have been awarded to local communities.
• Programs: For nearly 20 years, HAF has managed the following programs aligned with our mission:
• Native Cultures Fund, initiated and led by Native peoples, which works to support the transmission of knowledge between generations through the renaissance of California Native art culture, sacred sites and language development.
• Northern California Association of Nonprofits (NorCAN), which offers professional development opportunities, board support, and networking connections for local nonprofits.
• Cascadia Center for Leadership, which works with current and emerging leaders to strengthen their abilities and commitment to build stronger organizations and communities.

• Initiatives: HAF incubates initiatives that particularly support and cultivate leaders to improve the wellbeing of historically underrepresented communities in our region. HAF is currently leading the Equity Alliance of the North Coast, which works to reduce racialized inequity in Humboldt County through coaching, support and trainings for organizations and government entities. WRCF leads the 10-year Building Healthy Communities initiative dedicated to creating and supporting health equity, services and opportunities in neighborhoods and schools in Del Norte County and Tribal lands.

The people who inform HAF’s work are unique, diverse and resilient. They care deeply about their neighbors and the place they call home. To honor this passion and compassion, HAF provides a non-partisan and inclusive place for people to come together, define community issues and search for solutions.

Job Description Summary

HAF seeks a CEO to provide engaged and forward-thinking leadership to fulfill HAF’s mission and strategic initiatives. The CEO will lead the foundation in its mission to promote and encourage generosity, leadership and inclusion to strengthen our communities.

The ideal candidate will collaborate with the Board of Directors and internal leadership team to establish and implement future strategies and plans to ensure successful community engagement and impact.  The ideal candidate must be able to recognize community trends, needs and opportunities, envision strategies to address them, while ensuring staff focus and financial resources are aligned and directed to the highest priority work.    

The CEO will model and embrace an organizational culture built on inclusive values - listening, convening, racial equity, and respect. The CEO will build and foster effective relationships and partnerships within communities and Tribal Nations served by HAF, as well as within regional, state and national philanthropic circles that partner with HAF. 

The CEO will be a strong, clear, and effective manager providing oversight and support to staff ensuring internal operations are, in essence, best-in-class for a community foundation. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Four-year college degree in business, public/non-profit administration, or other relevant foundation-related field. 
• Ten years of progressively responsible work experience required managing and leading a large organization which has provided the individual with the knowledge, abilities, and skills listed below.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to think and act strategically.
• Effective communicator with demonstrated skills including, first and foremost, listening.  Strong verbal and written communication abilities.  Experienced and confident public speaker who can articulate an organization’s mission, services and strategic initiatives. 
• Has background and experience to effectively communicate and work with diverse populations, establish and maintain working relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds, and a work history demonstrating respect for cross-cultural perspectives and experiences.
• Excels at working collaboratively, and has demonstrated experience and commitment to teamwork and partnerships.
• Proven capability of providing strategic direction, building on the strong legacy of an organization’s past, while identifying new needs and opportunities. In a collaborative manner, ability to plan and “act ahead” of needs within an organization’s service area. 
• Demonstrated capability of identifying funding strategies and means (e.g. asset growth, grants, partnerships) to support an organization’s mission and strategic initiatives.
• Excels in overseeing and supporting a talented staff to achieve organizational objectives.  Effectively communicates with, and engages staff in a collaborative manner. 
• Strong operational experience demonstrating effective leadership and oversight of internal operations including: service delivery, accounting, finance, HR, and IT.   
• Significant financial knowledge and experience, including developing and managing financial plans, forecasts, and budgets. Proven ability to align and allocate resources to meet an organization’s mission and strategic initiatives within approved budget. 
• Proficiency executing intermediate functions with the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)
• Ability to travel and attend meetings, presentations and events outside the office, which will require use of a motor vehicle for transportation. Must possess a valid driver’s license, current auto insurance, and be able to be covered under the organization’s insurance policy.
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  Preferred Qualifications

  • Additional experience beyond 10 years successfully managing and leading a large, complex organization. 
  • Experience working with and reporting to a Board of Directors including reporting, advising and collaborating at strategic level.
  • Experience with community foundations, planned giving, or non-profit organization with similar responsibilities.
  • Established networks and relationships within the philanthropic and nonprofit communities.
  • Strong desire to remain in, or relocate to Humboldt County, and to successfully integrate and become part of this rural, northern California coastal region.
  • Understanding of racial equity issues and cultural humility.  Experience within an organization, community or Tribal Nation to advance and improve racial equity.
  • Experience in organizational development and/or change management given HAF’s significant growth in recent years
  • Managing complexity – demonstrated success in a complex organization with multiple and diverse stakeholders, and/or multiple services, programs and initiatives
   

   

  Physical and Other Requirements

  With or without accommodations, the CEO must be able to work for extended periods of time using a personal computer, to participate in meetings that typically last more than an hour, and be able to travel to various meetings in a community setting. The CEO must also be able to meet with current or prospective donors in their homes or other private settings. The CEO must be able to travel out of HAF’s service region to attend conferences and business meetings.  Furthermore, the job functions and responsibilities outlined above involve, to a greater or lesser degree, the following physical demands:  Close vision, hearing, and clear complete speech.

  Application Procedure: Please email the following two (2) documents in Word or PDF format to CEOHiring@hafoundation.org:

  1. Your Resume
  2. A Cover Letter
     • Please use your cover letter to explain your experience in any of the qualifications required for this position if they are not specifically addressed in your resume. Applicants are evaluated specifically based on how well they match the desired qualifications listed for this job.