Executive Director, Neighborhood Nexus

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency that focuses on issues critical to the region’s success, including growth and development, transportation, water resources, services for older adults and workforce solutions. ARC is dedicated to unifying the region’s collective resources to prepare the metropolitan area for a prosperous future. This is done through professional planning initiatives, the provision of objective information and the involvement of the community in collaborative partnerships.

Neighborhood Nexus, which is a partnership among The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the United Way, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), is one of the nation’s premier community intelligence systems providing regional and national thought leadership in the field of community data, data visualization and data journalism. It provides thousands of variables that speak to all aspects of community, including demographics, socioeconomics, public education, public health, poverty and much more.  The Executive Director of Neighborhood Nexus will have overall strategic, financial and operational responsibility for the execution of Neighborhood Nexus’ vision to create an evidence-based decision-making culture in the Atlanta region and beyond.  These responsibilities include overall leadership of the organization, budget management, advisory board management, fundraising, communications and marketing, and collaboration among many of our community partners.

Neighborhood Nexus relies on community support; thus, business development is a critical role for the Executive Director, who will be expected to work with Neighborhood Nexus and ARC staff, Neighborhood Nexus Advisory Board, funders, businesses, local governments, nonprofits and community organizations to raise funds for general operating support and to develop and execute customized, fee-for-service projects. The Executive Director of Neighborhood Nexus (NN) is a dynamic role with opportunities for deep engagement with the Atlanta community and ground-breaking advances in how data can be used to support a data-driven, decision-making culture in the region. The Executive Director will report to the Manager of the Research & Analytics Group at ARC.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

·         Evaluate and enhance NN’s governance model, resource development, and organize strategies to expand impact and visibility while being responsive to community priorities and ensuring effective and sustainable operations;

·         Expand community support and revenue streams through effective funder engagement and collaborative partnerships to promote the dissemination and use of research and analytics data and information, including general operating support and development of fee-for-service projects;

·         Attract, supervise, mentor, train, and support staff with necessary skills that align with NN vision and values; provide career development opportunities for staff retention;

·         Represent NN to external constituencies including funders, nonprofits, government officials and the public;

·         In conjunction with other ARC staff, oversee and coordinate projects, including fee-for-service contracts with external clients and ongoing maintenance contracts with early education advocacy groups, local governments, trade associations and community-oriented service organizations;

·         Manage the Neighborhood Nexus Advisory Board and all subcommittees that may be formed, including quarterly Board meetings, working closely with Board Chair to set agendas and overall direction;

·         Collaborate with internal and external staff to develop, maintain, and improve Neighborhood Nexus’ current suite of tools, platforms and data holdings, including www.neighborhoodnexus.org, the Weave interactive mapping platform, the new mapping application currently under development, ArcGIS desktop, server and online applications, Tableau dashboards, other visualization tools as needed, and thousands of variables from more than a dozen sources including federal, state and local governments;

·         Work collaboratively with other ARC groups to support their work by providing research and analysis support, including serving as the subject matter expert on census and other demographic and housing data, forecast data, economic data;

·         Perform other duties assigned to support agency goals and objectives.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES:

·         Knowledge in developing and implementing a fundraising strategy/plan, with proven skill in fund development through various techniques;

·         Knowledge of research methods, mathematical and statistical concepts, data analysis, data presentation and data visualization;

·         Knowledge of principles and methods of qualitative and quantitative research;

·         Knowledge of principles and practices of data gathering and analysis;

·         Skill in authoring and preparing original reports, mapping products, technical documents and presentations;         Skill in integrating and applying data analysis and modeling within the regional planning function;

·         Ability to organize, prioritize, assign and monitor work;

·         Ability to manage budgets and allocate resources to achieve strategic objectives;

·         Ability to manage large research projects and display data in visual and/or interactive formats;

·         Ability to oversee or gather data, analyze findings and apply logic and reason;

·         Ability to interpret, monitor and report data and statistics;

·         Ability to work effectively under pressure, with multiple deadlines and changing priorities;

·         Ability to interpret and apply applicable laws, codes, regulations and standards (based on assignment);

 

·         Possess exceptional interpersonal skills with keen ability to cultivate and maintain effective relationships with diverse stakeholders, such as: donors, community organizations, local and state officials, and community members;

·         Possess exceptional written and oral communications skills, including the ability to present and speak publicly on relevant issues.

·         Proficient in Microsoft Office, multiple client management systems and web-based phone technology.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (equivalent combination acceptable): 

·         Master’s degree in business, economics, statistics, urban planning, computer science, information technology or related field

·         Three (3) years of experience in data collection and analysis and associated technical support, and two years of supervisory experience

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

·         Master’s degree in social work, human services, gerontology counseling or psychology or related field

·         Six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in demographic and economic research, preferably in a large metropolitan area

·         Previous experience in nonprofit management/organizational leadership, with ability to influence and drive organization in keeping with mission, strategic goals, and capacity

·         Previous experience in financial management within an organization of comparable size and complexity, and exceptional skills in budgeting and financial analysis

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

In addition to the detailed examples of responsibilities and abilities contained herein, all employees of the Atlanta Regional Commission are expected to model behavior consistent with the guiding principles outlined in our Evolution Strategy. Specifically, incumbents are responsible for demonstrating work habits that are:

1.      Interdisciplinary by promoting professional and interpersonal connections and integration across functional disciplines;

2.      Holistic by seeking expertise within the team, Group, or Agency to produce his/her work output, and demonstrating a strong understanding of and support for interrelationships between their work and the work of others in the team, Group, or Agency;

3.      Actionable by continuously striving to improve his/her capabilities to produce sustainable outcomes, and displaying a strong need for achievement and a high energy level to attain goals;

4.      Outcome Based by taking the initiative to meet goals and expectations, and consistently striving to produce tangible results with significant visible impact, and; 

5.      Targeted toward Ensuring Colleagues' Success by willingly and deliberately providing his/her expertise to others in an effort to build and sustain effective internal and external working relationships, and by modeling behaviors that consistently demonstrate concern for colleagues' success, needs, respect, trust and integrity.