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Executive Director

Employer
Zaban Paradies Center for Homeless Couples
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
Closing date
Sep 11, 2019

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POSITION PURPOSE

Reporting to the board of directors, the executive director of the Zaban Paradies Center for Homeless Couples (ZPC) in Atlanta, Georgia leads the organization in serving its unique population of homeless couples who reside at the Center and those who participate in its summer program. S/he ensures outcomes for residents are met, financial and other goals are attained, that the building and grounds are maintained, that relevant regulations are followed meticulously, and that talented management and staff are engaged and motivated to provide a high level of service and secure desired outcomes for the residents.

OPPORTUNITY

The search committee seeks an executive director who will work with the board and staff and serve as a leader for a respected organization with a dedicated community of supporters and stakeholders.

In partnership with the board chair and the board, as well as the staff, the executive director ensures needed resources for ZPC are in place and its financial health is sound. The executive director oversees external relations, fiscal management, resident outcomes, and fundraising.

Although the ideal candidate will have leadership experience in or related to serving the homeless population, the search committee also looks forward to considering backgrounds in other fields that serve vulnerable populations. The selected candidate will have an ability to engage diverse stakeholders and will demonstrate success in strategic and operational management.

ORGANIZATION

ZPC, established in 1984 in Atlanta, Georgia, provides year-round support for homeless couples but opens its doors for its residential season from mid-October through the end of April. For most of its history, 100% volunteer-run and funded by The Temple, the Center was renamed after very generous donations from the Zaban and Paradies families, and it became an independent 501c3 organization in 2009. ZPC continues to enjoy the support of The Temple, along with many other donors and volunteers. With 20 rooms, ZPC provides a safe and supportive environment. Through its programs ZPC enhances the lives of its residents and assists them to become self-sufficient, achieve sustainable employment, and move to safe, affordable housing.

The mission of ZPC is to assist couples transitioning from homelessness to resettlement and independence by providing shelter, basic necessities and counseling services. Services include regular hot meals, private furnished bedrooms, clothing closet, free laundry facilities, social services, case management, couples counseling, financial management, and more.

FAST FACTS

  • Rooms: 20
  • Residential season: October 15 to April 30
  • Average number of couples served each season: 60
  • Average number of summer program participants: 15
  • Revenues 2018: $355,000
    • Contributions grants and individual gifts $260,000
    • In-kind (Temple) $90,000
    • Investment income $13,000
  • Position reports to: Board of Directors
  • Staff
    • Director of Operations
    • Director of Programs
    • Development Associate
    • Accounting Consultant
    • 5-to-6 part-time resident managers
  • Volunteers
    • 25 volunteer supervisors
    • 1250 volunteer hours in 2018

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHALLENGES

The executive Director of ZPC will guide the board and staff to meet the following specific challenges

  • Strategic Direction – ZPC developed a 3-year plan beginning in 2019. The plan relies heavily on the board, however, for evaluation of programs and conducting marketing and fundraising activities. The board is eager to collaborate but recognizes the need for a single coordinating point and a leader with vision and energy who can conduct program evaluation and make recommendations for the future direction of mission-related activities of the center. The executive director will then work with the board and staff to identify the supports needed to be successful, e.g., marketing, development, staffing, financial structure and board complement.
  • Outcomes Reporting – Tracking outcomes among homeless clients is a known challenge to organizations who serve them. ZPC has taken steps to capture better longitudinal data, but its systems for gathering and maintaining data require attention still. A shift to Salesforce to track clients as well as fundraising has been an important move forward for ZPC. Providing guidance and identifying resources to ensure that programs capture information for more than one year about housing, financial health, employment and wellbeing is a priority for the executive director.
  • General Management – ZPC has operated for nearly seven years without an executive director. The operations director and program director have managed very capably as a team, and the board has served the executive functions of planning and decision-making. For the Zaban Paradies Center to gain the outcomes it wants, the board recognizes that an on-site, full-time executive director is necessary. Making the transition will require a skilled leader.
  • Funding – ZPC needs to diversify and increase its funding in order to ensure the viability of the center and continue to improve programming and outcomes. Funding currently comes primarily from foundation grants, with individual gifts of less than $75,000, The Temple’s in-kind gift of space and utilities equates to over $80,000 in revenue, which is included in the organization’s financial statements. The board believes there are opportunities in corporate and individual giving, as well as the potential for increased grant funding. The board would like also to leverage its base of volunteers, converting more of them to donors. Fundraising experience is a must. The executive director will spearhead fundraising efforts and work with the board to leverage their contacts and engage them in fundraising.
  • Relationship Development –The executive director will maintain the vitally important relationship with the Temple and invested long-term volunteers who provide critical support. With the complexity of needs facing the couples served by ZPC, relationships with other organizations and providers are also essential to develop. The executive director will play a key role in seeking partner organizations and joint funding opportunities in order to ensure that ZPC provides the full level of services needed by residents and summer participants without having to start new programs better suited to other organizations to run.

COMPETENCIES OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES

Visionary Leadership & Strategic Thinking

Executive director candidates will have a track record of:

  • Developing and conveying a vision internally and externally to energize donors as well as customers, clients, influencers, employees, and others whose involvement was needed for success.
  • Working with a board, staff, and volunteers to develop a strategic plan that was successfully implemented, developing and documenting the supporting plans for revenue, systems, human resources, and physical plant required to meet goals of the plan.
  • Translating the strategic plan into annual plans and monitoring organizational performance.
  • Working with the board to assess new initiatives that meet the goals of the strategic plan across all performance dimensions.
  • Working with a staff to establish organizational and programmatic indicators of success, measuring baseline performance, collecting data to assess the work, and with evaluations, making program and operational change for continuous improvement.
  • Showing vision larger than or different from past plans and operations when working in a rapidly changing sector.

Operational Excellence & Talent Development

Demonstrated success of the candidate will include:

  • Developing new and efficient ways to improve and streamline operations of their organizations in a manner that improved quality and outcomes.
  • Translating a strategic plan into annual plans and individual work plans.
  • Developing standard operating procedures.
  • Recruiting, training, developing, and motivating the highest level of continuously improving staff members.
  • Engaging the right team members, board members, or outside resources to solve problems.
  • Implementing automated systems to provide better, cost-effective services.
  • Introducing and maintaining a culture of collaborative teamwork and individual accountability, along with systems and communication tools to ensure an efficient and cooperative team.
  • Leadership in all financial processes and accountability, setting and meeting goals for long-term financial health, ensuring appropriate reserves, accounting compliance, and planning for internal capacity, cash flow needs, and investment in growth.
  • Working in a regulated environment, meeting all conditions, ensuring compliance, and maintaining required employee or organizational certifications.

Resource Development

Fundraising experience is a must. Candidates will demonstrate commitment to, and success in:

  • Increasing, strengthening and diversifying funding sources, including many of the following: one-on-one solicitation with major donors and private foundations, giving campaigns, corporations, faith groups and in-kind support.
  • Developing and documenting a funding strategy for the period of the strategic plan in order to meet resource needs.
  • Evaluating existing channels of revenue and strategically diversifying a revenue portfolio by identifying and building new pipeline(s).
  • Leveraging relationships to raise significant funding from a variety of donor types.
  • Gleaning best practices from similar, respected organizations in the candidate’s field.
  • Developing, documenting, and implementing a marketing and public relations strategy for the period of the strategic plan in order to support resource development and maximize use of services.

Board & Community Relations & Communications

Candidates will demonstrate commitment to and success in:

  • Developing strong working relationships with board members, staff, volunteers, and donors.
  • Equipping, briefing, and positioning board members to take timely action.
  • Working with a board and volunteers to capitalize on individual members’ respective skills and passions.
  • Motivating board members to engage and leverage their networks for the purpose of developing new board members, volunteers, and community partnerships.
  • Building relationships of credibility even in situations of disagreement.
  • Facilitating group success by working with board chair to ensure that the board and its committees have role clarity in achieving goals related to fundraising, governance, and their contributions to the strategic plan, as well as plans for accountability and deadlines.
  • Speaking, listening, and writing in a clear, thorough and timely manner.
  • Communicating effectively with employees and volunteers and externally with stakeholders with messages tailored to each audience.

Credentials

Education

Bachelor’s degree required; a relevant business or other graduate degree may be an advantage.

Relevant industry knowledge

The successful candidate will demonstrate knowledge of and passion for working with the homeless or other vulnerable populations in housing, healthcare or another related field. Although direct experience serving homeless individuals is helpful, management skill and the ability to quickly learn, assimilate, and apply outstanding management concepts are more important. The search committee looks forward to considering a variety of backgrounds.

Equal Employment Opportunities

The Zaban Paradies Center for Homeless Couples, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

Identity and Employment Eligibility Verification

In compliance with federal law, the candidate hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form (I-9) upon hire.

Evenings and Weekends

ZPC provides shelter and services for residents that may require the executive director work occasional evening and weekend hours.

TO EXPRESS INTEREST

ZPC and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, which has been engaged to conduct this search, invite your participation in this outstanding opportunity. To express interest or seek further information, please send your resume or questions via email only to zpc-ed@gcn.org.

GCN’s Process

We are honored by your interest and hope to be in touch with you. We regret that we are unable to speak with each individual. We will acknowledge receipt of your credentials by email and review each submission carefully. If we determine there is a potential match for the position, we will reach out to you by a subsequent email in order to schedule a phone call.

We pledge to keep candidates whom we contact by phone apprised of their status in the search.

By submitting your resume for this opportunity, you give the Georgia Center for Nonprofits permission to share your name and credentials with the members of our client’s search committee.

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