The Green Heart Project is a 501©3 non-profit organization that builds school gardens and farm-to-school programs in the Charleston Area.  With a high value placed on education, health and community, the Green Heart Project uses school gardens as outdoor classrooms to educate (K-5) students about healthy food while reiterating classroom curriculum through growing, eating and celebrating food.

The Green Heart Project is now seeking an extraordinary person to join our team as our Executive Director to lead the organization through a new and exciting phase of growth to engage, enrich and improve the lives of youth in the greater Charleston Area.  Building on current programmatic and organizational success, the Executive Director will have the overall responsibility of ensuring sustainability, stewarding organizational strategy, elevating program quality, motivating & growing staff and engaging stakeholders.  Additionally, the Executive Director will collaborate with our board of directors and staff to expand programmatic capacity into our new flagship Urban Farm Project slated for 2018-2019.

Our ideal candidate is a passionate leader and communicator with a track record of successfully growing an organization, department or initiative.  Further, the candidate is visionary, a proven fundraiser and team builder, and possesses a deep commitment to youth development, nutrition education and our local food system.

This position reports to an active and engaged Board of Directors and manages a current full-time staff of two (and growing!), 10-15 part-time staff and 250+ volunteers impacting 1000+ students annually.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership of the Green Heart Project strategy, staff, programs, administration, and finances to ensure the successful execution of the mission
• In collaboration with our engaged Board of Directors, drive diverse and expanded funding strategies that ensure organizational sustainability and allow for the completion of growth goals.
• Manage the finance and accounting of the organization’s annual and programmatic budgets.
• In collaboration with our engaged Board of Directors support our newly established capital raising campaign for our new urban farm.
• Refine and implement the organizational strategic plan
• In collaboration with our Program Director, Program Managers and volunteers, ensure our programs achieve clear, measurable results and the impact is evaluated and communicated
• In collaboration with our Garden Coordinator and team of Garden Champions, ensure that our school gardens are maintained, successful and lesson-ready for our programs
• Refine, build and scale internal processes, systems and policies to ensure efficient and effective workflow that can sustain organizational growth
• Manage and motivate staff to achieve their objectives by providing necessary resources, professional development, performance management, and a positive work environment that supports excellence, cultural competency and mutual respect
• Engage and lead members of the Board to leverage their talents and energy across relevant aspects of the organization
• Maintain and elevate the Green Heart Project brand and reputation in Charleston among public, private and non-profit stakeholders
• Serve as a spokesperson, thought leader, and driver of strategic partnerships in pertinent youth, after-school, wellness and educational circles
• Work strategically with the non-profit and food systems community and continue to serve as a leader within that community

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of professional experience.  Non-profit experience is strongly preferred.
• A track record of successfully raising funds for an organization or cause.
• Innovative and entrepreneurial background, with demonstrated track record of scaling an organization and its programs.
• A proven ability to move initiatives forward, identify opportunities, take reasonable risks, manage challenges, and achieve the desired results.
• A strategic thinker with experience operationalizing a vision into a realistic plan of work
• A skilled leader with an ability to motivate, coach, and develop an experienced staff and board
• Superb strategic communication skills and the proven ability to empower a diverse set of key stakeholders within the Green Heart Project & Charleston community
• Knowledge of community and youth development and of Charleston’s landscape.
• Positive, optimistic, and energetic personality.
• Confident and inclusive leadership style
• A  deep sense of commitment to improving youth outcomes  in the Charleston Area.
• A passion for gardening, food justice and the benefits of farm-to-school programming is a plus
• Experience in curriculum development, program design & evaluation is a plus

THE URBAN FARM:

The Green Heart Project’s new ½ acre urban farm will be built in the beautiful & historic Enston Homes neighborhood.  The Enston Homes is nestled in the heart of downtown Charleston providing workforce development housing to a diverse community of Charlestonians.  The urban farm will provide gardening space for the Enston Homes residents while expanding the Green Heart Project’s current (K-5) programing into 3 additional schools within a block of the site.  Additionally, it will serve as the flagship site and event space for the Green Heart Project’s youth-development program for middle and high-school students.