Company description

Hudson Valley Seed educates children in school gardens, empowering students through curriculum-integrated lessons focused on healthy eating, food literacy, outdoor learning, and academic success. As thousands of children across the Hudson Valley participate in weekly standards-based garden education, they develop a love of learning and the outdoors. As students plant seeds, steward the land, and share new foods with their peers, they are also cultivating compassion, patience and self discipline. By partnering with schools to provide students with innovative, experiential and project-based food education, Hudson Valley Seed helps students connect discoveries in the classroom to action in the community.

Job description

Through hands-on learning, dynamic living classrooms, and engaged students and teachers, Hudson Valley Seed is raising the bar of academic achievement one school at a time. We currently serve more than 3,000 students a year in seven elementary schools. Because HVS lessons are fully integrated into New York State’s Common Core curriculum, garden lessons are taught year-round as part of the public school day and contribute to classroom academic success. The ED will continue to guide Hudson Valley Seed’s internal and external operations so that they contribute to a socially just world for the students, teachers, parents, and community members Hudson Valley Seed serves.

Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director (ED) has strategic and operational responsibility for HVS’s nonprofit staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission. The ED will lead and manage fundraising operations, and will build and deepen relationships with HVS’s existing and new constituents.

• Assures organizational stability through the development and implementation of standards and controls, systems and procedures, and regular evaluation of effectiveness.
• Oversees and monitors the fiscal activities of the organization including budgeting, reporting and audit. Maintains regular communication with the Board on matters pertaining to the fiscal solvency of the organization.
• Maintains a mission-related and dynamic strategic plan, ensures timelines and resources to achieve strategic goals and objectives.
• Leads HVS’s education programs, public outreach, relationships with schools, fundraising, strategic planning, and management of staff of 7, (and growing) assigned to those activities.
• Serves as the principal spokesperson for the organization. Effectively communicates the position of the organization in verbal, written and presentation formats.
• Actively engages and energizes HVS Board Members, staff, community members, partnering organizations, and funders.
• Assists the Board with the identification of Board candidates and their recruitment and onboarding.
• Arranges and manages regularly scheduled Board meetings; facilitates discussion, deliberation, and decision-making.
• Establishes a positive, inclusive, accessible, and safe work environment that supports all team members to do their best work.
• Ensures legislative and regulatory compliance as applicable.
• Leads fundraising and grant making activities to support existing program operations and regional expansion.
• Works with staff and the Board to prepare, monitor and adhere to a comprehensive budget and prepare and provide monthly financial statements, which accurately reflect the financial condition of the organization.
• Fosters and maintains relations of trust with stakeholders (Board, staff, volunteers, community leaders, school administration and teachers, parents, students and community partners).
• Establishes partnerships and joins coalitions with other organizations with similar and/or complementary objectives.

Requirements:

All candidates should have proven leadership, coaching, and relationship management experience. Degree in related field or 5+ years at a senior level in a similar organization.

The Executive Director must also demonstrate competence in the following:

• The Executive Director must share the values, mission, and vision of HVS, including a dedication to building food and education access for and with our partner communities.
• High level of emotional intelligence and ability to foster positive team environments.
• Excellence in organizational management with the ability to coach staff, develop high-performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget.
• Commitment to results. The Executive Director must be goal-driven, action-oriented, and innovative. S/he/they must be able to anticipate and solve problems, appropriately take advantage of opportunities, and be a self-starter and team player.
• Past success working directly with a Board of Directors with the ability to cultivate new and existing Board member relationships.
• Strong marketing, public relations, and fundraising experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and backgrounds.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; an influential and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills.
• Experience in management and administration, with the following areas preferred: finance, personnel, communications, governance, planning, and evaluation.
• 5+ years of relevant experience managing a team of 5 or more
• Experience in opening or starting a division, department, or organization
• Experience working directly with public schools
• Diversified fundraising experience (including, but not limited to experience with digital/e-mail based fundraising and grantwriting)

As an organization, HVS values accountability, integrity and community as essential to fulfilling our mission of educating children in school gardens. The most competitive candidates will have a sophisticated understanding of organizational culture and systems thinking, will have a high attention to detail and relationship management, and will be able to work independently. S/he/they will have a great sense of humor with an ability to encourage fun and laughter in a team environment.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $50,000 to $100,000

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline