Students Rising Above, Chief Executive Officer

ORGANIZATION

Students Rising Above (SRA) is a Bay Area based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that envisions a world in which every person can achieve economic and social equity. SRA lives this vision by empowering students facing systemic barriers to define and find success through education, career, and in life. Every day, we work to fuel traditionally underrepresented students with drive and potential to achieve their life goals by connecting them to the tools, resources, and supportive community they need to excel and thrive on their college-to-career journey.

Comprised of a tightly organized team of trained experts, an engaged student community, corporate partners, and the commitment of both individual donors and foundations, SRA has created an all-encompassing program that offers thousands of students: Academic Advising; Career Guidance; Professional Development; Social-emotional supports; and Healthcare navigation.

By providing comprehensive guidance and support whenever and wherever it’s needed, SRA accomplishes its mission through a series of proven initiatives that have a direct and profound impact, affecting lives for generations. Founded 25 years ago, SRA now serves all nine counties within the region.

OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to and closely collaborating with the Board of Directors, SRA’s next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for carrying out SRA’s mission by increasing the effectiveness of its programs and services, fueling its revenue generation and financial acumen, strengthening its community development, and solidifying its operational systems. The CEO proactively represents SRA with government agencies, engages with SRA’s broader communities, manages and supports the functions of SRA’s Board of Directors, and serves as the primary brand ambassador to maintain and increase SRA’s reputation as a highly effective nonprofit.

The next CEO will have a proven track record in securing comprehensive fundraising from individual donors, foundations, and government. The right candidate has demonstrated experience building and maintaining an inclusive internal culture promoting transparency, collaboration, and diversity. The ability to provide operational and financial leadership is essential, along with the resourcefulness to effectively develop and lead teams.

SRA’s next CEO will be a strategic, business-minded, highly strategic, operationally savvy, and culturally empathetic leader with demonstrated executive nonprofit experience. The next CEO should have an unwavering commitment to SRA’s mission and be highly energized by the opportunity to serve as the champion of this unique organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The span of responsibilities of the SRA Chief Executive Officer include:

• Fundraising Transformation: To achieve SRA’s broader reach and impact, the CEO will lead efforts to reimagine and catalyze the organization’s development strategy with a focus on revenue diversification and sustainability. The CEO will continue strengthening existing funder relationships to ensure current grant funding is maintained, while driving new and targeted efforts with major donors, foundations, corporations, and other funding sources. Through inspiring and compelling fundraising campaigns, the CEO will seek to optimize the revenue potential of SRA’s existing programs, and find innovative, new opportunities to increase financial sustainability.
• Executive Leadership: Partnering with SRA’s Board of Directors and staff leadership, the CEO will be expected to bring SRA’s vision to life for long term impact. This includes collaborating with the Board, staff, and program partners to establish aggressive goals, objectives, supporting business and operational plans to realize this vision. In parallel, the CEO will maintain and strengthen SRA’s culture of caring and support for all staff, while also ensuring accountability for work productivity, results, and impact. The CEO will leverage data analytics and insights to inform decision-making across the organization.
• Board Collaboration: Building on its rich history, setting a clear vision for the organization's future is essential. Partnering with and supporting SRA’s Board of Directors, the CEO will work closely and openly with the Board and its committees to ensure ongoing communication and information exchange related to organizational health, governance, risks, concerns, and opportunities. This includes but is not limited to providing Board members with accurate and adequate information to make holistic, data-informed decisions in a timely manner.
• Financial Management and Acumen: With a focus on transparency and accountability, the CEO is expected to elevate SRA’s financial acumen to ensure the organization’s fiscal health and sustainability. This includes ensuring that SRA secures the adequate revenue to carry out its work tied to strategic investments and spending. Overall, the CEO will be responsible for monitoring SRA’s financial performance, driving effective financial controls, and protecting the organization’s assets and integrity in support of the organization’s strategic goals.
• Stakeholder Engagement, Public Influence, and Brand Stewardship: As the organization’s top thought leader and brand ambassador, the CEO will champion SRA’s external relations and brand presence. This includes building partnerships, accelerating the organizations’ visibility and reputation within policy and advocacy spaces where appropriate, representing the organization in public forums, fundraising events, and through media outlets.
• Team Leadership and Organizational Culture: The SRA CEO is responsible for hiring, developing, managing, and supporting a high-performing team, ensuring that equity and diversity are central to that work. Our new leader will model inclusivity, transparency, collaboration, and empowerment of others throughout the entire organization. As the primary tone setter, SRA’s CEO will maintain and strengthen SRA’s culture of caring and support for all staff, while also implementing a model of shared accountability leading to increased productivity, measurable results, and greater impact.
• Operational Oversight: SRA’s CEO will be energized to evaluate and evolve the necessary organizational infrastructure, systems, and processes to catalyze SRA to its next levels of sophistication and growth. This includes ensuring that structures and systems are in place for enhanced cross-departmental communication and workflows and information exchange, along with strengthening equitable organizational employment processes, performance management, compensation and benefits so that they are in compliance to applicable laws and regulations, community expectations, and high ethical standards.
• Technology Advancement: SRA’s CEO will champion the adoption of innovative technologies to enhance the organization's operations, outreach, and impact. Internally, the CEO will ensure that the organization's technological infrastructure is secure, reliable, and scalable. Externally, the leader will stay abreast of emerging technological solutions to assess their potential to advance the organization's mission.

PRIORITIES

While SRA’s Board and new CEO will ultimately determine Year-One priorities, here’s where the organization is heavily leaning at this juncture:

• Listening, Learning, and Building Trust: Through deep curiosity and learning, the new CEO will need to gain a thorough understanding of SRA, its people, students, programs, funders, partnerships, and external stakeholders. The CEO will be expected to demonstrate inspirational and inclusive community building with a focus on staff engagement.
• Fundraising and Driving External Presence: The SRA will need to focus on funding continuity by maintaining a strong, visible presence in the broader SRA community, as well as reinforcing relationships with existing supporters. The CEO will develop a comprehensive development strategy that unlocks SRA’s ability to identify and secure new funding opportunities that will fuel the organization’s mission-critical near-term and long term work.
• Ensuring Internal Resilience: The CEO will develop and implement a sustainable leadership structure and operational plan that provides continuity and stability while assessing capacity needs for SRA’s next levels of growth. This includes shaping the organization’s ability to consistently and effectively develop its staff and manage its operations, resources, and programs to achieve its mission over the long term.

The next SRA Chief Executive Officer will be an accomplished nonprofit C-level executive with demonstrated experience successfully managing a multi-faceted and layered organization. To fulfill the above responsibilities, the ideal SRA CEO candidate will possess the following qualifications:

• Passion for the organization's mission and a commitment to social impact.
• Minimum of bachelor's degree in business, nonprofit management, or a related field.
• Proven track record of success in fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational leadership.
• Previous experience in a CEO or executive role within the nonprofit arena or within a mission-driven organization is preferable.
• Deep understanding of the nonprofit sector and its unique challenges and opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage technology to drive innovation and growth.
• Strong strategic thinking skills with an ability to articulate a clear, compelling vision, using data to inform decisions, including external research and internal innovation.
• Demonstrated ability to manage large and complex operating budgets.

This position offers a competitive salary range of $250,000-$275,000 and a robust benefits package. SRA currently operates in a remote-first environment with the entire staff working within the San Francisco Bay Area. The CEO must live within the Bay Area to or be able to easily travel to the region as needed.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume online at https://apply.workable.com/j/758E765D9E/.

Students Rising Above is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.