Director Of Community Engagement

Position: Director of Community Engagement

Reports to: Board of Directors

Location: Kalamazoo, MI. Work is hybrid, with in-person and remote work anticipated. Must live in Kalamazoo County, MI, within 60 days of hire date. Out-of-state remote work is not an option.

Salary: $85,000 per year (subject to funding secured past 2026)

Status: Salaried; Exempt

Benefits:

A comprehensive benefits package is offered, including:

• Employer-covered medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits
• Retirement Contribution
• Wellness Stipend
• Generous and flexible PTO

About Kalamazoo Justice Hub:

Kalamazoo Justice Hub is a new organization located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It serves as a central space for social justice leaders. It is a place for new ideas to start for organizations and projects that take on systemic oppression in our community. This vision came from talks with Kalamazoo community members who work in social justice and their support networks. Both said they need capacity-building support and shared resources to help advance racial and economic justice in the Kalamazoo area.

The Kalamazoo Justice Hub resists systemic oppression by supporting people working to build power in their communities. The hub offers space for experimentation, capacity-building support, shared resources, and fiscal sponsorship. Our services help project leaders have less administrative tasks. This will help them have more time to make a more just community.

The Kalamazoo Justice Hub operates under a shared leadership model. The Director of Community Engagement will lead the organization alongside the Director of Operations.

The mission of Kalamazoo Justice Hub is to support social justice efforts in the community by providing the following services:

• Fiscal sponsorship to projects with a social justice mission.
• Bookkeeping, accounting, and invoicing support.
• A physical mailing address with mailboxes. A common phone number with voicemail and email.
• Website space.
• Access to legal services, payroll, and other professional consultants.
• Help with skill-building workshops and training.
• Potential health and other benefits.

Position Summary:

The Director of Community Engagement is one-half of the shared leadership team of Kalamazoo Justice Hub and will report to and work closely with the Board of Directors to ensure Kalamazoo Justice Hub succeeds. This position is responsible for surfacing, onboarding, and supporting partnerships with fiscal sponsees and other organizations seeking capacity support. The Director of Community Engagement will represent the Justice Hub in the greater Kalamazoo community, creating and sustaining connections with people from a wide range of communities and working to build community trust in the Justice Hub.

The Director of Community Engagement will utilize an anti-racist, pro-equity, collaborative decision-making approach in all relationships and situations. This person should be a skilled manager who can support a growing staff team and effectively manage contractors. In tandem with the Director of Operations, the Director of Community Engagement will help this team set and meet realistic and bold goals. The Director of Community Engagement and the Director of Operations will work together to lead the team to evaluate work for lessons that improve future practice. The Director of Community Engagement will lead work with organizations and alliances to develop strategies, build capacity, and convene groups. This work will deepen connections and build unity within and across organizations. The Director of Community Engagement will assess the community's needs and find resources to meet those needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work with the Director of Operations to set priorities for the Justice Hub.
• Work with the Director of Operations to create best practices for a shared leadership model to lead the organization together.
• Lead strategic planning processes while shaping the future success of the Justice Hub.
• Develop creative staff leadership, team management, and effective practices. Build and cultivate a healthy staff culture.
• Convene and facilitate the Soul Trust and the External Affairs Committee to ensure community voice and representation across all levels of leadership.
• Report to and work closely with the Board of Directors.
• Be a passionate thought leader in the community and ambassador for Kalamazoo Justice Hub, clearly communicating and advocating for its mission and vision.

• Work with organizations and alliances to develop strategies, build administrative capacity, and convene groups.
• Deepen connections and build unity within and across organizing efforts in Kalamazoo County.
• Develop and implement outreach strategies to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
• Create and maintain policies and processes for fiscal sponsorship selection and community event sponsorship, stewarding selection decisions for both.
• Actively seek out and participate in community events whenever possible, in order to meet community members, build connections, and surface leads on potential fiscal sponsees.
• Actively seek out and conduct one-on-one relationship-building opportunities with stakeholders across the community to build trust and connection, while surfacing and developing relationships with potential fiscal sponsees.
• Lead Kalamazoo Justice Hub’s relationship with potential and current fiscal sponsees, ensuring trust, high-quality support and resource provision, and centering of sponsees’ voices and needs.
• Support fiscal sponsees in applying for grants, fundraising, and accessing other community resources to enhance their work.
• Collaborate with nonprofit capacity support organizations and other conveners in the community to ensure alignment of resources and strong working relationships.
• Know and understand laws, rules, regulations, and policies that apply to potential programs and projects.

• Assess the community's needs and find the resources and strategies to meet these needs.
• Gather and analyze data on the efficacy of Justice Hub’s strategies and work.
• Where needed, develop strategies for course correction and/or to address gaps in Justice Hub’s service provision.
• Lead reporting processes for funders.
• Network with and learn from other fiscal sponsorship models; apply and evaluate best practices.

Qualifications:

• Three years of experience managing organizational Community Engagement efforts.
• Three years of experience in developing and sustaining partnerships with grassroots community groups, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions.
• Three years of experience supervising individuals.
• Experience working within a growing organization; experience with building organizational systems and infrastructure.
• Knowledge of laws, financial implications, and best practices for fiscal sponsorship.
• Understanding of structural racism and how it intersects with other types of oppression, including sexism, classism, and ableism.
• Strong strategic planning, program evaluation and project management skills.
• Experience managing a nonprofit organizational budget.
• Experience fundraising for nonprofit programs. Ability to engage grassroots and institutional donors.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working with fiscal sponsorships.
• Sees self as a “builder” and likes creating and implementing systems.
• Demonstrates integrity and consistency.
• Able to work from a place of abundance and dreaming, while operating in a certain level of ambiguity.
• Experience building a fun team culture.

Environment and Qualifications:

The Director of Community Engagement must live in Kalamazoo County and must be available to attend in-person and virtual community meetings during a 9 AM - 7 PM window 4 or 5 days a week. This position requires the ability to frequently sit, stand, and self-sufficiently travel. This position requires the Director of Community Engagement to work in front of the computer for extended periods of time.

To Apply:

Submit application materials to

Requested Materials:

• Cover letter expressing your interest in the position and highlighting relevant experiences
• Resume/CV
• A list of 3 professional references

Application Deadline:

Candidates who submit their application before Friday, April 12, 2024, will be given priority.

Interview Process:

We will screen and invite applicants to a two-round interview process. For candidates who qualify for round 2, this will include a paid practical skills assessment activity.

Target Start Date:

We would like to have the candidate selected by April 30th, 2024, or sooner, with a tentative start date of May 20th, 2024.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, women and femmes, LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, neurodiverse people, and formerly convicted, incarcerated, or systems-impacted people are highly encouraged to apply. The Justice Hub of Kalamazoo does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, political affiliation, exercising one’s right to family care and medical leave, medical condition, including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions, or any other category protected by local, state, or federal laws. We are not offering US visa sponsorship at this time.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Evenings as needed
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Ability to Relocate:

• Kalamazoo, MI 49001: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Kalamazoo, MI 49001