This position is located in Evanston, Illinois.

About the YWCA Equity Institute 

YWCA Evanston/North Shore launched in the 1930s and is one of 200+ associations that form the largest women’s race and gender justice organization in the country, YWCA USA. The mission of YWCA is to eliminate racism and empower women.

YWCA Evanston/North Shore, at the urging of our community, launched our racial justice programming in 2011 through a series of community conversations about race. The work has evolved over time from working with mostly white individuals to develop a basic understanding of racism to working with mostly white-led nonprofit organizations to deepen their commitment to challenging their own white supremacist organizational cultures.

We are launching a new phase of our work after 13 years. Building on our education, training, and consulting services, and feedback from the communities we collaborate with, we seek to deepen the work by tying learning to collective actions that create meaningful change in the world. We are growing our work in two new ways. First, we will continue to engage white individuals and nonprofit leaders in dismantling white supremacy, but we will do that work through a cohort learning and collective action framework, moving away from a heavy focus on individual consulting contracts. Second, we seek to expand our work in meaningful ways with Black, Indigenous, Women of Color who are most impacted by structural racism. The next Director will lead the Institute in developing new models of solidarity that ensure we are centering the voices and experiences of  Black, Indigenous, Women of Color. 

Job Summary

The Equity Institute Director is a dynamic, visionary leader with a  record of working to dismantle historic barriers to accessing institutional resources, opportunities, and power for Black, Indigenous, People of Color who are most disparately impacted by structural racism. The Director carries out this work by helping human service organizations become more accountable to the historically marginalized communities they serve and by partnering with those communities to identify and support needed change. The Director is skilled at delivering human service organizational change consulting services; developing community partnerships, programming, and training curricula; and supports internal YWCA equity efforts. The Director will build on 13 years of YWCA racial equity work and deepen program impact through expanding community partnerships. The Director will support and foster a highly motivated, passionate team committed to a standard of excellence and innovation in the field of organizational and community equity.   

The position is responsible for developing and implementing program strategies that advance department goals, directing all daily program activities, protocols, and procedures, soliciting and offering input on agency policies, and advising on department protocols and procedures.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Program Management (55%)  

• Collaboratively sets dynamic, innovative vision for the growth of the Equity Institute that increases participation and moves individuals and organizations from knowledge to measurable action. 
• Leads the development of YWCA organizational consulting services with a deep understanding of organizational change management in the human services sector and translates concepts and ideas into operational actions for the nonprofit setting. 
• Oversees effective operational practices for organizational consulting services including but not limited to assessing the needs of potential consulting clients; developing professional consulting or training proposals;  implementing a consistent fee structure for all services, and implementation of services and close out of contracts. 
• Develops and implements program content meaningful to Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color. 
• Oversees an anti-racist training programming, including setting vision, developing curricula that incorporates best practices, and is responsive to trends in the field of anti-racist learning and organizational change, 
• In collaboration with the data and strategy team, ensures the development and implementation of a comprehensive program evaluation plan, data collection, and reporting, including providing data for funder reports.  
• Assists in the preparation of fundraising proposal content in collaboration with the Development department.  
• Collaborates with senior leadership and contributes expertise to internal YWCA equity initiative strategies. 
• Collaborates with other department leaders to identify opportunities for internal training and support, including delivering training content on issues of racial equity during the Illinois 40-Hour Domestic Violence Certificate Training Programs. 
• Leads collaborative efforts to set vision and goals for the public, equity-focused YWCA events, including but not limited to Racial Healing Week, Unite Against Racism, and Race Against Hate.  
• Develops and manages annual department budget, including reviewing monthly income statements for accuracy and submitting and approving expenditures.  
• Collaborates with Communications staff in developing an annual marketing plan, including professional materials, website content, regularly scheduled print/social media messaging about programs, services, and timely equity issues, and an ambitious, measurable plan for marketing outreach to potential Equity Institute participants and consulting clients.  

Community Outreach (25%)  

• Actively initiates community partnerships and represents the YWCA at coalitions, community meetings, and critical decision-making or networking tables to ensure YWCA is identified as a visible and substantive leader on issues of racial equity training and organizational consultation.  
• Develops and implements strategies to foster relationships with community residents and leaders from marginalized communities with the goal of centering their voices in guiding the work of the Equity Institute. 
• Develops and sustains a process to engage the community and content area experts to guide vision, inform strategy, and ensure accountability to the communities we serve.  

Supervision (15%)  

• Hires and orients new hires in accordance with agency practices.  
• Develops staff capacity, morale, and productivity by providing regular supervision and coaching, professional development opportunities, ensuring clear expectations and consistent accountability, and recognizing accomplishments. 
• Stays current with agency technology and its proper usage, including but not limited to taking the initiative to seek out personal training opportunities, training direct reports on proper usage, and ensuring staff maximize their efficiency with the use of available technology.  
• Acts as primary liaison between leadership and direct reports and ensures timely, thorough, and effective organizational communication so staff feel informed and aware of organizational policies, practices, procedures, and growth. Effectively advocates for staff by regularly soliciting staff input and representing staff needs and interests to agency leadership.  
• Ensures all staff understand and adhere to all policies in the Employee Handbook.  

ADDITIONAL DUTIES (5%) 

• Provides and attends staff training, participates in agency committees and senior management meetings, and contributes to the overall strategic growth of the organization.   
• Attends professional development seminars and conferences and stays current on trends and best practices in the field.?  
• Understands and adheres to all YWCA Evanston/North Shore procedures and policies as well as YWCA Employee Handbook.  
• Performs other duties as assigned by management.    

An individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed above. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. 

The above list reflects the general details necessary to describe the principle and essential functions of the position and shall not be construed as the only duties that may be assigned for the position. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

Education: Master’s degree in organizational change management, social sciences, or humanities with an emphasis on racial equity. 

Experience and/or Training:

• At least 7 years of management responsibilities developing public programming,  community-based and institutional trainings, and consulting on equity issues within the nonprofit sector.  
• At least 5 years experience supervising staff at various levels of organizational responsibility. 
• Experienced in the application of intersectional equity frameworks to increase systemic equity.  
• Experienced in the application of best practices in training, facilitation, and adult education to increase systemic equity.  

Licenses/Certificates:  

• Completion of the Illinois 40-Hour Domestic Violence Certificate Training within 6 months of hire.  
• Valid driver’s license and auto insurance  

Technology/Equipment: 

• Reliable access to personal transportation for business purposes.  
• Expert proficiency in Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, and Zoom.  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

Experience and/or Training:

• At least 10 years of experience with increasing levels of management responsibility providing community-based and institutional training and consulting on equity-focused organizational change issues, including but not limited to scoping for readiness, developing formal proposals, designing and implementing assessment strategies, and providing coaching and support to move clients forward to completion.  
• Experience developing racial equity curricula in alignment with emerging trends and best practices in the field. 
• Prior work experience in a nonprofit organization that informs an understanding of the opportunities and constraints faced by nonprofits. 
• At least 7 years experience supervising staff at various levels of organizational responsibility. 
• Experience developing departmental budgets in collaboration with finance staff and reviewing monthly income statements to ensure the accuracy of revenue and expenses. 
• Experiencing developing written content for reports, proposals, and marketing materials for diverse audiences. 
• Experience developing and maintaining relationships with community partners that advance the mission. 
• Experience working cross-organizationally to achieve desired program goals and outcomes and remove barriers to program implementation.  

Language: Proficiency in Spanish 

Licenses/Certificates: Illinois 40-Hour Domestic Violence Certificate Training 

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS 

Intermittent (less than 15%), Occasional (15-45%), Frequent (50-75%), and Continuous (over 75%). 

• Occasional nights and/or weekends are required for events or meetings. 
• Frequent local and intermittent statewide travel is required. 
• Tolerance of prolonged and continuous stationary periods at a desk/computer 
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, climb stairs, reach with hands and arms, and reach above shoulders. 
• Occasionally required to push, pull, lift, and/or move up to 10 pounds. 
• Must be able to move about the facility. 
• Must be able to operate controls for computers and other equipment. 

The mental and physical requirements described here represent those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. 

WORKING ENVIRONMENT 

• Employee may be required to share office space. 
• Employee may be required to work from home. 
• Employee will frequently have meetings or work in other buildings. 
• Offsite presentations may include assembly halls, education institutions, and commercial businesses.  

The work environment characteristics described here represent those an individual encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. 

*Note: YWCA is committed to pay range transparency. Candidates are offered compensation based on how their qualifications meet those of the position.

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