Common Future: VP of Impact Initiatives
Bianca Reyes
VP of Impact Initiatives
Location
Remote
Reports to
Co-CEO
Overview
Founded in 2001, Common Future works to close the racial wealth gap. We are building a future where all people—no matter their race and class—have power, choice, and ownership over the economy. Our current economic system does not work for everyone. Generations of Black and Indigenous communities and other communities of color have been and are currently intentionally locked out of wealth and power. Centuries of policies that systematically favor a select few cause persistent economic inequities that hold us all back.
With a multiracial, women-led co-CEO team we are reimagining leadership, prioritizing sustainability, shared leadership and clarified decision making, and reflecting the communities we serve. We are audacious, expansive, and unapologetic thinkers and doers who bring lived experience to the problems we tackle. Our diverse team of strategists, community organizers, financial activists, and policy enthusiasts provides capital, operational support, and strategic partnership to budding solutions addressing racial and economic injustice.
Our culture values include centering equity, being the communities we serve, embracing experimentation, reimagining what’s broken, collectively solving problems, and modeling a new way of working. We strive to be an innovator that prioritizes the well-being of our employees. Read more about us on our Medium page.
Purpose
We are seeking a VP of Impact initiatives to bring their professional, volunteer, and lived experiences as they lead and manage a team responsible for incubating, co-creating, and funding field defining initiatives that shift the flow of resources towards BIPOC communities in an effort to build a more equitable economy. Field defining initiatives are demonstration projects that model how to build wealth and power in excluded communities.
The VP directs the strategy to build the foundation of community wealth builders, ecosystem partners and advisors for Common Future’s field defining solutions, and oversees the strategy and impact of Common Future’s Accelerator and Action Labs. This role works closely with the Managing Director of Impact Investments to implement a cohesive strategy across the Impact Team that can create blueprints for the field at large to design a more equitable economy.
We are seeking someone who understands the landscape of community wealth building in the U.S. and has a perspective on where non-financial and financial resources need to be invested to advance solutions and ideas that have the potential to change systems and advance equity. This person has deep knowledge of the root causes of racial and economic inequity, understands how to center community perspectives when designing solutions, and has a bias towards action - finding ways to test and iterate in real-time. This individual also has a pulse on the organizations, individuals, and groups testing solutions to increase economic equity in their own communities and the know-how to build and leverage strategic partnerships.
Position Responsibilities
Programmatic Strategy (30%)
Work with Co-CEOs to design and direct the team’s strategy and continue to align it with Common Future’s organizational strategy and priorities.
Provide strategic guidance to team members to identify, codify, connect, support and champion the right partners, the right stage of development, and the right mix of follow-on support and capital to incubate and co-create field defining initiatives that are on the leading edge of building community wealth and ownership.
Collaborate across the organization with other team leaders to ensure connectivity of the strategy and work to areas like Brand and Storytelling/Communications, Revenue, Finance and Operations.
Keep abreast of the latest trends and developments in the community wealth building and economic development fields by reading available written resource materials, attending appropriate meetings and workshops, and engaging in other valuable methods to keep the strategy at the forefront of the ecosystem.
Team Management (40%)
Holds a strong vision for the programmatic work of the team as it builds towards achieving the organization’s mission and vision and effectively builds the team towards accomplishment and accountability to meet key results.
Directly manages 2-3 Directors on the team, and holds the entire Portfolio team accountable and balanced in their work through meetings, accountability systems and check-ins.
Fiscal management of the team budget and engagement scopes, working closely with the Finance team to track allocations and spending.
Shapes and scopes the impact portfolio and pipeline, and provides direction on priorities, goals, bandwidth and metrics for the team.
Serves as a coach, advisor and cross-functional communicator as needed to help the team meet core objectives, experiment, adapt, learn and develop professionally.
Find and suggest opportunities to develop the professional expertise of team members.
Thought Leadership, Partnerships, and Influence (15%)
Enhance Common Future’s visibility by being active in the community economic development ecosystem and by working closely with peers and other ecosystem partners.
Expand strategic partnership opportunities by leading Common Future’s engagement across the community economic development ecosystem.
Extendpand Common Future’s network by engaging externally and contributing to thought leadership in order to share our viewpoint, research, ideas or case studies.
Executive Leadership & Management (15%)
Engage internally as a leader within the organization in both virtual and in-person settings.
Serve on Common Future’s Executive Team to help set organizational priorities and budget, contribute to workforce planning, organizational development and resource allocation/management.
Collaborate with the Executive Team members to advance recommendations on organizational priorities, budget, workforce planning, and resource allocation to the Co-CEOs.
Co-lead, in partnership with the Managing Director, monthly Impact team meetings and support planning and facilitating Common Future team and relevant sub-team retreats.
Provide relevant guidance and support on an ad-hoc basis to team members across the organization.
Embody and amplify equitable practices internally and externally and actively participates in Common Future’s equity journey.
Desired Qualifications
Community wealth building leader with a strong understanding of the economic development landscape and a developed perspective of/or strategy around how and when community wealth building initiatives can advance economic equity. The ideal candidate aims for systems change, will have led successful community wealth building projects, can articulate the root causes of inequity that the project tackles as well as the outcomes and desired impact from these initiatives.
Proven track record of success in organizational management at the Executive level, including budget creation and oversight, capacity building and developing streamlined and agile processes.
Exceptional strategic thinking skills, with a high level of intellectual curiosity who pushes boundaries and has a builder mentality with strong preference to work experimentally and adapt/iterate as needed.
Skillfulness and experience to develop and empower leaders from the bottom up, cultivate a culture of initiative and learning, understand the strengths and weaknesses of the team so as to position people to succeed, and ensure accountability. Clear ability to delegate and coach a team in a remote setting, ensure cross-team alignment and engage the key people on the right team on the right projects.
Commitment and dedication to dismantling unjust systems with experience addressing bias, anti-Blackness, and white dominant culture in the workplace. Past experience identifying decisions, policies, or practices that have disparate impacts on BIPOC communities or individuals. Proven ability to make changes in systems and practices to operationalize equity.
Desired competencies for all Common Future team members:
Intellectual curiosity
Strategic thinking
Goal oriented
Growth mindset
Equity and inclusion lens
Innovation and experimentation
Collaboration and teamwork
Flexibility and responsiveness
Comfort working in ambiguity
Relationship building towards mutual support and trust
Compensation and Benefits
This is a full-time, exempt position. The salary range is $130,000 to $145,000 and commensurate with competence and experience. Common Future offers a work environment that is committed to the wellbeing and support of our employees. We embrace a human-centered approach to our practices and policies.
We offer a competitive benefits package that includes:
20 paid time off days, which can increase to 25 after 2 years.
18 paid holidays*, including a week off in the Spring and Winter
Ongoing 4 day work week, Monday-Thursday, 32-hour workweek, 80% time at 100% pay.
Remote and flexible work options.
One time $800 home office setup stipend for new employees.
$150 per month coworking, home office, and cell phone stipend.
Paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for employees. Dependents covered at 75%.
Paid long term disability coverage and life insurance.
Access to a flexible spending account (FSA) for medical and dependent expenses.
16 week paid parental leave.
$500 monthly Caregiver stipend.
Immediately vested 4% 403b retirement plan contribution after 90 days.
$500 professional development, tuition, student loan, and coaching support.
Annual in-person retreat.
And more.
*Holidays which coincide with Fridays will not be additionally counted as PTO as these days are already non-work days at Common Future.
** Employees who cannot take the week between Christmas and New Years off due to workflow can opt to take the week of Thanksgiving off instead.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should apply through our online career portal. Applications will be evaluated as they arrive and the position will remain open until filled.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Common Future does not discriminate against applicants or employees due to their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, physical ability, hairstyle, previous incarceration, or length of time spent unemployed. As an organization, we are committed to reflecting the diverse communities we serve. At this time, Common Future does not sponsor visas. Applicants who contribute to this diversity are strongly encouraged to apply.
Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and we are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. That candidate may be one who comes from a background less traditional to our field of work, and that’s okay. We would strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.
Due to the high volume of applications our hiring team is not able to field requests for informational interviews sent via LinkedIn or email. If you are a good match for the role, our team will reach out to you directly.
Job Posted on August 17, 2023