Employment Opportunity Executive Director, NYC
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Katie Truelove
Mar 21, 2011, 9:02:23 AM3/21/11
to Apostles Social Services Industry
About Defy
Defy Ventures is a New York City-based nonprofit that provides
leadership development and life transforming opportunities for men
with criminal histories by inspiring and equipping the private sector
to apply its resources to this talent pool. By partnering with
business executives and faith-based groups, Defy gives people with
criminal histories a legitimate chance to truly succeed as income
earners, fathers, and citizens. Defy’s vision is to create localized
solutions that impact every urban community in America. Defy is
entirely privately funded by business executives, foundations, and
other generous donors.
As a start-up, Defy is currently rolling out a Pilot Program for 50
clients with criminal histories. Defy will recruit these men from
partner organizations that provide transitional services, and offer
them intensive personal development and skills training. Defy’s team
will proactively source employers to connect clients with long-term
career opportunities. Defy will also recruit private sector volunteers
to create a holistic solution for its clients, which will include
executive mentoring, family reunification, long-term housing, and
medical, dental and legal services.
Defy Ventures is founded by Catherine Rohr, a former venture
capitalist who brings to the organization five years of experience as
the founder and CEO of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP).
Under Catherine’s leadership, PEP was recognized for its innovation
and results by NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York
Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, National Public Radio,
Entrepreneur Magazine and Deal Maker Magazine. Results include a
return-to-prison rate of less than 10%, an employment rate of 98%, and
the inception of more than 60 businesses by its graduates.
The Need
Serving as a key member of the Leadership Team and reporting to the
CEO, the Executive Director (ED) will have overall client development
and operational responsibilities for Defy’s NYC-based programs and
execution of its mission. The ED will learn Defy’s model by receiving
hands-on coaching from the CEO as the Pilot is rolled out. The ED will
also work closely with Defy’s Director of Replication, who will
document all processes and conduct real-time evaluations of methods
and results.
This position will be an excellent match for a sales-oriented,
results-
driven, self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit who has great
passion for operational excellence and desires to use his/her skills
to directly impact people’s lives. The successful candidate must
thrive in an environment of changing priorities and tight deadlines.
S/
he must love teaching and coaching others. The ED must also excel at
implementation and process improvement to meet the high expectations
of our organization and its constituents.
Responsibilities
Stakeholder Development
• Raise private funding from individuals, foundations and corporations
to cover direct program expenses
• Identify and cultivate partnerships with providers of transitional
services to source clients
• Cultivate and recruit qualified employers that will provide career
opportunities to clients, and other professional volunteers that will
partake in Defy’s holistic solutions for clients (e.g., attorneys,
doctors, real estate investors, executive mentors)
• Be an external local and national presence that champions program
results with an emphasis on the successes of the local program as a
model for national replication
People Management
• Recruit, lead, coach, develop, and retain Defy’s high-performance
Program Recruiter team
• Recruit and manage volunteers and mentors
Program Strategy
• Teach portions of Defy’s curriculum to clients; recruit experts to
teach specialized topics
• Identify new curriculum and program needs, as necessary
• Develop systems to track progress and regularly evaluate program
components that allow successes to be effectively communicated to the
CEO, board, funders, and other constituents
• Work closely with Director of Replication to codify the program
model for national replication
Skills and Experience
• 5+ year track record that demonstrates repeated success in at least
two of the following four backgrounds:
o Senior management/operational leadership
o Sales and sales management, fundraising, or recruiting
o Entrepreneurship: either founding a successful venture or serving as
a key growth leader in a start-up
o Teaching or coaching: either in a classroom or competitive sports
• Preference for an advanced degree, ideally an MBA
• Experience and confidence in working with, and preferably selling
to, C-level business executives
• Track record of effectively leading and regionally and/or nationally
scaling a performance- and outcomes-based organization and staff;
ability to point to specific examples of having developed and
operationalized strategies that have taken an organization to the next
stage of growth
• Proven leadership, coaching and relationship management experience
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills
Required Strengths
• Commanding presence and winsome personality: driven by turning a no
into a yes; charisma and courage to be an effective communicator for
Defy; not frightened by confrontation or rejection; aligns others with
him/herself
• Passion and interest in Defy’s mission
• Internal fire that drives achievement; competitiveness, goal-
orientation and love of working in a fast-paced entrepreneurial
environment where top performers are highly rewarded
• Excellent sense of humor/wit
• Ability to take criticism constructively
• Highly industrious with a strong work ethic; sense of urgency/
impatience for action; ability to prioritize
• Integrity and humility that encourages and inspires staff and
constituents; strong discernment
Organizational Information
• Generous nonprofit salary and performance-based bonuses
• Position based in New York, New York
• Limited travel (approximately 20%) is required
• Comprehensive health insurance is included
Please send résumé and cover letter to:
Catherine Rohr
Founder & CEO
car...@defyventures.org
Defy Ventures is a New York City-based nonprofit that provides
leadership development and life transforming opportunities for men
with criminal histories by inspiring and equipping the private sector
to apply its resources to this talent pool. By partnering with
business executives and faith-based groups, Defy gives people with
criminal histories a legitimate chance to truly succeed as income
earners, fathers, and citizens. Defy’s vision is to create localized
solutions that impact every urban community in America. Defy is
entirely privately funded by business executives, foundations, and
other generous donors.
As a start-up, Defy is currently rolling out a Pilot Program for 50
clients with criminal histories. Defy will recruit these men from
partner organizations that provide transitional services, and offer
them intensive personal development and skills training. Defy’s team
will proactively source employers to connect clients with long-term
career opportunities. Defy will also recruit private sector volunteers
to create a holistic solution for its clients, which will include
executive mentoring, family reunification, long-term housing, and
medical, dental and legal services.
Defy Ventures is founded by Catherine Rohr, a former venture
capitalist who brings to the organization five years of experience as
the founder and CEO of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP).
Under Catherine’s leadership, PEP was recognized for its innovation
and results by NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York
Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, National Public Radio,
Entrepreneur Magazine and Deal Maker Magazine. Results include a
return-to-prison rate of less than 10%, an employment rate of 98%, and
the inception of more than 60 businesses by its graduates.
The Need
Serving as a key member of the Leadership Team and reporting to the
CEO, the Executive Director (ED) will have overall client development
and operational responsibilities for Defy’s NYC-based programs and
execution of its mission. The ED will learn Defy’s model by receiving
hands-on coaching from the CEO as the Pilot is rolled out. The ED will
also work closely with Defy’s Director of Replication, who will
document all processes and conduct real-time evaluations of methods
and results.
This position will be an excellent match for a sales-oriented,
results-
driven, self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit who has great
passion for operational excellence and desires to use his/her skills
to directly impact people’s lives. The successful candidate must
thrive in an environment of changing priorities and tight deadlines.
S/
he must love teaching and coaching others. The ED must also excel at
implementation and process improvement to meet the high expectations
of our organization and its constituents.
Responsibilities
Stakeholder Development
• Raise private funding from individuals, foundations and corporations
to cover direct program expenses
• Identify and cultivate partnerships with providers of transitional
services to source clients
• Cultivate and recruit qualified employers that will provide career
opportunities to clients, and other professional volunteers that will
partake in Defy’s holistic solutions for clients (e.g., attorneys,
doctors, real estate investors, executive mentors)
• Be an external local and national presence that champions program
results with an emphasis on the successes of the local program as a
model for national replication
People Management
• Recruit, lead, coach, develop, and retain Defy’s high-performance
Program Recruiter team
• Recruit and manage volunteers and mentors
Program Strategy
• Teach portions of Defy’s curriculum to clients; recruit experts to
teach specialized topics
• Identify new curriculum and program needs, as necessary
• Develop systems to track progress and regularly evaluate program
components that allow successes to be effectively communicated to the
CEO, board, funders, and other constituents
• Work closely with Director of Replication to codify the program
model for national replication
Skills and Experience
• 5+ year track record that demonstrates repeated success in at least
two of the following four backgrounds:
o Senior management/operational leadership
o Sales and sales management, fundraising, or recruiting
o Entrepreneurship: either founding a successful venture or serving as
a key growth leader in a start-up
o Teaching or coaching: either in a classroom or competitive sports
• Preference for an advanced degree, ideally an MBA
• Experience and confidence in working with, and preferably selling
to, C-level business executives
• Track record of effectively leading and regionally and/or nationally
scaling a performance- and outcomes-based organization and staff;
ability to point to specific examples of having developed and
operationalized strategies that have taken an organization to the next
stage of growth
• Proven leadership, coaching and relationship management experience
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills
Required Strengths
• Commanding presence and winsome personality: driven by turning a no
into a yes; charisma and courage to be an effective communicator for
Defy; not frightened by confrontation or rejection; aligns others with
him/herself
• Passion and interest in Defy’s mission
• Internal fire that drives achievement; competitiveness, goal-
orientation and love of working in a fast-paced entrepreneurial
environment where top performers are highly rewarded
• Excellent sense of humor/wit
• Ability to take criticism constructively
• Highly industrious with a strong work ethic; sense of urgency/
impatience for action; ability to prioritize
• Integrity and humility that encourages and inspires staff and
constituents; strong discernment
Organizational Information
• Generous nonprofit salary and performance-based bonuses
• Position based in New York, New York
• Limited travel (approximately 20%) is required
• Comprehensive health insurance is included
Please send résumé and cover letter to:
Catherine Rohr
Founder & CEO
car...@defyventures.org
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