We strive to employ a staff that represents the students we serve - All Genders, LGBTQ+, BIack, Latina/o/x/e, Indigenous and People of Color are strongly encouraged to apply.
Growing Healthy Kids seeks an experienced and creative Co-Executive Director who will work collaboratively to guide and shape the organization’s rapid growth. Founded in 2015, Growing Healthy Kids provides unique outdoor educational learning opportunities to 12,000 students throughout the Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) in central and eastern Contra Costa County, California. Growing Healthy Kids has built a nationally recognized reputation for replicable school based garden education in less than a decade and is known both for its highly engaging educational programs as well as its collaborative relationships with district and community partners.
The Co-Executive Director is a new position working in partnership with an experienced Co-Executive Director. The new Co-Executive Director will lead the organization’s efforts to build a long-term, sustainable infrastructure during a significant stage of growth and expansion, while the existing Co-Executive Director will oversee the organization’s programs. The Co-Executive Director will have a unique opportunity to shape the future of a highly successful organization that seeks to build organizational capacity while expanding program offerings. In this part-time position, the new Co-Executive Director will build upon the strong foundation Growing Healthy Kids has established with school sites and district leadership, public and private grant partners, and individual donors. A successful candidate will bring a balance of strong financial and fundraising skills, a collaborative and community-based orientation, and a visionary mindset to lead Growing Healthy Kids into the next significant stage of sustainable growth and development.
Both Co-Executive Directors will jointly support strategic organizational development, with the new position overseeing finance and development and the current director continuing to manage school sites, staff supervision, curriculum and other direct program components.
About Growing Healthy Kids
Growing Healthy Kids brings highly engaging, standards-based outdoor education to public school students during the school day to build academic success while promoting physical and mental wellness. What began as a pilot in 2015 has grown to be a multifaceted program providing standards-based garden, nutrition, and outdoor education during the school day to over one third of MDUSD students. In addition to garden education at students’ schools, Growing Healthy Kids provides free field trips to students at low income schools, leads school greening projects, and distributes organic vegetables and fruits in areas with low access to fresh produce. Growing Healthy Kids also trains staff, community members, MDUSD classroom teachers, and MDUSD high school students in how to teach outdoors effectively.
Growing Healthy Kids’ desired outcomes are to improve student physical and mental wellness while simultaneously supporting academic success. To that end, staff has a positive, collaborative working relationship with top MDUSD administration across Educational Services, Maintenance & Operations, and Food Services, to promote regular Outdoor Learning as a key component of healthful academic learning. Growing Healthy Kids’ collaborative, high-quality programs have quickly grown to be a model in the school garden community, and Growing Healthy Kids staff have given invited talks at national, state, and local venues.
Growing Healthy Kids’ current operating budget is $895,000, with a part-time staff of 22 employees who serve 12,000 students in 17 school garden spaces. Growing Healthy Kids is fiscally sponsored by Life Lab Science Program. More information about the organization and its programs is available at growinghealthykidsbayarea.org.
Co-Executive Director Key Duties and Responsibilities (32 hrs/wk)
● Strategic Organizational Development - Works with the Advisory Board and Co-Executive Director to create and maintain a sustainable long term strategy that ensures the mission and vision are fulfilled through programs, business development, and sustainable organizational structure (25%)
○ Oversees finance and administration in collaboration with the fiscal sponsor
○ Develops an annual operating budget
○ In partnership with the Co-Executive Director, co-leads the development of strategic activities, including:
■ Leading team-based strategic planning
■ Building the advisory board
■ Organizational marketing
■ Partnership development and management
■ Guiding strategic decisions, including operations and 501c3 incorporation
● Develops new strategies for Institutional and Corporate Fundraising including research, applications and fundraising (40%)
○ Develop and execute an annual fundraising plan
○ Secure financial support from individuals, foundations and corporations
○ Manage the implementation of a CRM database, and oversee staff responsible for data entry and gift processing
○ Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with major donors
○ Create and execute a strategy for expanding a base of annual individual donors
○ Oversee organization of special events
● Finance Management - Leads the development of the budget and oversees financial planning and management to ensure a healthy balance of income, expenses and operating reserve (15%)
○ Reviews and approves income and expense reports
○ Approves payroll
○ Approves credit card expenses
● Grant Writing and Management - Develops, writes and tracks grant proposals and reports for all grants, foundational and corporate fundraising (10%)
● Communications - Sets and guides the strategy for all communications, website, and public messaging (10%)
Required Skills, Qualities and Experience
The successful candidate is an experienced leader who will strengthen Growing Healthy Kids and lead the organization towards increasing capacity to serve more students and schools while building a sustainable administrative structure. The ideal candidate will maintain a positive, inclusive and collaborative work culture, while contributing original ideas to further the organization’s larger strategic goals and opportunities. Skills and experience in the following areas are required:
● Formal education equivalent to baccalaureate or graduate degree, or demonstrated equivalent relevant experience
● Three-plus years experience in nonprofit leadership
● Demonstrated excellence in managing a budget of at least $800,000
● Strong communications and relationship management skills
● Successful fundraising experience
● Successful grant writing experience
● Demonstrated ability to increase visibility of programs through marketing and communications efforts
● Demonstrated ability to foster a positive work environment
● Knowledge of Raiser’s Edge or other CRM fundraising software
About the Position
The Co-Executive Director will work remotely; however, site visits, meetings, donor and partner relationship building, and community events will require frequent travel throughout central and eastern Contra Costa County. This position is a part-time, salaried, exempt position working 32 hours per week, with 4 weeks paid vacation per year. The annual compensation for this position is $84,000.
To apply, email a resume and cover letter describing your interest and relevant qualifications to Laney Cline King at laney@growinghealthykidsbayarea.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Growing Healthy Kids/Life Lab is committed to a policy of non-discrimination as an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment candidates and employees will be considered and managed without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other basis in accordance with applicable law.
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