Co-Executive Director – Programs
Co-Executive Director – Development & Operations

About the Organization

The California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) is a statewide coalition of grassroots, community-based organizations. We organize among those most affected by environmental and climate injustice – low-income communities and communities of color – to advance statewide policy that protects the environment and our health. We are committed to a Just Transition and to the right of every person to a healthy environment. We practice self-determination through the democratization of land, labor, and resources in ways that repair and reverse the long course of environmental racism, the climate crisis, and colonialism. One of the foremost environmental justice (EJ) alliances in the country, CEJA advances an EJ agenda in statewide California policy, guided by the lived experiences of the communities we serve.

CEJA’s work is based in the belief that no one EJ organization can win by itself; we need to be in a strategic alliance with each other to address the root causes of environmental and climate injustice. As such,CEJA brings together ten of the foremost EJ organizations in California in a strategic alliance: Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ), Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment (CRPE), Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability (LCJA), People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights (PODER), Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles (PSR-LA), and Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE). For more information about CEJA and our Members, visit www.caleja.org.

CEJA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. CEJA also runs a 501(c)(4) organization (CEJA Action) and a Political Action Committee, both of which are fiscally sponsored projects of Tides Advocacy.

For more information about CEJA and our members, visit www.caleja.org.

About the Opportunity

CEJA is looking for two (2) exceptional, strategic, and collaborative leaders to fill our newly created Co-Executive Director positions. Through a shared leadership model, the Co-Executive Directors will steward CEJA as we enter a new chapter of growth, stability, and impact – while centering our commitment to social and racial justice and staff well-being. We seek two leaders who will work together to build and strengthen CEJA’s organizational infrastructure, culture, policies, practices, and programs. The Co-Executive Directors will share certain core responsibilities, such as Board and staff management, while each leading distinct areas of CEJA’s operations. The Co-Executive Director – Programs will oversee CEJA’s complex and high-profile programs, including our Energy Justice, Climate Justice, Land Use, Legislative, and Civic Engagement programs. The Co-Executive Director – Development & Operations will oversee CEJA’s thriving fundraising and communications work, as well as administration, finance, and human resources.
The Co-Executive Directors will report directly to CEJA’s Board of Directors and supervise, coach, and lead CEJA’s 20+ staff. These are remote positions, but with occasional travel to CEJA’s hubs in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, and elsewhere in California and beyond.

Duties & Responsibilities

Establish a culture of care and belonging at CEJA that is centered around anti-oppressive leadership and relationship-building and creates a professional, positive, and equitable work environment.
Support the Board of Directors and its Committees, promoting effective discussion and decision-making and ensuring that the Board meets the governance needs of the organization.
Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of CEJA’s organizational strategies, goals, and power-building approach, as established in the strategic plan.
Lead CEJA’s annual planning process, working with the Board and staff, to make sure staff have concrete, ambitious, and achievable goals and are provided with the support they need to succeed.
Lead CEJA’s Management Team, establishing a consistent leadership model and clear expectations that reflect CEJA’s values throughout the organization.
Determine CEJA’s staffing needs and recruit, interview, and select staff as needed; oversee annual performance evaluation process.
Maintain strong working relationships and collaborative arrangements with CEJA Members and other allies.
Serve as a CEJA spokesperson and represent the Alliance in internal and external contexts, including as a media spokesperson.

Specific to the Co-Executive Director – Development & Operations

Develop and maintain sustainable financial and administrative systems, ensuring that CEJA upholds the highest possible fiduciary and organizational standards, manages risk, and creates transparency and clarity; work with the Finance Director to create and implement a comprehensive organizational budget; oversee CEJA’s annual external financial audit.
Supervise the Finance Director, Communications Director, and Development Director and serve as primary liaison with consultants as needed.

Manage CEJA’s staff recruitment process, establishing consistent recruitment practices with a DEI focus; oversee the development and implementation of human resources policies and practices, including system for handling HR concerns.
Work with the Development Director to prepare an annual fundraising plan; help maintain and expand CEJA’s network of foundation funders; support building CEJA’s nascent private donor campaign and explore pursuing government grants; build relationships with individual and institutional donors.
Work with the Communications Director to prepare an annual communications plan, identifying predetermined communications events and creating systems for responding to unexpected crises/opportunities.

Specific to the Co-Executive Director – Programs

Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of CEJA and CEJA Action’s programs, including the development of annual program plans to operationalize the Alliance’s strategic plan and its focus on fossil-fuel phase-out and the building of resilient communities.
Supervise the Energy Justice Director, Climate Justice Director, Land Use Director, Political Director, and Legislative Director and serve as primary liaison with consultants as needed.
Oversee the work of CEJA’s Energy Justice, Climate Justice, Land Use, Civic Engagement, and Legislative teams (c3 and c4 work). Current program focus areas include: speeding up our transition off fossil fuels; retiring gas-fired power plants; protecting EJ communities from harmful hydrogen and other false solutions; promoting clean transportation; integrating equity and EJ into land use planning; promoting EJ through strategic legislative, budgetary, and regulatory activities; and electoral campaigns.
In collaboration with program directors, serve as lead CEJA representative in key movement alliances and coalitions to advance CEJA’s mission and long-term strategies.

About the Ideal Candidates

Successful candidates will possess/demonstrate:

Deep commitment to environmental, racial, social, and economic justice, a Just Transition, and CEJA’s mission.
Excellence in organizational management with experience supervising and coaching a diverse staff and developing high-performing teams.
Successful track record of at least 10 years of leadership experience in a non-profit setting, including at least 5 years of executive-level experience.
Extensive experience reporting directly to a non-profit Board of Directors.
Strong financial management skills, including budget preparation, analysis, reporting, and decision-making.

Self-confidence, emotional maturity, and capacity to be a lead thinker and strategist within a fast-paced Alliance; ability to communicate with diplomacy, professionalism, and tact, exhibiting excellent relationship management skills; ability to facilitate conflict resolution between individuals and organizations.

Outstanding communications skills (written and verbal), with the ability to facilitate understanding across multiple audiences and experience serving as an organizational spokesperson.
Ability to develop a team-oriented environment; commitment to democratic participation.
Ability to multitask while maintaining attention to detail.
Ability to work flexible hours to respond to position needs.
Experience managing an alliance/coalition strongly preferred.
Experience managing both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4) organization strongly preferred

Co-Executive Director – Development & Operations should also possess/demonstrate:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and education in a discipline related to organizational development, fundraising, business administration, or other relevant field; a Master's degree preferred.
10+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, administration, strategic leadership, fundraising, or equivalent relevant experience, with a proven track record of success.
Proven knowledge and experience raising funds for a non-profit organization, including from individuals, foundations, and government agencies.
Proven knowledge of best practices in non-profit management, including legal compliance, human resources best practices, equitable policies/procedures, and change management.
Familiarity with environmental justice issues and the organizational EJ landscape in California strongly preferred.

Co-Executive Director – Programs should also possess/demonstrate:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and education in public policy, urban planning, environmental science, law, or other relevant discipline; a Master’s degree preferred.
10+ years of progressive leadership experience working on climate justice, energy justice, and/or land use policy, including cross-sector strategies to promote a Just Transition, as well as proven expertise in the workings of California’s legislative, budgetary, and regulatory systems. Outstanding strategic planning, program evaluation, and project management skills.
Experience working with or demonstrated commitment to movement building and the building of grassroots and political power.
Ability to advocate before various policy-making bodies, cultivating and furthering relationships with a variety of decision makers and stakeholders, including elected officials, labor unions, and environmental and social justice organizations.
Electoral expertise, including experience developing civic engagement campaigns and electoral strategy strongly preferred.

Salary and Benefits

The Co-Executive Director positions are full time, at-will, and exempt. CEJA staff must be residents of California.

The Co-Executive Director salaries will be commensurate with experience, within in the range of $150,000 to $175,000.

CEJA offers a generous benefits package, including: excellent orientation program; generous vacation (10 to 25 days per year); 11 paid holidays; 2-week paid winter break (December 19 through January 1), select health, dental, and vision insurance, medical reimbursement plan, wellness leave (12 to 18 days per year), 401(k) retirement plan, professional development funding, and a 2-month sabbatical after 7 years of continuous employment. CEJA is currently piloting a 32-hour, four-day work week, during which staff work Monday through Thursday.

CEJA has retained Impact Search Advisors by Nonprofit HR as their Executive Search Partner for these critical leadership hires. To be considered, applicants must submit a resume and cover letter via the Nonprofit HR website at https://nonprofithr.applytojob.com/apply/v4kxjwgUqj

Please direct inquiries regarding this search to Hakimu Davidson, Senior Executive Search Consultant at [email protected]

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The California Environmental Justice Alliance is an equal opportunity employer. CEJA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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Co-Executive Director (California Environmental Justice Alliance)