Watertown Community Foundation Seeks an Executive Director

Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) is seeking an executive director with a passion for community engagement, strong management skills, and an entrepreneurial spirit. This position represents a rare opportunity to work at the forefront of building and sustaining a vibrant, close-knit community in Watertown, Massachusetts. The executive director is single-handedly responsible for developing and directing the work of the foundation and coordinating with the board of directors to advance its mission and vision.

The Organization

Founded in 2003, The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) is a 501(c)(3) public foundation with assets of $2.1 million that raises funds from individuals and institutions. With the merger with the Watertown Educational Foundation in 2018, the foundation has awarded over $2,000,000 in grants to dozens of programs and organizations; approximately $100,000 is awarded annually. WCF supports a wide variety of non-profits, community programs, and enterprises that enhance the quality of life for those who live in, work in, go to school in, or visit Watertown.

Within Watertown's four square miles is an incredible diversity of cultures, heritages, and languages, each contributing to the strength and richness of the city. WCF is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in its grantmaking, staffing, board composition, and vendors. WCF offers everyone - individual donors, families, and businesses - effective ways to give back to the community. To inform its work, WCF partakes in community conversations to learn about the needs and lives of those spending time in Watertown and seeks out any new organizations or voices not yet heard or represented.

During the pandemic, WCF played a key role in convening a community coalition to respond to city residents' immediate needs. It also created a Community Resilience Fund to provide rapid disbursement of resources and an opportunity for businesses and individuals to confidently donate in response to unprecedented local needs. Among WCF's principal frontline partner grantees were Metro West Collaborative Development, which provided emergency rental assistance, Wayside Youth and Family Services, which helped with food security and utility payments, and the Watertown Boys and Girls Club, which assisted with childcare. WCF also responded to the increased challenges for community and family mental health, as well as emergency assistance, by funding a community social worker to organize mutual aid efforts. Since long before the pandemic, the foundation has sponsored a volunteer month, and it actively promotes community events and partners with others to engage in community building.

WCF's 19-member Board of Directors reads and reviews grant proposals, administers the internship grant program, runs or assists with WCF events and communications, and acts as informal advisors. The executive director and a part-time assistant comprise the staff, which is also supported by contract accounting/auditing, bookkeeping, and graphic design professionals.

The Opportunity

Although the smallest of the Commonwealth's community foundations, over the past five years WCF has experienced considerable budgetary and fund-raising growth, built a sustainable infrastructure, and garnered tremendous credibility and respect with community residents, public entities, businesses, and the city's schools. It has adopted a proactive approach to the identification of community needs, secured multi-year public and foundation grants, and actively participated in a new state-wide organization of community foundations. In conjunction with Watertown's explosion in life science corporate and multiunit residential development and significant change in both public and non-profit sector leaders across the community, this moment offers opportunities for new relationships, creative ideas for building community vibrancy and equity, and expanded grantmaking.

In WCF's next chapter, it anticipates focusing on:

• Addressing income and socioeconomic disparities among residents
• Fostering an inclusive community, embracing the diversity that exists in Watertown
• Developing public dialogue across the ideological and political spectrum
• Collaborating with Watertown Public Schools to address the findings of its equity audit, the effects of COVID-related disruptions to education, and youth mental health
• Identifying and developing partnerships for meeting the community's social service needs
• Developing and strengthening the community's non-profits
• Building the Board of Directors to respond to the changing composition and needs of Watertown and continuing to leverage the skills and resources of board members

Position Duties and Responsibilities:

• Vision and Mission Direction
  • In partnership with the Board, develop strategic direction for WCF growth
  • Represent WCF's perspective, learnings, and vision in public presentations and forums
  • Provide leadership with local community-building efforts
  • Staff Board meetings and its committee work
• Development and Grantmaking
  • Identify & apply for institutional and corporate grants
  • Outreach to businesses and individual donors
  • Assist the Board with the distribution of grants
  • Manage grant-making accountability requirements
• External Engagement and Communication
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with the municipal leaders, department heads, elected officials, businesses, and partner organizations to ensure that WCF maintains its reputation as a key institutional community player
  • Actively participate in local meetings, task forces, and coalitions, e.g. Watertown Anti-Bias Coalition, Watertown Business Coalition, Community Resilience Task Force, convening and facilitating meetings as required
  • Engage with and provide technical support to local organizations and entities - both WCF grantees and others - that develop policies and programs related to meeting community needs
  • Coordinate special projects, e.g. Watertown Helps Out
  • Oversee and implement all communications/social media
• Management and Fiscal Responsibilities
  • With the Board, develop the annual budget and evaluate budgetary performance on a monthly basis
  • Manage and oversee all operations of WCF, including vendor relationships
  • Define, implement, and revise operational practices, guidelines/policies, and systems to improve capacity and performance
  • Oversee the growth and recruitment needs of the WCF staff and consultants, and recruit, hire, and train a skilled, capable, and diverse staff/interns

Candidate Qualifications

Applicants must demonstrate a desire to have an impact on the community's vibrancy, equity, and needs. The position requires a multidisciplinary background and a lifelong learner who naturally takes initiative and can see a vision for the foundation's possibilities and recognize ways to engage with the community.

Successful applicants for this executive position will exemplify most of the following attributes, skills, and experiences:

A Strategic and Entrepreneurial Leader

• Demonstrated vision and leadership in mission-oriented endeavors
• Entrepreneurial in approach with experience in recognizing trends, evolving a service, or seizing upon opportunities to be at the forefront of a field
• Proven experience with strategic thinking and plan operationalization
• Agile and thrives in an environment of change and innovation
• Demonstrated success in integrating social justice and equity principles into overall organizational strategy

A Powerful Connector and Engaging Communicator

• A self-starter and can ensure professional accountability
• Talented at communicating both orally and in writing, one-on-one and in large groups
• Demonstrated experience with client or external stakeholder interface and partnerships
• Outstanding listener with humility, curiosity, and accessibility
• A confidence builder across a diverse group of stakeholders; politically savvy
• Facilitative leadership skills
• Familiarity with Watertown, MA is a plus

A Seasoned Manager and Fundraiser

• Minimum of seven years of experience in management, with five years at a senior level.
• Unquestioned integrity with a highly developed ethical sensitivity
• Proven success in raising funds from donors, institutions, or other funders
• Business development and financial management experience is a plus
• Grantmaking experience is a plus

Desired Credentials

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred

Salary and Benefits

The salary set for this position is $115,000-$125,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits include a health reimbursement arrangement permitted under federal law, a 401K deferred compensation plan, an employer-provided laptop, printer, and funded professional development opportunities.

While WCF operates without a physical office, which provides the staff work flexibility, the Executive Director must be available for regular in-person meetings (including early morning and evening), as well as for events and Board meetings in Watertown.

Application Guidelines

Candidates must include a resume and a cover letter that describes how their qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of WCF. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Send required documents to: https://eostransitions.applicantpool.com/jobs/

This executive search is being conducted by Eos Transition Partners consultant Nancy Jackson. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential, and any questions must be submitted to Nancy Jackson at: njackson@eostransitions.com.

WCF is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and looks forward to an inclusive hiring process. It encourages a broad range of applicants, including candidates from diverse backgrounds and cultures, particularly candidates of color and LGBTQ candidates.