Director of National Bridgebuilding Initiatives

Description

ABOUT US

Interfaith America is a national nonprofit organization based in Chicago. We believe that religious diversity is a foundational American strength, and we are building a nation that achieves that promise for the common good. Our mission is to inspire, equip, and connect organizations and leaders to unlock the potential of America’s religious diversity. We leverage our expertise in interfaith leadership in different sectors and spaces in American life, such as higher education, health, public policy, racial equity, and business – giving leaders and institutions the tools and resources they need to positively engage religious diversity for the common good.

At Interfaith America, we are ever-adapting and changing. We look for people who set audacious goals and love that one workday may not be like the next. We have a strong commitment to pluralism and building bridges across deep differences. Our programs help people build skills to bridge deep ideological divides. Our work is about staying in relationship with one another and contributing to the common good even when we might disagree on fundamental things. We seek to attract and retain a team of staff comprised of a wide variety of views and backgrounds we need to achieve our vision, especially people from communities historically underrepresented in interfaith work.

About This Position

At Interfaith America (IA), we collaborate with internal and external partners to execute projects that achieve our mission. This role provides collaborative leadership on the direction, implementation, evaluation, and growth of the Team Up Project , a national partnership integrating bridgebuilding and service with leading national partners. The Director of National Bridgebuilding Initiatives will lead a highly collaborative set of teams and partners to leverage the stories, harvest the learnings, and continue to grow this major initiative in its second year and beyond. As needed, this role will lead or contribute to additional time-bound projects as determined by organizational needs and cultural realities, including liaising with a range of national leaders, institutions and networks (e.g., AmeriCorps and other service initiatives) in bridgebuilding and service with an eye to strategic opportunities and partnership.

About You

You are passionate about interfaith cooperation and IA’s commitment that religious diversity is a foundational American strength. You have evidenced skill in engaging ideologically, racially, religiously diverse individuals and communities in the work of increasing respect for religious and nonreligious identities, mutual relationships, and common action for the common good. You maintain a big picture understanding of the complexity of building a healthy diverse democracy alongside the care and curiosity required for collaborating with particular institutions and leaders contributing to a healthy society. You can steer a project team with confidence while responding to timely opportunities. You hold yourself and your work to a high bar of excellence and take personal responsibility for achieving your goals.

Responsibilities

Team Up Project Strategy and Management

• Lead project management across Team Up growth areas, including expanding existing program within partner networks, adding new networks to the partnership, supporting an existing Ad Council partnership, leadership networking and management
• Guide collaborative processes to build and grow Team Up infrastructure, including leader networks, resource expansion, curriculum review
• Manage weekly Team Up Project partner collaboration process, timeline and meetings; adapting schedule and plan as necessary
• Design and lead quarterly strategic planning meetings with Team Up Project core partners
• Guide and refine evolutions to the Team Up governance processes
• Maintain system of information and document sharing with Team Up Project partners, communicate consistently and clearly
  
  

Team Up Impact and Evaluation

• Work with IA Directors and Team Up Evaluation Committee to refine and implement evaluation plan, prepare presentations for external audiences
• Work with Director of Program Operations and Evaluation to adapt and administer surveys to participants, analyze, and report out
• Manage external consultants supporting Team Up evaluation plan
• Communicate short-term and long-term Team Up impact to a range of internal and external audiences
  
  

Team Up Project Implementation

• Supervise program manager
• Support development and facilitation of Team Up Project community of practice
• Facilitate training for new partners, new cohorts, affiliate sites, conferences
• As needed, identify, cultivate, and add new partners to the Team Up coalition
  
  

Team Up Storytelling

• Work with Strategic Communications team to develop communication plan for Team Up Project
• Curate stories of impact, news stories and additional content, with guidance from Strategic Communications team, to maintain an up to date, informative and inspiring Team Up Project website
• Proactively cultivate stories in reporting from local and state reporters, IA magazine, high quality videos of new and ongoing Team Up Projects, travel for story capture
• Liaise across IA and Team Up partner comms teams to incubate and implement shared communications priorities
  
  

External Reach

• Build relationships with external strategic partners. Speak, write, and present on behalf of IA to peer-level partners (e.g., Directors at partner associations, peers at external third party orgs, foundation program officers).
• Understand funding for Team Up Project. Deliver on grant requirements, complete reporting on time, liaise with the Advancement Team if deliverables are exceptional or off track, relate directly to relevant funders on select projects.
  
  

Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• Five or more years professional experience in a related field, including interfaith work, consulting, democracy and bridgebuilding, education, etc.
• Proven project management and organizational skills in managing collaborative projects with multiple stakeholders
• High level of religious literacy and fluency in diversity, pluralism, and inclusion.
• Authorization to work in the United States
  
  

Preferred Qualifications (not Required)

• Advanced degree in Religious Studies, Civic Education, Nonprofit Management, or related disciplines
• Demonstrated ability to hold others accountable while also being adaptable
• Experience in in-person and online training, facilitation, consulting, education, assessment and/or related skill sets
• Experience with networking and building relationships or coalitions
  
  

Competencies

• Strategic Thinking - Aptly explores, deciphers and interprets the best concepts for achieving organizational excellence, anticipating and responding to change and aligning organizational systems, processes and people with changes in the IA business landscape.
• Trusted advisor -Apt at building trust-based relationships both internally and externally and viewed as a source of valuable advice.
• Program Leadership - Ability to lead programs, manage staff, and delegate work effectively and ensuring that all items are completed within scope, budget and timelines.
• Project Management - Aptly leading, planning, and executing project or pieces of a project, ensuring all project members are staying within timelines and budgets.
• IA Theory and Methodology –Ability to explain and engage constituents in Interfaith America’s theory and methodology in a way that resonates with that constituent, and they understand our work within their own context. (learned on the job, not required prior to start date)
• Inclusive and equitable decision maker - Ability to lead, listen, think critically, and leverage the thinking of diverse groups for smarter ideation and decision making that lead to equitable outcomes in our work.
  
  

Supervisor: Senior Director of Democracy Initiatives

Direct Report(s): Program Manager

Leadership level: Director

Travel: 20% of the time traveling on behalf of IA

Compensation: $100,000 - $110,000 annually

Location: This position will work 2-3 days per week from our Chicago Loop office and 2-3 days per week from home

Application Deadline: 4pm CST on July 22nd

Other Requirements

The Director of National Bridgebuilding Initiatives position requires the ability, with or without reasonable accommodation, to: maintain regular attendance; travel across this US; work cooperatively with others; adhere to Interfaith America personnel policies and safety rules; sit and/or stand for extended periods of time; operate standard office equipment, including computers, telephones, photocopiers, and projectors; communicate orally, in writing, and via computers and digital devices; and requires close visual acuity to prepare and analyze data and figures, transcribe, view a computer terminal and other office equipment.

Interfaith America is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, marital status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Reasonable accommodation will be provided as needed to enable qualified applicants with a disability to participate in pre-employment procedures.