THE CLIENT

The San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, Inc., (d.b.a., The Center) is one of the oldest and largest LGBT community centers in the nation.  Functioning as the San Diego LGBT community’s anchor organization since 1972, The Center is led by a 13-member board of directors, employs over 55 paid staff and utilizes more than 1,200 community volunteers to achieve its twin goals of promoting LGBT health and human rights.  The Center provides direct services to the many different facets of the LGBT community, including men, women, youth, seniors, families, LGBT Latino community members and their families, Trans community members and their families, as well as those living with HIV. Last year, The Center provided more than 73,000 direct service visits to San Diego community members, and through its events, activities and advocacy, touched the lives of thousands more.

In support of its social justice goals, in 2008, The Center established The Center Advocacy Project, a nonpartisan 501(c)4 whose mission is to secure equal civil and human rights for the LGBT and allied communities through public education and issue advocacy. The Center Advocacy Project is led by a four-member board of directors.

The Center serves the greater San Diego County lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and their families, and those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.  The bulk of San Diego’s vibrant LGBT community lives in the City of San Diego urban core, while approximately 35% reside outside the City in eastern, northern and southern San Diego County. The Center’s programs and services are designed to meet the needs of a wide range of LGBT community members from all backgrounds and ages.  In fact, The San Diego LGBT community itself and the Center’s client population are incredibly and interestingly diverse. As a majority-minority region, San Diego is comprised of one of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee populations, one of California’s largest Latino populations, and located upon the largest land-border crossing in the nation. The LGBT community includes individuals, couples and families who are also Latino, Black, African-American, Pan-Asian, Native American, mixed race and white; immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and naturalized and US born citizens; individuals who are documented, undocumented and under-documented; seniors, adults, youth, children and families; and those living with HIV. Fifty-percent of clients are people of color and 70% are very low or extremely low-income (below 250% of the federal poverty level).

Founded in 1972 by a group of visionary community leaders, the San Diego LGBT Community Center is dedicated to honoring the tremendous community diversity and struggling towards full inclusion, to building community and to the formation of strategic coalitions. As a community-based health, human services and advocacy organization with a 45-year history of success, finding new and innovative strategies for improving the health and wellness of all in the San Diego LGBT community is its central mission. The Center is often recognized locally and statewide for its dedication to professional and compassionate programs and service; and its programs and services include: mental health services; case management; HIV and HCV testing; an innovative HIV testing and PrEP campaign entitled #BeTheGeneration; an off-site LGBTQ youth center; a supportive housing program for homeless LGBT and HIV+ youth; a dedicated and expanding program for those aged 50 and better, including the provision of on-site services at a new LGBTQ senior housing site; an active voter and civic engagement program; an active Public Affairs and Outreach department and much more.

THE POSITION

Reporting to a 13-person Board of Directors, the San Diego LGBT Community Center’s Chief Executive Officer is responsible for managing an annual budget in excess of $6 million and leading the organization’s 55 staff. The CEO and the Board of Directors partner to annually review and refine the organization’s long and short term strategic goals, build on its foundation of fiscal stability, and to ensure the long term sustainability of the organization.

Primary responsibilities of the Chief Executive Officer include:

Strategy and Vision

  • Engage the Board, staff, and community stakeholders in a process to help define strategic goals for the organization’s short and longer-term strategic plans;
  • Oversee the plan’s implementation, ensuring necessary funds, staff, and infrastructure are available to realize the plan’s goals;
  • Communicate the strategy, its goals, its ongoing progress, and outcomes to the organization’s Board, staff, funders, partners and community stakeholders.

Finance and Financial Management

  • Ensure that the organization has the financial and human resources necessary to achieve the strategic and operational goals;
  • Develop, with the CFO and C-suite team, the annual organizational budget for board review and approval, ensuring the appropriate allocation of resources and managing toward successful and realistic growth outcomes;
  • Bring an informed understanding of government grants and contracts and the appropriate compliance with fiscal and program management functions;
  • Ensure the continued fiscal accounting and controls that meet the standards of excellence and best practices, as well as contract, legal and regulatory compliance;
  • Ensure the continued organizational understanding of and attention to annual independent audit preparation and process (including the A-133 audit) and annual 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 990 tax filings;
  • Oversee and continually strengthen the organizational systems and structures that support and sustain strategic financial and programmatic goals.

Board Partnership and Support

  • Partner with the Board of Directors to develop a new strategic plan based upon staff and community input and ensure continual review of progress toward plan goals;
  • Support the Board of Directors efforts to execute their annual work plan including by-law review, policy and procedure review, execution of the annual independent audit and filing of the annual 990; board recruitment and ongoing training; board leadership succession planning; annual board fundraising goals and strategies; and the annual review/revision of progress toward the organizational strategic goals and metrics;
  • Participate as an active member of the Board’s working committees and in the Board training processes;
  • Engage with the Board of the Center Advocacy Project, The Center’s 501(c)4 affiliate;
  • Serve as a resource to both Boards, providing the expert briefing and training resources necessary to enable them to achieve their full potential as governing bodies.

Fundraising

  • Fully understand the complex funding streams (e.g., foundations, corporate, individual, government, etc.) and rapidly changing trends in the not-for-profit, health and human service, and LGBT sectors;
  • Direct the overall organizational fundraising strategies including assuming direct responsibility for significant institutional and individual donor relationships;
  • Work in partnership with the Board of Directors to identify, solicit and acquire new sources of funding;
  • Understand the constraints and opportunities presented by the different government funding streams;
  • Act as the organization’s primary spokesperson with elected officials, with government agency leaders and with the non-governmental funding communities.

Diversity and Inclusion

  • Serve as a Center spokesperson for an intersectional LGBT community and the necessity of an aggressive diversity and inclusion strategy;
  • Bring a robust understanding of diversity including minimally: race, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, disability status, medical status; but also considering factors that include: marital status, parental status, veteran status, etc.;
  • Oversee Center staff, volunteer and board recruitment, hiring, and retention ensuring appropriate demographic representation (matching San Diego data);
  • Ensure Center collaborations and partnerships reflect the above.

Program Oversight

  • Ensure existing and potential new programs advance the San Diego LGBT Community Center’s mission, are financially realistic and sustainable, are adequately staffed, advance the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, produce meaningful outcomes and adhere to programmatic standards of excellence and best practices;
  • Oversee the organization’s advocacy and outreach efforts, ensuring policy priorities are aligned with the organization’s mission and that strategic collaborations/partners are leveraged. 

Community Engagement

  • Ensure aggressive organizing and community engagement within the LGBT community and the social justice communities;
  • Ensure Center programs and services continue to seek LGBT and social justice community feedback and provide multiple, frequent engagement opportunities in volunteer programs, leadership development programs, programs and program advisory boards, the Community Leadership Council, and other potential engagement/feedback opportunities;
  • Continue to build and develop coalitions and collaborations with other healthcare and social service agencies, as well as other social justice organizations. Continue to develop partnerships and service networks with diverse and traditional youth, senior, family, HIV, and mental health providers.
  • Continue to advance and grow the San Diego LGBT Community Center’s civic engagement and voter education and mobilization project;

Communications

  • Serve as the organization’s spokesperson for the public, government funders, the media and other constituents and allies;
  • Oversee the organization’s traditional and social media strategies and plans;
  • Serve as the architect of the organization’s messages
  • Support and promote The Center’s brand and ensure brand consistency.

PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

The Center is seeking a strategic and visionary leader who will leverage the talents of its skilled staff and build on a foundation of fiscal stability to broaden The Center’s reach and increase its impact. The ideal candidate will have program expertise to develop and enhance The Center’s services; fundraising skills to cultivate the resources necessary to maintain and expand The Center’s programs; and political acumen to forge community support, foster partnerships and build coalitions. The successful candidate will have:

  • A strong knowledge base regarding public policy issues and best practices for nonprofits providing services for marginalized, at risk, and HIV+ communities impacted by racial, economic, and LGBT justice issues;
  • Established relationships with public and private funders in the areas of health and human services; including, ideally, relationships with influencers in state and local government, and peer agencies;
  • Knowledge of mental health services, youth and senior services, supportive housing and HIV services;
  • Experience leading staff who are interfacing with and advocating for diverse groups of marginalized, at risk clients;
  • An understanding of the components required to successfully develop and manage evidence-based programs and services;
  • A track record of success cultivating and soliciting public and private funds;
  • Prior experience managing complex nonprofit budgets and P&L’s of $5 million or greater;
  • An understanding of Board governance, organizational development and nonprofit, both (c)3 and (c)4, best practices;
  • A graduate degree in a relevant discipline or comparable experience.

PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

The Center is seeking a skilled communicator and effective public speaker capable of engaging with groups and individuals across broadly diverse political and social spectrums. The new CEO will possess the well-developed active listening skills and high emotional intelligence required to mediate conflict; productively engage with community stakeholders, elected officials, police, and government agencies; and to find solutions to complex problems.

The CEO is the spokesperson and public face of the Center. The successful candidate will be comfortable in a highly visible role and will have the flexibility to attend evening and weekend events and community functions. They will be an adept coalition builder dedicated to serving the needs of a broadly diverse community. The ideal candidate will have:

  • A strategic approach to leadership with an ability to move easily between the environments of donors and foundations and those of grassroots community supporters and partners;
  • A passion for serving marginalized, at risk, and HIV communities impacted by racial, economic, and LGBT justice issues;
  • Knowledge of the history and public policy issues impacting LGBT and HIV-affected communities;
  • Cultural competency on trans, nonbinary, genderqueer and intersex communities including the ability to advocate on issues impacting those across the spectrum;
  • A respect for the local and statewide history of the San Diego LGBT community and the role of the San Diego LGBT Community Center in that history;
  • Strong relationship-building skills including a track record of success in fostering collaboration and strengthening partnerships;
  • An approachable, collaborative and transparent leadership style;
  • An understanding of border/bi-national communities and immigrant populations, and sensitivity to the unique needs of San Diego’s Latinx community;
  • A deep commitment to the core values of intersectionality and demonstrated ability to work effectively with people of diverse races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expression, socio-economic backgrounds, religions, ages, English-speaking abilities, immigration statuses, and physical abilities;
  • Some fluency in Spanish, bilingual preferred.

COMPENSATION

Our client is offering a competitive compensation package for this position with a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, as well as flexible spending, supplemental insurance and a 401(k) retirement plan.

OPPORTUNITY

For 45 years, the San Diego LGBT Community Center has served as a place of refuge, a site for celebration, mourning and protest, and a provider of essential social services and enrichment programs to a broadly diverse community. The successful candidate will continue The Center’s tradition of meeting the needs of the community’s most marginalized and at-risk members and advocating for racial, social, gender and economic justice for all.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced and entrepreneurial leader to strengthen and grow one of the country’s oldest and largest LBGT community centers. The new CEO will fortify the nexus of a geographically, culturally and socio-economically expansive city. At a critical historical moment, the CEO of the San Diego LGBT Community Center will increase the impact of and shape the future of a vital community resource.

LOCATION

The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s administrative offices are located in the Hillcrest community at 3909 Centre Street San Diego, CA 92103. San Diego location is a requirement of this position.

CONTACT

Please submit a brief cover letter and résumé as attachments via e-mail to:

Joseph McCormack, Managing Partner
Michelle Kristel, Partner
McCormack + Kristel
1775 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 110-202
Palm Springs, CA 92264
Tel  323.549.9200
Fax 323.549.9222
Email search@mccormackkristel.com
Online www.mccormackkristel.com

All inquiries or referrals will be held in strict confidence.

Please note that your education, dates of employment, compensation and other information provided will be verified prior to employment.

McCormack + Kristel works only with equal opportunity employers.  People of color, people with disabilities and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities are encouraged to apply.