Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund

Chief Executive Officer

Washington, DC Preferred

(CA, MD, MA, MI, MN, NJ, PA, RI, TX, and VA Flexible)

About Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund

Headquartered in Washington, DC, Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund (CWA) operate programs nationally, regionally and locally, from a network of 12+ offices around the country with members and supporters in all 50 states. The work of CWA spans programmatic areas from water, climate, waste and toxics, and democracy.

Clean Water Action’s mission is to protect the environment, health, economic well-being, and community quality of life. Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups and coalitions, and campaigns to elect environmental candidates and to solve environmental and community problems.

Clean Water Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose programs build on and complement those of Clean Water Action. The programs reach and involve 600K people each year through outreach, education, organizing, advocacy, and policy action at the local, state and national levels. Together with Clean Water Action, Clean Water Fund supports the goal of fishable, swimmable, drinkable water for everyone.

Since its founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking, and people power to the table. Clean Water Action works across different programmatic areas including water, oil and gas, climate change and clean energy, toxic chemicals, and waste. Through a strong lens of environmental justice, Clean Water Action works with partners across the country to address the environmental injustices that disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

To learn more about state and regional programs visit here.

For more information on Clean Water Action please visit website.

The Opportunity

Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund (CWA) is seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is excited about building on the remarkable 50-year history of the organization as they look to expand their impact into the future. The CEO will serve as the primary leader and strategist, external champion and fundraiser, and organizational leader for CWA. CWA is at an exciting inflection point in the organization’s history as they look to achieve even greater levels of support and service to the environmental and climate space to build its advocacy strength, civic engagement, environmental justice, innovation, creativity, and effectiveness, and to fulfill its commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization. The CEO will be a strategic thinker and problem solver capable of moving CWA towards a long-term vision for the future. The CEO will also support, sustain, and grow a collaborative work environment that attracts and retains a motivated, diverse, and mission-driven staff.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will be an experienced nonprofit leader able to advocate successfully and passionately on behalf of CWA’s mission and programs, staff, and Board.

In addition, the CEO must demonstrate a commitment to engaging with voices that represent communities that have been disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution. With a highly focused racial and social justice lens, the CEO will be a champion of and exhibit an abiding passion and commitment to diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion (DEJI) values.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate for this role will be a collaborative and communicative leader who understands how to lead through inspiration and motivation.

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, a successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

Passion for Mission and DEJI

· Strong commitment to CWA’s mission and values in the water, environmental, climate, and policy and advocacy space

· Comfortable working with state and national staff in a complex organization where diversity of thought is valued and appreciated

· Excitement to build on the organization’s strength with the ability to take a long-term, thoughtful approach to achieving organizational goals

· Commitment to the organization’s DEJI goals and demonstrated experience embedding these values throughout the organization

Strategic Vision and Leadership

· Cultivate a strong working relationship with CWA’s Board and staff

· Shape a unifying strategy to support all activities within CWA

· Demonstrated ability to be a strategic leader and articulate a vision for the organization

· Ability to set priorities decisively, delegate responsibilities, assure accountability and allocate resources to ensure results

· Ideally will bring community organizing and/or electoral campaign experience

Business and Financial Acumen

· Brings strong experience with strategic financial oversight and a comprehensive record of managing various functions of an organization

· Steward and engage CWA’s Board around the work of the organization

· Oversee all financial, operational, and administrative functions in partnership with CWA staff

· Be a builder with the ability to set priorities decisively and allocate resources to ensure results

Strong Fundraiser and External Ambassador

· Brings an entrepreneurial approach to revenue generation and an understanding of nonprofit finance, grantmaking, and various revenue streams

· Will serve as an external ambassador with media, donors, partner organizations, and other important constituents and representing CWA’s values to the community at large

· Oversee fundraising and other revenue-generating strategies, including support from individual donors, foundations, governments, and corporations to consistently support current and new initiatives

· Demonstrated success in developing and executing revenue-generating and fundraising strategies in support of an organization’s mission

Organizational Leadership

· Demonstrated success in team leadership, with a successful track record of recruiting, inspiring, and retaining a diverse, mission-driven team

· Apply a focus on thoughtful and intentional organizational development with a commitment to professional growth for team members at all levels

· Dedication to building a workplace centered in equity and fairness, with demonstrated appreciation for driving conversations around race, class, gender, and other aspects of identity

· Success managing a highly accomplished and effective staff with a focus on collaborative leadership and strong racial justice, gender justice, and social equity lenses

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

· Demonstrated experience in people management, including nurturing and enabling talented and diverse people

· Dedicated experience centering DEJI throughout the work and institutionalizing how it shows up in an organization

· Strong leadership, with the ability to drive organizational change, collaborate, and build consensus internally and externally

· Effective writing and communication skills across varied formats and context

Compensation & Benefits

Clean Water Action is targeting a salary of $150,000 - $175,000 commensurate with experience. CWA is committed to equity in pay practice.

Contact

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Please submit a compelling cover letter and resume to Alicia Salerno here. All nominations, inquiries, and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

Clean Water Action is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

For more information about Koya Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.