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National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA),

A Project of Tides Center

Job Title: National Director

Reports to: NCAPA Chair

FLSA Status: Exempt, Full-time

Prepared Date: July 31, 2017

Organizational Background:

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), founded in 1996, is a coalition of over 30 Asian Pacific American organizations around the country. NCAPA’s policy work is conducted through 5 policy committees, which are co-chaired by member organizations, and supported by NCAPA staff. Based in Washington D.C, NCAPA serves to represent the interests of the greater Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for AA and NHPI issues.

With the organization at a critical juncture in its growth, this position is a great opportunity for a candidate with strong organizational development, leadership, spokesperson, and fundraising skills. The organization currently has three full time staff including a Deputy Director, Policy Director and Communications Coordinator who implement an annual Policy Summit, coordinate May Asian Pacific American Heritage Month events and activities, support day-to-day external and internal communications, and provide technical support to the coalition.

POSITION SUMMARY:

NCAPA seeks a dynamic and experienced National Director to lead the coalition and engage a variety of external stakeholders to elevate the ability of the coalition to shape and implement a joint policy agenda. The National Director will work with the NCAPA Executive Committee to oversee the efforts of the member Executive Directors, the policy committee co-chairs, and the member organizations to ensure a robust engagement process and sound decision-making process to support the coalition’s efforts to emerge a more powerful and nimble coalition.

The National Director will ensure the coalition’s agenda and leadership are represented on Capitol Hill, in the White House and with Federal agencies. The National Director will directly supervise the NCAPA staff. The National Director will report to the NCAPA Chair and work closely with the EC to enforce governance and fiscal sustainability. NCAPA is a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Center.

This is a full-time position based in Washington, DC. Salary will be based on experience. The National Director is an exempt position. Exempt employees are expected to work the appropriate and necessary time in order to complete key assignments and related tasks on schedule.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Coalition Management, Policy Advocacy and Strategy

• Work with NCAPA staff to ensure smooth and effective communications and transparent decision making processes with member organizations and committee co-chairs, including rapid response implementation;
• Provide guidance to NCAPA staff and committees in the development of policy-related materials, statements, letters, and blog posts related to NCAPA’s policy priorities for a range of audiences; and
• Participate in national strategic alliances and coalitions that further NCAPA’s policy agenda.

Organizational Development and Fundraising

• Provide direction and focus to engage the resources, energy, development and structure of the NCAPA, the EC, the policy committees, and NCAPA members;
• Together with NCAPA Deputy Director, EC and coalition members, develop, implement and evaluate an annual work plan to advance the strategic vision for the organization;
• In conjunction with the NCAPA EC’s Development and Communications function, oversee the coalition’s fundraising efforts including creating a fund development plan with annual fundraising goals, identifying prospective funding opportunities, writing proposals, and implementing all other aspects of the development plan to raise funds to meet the budget for the annual work plan; and
• Cultivate and develop relationships with funders for both NCAPA and for member organizations.

Finance and Personnel Management

• Assure the smooth operations of NCAPA’s finances, for both timely payments and receipts, and the fiscal integrity of the organization, by supervising the Deputy Director who will:
  • Monitor the cash flow of the organization, review monthly financial reports from our fiscal sponsor, and together with the NCAPA EC Treasurer, keep the EC informed about the financial status of the organization;
  • In conjunction with the NCAPA EC Treasurer, prepare annual operating budget for review and approval by coalition members; and
  • Serve as chief administrator and be responsible for compliance with fiscal sponsor policies, ensuring that legal responsibilities are met.
• Have final authority over all human resources and policies related to NCAPA staffing and by supervising the Deputy Director who will:
  • Supervise and support paid consultants, as necessary; and
  • Ensure implementation of Tides personnel policies, staff development and annual evaluations.

Government and External Relations

• Liaise with external stakeholders, primarily congressional, Administration, and federal agencies in order to ensure that they have a clear understanding of NCAPA policy priorities;
• Together with the NCAPA EC, represent and promote NCAPA’s work externally, including at meetings with stakeholders including funders and community, at conferences and strategy sessions, as well as with media;
• Ensure that NCAPA EC and members are aware of requests from external stakeholders and recommend responses;
• Identify and participate in opportunities to promote the organization’s profile, goals and advocacy through ongoing networking with relevant stakeholders; and
• Speak on behalf of the coalition at press events, conferences, on webinars and in other fora, requiring frequent local travel and some national travel.

Communications and Positioning

• Maintain a presence on media for AA and NHPIs and related issues, in mainstream, ethnic and social media, with a priority to amplify and feature member spokespersons, as well as to serve as the spokesperson on behalf of the entire coalition, when needed.
• Represent and promote NCAPA’s work externally, amplifying and promoting the work of the policy committees and of members, as well as serving as a spokesperson with external audiences.
• Triage requests from external stakeholders to appropriate members/committees; recommend responses if needed, and notify EC and members, as needed.
• Oversee development of comprehensive external communications plan to increase visibility and strategic positioning of NCAPA to national policy makers, media (mainstream, ethnic, and digital/social), and AA & NHPI audiences;
• Speak on behalf of the coalition at press events, conferences, on webinars and in other fora

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum: Master’s degree or equivalent job-related work experience with year-for-year substitution for years of education. Education and experience in the fields of public policy, law or related fields is preferred.
• Background in community building, policy advocacy and coalition management.
• Minimum of ten years of job-related experience, with increasing levels of authority, resulting in multiple years of experience in direct supervision of professional level staff.
• Demonstrated success in working within and managing coalitions.
• Non-profit management and fundraising experience preferred. Experience with national policy advocacy and coalitions a plus.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Strong policy research and analysis skills as demonstrated by a deep body of written analytical work.
• Strong government relationships and external relations experience as demonstrated by breadth and depth of networks of professional/senior/executive level relationships.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, including public speaking experience, as demonstrated by media clips, talking points from past speaking engagements and postings in widely-read publications.
• Leader with capacity to innovate, negotiate conflicting viewpoints, and make quick adjustments in work plan and strategy in response to rapidly changing environment and priorities, while maintaining overall strategic direction for and progress in the organizational development needs of the coalition.
• Attention to detail and consistently meeting deadlines.
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task while maintaining broader vision as context for work.
• Must be able to read, write, and communicate fluently in English. Bilingual/bicultural, preferred, in an Asian and/or Pacific Islander language/culture.
• Knowledge of national Asian American and Pacific Islander policy landscape and organizations at the local, state or, preferably, national level.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• NCAPA Executive Committee;
• NCAPA Staff;
• NCAPA Coalition members;
• NCAPA policy committees & their co-chairs;
• NCAPA External partners such as the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) & the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC);
• Community allies such as NAACP, National Urban League, National Congress of American Indians and Unidos US
• Federal agencies; and
• Current and potential funders and foundations

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Work is generally sedentary in nature, with numerous meetings either face-to-face or via conference call. Applicant must be able to navigate the DC Metropolitan Area by public transportation, car, or other means, as well as occasional domestic travel by air or train. Applicant must be able to sit at a desk and work on a computer around 5 hours a day, lift and transport up to 25lbs.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The office space is shared with members the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), through a sub-sub-lease. Business equipment, such as printers, faxes, phones, are shared. The office has no hazardous or unpleasant conditions caused by noise, dust, etc.

TO APPLY:

Applications will be accepted until Thursday, September 7, 2017. Please email a single PDF with cover letter, 2-page resume, 3 references, and salary history to [email protected] with the subject line “NCAPA National Director Application.”  Only applicants who are being considered for the position will be contacted. No calls, please. More information about NCAPA is available online at www.ncapaonline.org.

NCAPA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.