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JVS Boston and Pillar Search & HR Consulting are proud to announce, following an extensive and competitive candidate search, the appointment of Sher Omerovic to the position of Chief Program Officer.

This is a well-deserved promotion from Sher’s most recent role with JVS as Senior Vice President of Programs. Sher joined JVS in 2016.

Reporting to JVS’ CEO, Kira Khazatsky, Sher will lead the core of JVS’ work – the development, quality, and delivery of JVS’s services. Sher will provide strategic leadership to the programmatic Vice President team to ensure alignment with the organization’s mission and goals, and support and develop the programmatic VP team to achieve programmatic outcomes. She will collaborate with other principal executives to ensure long-term strategic planning and board management align with the organization’s mission and goals.

Sher brings extensive program, workforce development and leadership experience to the Chief Program Officer role. Prior to JVS, she worked at the Fish Family Foundation, where she developed and implemented a statewide citizenship initiative partnering with multiple community organizations, immigration attorneys, and volunteers to organize large-scale citizenship events across the commonwealth, and held roles in immigration and employment with Catholic Charities of Boston and in grants with United Way. Sher earned her master’s degree in nonprofit project management from Northeastern University and her bachelor’s degree in international relations and modern languages from Beloit College.

About JVS Boston: For 80 years, JVS has helped tens of thousands of individuals with barriers to economic success secure financial independence through training, education, and employment services. As the largest provider of adult education and workforce development services in the region, JVS is a nationally recognized leader in workforce development, and is a key part of the poverty alleviation strategy for the greater-Boston area. In order to reach people in need of assistance on their pathway to meaningful employment and financial independence, JVS targets most of its services to low-income individuals who are unemployed or underemployed and to low-wage workers in need of career advancement services. Many have multiple support needs ranging from limited English proficiency and lack of education to disabilities, criminal records, lack of childcare and transportation. JVS operates on annual budget of more than $15 million, of which is derived equally from public and private sources. For more information, please visit www.jvs-boston.org.

About Pillar Search & HR Consulting: A woman-owned business based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search/recruiting and human resources consulting expertise to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, working with senior leaders and boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information, please visit www.pillarsearch.com.

Pillar Search is pleased to announce the search for the first-ever Director of Advancement for The Landing School of Boat Building & Design in Arundel, Maine. This is a truly unique and exciting role for an experienced Advancement professional with a passion for education and experience using innovative and varied fundraising techniques to build a culture of advancement that takes The Landing School to the next level.

This is a part-time role targeted at 12-20 hours per week initially, and the possibility to increase hours in the future. The Director of Advancement will have the flexibility to work remotely and visit the school 1-2 times per month.

Overview:

“The Landing” is a short stretch of the Kennebunk River in Arundel, Maine where The Landing School is located. It was once an internationally famous shipbuilding area and the home of more than 20 shipbuilding firms dating back to the 1600’s. In December of 1978, the first class of 9 students at The Landing School launched a Chamberlain dory-skiff, reviving the boat building trade along The Landing.

Today, each of The Landing School’s ten-month-long programs culminates in a diploma for students who successfully complete their courses within the high standards set by the faculty. In 2009, the State of Maine Department of Education and The School’s accrediting agency, ACCSC, approved The Landing School as a degree-granting institution. A student who successfully completes two technical programs and 15 credit-hours of general education courses is eligible to receive an Associate’s degree. The Landing School has been recognized by ACCSC as a 2014 ACCSC School of Distinction / ACCSC School of Excellence.

Education from The Landing School reinforces and preserves traditional design and construction methods while advancing the art of boat building, design and maintenance through the integration of modern techniques and contemporary materials. The marine industry values this unique training and has lauded The Landing School internationally with a reputation for graduates of exceptional quality.

The Landing School seeks students who are not “usual”, who are not satisfied with the status quo; they look for passionate students who imagine vividly and want to create cool things. Their students have come from forty-one U.S. states and ten countries. They are high school graduates, college graduates, second career seekers, veterans, and adult learners.

Within the transformational environment of The Landing School students find strengths they had not imagined. The practical skills offered by our curriculum are designed to provide graduates not simply with a better job prospect but more importantly with a rewarding career in the marine industry as an innovative designer, boat-builder or systems technician. Graduates of The Landing School are able to work professionally on today’s vessels and imagine tomorrow’s, pushing the boundaries of the industry’s evolving technology while understanding and appreciating the rich maritime traditions of the past.

As an employer, The Landing School offers a supportive community of faculty, staff, and fellow students who all work together to regularly achieve the impossible.

For more information about The Landing School of Boat Building, please visit http://www.landingschool.edu.

Location:

Like many of Maine’s coastal towns, Arundel (once part of neighboring Kennebunkport) first prospered as a shipbuilding center and fishing village, and later became a destination for summer residents. Today, Arundel is one of Southern Maine’s fastest growing communities. Its current population is approximately 4,200.

The Opportunity:

The Director of Advancement will be the chief fundraiser, and as the first person in this role will create and implement an innovative and comprehensive fundraising program and culture of philanthropy throughout The Landing School. This will include broadening philanthropic funding by engaging students, parents, and alumni, and working with corporate donors and foundations, the community.

The Director of Advancement will report to the President of The Landing School. A key member of the executive team, this role will work closely with the board of trustees. Please note that this role will not directly manage staff.

Overview of the Ideal Candidate:

The Director of Advancement will have a minimum of 10-15 years of experience in fundraising, including several years in senior leadership roles, and demonstrate the ability and vision to deliver results. Experience in multiple areas of fundraising is required, including annual fund, major giving, legacy gifts, grant writing, running capital campaigns, and creating a philosophy of lifelong giving in alumni.

The Director of Advancement will have the proven ability to advance a school or non-profit both internally and externally, and will be a skilled relationship building who is creative, outgoing, self-starter, motivated and engaging. The candidate must be comfortable working in a small organization and willing to wear many hats as needed.

A degree is required. Knowledge of the marine industry is strongly preferred.

The Landing School is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.

For Immediate Consideration:

This search is being managed by Pillar Search. To apply, please send your cover letter and resume, including salary requirements, to Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

With personalized service and proven results, Pillar is your partner in executive search and human resources consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides national retained search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and early-stage or rapid growth for-profit firms. All share the characteristic of desiring top talent who want an occupassion, not just an occupation. In addition, Pillar offers human resources consulting services, which was born of clients requesting help on projects beyond executive search, and includes human resources audits, creating a handbook, assessing organizational design, training, team building, and employee communications. A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on both a local and national level. To contact Pillar, please click here.

Search Success: Sher Omerovic Named JVS’ New Chief Program Officer!

Hiring! The Search for the Director of Advancement for The Landing School of Boat Building & Design