New Search! Chief Community Officer with the B.A.A.!

CHIEF COMMUNITY OFFICER

Pillar Search & HR Consulting is honored to continue its partnership with the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) on the search for the B.A.A.’s new Chief Community Officer. This is an outstanding opportunity for a Boston-area community builder and leader.

ABOUT BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The B.A.A. is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. is committed to a world where all people can access and benefit from running and an active lifestyle. The B.A.A. advances its mission and vision by organizing mass-participatory running events such as the Boston Marathon, creating or supporting community fitness events, and sponsoring a running club that serves the greater Boston area.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the CEO and serving on the organization’s leadership team, the Chief Community Officer will guide the B.A.A.’s community work to facilitate meaningful engagement and impact aligned with the organization’s mission and vision. They will collaborate internally and externally to lead the planning and execution of a successful, cohesive strategy; cultivating and establishing partnerships with diverse groups across all of their communities, including those who are underrepresented at B.A.A. events and the industry overall, while building trust and alignment toward a shared vision of equitable access and participation in our sport.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Lead the community function at the B.A.A. and partner with other organizational leads to ensure the community strategy is embedded appropriately in all that they do. Help all staff understand this important piece of the organization’s work and how they can contribute to it.
  • Create and advance an inclusive community strategy and related programming across functions, in alignment with the B.A.A.’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities; gathering input and evolving the strategy, as appropriate.
  • Reach community members throughout Boston, the various cities and towns on and surrounding the Boston Marathon course, and beyond, through culturally competent and authentic ways.
  • Establish metrics for community work, monitor implementation and evaluate results of strategy and standard operating procedures. Support the creation and delivery of community impact reporting.
  • Serve as a primary contact, representative, and liaison for B.A.A. community actions / strategy with internal and external stakeholders. Play a leading role in community initiatives, and support community discussions and crisis management, as appropriate.
  • Explore, pilot, and implement new ways to partner with community organizations and partners.
  • Ensure there is an effective process to gather and utilize feedback from community organizations and partners.
  • Support and oversee community building through sport, e.g., by including, empowering, and celebrating people around their own health and wellness.
  • Oversee the effective management of and outcomes associated with the B.A.A. Volunteer Program, which is composed of 10,500 volunteers annually, and one of their larger communities. Support the internal staff members managing this program.
  • Sponsor the Head of Public Relations, overseeing the PR strategy, program and storytelling. Proactively create a productive image for the B.A.A., its work and its vision; ensuring that community engagement work is effectively shared externally.
  • Collaborate with the leadership team to make decisions on behalf of the organization; bring forth and balance your functional area’s needs and agendas, as well as the rest of the organization’s. Serve as an advocate and leader for the B.A.A. as a whole.
  • Champion diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), as is expected of all leadership team members. Develop and achieve measurable functional goals related to DEIB while modeling inclusive behaviors and proactively managing bias.
  • Manage the community function’s budget effectively in partnership with Finance.
  • Support the creation of an updated approach/model to staffing community events.
  • Oversee, coach, and develop B.A.A. staff who support community and volunteer programming and engagement, as well as community and public relations. Directly manage 3 employees in this space.
  • Other related duties as assigned.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. The B.A.A. knows that people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. They, along with Pillar Search & HR Consulting, respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below.

  • 8 or more years of related work experience in a community (or comparable) role – with a record of achieving strategic outcomes and delivering on an organization’s mission.
  • 10 or more years preferred in the Greater Boston area.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of the communities within the Greater Boston area and their various needs.
  • Passion for health and fitness and promoting active lifestyles through sport.
  • Knowledge and experience of the sport of running preferred.
  • Exceptional relationship management and influencing skills; able to build and maintain relationships with a diverse set of constituents. Skillful organizer who can manage and participate in generative conflict.
  • Strong communication skills; bilingual language abilities a plus.
  • Excellent planning and organizational skills, with an ability to prioritize and support team members with prioritizing effectively.
  • Demonstrated success in setting goals and strategic planning around diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging initiatives.
  • History of inspiring others and leading by example. Genuine enthusiasm for meeting, motivating, and involving people in community activities.
  • Proficient in Microsoft 365 tools, including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Experience in Salesforce a plus.
  • Flexibility to attend night and weekend events.

WORK EXPECTATIONS AT B.A.A

The B.A.A. is a hands-on team and seek employees who are passionate about our work and service to their community. The Chief Community Officer is a 40 hours/week, exempt position. The role will require flexibility to work on some weekends and evenings in order to be present within communities and at events. Additionally, there will be longer work hours surrounding B.A.A. race events. Limited local travel required.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The salary range is competitive and commensurate with lived and professional experience. The B.A.A. will promote your professional growth and development by providing access to:

  • Competitive health & dental insurance plans
  • Life insurance, short term, and long-term disability plans funded 100% by the B.A.A.
  • 401(k) matching dollar-for-dollar up to 4% after one year of service, elective deferrals may begin upon hire
  • An annual allotment of professional development funding (up to $2,000 per calendar year)
  • Paid vacation based on years of service
  • 11 paid holidays, 9 scheduled and 2 floating

HOW TO APPLY

To apply to this position, please prepare a resume and cover letter to the attention of the B.A.A. Human Resources team and submit your materials to Cindy Joyce of Pillar Search & HR Consulting at jobs@pillarsearch.com.

Please note that, due to the high volume of resumes received for this role, phone calls are not accepted, and Pillar is unable to have informational calls about the role. Only those candidates selected to move forward will be scheduled for introductory calls as part of the recruiting process.

The B.A.A. is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

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 the boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. Pillar’s Founder, Cindy Joyce, is a Certified Diversity Recruiter. For more information, please visit www.pillarsearch.com.

Search Success! Emma Concepcion Joins UTEC as Chief People Officer

UTEC and Pillar Search & HR Consulting are excited to announce that, following an extensive and competitive candidate search, Emma Concepcion has joined UTEC as their new Chief People Officer.

Reporting to UTEC’s CEO, Emma will be responsible for leading UTEC’s people and talent strategies, managing and mitigating organizational risks, and continuing the development of their human resource-related strategies, policies, and procedures. She will be a strategic advisor to senior leadership on a variety of issues, including employee relations, leadership development, organizational culture, and talent management, and will be play a key leadership role in supporting UTEC’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all areas of management and embodying UTEC’s DEI vision in their work and workplace culture.

Emma joins UTEC from Bay Cove Human Services, where she was their Vice President of Human Resources and earlier was the organization’s Director of Human Resources. As a member of the Bay Cove leadership team, she established the workforce development team, was Co-Chair of the DEI committee, designed and implemented HR initiatives, enhanced staff retention and engagement, and aligned HR strategies with organizational objectives. While Emma was Bay Cove’s Vice President of Human Resources, the organization achieved recognition as one of Boston’s Top Places to Work for five consecutive years. Prior to her tenure in Human Resources at Bay Cove, Emma spent a decade as their Director of Housing. In addition to her human resources and human services expertise, Emma also has extensive mediation experience, as she spent several years participating in court mediation and mediation training as a member of the Harvard University Mediation Program, handling cases related to civil, housing, and harassment prevention orders.

About UTEC: UTEC is a nationally recognized program for justice-involved young adults. The program starts behind the walls of correctional facilities and intensive street outreach/gang peacemaking and transitions into an intensive program in the community post-release. The nature of their educational services, wraparound supports and counseling, social enterprise/workforce development, organizing/policy work, training institute, and innovative partnerships creates a variety of impacts in the lives of the individuals and communities they serve.

Last year, UTEC served over 600 young adults including a range of outreach activities, and approximately 150 young adults intensively through their comprehensive program. During this fiscal year, 75% of young adults at UTEC avoided arrest. With over 20 years of experience, UTEC is a catalyst, innovating in the way they serve young adults (ages 17-25) who are criminally and/or gang involved in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley. Learn more about UTEC at https://utecinc.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.

Search Success: Maridel Perdomo Joins Families First as the Senior Director of Programs!

Families First and Pillar Search & HR Consulting are excited to announce, following an extensive and competitive candidate search, that Maridel Perdomo has joined Families First as the Senior Director of Programs.

This is an exciting time for Families First, as they are seeing incredible outcomes from their programs and are in the process of expanding across the state. With the launch of a 5-year business plan, the organization looks toward significant growth in the coming years.

Reporting to Family First’s Executive Director, Sue Covitz, Maridel will be responsible for the oversight and implementation of Families First’s regional programming in Greater Boston and Western MA. Through this work, she will prioritize Families First’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging by engaging parents and the Families First team to inform regional and programmatic growth as the organization expands.

In addition, she will oversee Families First’s alumni services, support the evaluation and quality strategy, and support the program curricula and training strategy. She will serve on the leadership team to advance organizational goals and cross-departmental priorities and will execute and monitor expansion plans as a part of the 5-year business plan.

Maridel joins Families First from Schools for Children, where she was the Director of Extended Learning Programs. There, she was responsible for multi-site programs for 200 students and leading 30 staff members. Prior roles have included Site Director of YMCA at Gardner Pilot Academy, Preschool Director at Pine Village Preschool, and roles as Job Developer and Youth Program Director with Centro Latino. Maridel earned her master’s degree in public administration from Framingham State University, her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Salem State University, and also holds a degree in Human Resource Administration from Cecilio Acosta University in Caracas, Venezuela. Recently, Maridel served on the Board of Trustees of Watertown’s New Rep Theatre, where she was a member of the Diversity Committee and was involved in fundraising, budgeting, and the annual planning process.

About Families First: Families First’s mission is to partner with parents to amplify their power so they can positively impact the lives of children and communities through their groundbreaking programs. Their model includes parenting education and support, parent leadership, family engagement, and alumni services.

For more than 35 years, Families First has been a leader in providing parenting education across the Greater Boston area. The organization was founded in 1988 with the goal of helping parents navigate the diverse challenges of raising children by providing research-based parenting education services.

Today, Families First provides Massachusetts’s most comprehensive model for early childhood parenting education, family engagement, and parent leadership: The Power of ParentingTM program and The Ripple Program TM.

As a result of Families First’s high-impact, multi-tiered program model, parents will support the development of their children’s social-emotional and cognitive skills, embrace their role as the most important force in their children’s learning and well-being, and gain new skills and resources to support and advocate for their children as they grow. Learn more about this amazing organization at www.families-first.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.

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

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.

Happy Birthday to Pillar Search & HR Consulting!

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since I started Pillar Search & HR Consulting. It has been a labor of love, a source of joy and purpose. My nonprofit and mission-driven clients are awe-inspiring and do amazing work in education, workforce development, the arts, sustainability, women’s rights, economic empowerment, and so much more. I consider myself so fortunate to help them to advance their missions by hiring for their important roles and developing and empowering their teams.

I intentionally chose July 16, 2015 as my founding date because it was the birthday of one of my best friends, Sharon Mulcahy, who had died unexpectedly the year prior. Sharon and I met the day we moved into Regis College as freshman, and were friends for over 25 years. Sharon was an entrepreneur and cofounder of Jackrabbit Design. Watching her grow her business, which included many nonprofit clients, taught me so many wonderful lessons that have helped me in my own entrepreneurial journey. In the past few years, when I face a challenge, I often wonder “what would Sharon do?” and feel her somehow guiding me in the right direction. 

In honor of Pillar’s 5th anniversary and my dear friend who inspired its founding date, I have made a donation to Regis College’s Diverse Educator’s Scholarship, which honors the mission of Regis and its commitment to diversifying the education profession by offering a select group of undergraduate education students the opportunity to attend Regis through merit-based aid. Upon graduating, these students serve underrepresented populations in education.

Thanks to all who have helped me along this journey. Here’s to another exciting five years!

A woman-owned company based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search 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 contact Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

Announcing My New Course, Adult Learning Theories, at Harvard Extension School!

I am honored to be creating and teaching a brand-new online course for Harvard Extension School. Adult Learning Theories, will begin in September 2020. 

Learning opportunities for adults are often modeled after our classes in grade school and high school. However, adults learn much differently from children. Their motivation to learn is vastly different as well. This course explores adult learning theory and practice, how to engage the adult learner, and how to provide learning opportunities that both motivate and challenge. Human resources practitioners, leaders, and trainers alike benefit from this course, as will managers of teams in any functional area of the organization.

Registration for the Adult Learning Theories course and Harvard Extension School’s other amazing educational opportunities begins on July 20, 2020 and may be accessed here

Harvard Extension School is the online learning/continuing education platform for Harvard University. I most recently taught at Harvard Extension School in the fall of 2019, when I created another new course, Nonprofit Human Resources Management. That course will be offered again in the spring 2021 semester.

A woman-owned company based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides nonprofit executive search and human resources consulting expertise, 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 contact Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

 

 

 

Announcing Harvard Extension School’s First-Ever Nonprofit Human Resource Management Course

I am excited to announce that I am creating and will be teaching Harvard Extension School‘s first-ever Nonprofit Human Resource Management course this fall.  This course will provide an introduction to the practices, policies, and theories related to nonprofit human resource management. Designed for those who are now or will be an HR practitioner or executive for a nonprofit organization, museum, school, or foundation, this course will prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed to manage human capital in a nonprofit setting.

Classes begin on Monday, September 9th.  This is a live, web-based course running through mid-December, and will include several nonprofit executive guest speakers.  Registration opens on Monday, July 29th.  Learn more here!  

A woman-owned company based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides nonprofit executive search and human resources expertise, working with senior leaders and boards of directors to find the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information, please contact Pillar’s CEO, Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.