Job Details

• Time: Full-time role
• Pay: $100,000 - $115,000 annual salary including benefits
• Location: Remote with a strong preference for New York State residency
• Travel Commitment: Travel is required for 2-3 days per quarter

Executive Director

About the Organization

Black Farmers United - New York State (“BFU-NYS”) is a newly established coalition of over 100 Black farmers, educators, and food justice advocates from across New York State. BFU-NYS’ mission is to advocate for, unify, amplify, and create pathways to ownership for NYS Black farmers through education, policy development, networking, and mutual aid. As a collective, BFU-NYS centers Black farmers, builds collective power, cultivates love and liberation, advances equity, and fosters transparency. Black farmers hold the power to radically change how black communities control access to safe, healthy food, and build collective wealth and health in New York State.

In New York State, the almost $2 billion farming industry is well poised to leverage BFU-NYS’ community of Black rural and urban farmers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and other food and land workers who understand the needs and build power and wealth in Black communities. Together, BFU-NYS’ coalition of Black farmers, educators, and food justice advocates from across the state developed 9 Solutions for Racial Inequity in New York Agriculture.

The Opportunity

BFU-NYS seeks an experienced, self-starter to serve as its founding Executive Director. In an organization that desires to organize themselves non-hierarchically, the ED facilitates the organization’s success by providing needed guidance to staff and members, facilitating critical conversations, and ensuring egalitarian decision-making whenever possible. The ED will create successful practices to raise the financial support necessary for the operation of BFU-NYS. This position serves as the primary fundraiser responsible for an approximately $750,000 annual budget and works in close collaboration with the BFU-NYS board.

Role Responsibilities

The Executive Director will be responsible for, but are not limited to the following:

Organizational Development

• Leading the organization’s efforts to create an equitable, optimized structure and set attainable goals
• Collaborating with designated staff members, elicit member input and, when appropriate, put large organizational changes to a vote
• Managing an organizational development consultant and/or strategic planning facilitator
• Leading the development and implementation of strategic plans with support from other staff
• Supporting the Board of Directors, ensuring their recruitment, onboarding, resourcing, and engagement with input from staff and membership
• Writing, with support from other staff, annual public-facing reports on organizational successes

Fundraising

• Working with the board of directors to set and achieve fundraising goals based on an annual increase of 25% of the current organizational budget
• Leading the development and execution of fundraising plans with assistance from the Board of Directors
• Leading fundraising for the organization’s budgets, including recruiting and collaborating with grantwriters and evolving a fundraising strategy and team
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships with funders
• Ensuring financial management and oversight, including managing the filing of tax returns, audits, and compliance

Management & Leadership

• Working closely with board of directors to develop the organizational structure
• Managing the day-to-day organizational operations and staff
• Organizing staff and other organizational development opportunities, including leading staff in collaborating on their collective human resources practices and policies including recruitment, retention, management, professional development, and compliance

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in a nonprofit or similar organization, including at least 3 - 5 years serving in a leadership capacity
• 5+ years of experience in nonprofit management including demonstrated success and a strategic approach to management and organizational development
• Demonstrated experience in analyzing food justice, labor, capital and Black liberation through the lens of political, racial, class, and gender
• Impeccable judgment and demonstrated alignment with BFU-NYS’s values: centering Black farmers, building collective power, cultivating love and liberation, advancing equity, and fostering transparency
• Proven experience in securing funding from diverse sources including governments, foundations, corporations, major donors, and individuals
• Proficient in financial analysis and management including budgeting, cash flow projections, and reporting
• Strong leadership skills within a non-hierarchical framework, including the capacity to inspire collaboration, build consensus, and boost motivation among coworkers, as well as other stakeholders, such as coworkers, boards, community members, politicians, and funders
• Working understanding of farming and food systems in New York State and/or the surrounding regions
• Strong entrepreneurial spirit and ability to thrive in a small organization with limited resources and evolving infrastructure
• Proven success working with a board of directors
• Robust organizational, problem-solving, delegation, and time management skills
• Aptitude for learning new applications
• Demonstrated experience facilitating conflict resolution processes
• Outstanding communication skills—both verbal and written—with the ability to make passionate public presentations representing the organization

Reporting Relationship
The Steering Committee will apply for 501c3 status in early 2023 and the Executive Director will report to the newly formed Black Farmers United - New York State Board once 501c3 status is approved.