WELCOME TO YOUR CENTER!

The Center is the largest and most impactful LGBTQ organization in our region. As the second oldest Center in our movement, we have served our community and stood as a beacon of hope for 50 years. Established as a community non-profit in 1972, The Center provides targeted programs and services to the full diversity of the San Diego LGBTQ community. The mission of The Center is to enhance and sustain the health and well-being of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, nonbinary, immigrant, and HIV communities for the betterment of our entire San Diego region. Our vision is to create a Center and Center culture where every person feels and knows that they are welcomed, valued, and supported. As the beacon for our regional LGBTQ community, we actively recommit to being a more vibrant, bold, innovative, safe, and modern center each day than the day before. The Center is sex-positive and provides advocacy and critical health and social support services to support our community members through all stages of life, focusing on our deeply held values of equity, social justice, and client-centered, trauma-informed care.

The Center currently has over 100 staff working at soon to be nine facilities across San Diego County and is led by a 13-member board of directors, overseeing an annual operating budget of $13.5M. The Center provides more than 80,000 direct service visits to community members every year, and through our events, activities, and advocacy, touches the lives of thousands more.

Background

Through advocacy, civic engagement, and coalition building, The Center works to promote LGBTQ health and wellness, fight homophobia, transphobia, and racism, and advance human and civil rights and justice by amplifying the voices of our LGBTQ community and families, especially those who remain most marginalized- youth, seniors, those experiencing housing and economic insecurity, communities of color, those living with HIV, and immigrants. A core value of The Center is that the health and wellness of our community cannot thrive without strong advocacy and community power.

The Center has experienced tremendous growth over the last five years, and we are looking for the right candidate to help lead us into The Center's exciting next phase. The Chief Impact Officer is a key leadership position on the Senior Team, serving as both an effective supervisor of our public affairs, civic engagement, and communications departments, and a senior-level strategic and visionary leader for our rapidly growing organization. This role requires a sophisticated, seasoned policy professional with extensive ties to San Diego's political spheres and community-based organizations from grassroots to grasstops organizations and individuals.

The Position

Reporting to the Deputy CEO, the Chief Impact Officer tracks and develops responses to the social and political issues in the San Diego region impacting the LGBTQ community, and oversees The Center's main external priorities, policy positions, and coalition memberships. This leader will develop and implement strategies for when The Center, as the region's largest LGBTQ service and advocacy organization, leads on initiatives, supports initiatives in partnership with coalitions, steps back, or plays a minor role. A skilled collaborator, this leader directs initiatives that strategically strengthen and expand relationships with policy makers, community-based organizations, and other influencers and stakeholders to fulfill our mission and build power for our San Diego LGBTQ community. The ideal candidate will have a passion for both policy and social impact organizing, authentically and proactively engaging communities toward building community power, so that all who interact with The Center feel included, represented, and engaged in the heart of the LGBTQ community.

The Chief Impact Officer also drives marketing and communications strategies, in partnership with the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing, to continually increase The Center's impact and visibility and enhance its reputation as a trusted messenger within the LGBTQ community. This position develops and integrates the communication strategy based on our core values, strategic plan, and emergent priorities, to ensure that Center communications reach target audiences. This position works collaboratively with the CEO and Deputy CEO to proactively craft messaging and positions on high profile issues, as well as Center responses to community.

PRIMARY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational Operations & Senior Leadership:

• Responsibility for a team of 10 staff and supervise three direct reports.
• Provide inspirational leadership establishing a high level of trust, professionalism, and dedication in the Public Advocacy and Community Engagement team.
• Engage in organization-level decision making on the Senior Team.
• Provide oversight for the Department's financial strategy, and input on agency-wide budgets.
• Actively contribute to The Center's commitment to anti-racism and equity by acting as an active thought partner to ensure The Center continues to grow in our journey to welcome and serve the full diversity of our community.
• Engage with the Board of Directors, including presenting to the Board regularly, to ensure alignment on organizational priorities and effective communication.

Public Affairs & Advocacy:

• Hold key relationships with policy makers, nonprofit organizations and leaders, and external stakeholders throughout the San Diego region.
• Oversee the monitoring, analyzing, and advocacy on a variety of legislative policy issues of concern to the mission of The Center.
• Identify emergent policy issues and draft written analyses, position briefs, correspondence, and community-friendly educational materials.
• Conduct ballot measure analyses to determine The Center's positions.
• Analyze program data to draft a policy or campaign.
• Serve as direct liaison to elected officials and external stakeholders to advance legislative and policy priorities.
• Oversee and coordinate the coalition work The Center does as part of its community engagement and direct advocacy.
• Strong understanding of data-informed campaigns, particularly in support of grassroots campaigns mobilizing low propensity voters.

Civic Engagement:

• Provide a strong intersectional knowledge of Center priority issues (e.g., immigration, housing, anti-LGBTQ bias) in all aspects of civic engagement.
• Supervise the Director of Engage San Diego (a program of The Center) and help oversee the strategic direction of the overall program.
• Provide strategic management and grant support to Engage San Diego.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of The Center's civic engagement and non-partisan voter mobilization campaigns to grow political and community power in the region.
  • Including: redistricting, election engagement, etc.
  • Oversee campaign budgets, strategy, and messaging.
• Guide and advise the Public Affairs and Engage staff in the conception and implementation of mobilization goals, tactics, indicators of success, and development of assessment tools.
• Supervise the development and implementation of our partnership with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters to be a Vote Center.

Community Engagement:

• Provide a strong intersectional knowledge of Center priority issues (e.g., immigration, housing, anti-LGBTQ bias) in all aspects of community engagement.
• Oversee the planning, coordination, and execution of community events including celebrations, community responses, and fundraising events (in partnership with the Development department).
• Work to deepen and expand The Center's collaboration with community-based organizations through an intentional cross-movement strategy designed to further social justice.
• Oversee the strategic community engagement efforts for The Center, and support staff who directly liaise with those communities.
• Skillfully navigate community tensions and develop Center responses that reflect Center values.

Communications:

• Oversee the strategic direction and implementation of The Center's communications and marketing throughout the organization.
• Along with the CEO, DCEO, and Senior Director of Development, serve as an additional Center spokesperson.
• In partnership with the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing, draft Center talking points for major public opportunities; oversee and serve as final approver on the majority of regular Center communications.
• Partner with the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing to ensure Center messaging is consistent throughout the organization and ties back to our strategic plan.
• Ensure Communications team coordination and integration with Center programs and services to successfully achieve organizational goals.
• Oversee constituent-focused external communications, ensuring the CEO, Senior Team, Board of Directors, donors, volunteers, clients, community members, community partners, and staff are informed on timely topics to assure a consistent and engaging message to the public on behalf of the Center.
• Ensure dedicated communications to The Center's priority populations (youth, seniors, women, and transgender, nonbinary, Black, and AAPI communities).
• Facility in overseeing the full breadth of a communications campaign.
• Full understanding of executing and implementing paid digital campaigns.

Administrative:

• Oversee federal, regional, and local lobbying reporting and ensure compliance.
• Ensure all contractual reporting is thorough and submitted in a timely manner.
• Create and oversee five program budgets.
• Work with staff teams to create annual work plans aligned with the Strategic Plan.

REQUIREMENTS

• Managerial acumen, strong program design and management skills, excellent writing and oral presentation skills, and ability to work collaboratively with emotional intelligence are highly valued.
• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, and presentation communication skills; demonstrated ability to write and edit persuasive materials with up-to-date data.
• Ability to translate strategic plans into specific short- and long-term objectives and define metrics and accountabilities.
• A community organizer with commitment to our diverse grassroots community and social justice movement.
• Thorough knowledge of regional political and advocacy landscapes.
• Ability to communicate and organize along the organizational spectrum from grassroots organizations to large, complex systems, to increase partnership and decrease community tension.
• Passion for The Center's mission and work.
• Proven attention to detail, organization, and timely follow-through.
• Experience developing and managing budgets with a high level of precision.
• Ability to productively interact with a variety of constituencies including donors, Board members, volunteers, staff, community members, clients, allies, visitors, government officials, stakeholders, and the general public; diplomatically manage competing priorities and constituencies.
• Experience effectively coaching and mentoring junior staff, empowering volunteers in leadership roles, and working independently and as part of a highly collaborative team.
• Experience working with the LGBTQ community and familiarity with issues of particular relevance to LGBTQ people at the intersections of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion, age, immigration status, and physical ability.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Education:Some college required, advanced degree strongly preferred. Any combination of experience, education, and training that would provide the equivalent knowledge and abilities may be considered as a substitute for formal education.
• Experience:A minimum of 5 years of experience in senior-level leadership in either policy, advocacy, or communications experience; experience with nonprofit organizations is highly desirable. Experience in voter engagement required.
• Computer/Office Equipment Skills:Must have superior proficiency working with Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and Teams.
• Platforms and Databases: Proficiency in PDI or other voter databases preferred. Strong understanding of social media platforms, particularly those offering paid digital campaigns.
• Language Skills:Fluency in English is required. Spanish is preferred.
• Work Schedule:This position is primarily in-person at The Center. Flexibility is required to participate in regular evening and weekend events, meetings, and travel as necessary.
• Access to reliable automobile transportation with a valid driver's license and proof of insurance is required. This position will require travel throughout the San Diego region.
• Physical Demands:The person in this position may be required to sit or stand for extended periods, move objects up to 25 pounds, ascend/descend stairs, operate office equipment, open and close filing cabinets and boxes, observe visitors, and communicate messages and tone by telephone. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Offer of employment may be contingent on satisfactory results of a criminal history background check.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Compensation: The pay range for this position is $130K - $140K and is commensurate with experience. This is a Full-Time Regular Non-Exempt position.
• Benefits: The Center offers a robust benefits package, inclusive of competitive pay scales; 401(k) Retirement Plan (with company match); flex time opportunities; full medical, dental, vision, and chiropractic health coverage; out-of-pocket optional coverage for spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children; full-time and part-time schedules; generous vacation and holiday benefits; professional training and development experiences; and opportunities for promotion and advancement.

Please review the current job openings by clicking the button below. If you believe you possess the heart and skills for any of these (or any other) exciting job opportunities, we encourage you to apply. Instructions for how to apply are included in each job announcement. We regret that we are unable to accept telephone inquiries.

As of 04/01/2023, The Center has relaxed its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for employment. New employees are encouraged but not required to be vaccinated. The Center reserves the right to amend this requirement based on health concerns and/or governmental recommendations to protect the well-being of our community. If this requirement changes, employees will have 30 days to comply.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The San Diego LGBTQ Community Center is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.