About DreamYard

DreamYard Project, Inc. (DreamYard) is an arts and social justice organization dedicated to working with
Bronx youth, families, and schools to build pathways toward equity and opportunity. DreamYard provides
nationally recognized, transformative arts and social justice education programming to Bronx youth and
young adults in schools, after school and during the summer months, and supports them as they work
toward higher learning, creative-filled careers, and social action.

DreamYard aspires for everyone—our staff, Board, parents, youth, teaching artists, school partners,
alumni, and neighbors—to have the power, agency, and tools to fortify themselves and the communities
they love. DreamYard utilizes the humanitarian power of arts and social justice education to build thriving
and just communities in the Bronx and beyond and is committed to nurturing artists, communities, and
dreamers to change the world.

For more information about DreamYard visit: https://www.dreamyard.com

The Opportunity

DreamYard seeks an Executive Director who is community-connected and values-driven. The Executive Director will steward the organization’s mission, deepen its culture of equity and care, and work in partnership with the Board, staff, and community to guide DreamYard into its next phase of impact. This leader will be grounded in justice, passionate about the arts and education, and ready to sustain and deepen the organization’s impact.

Key responsibilities of the position include:

Vision, Strategy, and Culture

• Lead the organization’s strategic direction in collaboration with the Board and Leadership Team.
• Center equity and anti-oppression values across all levels of organizational decision-making.
• Steward DreamYard’s culture of creativity, imagination, community, and care.

Leadership and Management

• Lead and manage the daily operations of DreamYard’s programs and operations.
• Supervise and collaborate closely with the Leadership Team, fostering an environment of transparency, trust, and accountability.
• Align organizational system with DreamYard values and programs, ensuring viability and long-term organizational sustainability.
• Ensure equitable, people-centered practices across HR, finance, and operations (in partnership with COO and Director of People and Culture).
• Foster a positive and collaborative work environment for staff and volunteers, supporting their development and performance.

Fundraising and Resource Development

• Lead major donor cultivation and stewardship and strengthen DreamYard’s individual giving base.
• Communicate a clear and compelling vision of DreamYard’s work and impact to funders to secure philanthropic investments.
• Cultivate partnerships that lead to deeper mission impact and new funding streams.
• Partner with the Development team to diversify funding and sustain financial health.

Programs and Community Engagement

• Stay connected to the work on the ground, listening deeply to young people, educators, artists, and families and working with young people, educators, artists, and families to co create programs.
• Ensure programming celebrates the community’s culture and assets as well as reflects community needs, supports healing and transformation, and upholds DreamYard’s commitment to racial and educational justice.
• Build and sustain partnerships with aligned organizations, schools, and city-wide networks.
• Serve as the principal spokesperson for DreamYard, building and maintaining strong relationships with community stakeholders, government agencies, businesses, and other partners.

Governance and Board Engagement

• Support the growth and engagement of a diverse, active, and collaborative Board.
• Work closely with the Board of Directors to set the strategic vision, identify priorities and goals, and develop and implement strategic plans for the organization’s programs and services.
• Oversee the organization’s financial health, including budget development, management, and reporting to the Board.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all of the following qualifications and attributes.

• A community builder who is authentic, accessible, collaborative, resilient, high energy, good humored, and inspires trust in the community.
• Deep knowledge of and passion for social justice, arts education, and/or creative youth development, with a background in the arts, education, or youth/community organizing.
• Prior experience as an Executive Director or senior leader in a nonprofit including strategic
  leadership and management experience, with an
  inclusive and collaborative approach and a demonstrated ability to lead teams and support distributed leadership.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising, particularly with individual donors and major gifts.
• Working knowledge of nonprofit management and finance including cash flow management and accrual practices, as well as working knowledge of human resources policies and procedures.
• A systems thinker who possesses a clear sense of how the various organizational functions
  (financial, fundraising, programming, personnel) interconnect with one another and ensures
  coordination among such functions.
• Strong knowledge of the Bronx, and/or lived or professional experience in Bronx communities.
• Experience working with and within communities most impacted by systemic oppression, especially in urban public education settings.
• Commitment to and ongoing practice of racial equity and anti-oppression work.
• Understanding of the NYC Department of Education, public schools, and community-based
  partnerships.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills across a wide range of audiences.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary for the role is anticipated to range from $200,000 to $225,000, commensurate with experience. DreamYard offers fringe benefits, life, health, dental, disability insurance, vacation days, 401K, bonuses, stock options and/or commissions as currently offered to at-will employees and applicable for the current salary band for the role.

Contact

Trisha Sutrisno and Shelby Woods of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To
express your interest in this role please submit your materials by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries
and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please
email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional
information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.