Director, Strategic Initiatives & Executive Affairs

Director, Strategic Initiatives & Executive AffairsLA Office - Los Angeles, CA 90017OverviewSalary Range $105,900.00 - $176,400.00 SalaryDescriptionWe are looking for a Director, Strategic Initiatives & Executive Affairs to join our team in Los Angeles! WHO WE AREAsian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) is the nation's largest legal and civil rights organization that advocates for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Founded in 1983, AJSOCAL supports over 15,000 individuals and organizations annually. AJSOCAL offers free legal help, engages in impact litigation, and advocates for policy change. Our services are open to individuals of all races and ethnicities, without restriction. AJSOCAL strives to be a champion for the most vulnerable members of the AAPI communities, while advancing civil rights and social justice for everyone.Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California offices are located in downtown Los Angeles and Orange County, with presence in Sacramento, ensuring accessibility for all. With our Advancing Justice affiliates in Atlanta, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., we enrich, enhance, and serve our communities all across the country.We provide supportive services for individuals wanting to start the immigration process through Family-Based Immigration, Asylum, Temporary Protected Status, the Violence Against Women Act, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T-Visa, and U-Visa. We also offer free citizenship workshops and resources to help you on your naturalization journey. Beyond immigration, we also lead community-centered initiatives such as the Asian Language Legal Intake Project (ALLIP), the Survivor and Family Empowerment (SAFE) Project, the Housing Preservation (HP) Program, and our Health Access Project (HAP). In addition, our Demographic Research Project (DRP) and Community Engagement (CE) teams drive data-informed strategies and grassroots partnerships that deepen our impact across Southern California. Our Impact Litigation Team looks to create systemic change for our communities, while our Policy Team continues to shape laws and local practices that impact millions of Asian American and immigrant families across California.WHAT WE BRINGThe special opportunity to join a mission driven teamFlexible, hybrid work schedulesRich medical, dental and vision benefitsRetirement options through 403B and matchWHO YOU AREYou share our mission of advocacy for Asian Pacific Americans. You enjoy the thrill of serving the public interest while championing civil rights and social justice. You take pride in your work enriching lives and communities in Los Angeles and across the country. You are looking for your next role in an organization that supports your career as much as you support the organization and its goals. You are looking for a job where you make a difference, and your impact is directly proportional to your contribution. You are a game changer. You are a leader. You are an advocate.WHAT YOU BRINGBachelor's Degree, with preference for a degree in a related fieldMinimum of ten (10) years of professional experience, with at least three (3) years in a senior coordination, strategy, operations role in a nonprofit, advocacy or mission-driven environmentDemonstrated commitment to racial justice, civil rights, and/or social justiceValid driver's license and/or access to alternative transportationProject Management Certification preferredBilingual (in languages spoken by our clients), a plusQualificationsABOUT THE ROLEThe Director, Strategic Initiatives & Executive Affairs serves as a force multiplier for the CEO, ensuring that our leader's time, voice and relationships are deployed where they matter most. This is a rare opportunity to operate at the highest level of a mission-driven organization -- shaping strategy execution, stewarding critical relationships, and helping build the kind of culture where our people can do their best work and serve our clients.This role requires someone who thrives on complexity, operates well in ambiguity, is well organized, communicates with clarity and heart, and holds an unwavering commitment to social justice and civil rights. The Director, Strategic Initiatives & Executive Affairs works in close partnership with the executive and senior leadership teams, and serves as a key liaison between the CEO and internal staff, board members, and external stakeholders. Acting as a trusted representative of the CEO, the position helps foster a collaborative, inspirational and productive organizational culture.The Director, Strategic Initiatives & Executive Affairs supports day-to-day administrative oversight, facilitates cross-departmental communication, and advances strategic initiatives. This role aids in managing Board of Directors (BOD) engagement and meetings, and stewards the CEO's external voice in partnership with the communications and marketing leaders.Duties and Responsibilities:CEO Support & External Relationship Management (35%)Orchestrate and optimize the CEO's daily workflow, ensuring seamless prioritization of high-impact activities and strategic communications across phone and emailManage the CEO's calendar with an eye toward organizational priorities, relationship stewardship, and sustainable use of the CEO's time and energyServe as a partner to the CEO in managing and nurturing external relationships with funders, donors, community partners, and public officialsAdvance donor engagement and stewardship by facilitating high-touch check-ins, tracking relationship milestones, and supporting the CEO in cultivating long-term philanthropic partnershipsContribute to the development of high-impact communications and fundraising collateral, including executive presentation decks, donor-facing materials, and strategic messaging assetsPrepare the CEO for meetings and engagements: synthesizing briefings, tracking follow-ups and ensuring no relationship falls through the cracksCompose, refine, and manage high-level correspondence with precision, aligning tone and content with executive intent and organizational voiceCoordinate multifaceted travel while ensuring accommodation is within organizational guidelinesOversee end-to-end expense management, ensuring compliance with financial policies, timely reconciliation, and accurate reportingStrategy & Organizational Performance (25%)At the direction of the CEO and the Chief of Staff/Chief Transformation Officer (COS/CTO), create and oversee organizational dashboards, including strategic plan and organizational health metrics, ensuring that leaders have the information they need to make decisions and course-correct in real timeProject manage key organizational-wide initiatives, with ownership of strategic plan implementation tracking milestones, coordinating across leadership, and surfacing risks and opportunities for CEO and COS/CTO reviewIn partnership with the CEO and COS/CTO, support leadership meetings, agendas, and documentation to support strategic alignmentTrack and report on cross-functional initiatives, ensuring timely execution and alignment with organizational goalsUphold governance standards and optimize decision-making processes across leadership and teamsBoard of Directors Support (15%)Spearhead the end-to-end coordination of BOD meetings, including the development of meeting agendas, executive-level materials, direct coordination with board members, and documentation of meeting minutes to ensure governance continuityPartner with leadership to ensure a coordinated, well-managed Board experience that reflects the professionalism and mission of the organizationSupport the CEO and executive leadership in managing BOD relationships, customized to individual Board members' preference (e.g., high-touch and robust engagement for some, and light-touch with minimal communication for others)Culture, People & Staff Engagement (10%)Partner with HR to foster a people-centered, inspirational and joyful organizational culture that is grounded in the mission and animated by accountability and innovation, including by designing and implementing staff engagement initiatives that strengthen connection, belonging, and shared purpose across both the Los Angeles and the Orange County officesShape and execute CEO internal communications to keep staff informed, inspired and connected to the mission and direction, in partnership with the M&C leaderSupport internal communication initiatives, ensuring clarity, alignment, and timely dissemination of critical information across cross-functional teamsCEO Voice and Communications (10%)Manage and steward the CEO's voice, including social media presence and other public-facing communications, in partnership with the Communications staffShape and execute CEO internal communications to keep staff informed, inspired and connected to the mission and directionDevelop, curate, and deliver comprehensive briefing materials, decks, and agendas tailored to diverse audiences for high-stake internal and external engagements