AIDS-FREE WORLD SEEKS EXECUTIVE OFFICER

AIDS-Free World (www.aidsfreeworld.org ) is a small nonprofit advocacy organization that takes on large issues. We are a “virtual” organization: our 9 full-time and 3 part-time staff work from New York, Boston, San Francisco, Toronto, London, Jamaica and Zambia. We apply rigorous research, critical analysis, and legal and communication strategies to help ensure more urgent and effective global responses to HIV and AIDS. Since our start in mid-2007, for example, we have pressed for: the creation of a new UN agency for women; international prosecution of Zimbabwe’s President and henchmen for politically motivated rapes; the abolition of anti-gay laws in the Caribbean and Africa; equal access to HIV services for people with disabilities; and an end to violations of the rights of positive pregnant women.

We find that the time available for the Co-Directors to apply their particular advocacy and strategic skills is increasingly usurped by the managerial obligations of AIDS-Free World. This is the moment in our organizational growth to bring on a senior-level chief administrator to work in tandem with the Co-Directors, and provide leadership in the daily operations of AIDS-Free World. The EO will report directly to the Co- Directors, and in consultation with them, will pursue the priorities described below.

We are seeking an experienced executive with both an aptitude and a passion for managing organizations and directing staff. We are looking for a senior colleague to assume a central role in the organization – a leader who is driven by the pursuit of social justice, and energized by the challenge of managing a small, geographically dispersed team of professionals with varied skills and ambitious goals.

The ideal candidate will excel at defining policies, developing procedures, producing strategic plans, and creating budgets. S/he
will oversee AIDS-Free World’s financial resources, initiate and manage the processes of soliciting new grants and contributions and report on funds received, and coordinate the organization’s administration and human resources needs. S/he will oversee the work of geographically dispersed professionals who operate both independently and in teams to achieve advocacy and communications goals.

The ideal candidate will help to fulfill our vision of a small, efficient and focused advocacy organization that engages and informs the
public, decision-makers, donors, and the media of our work and its value.

AIDS-Free World is a non-profit under the auspices of our fiscal sponsor, the Tides Center, which manages our finances, payroll and a significant portion of our back-office functions for a fee. The EO will be the primary liaison to Tides on personnel and financial matters; s/he will maintain, monitor and regularly evaluate the contractual relationship with Tides; and s/he will track the fiscal management of AIDS-Free World as executed by Tides.

Proficiency in current technologies, including social media, would be welcome.

We are seeking someone with demonstrated success in the areas described above and a clear capacity to work with a dynamic professional team involved in publicly visible activity. The candidate will bring strong leadership skills, the ability to work independently, the capacity to effectively address multiple and changing priorities, and the ability to coordinate the work of others in a virtual organization with international staff.

The candidate will have experience with strategic and operational planning, budget planning and management, and skill in managing organizational growth and change.

The candidate must possess outstanding written and oral communication skills. The highly political nature and visibility of our work requires tact, diplomacy, discretion, and consistent, excellent judgment.

The ideal candidate’s background should include a minimum of 8 years in senior management positions; post-secondary education (preferably a Masters degree); experience in international advocacy, preferably in health, gender and social justice; and knowledge of the non-profit/NGO sector.

The EO position is a full-time post offering excellent compensation, opportunities for international travel, and a flexible and supportive group of colleagues. AIDS-Free World is dedicated to advancing equality, justice, and fairness in its work as well as its virtual workplace, and is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage women, people of diverse ethnic, racial, national, and religious backgrounds, LGBTI, people with disabilities, and people living with HIV and AIDS to apply.

LOCATION: Ideally, the Executive Officer for our virtual organization will be located in or around New York.

To apply, candidates should email the following to EOsearch@aidsfreeworld.org : a specific cover letter; CV; 3 references to be contacted if necessary; and a brief, unedited writing sample. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, but the final date to apply is April 30, 2011. Candidates will only be contacted for applications we seek to pursue.