Job Description

About Communities United for Police Reform 

Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end abusive and discriminatory policing practices in New York and build a lasting movement that promotes community safety and reduces reliance on policing. We run coalitions of over 200 local, statewide, and national organizations and have won significant organizing, policy, and litigation victories since being launched in 2012 – including the June 2020 repeal of New York state’s infamous police secrecy law (“50-a”).  

CPR is building a movement to end police violence and promote real safety in communities. Our campaign includes grassroots community organizing groups, legal/policy groups, researchers, media and arts organizations, faith institutions, labor organizations and others. We center grassroots community organizations and leadership of people directly impacted by abusive policing in all our work while leveraging the strengths and contributions of all of CPR’s member and partner organizations. 

CPR is currently fiscally sponsored by the North Star Fund.  For more information about our work, please visit our website. 

The Opportunity 

Communities United for Police Reform seeks an extraordinary Executive Director to succeed its first Executive Director, Joo-Hyun Kang. The Executive Director will be a seasoned manager and strategist who will work with CPR members to deepen a powerful vision that builds on the successes of the campaign to achieve even greater levels of strategic influence and impact. In a rapidly evolving context, the Executive Director will provide key strategic leadership to the campaign and to the multiple coalitions CPR runs, demonstrating deep experience in community organizing, movement building, strategic communications, civic engagement, and policy/legal advocacy, ideally in the context of policing or an adjacent issue area, while also providing inspirational and effective leadership. 

The Executive Director will build on key strengths of one of the most effective campaigns in New York by: 

• Winning law and policy changes that reduce police violence, advance police accountability, reduce the size, scope, budget, and power of the NYPD, and improve safety for communities. 
• Coordinating multiple tactics including direct action, organizing, strategic communications, legal action, policy advocacy, community education, art and civic engagement to build knowledge and power in communities most impacted by abusive policing. 
• Centering the experiences, voices and expertise of New Yorkers who are most impacted by police violence. 
• Building broad coalitions to win and sustain real change. 
• Maintaining a strong and democratic campaign infrastructure that supports each member organization contributing in ways that win results, and that expands the capacity and power of grassroots leaders and community-based organizations. 
• Facilitating campaign leadership, members and staff finding common ground and working with them to build sharp, effective multi-sector strategies. 
• Embedding a training and leadership development approach that builds the capacity of CPR member organizations to engage in collective analysis, strategy and governance, and promotes leadership of community based organizations. 
• Ensuring robust organizational structure and rigor to build power and deliver meaningful, lasting victories.   

The Executive Director reports to CPR’s Steering Committee, composed of elected representatives of member organizations, and leads a growing staff team (currently of 9), dozens of member organizations, and more than 200 partner organizations. The ED will be responsible for sustaining CPR’s coordination infrastructure, which has an annual operating budget of $1.5 million. This is an incredible opportunity to assume leadership of a dynamic and growing organization with a strong reputation and track record of creating impact. 

CPR believes this work is best led through the wisdom and collective action of people with lived experience of state violence and criminalization. People from Black, Latinx, and other communities of color – including people across the gender spectrum, immigrants, people with disabilities, LGBTQ + people, and people who have experienced poverty are encouraged to apply.  

Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or disability. 

Key Responsibilities 

Specifically, the Executive Director will: 

• Partner with the Steering Committee, working groups, and members to determine priorities and set clear, inspiring, and impactful goals for the campaign. 
• Ensure that the campaign remains relevant and effective as conditions change through planning, prioritization, program design, and evaluation.
• Ensure that CPR is effectively represented to the media, elected officials, and other external stakeholders. 
• Build the movement to end police violence and build non-police safety initiatives across different sectors, including grassroots organizations, labor, legal, research & policy organizations, and others while centering the leadership of those most directly impacted by police violence. 
• Build and maintain effective and authentic relationships across the campaign to inspire collective action and mutual accountability in support of the campaign’s vision and priorities. 
• Ensure adequate financial resources for campaign priorities and coordination.  
• Maintain strong and sustainable infrastructure including sound fundraising, fiscal, and operational systems and oversight. 
• Help lead CPR’s 501(c)4 sibling organization, CPR Action. 
• Provide supportive and empowered leadership for a team of passionate, committed, and skilled staff members. 

Candidate Profile 

We are looking for a passionate, collaborative, and strategic leader with deep experience in and understanding of racial justice organizing, ideally with a particular focus on policing or an adjacent issue area. The Executive Director will have the ability to lead and build the impact of the campaign by harnessing the collective experience and power of member organizations, partner organizations and the communities they serve. The ED will effectively manage multiple projects, relationships, and priorities simultaneously while demonstrating care for others and a sense of humor.  

You will be a strong candidate if you exhibit many of the following competencies and characteristics: 

Passion for the Mission 

The Executive Director will bring an uncompromising commitment to ending abusive policing and advancing community safety in New York City. A champion of the movement, this leader will consistently demonstrate a deeply rooted passion for fighting injustice and building upon the campaign’s principles and successes based in racial, gender, and economic justice principles. The ED will bring an active and forward-looking orientation, with a focus on supporting the campaign’s evolution in a changing political environment. In addition, the Executive Director will bring a commitment to developing and following the leadership of those most impacted by police violence and the grassroots organizations that organize and are accountable to the communities impacted by abusive policing. 

Skilled Strategist 

The Executive Director will bring demonstrated experience building movements using multiple strategies, including community organizing, communications, litigation, policy advocacy, and civic engagement. The ED will bring deep belief in the importance of those most directly impacted by police violence defining the problem and identifying solutions, and will understand how best to leverage partners among diverse constituents and sectors to build power and influence. Ultimately, the Executive Director will effectively and strategically engage a wide range of partners in collective action to win CPR’s demands, utilizing a strong understanding of the political landscape in New York. 

Consensus and Coalition-Builder 

The Executive Director has commitment and experience building democratic and consensus-building decision-making processes that don’t shy away from struggling through differences of opinion, leverages others’ expertise and fosters high trust with collective ownership of the campaign and its strategies and plans. Skilled at building effective relationships, this leader will have a high level of emotional intelligence with a demonstrated ability to quickly build trust and credibility with a wide variety of people through open communication, strategic thinking, partnership orientation, and delivering results. The ED will be skilled at listening to and learning from others, understanding nuanced perspectives, and providing opportunities for varied constituents to engage in the work in ways that are meaningful to them. Finally, the successful candidate will have a track record of motivating and inspiring others to build power and achieve results. 

Representative and Advocate 

The Executive Director will serve as an advocate and representative for CPR and the communities its members serve, with a particular focus on promoting and building the power of the sector of grassroots/community based organizations that organize and are accountable to communities most impacted by policing. Passionate and informed, the ED will help build the power and visibility of the campaign among members, partners, key stakeholders (e.g., elected officials, media) and the public. The ED will be a movement leader and an exceptional communicator who promotes the leadership and visibility of grassroots and other CPR leaders, using an inclusive and humble leadership style. 

Organizational Leadership and Management 

The Executive Director will provide overall vision, leadership, and management for CPR as an organization, ensuring a strong and effective staff team, sustainable funding, and strong financial and operational systems, and supporting the campaign’s democratic decision-making. An engaged manager, the ED will have a proven ability to develop, inspire, and guide a diverse team toward concrete and accountable results in an environment that is challenging and fast-paced, requiring resilience and perseverance. The ED will lead by example and ensure that a culture of movement-building and accountability to CPR’s member organizations and communities CPR organizes is embedded in all aspects of the campaign and that all of CPR’s work is centered in racial, gender, and economic justice. A strong manager, the ED will seamlessly translate strategy into results internally and throughout the campaign. Finally, the Executive Director will bring a demonstrated track record in fundraising from individuals and institutions and a desire to raise funds for CPR and member organizations, ideally with knowledge of and existing relationships with relevant and aligned funders. 

Compensation & Benefits 

The expected salary range for this role is between $100,000 and $120,000.  The compensation package includes generous benefits, including full medical, dental, and vision, transit benefits, generous and flexible paid time off, wellness benefits, and 403b contributions after 1 year of employment. Most work will be during regular business hours, but schedule varies based on activities of the campaign and will require working evenings and weekends as needed. 

How to Apply

Contact 

About Koya Partners 

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 100,000 and above.

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