Director of the Office of the President, Center for Reproductive Rights, New York, N

Director of the Office of the President

Posted on: June 26, 2013
Posted by: Center for Reproductive Rights

THE POSITION

The Center for Reproductive Rights (the "Center"), a global human rights organization founded in 1992 with expertise in constitutional and international law, seeks a Director of the Office of the President to be based in its New York City headquarters. This new position will play a central role in helping the President & CEO focus on strategic objectives and external relations as well as facilitate the smooth and effective day-to-day operation of the Office of the President. The Director will oversee Board affairs, and serve as the link between the senior management team and the President, coordinating teams across senior leadership, maintaining awareness of progress towards key priorities and overarching plans across the organization, and keeping the President well informed on a day-to-day basis. The ideal candidate will be both detail-oriented and highly strategic. S/he must be an exceptional project manager, who can build strong working relationships across the organization, as well as train and lead a newly formed team and structure for the Office of the President, which includes a Manager of Scheduling and Associate. S/he will thrive in a fast-paced environment, operating with a cool head, impeccable discretion, and sound judgment.

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

The Director will join the team of an innovative and cutting-edge organization committed to promoting the equality, reproductive health, and self-determination of women throughout the world. The Director will have the benefit of the Center's many strengths:

• · A dynamic CEO whose visionary leadership has expanded the organization's scope and tripled its budget in the last decade.
• · A compelling global human rights mission and cutting-edge legal and policy work that has a reputation for quality and excellence.
• · A growing organization that has consistently increased in budget and staff size, program impact, and global presence, with 4 new overseas offices in the last 2 years.
• · Established relationships with and the respect of NGO partners, officeholders, the private bar, opinion leaders, journalists, and academics.
• · An organizational philosophy that values, supports, and has a proven track record of best non-profit management practices.
• · An impressive and engaged Board, strong leadership team and a solid balance sheet.

The Director will be joining the Center at an exciting time for the institution and at a critical time. In 2012, the Center launched a new five-year strategic plan with bold new initiatives to go on the offense and change the discourse and policy landscape, while significantly expanding its capacity with new programing and ambitious fundraising goals.

The Center works across the globe on issues including access to life-saving obstetrics care, contraception, abortion services, and comprehensive sexuality information, as well as the prevention of forced sterilization, child marriage, and FGM. National-level courts, regional human rights courts, and United Nations bodies have increasingly recognized that a woman's right to reproductive autonomy and reproductive healthcare are basic human rights that must be protected. The Center has played a key role in these groundbreaking victories and has built the legal capacity of women's rights advocates in over 50 countries. The Center's groundbreaking litigation and advocacy has transformed how reproductive rights are understood by courts, governments, and human rights bodies, and its undivided focus on reproductive rights has given it unparalleled expertise in the use of constitutional, international and comparative human rights law to hold governments accountable for failing to ensure women's access to critical reproductive healthcare services.

The Center is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization governed by a 20-person board of directors. The Center has a diverse staff of over 110 professionals from around the world. Headquartered in NYC, the Center has offices in Washington, D.C., Nairobi, Kenya, Bogotá, Colombia, Kathmandu, Nepal, and Geneva, Switzerland. Its annual budget is $18.6 million.

The Center is led by President & CEO Nancy Northup, who brings a rich mix of experience in public interest law, government service, and women's rights advocacy. Under her leadership, the Center has expanded its international work, including the launch of an international litigation campaign that has included the first abortion case decided by the U.N. Human Rights Committee and the first case to frame preventable maternal deaths as a human rights violation. She also led the integration of the human rights framework in the Center's U.S. work and the establishment of the Law School Initiative. Before joining the Center in 2003, Ms. Northup served as the founding director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School; as a prosecutor and Deputy Chief of Appeals in the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York; and as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She has taught constitutional law and human rights as an adjunct professor at NYU and Columbia. She graduated from Brown University and Columbia Law School, where she was a Kent Scholar and managing editor of the Columbia Law Review. A frequent public speaker, Ms. Northup is quoted widely in the national press and has appeared on ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CNN, FOX News, PBS, MSNBC and NPR.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director's main responsibilities will include:

• Coordinate the schedule, planning, and operations of the Office of the President and its interactions with the management team and their departments, the Board of Directors, as well as other key external stakeholders to build relationships and communicate and execute organizational strategy and goals.
• Manage Board affairs, including Board meetings, committees, budget, orientation, annual planning, and ongoing communication.
• In consultation with the General Counsel, ensure compliance with Center bylaws and policies, and identify trends and issues related to board governance in order to follow best practices.
• Ensure an effective process is in place and implemented for the President's internal and external scheduling, including materials, briefings, follow-up, debriefings, and correspondence.
• Ensure that the President's calendar and agenda aligns with organizational and departmental strategy and goals.
• Create and manage Office of the President procedures and guidelines.
• Oversee ongoing management meetings, including setting of the time, the agenda, and the plan of next steps.
• Manage all-staff meetings and special meetings that include the President's attendance. Partner with other divisions for large scale meetings, conferences, events, and awards.
• Manage the Office of the President's administrative staff including Manager of Scheduling, Associate, and interns.
• Prepare and oversee the budget of the Office of the President.
• Undertake special projects as directed by the President.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Significant, high-level management experience, including at least ten years working in project management, preferably in a mission-driven organization.
• Ten years of experience in support of executive/senior managers faced with the challenge of prioritizing their time in a complex, fast-paced environment.
• Gravitas and consummate professionalism to represent the Office of the President internally and externally.
• The knowledge to determine which problems and challenges can be resolved independently and which are to be given the direct attention of the President & CEO.
• Outstanding organizational and administrative skills to effectively juggle and track multiple deadlines, projects, responsibilities, and commitments. Ability to focus on problem solving and system improvement.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong financial management skills appropriate to the oversight of a broad range of projects and event contracts.
• Zealous attention to detail, deadlines and commitments.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive matters with the greatest discretion.
• Unflappable when confronted by difficult situations and shifting priorities.
• Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with senior managers and fellow staff to support objectives of the President's Office.
• A sense of urgency and commitment to excellence.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications.
• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• Commitment to reproductive rights and human rights.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send a cover letter and resume to resumes@reprorights.org, and indicate "Director of the OOP, Last name and Code 190 in the subject line." The cover letter and resume should be sent as attachments.

The Center for Reproductive Rights is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates from all groups and communities to apply.