Partners For Environmental Justice Overview

Partners for Environmental Justice (PEJ) is a community-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was created in the mid-1990’s to advocate for the equitable treatment of both human and natural communities in the Rochester Heights area. In the late 1990’s, PEJ envisioned the creation of an urban wetland park and commissioned the master plan for what is now the Walnut Creek Wetland Park. Today, our work continues to address historic and current environmental justice issues in Southeast Raleigh, to advocate for equitable development policies that improve community resilience, and to promote the multiple benefits that green infrastructure provides to communities and watersheds.

PEJ is seeking to expand engagement with residents and community stakeholders in Southeast Raleigh and within the Walnut Creek watershed in the coming year, principally through focusing on programs and activities that help educate and empower residents. Toward these ends, PEJ is seeking to add an Executive Director to help build our organizational capacity, interface with the Board of Directors, and be the face of PEJ within the community we serve. We seek to fill this position as soon as possible.

Position Type: Full-time Exempt

Reports To: Board of Directors

Position Summary

As the face of the organization, the Executive Director reflects the culture and life experiences of the communities PEJ serves. The Executive Director is PEJ’s primary daytime support staff, overseeing day-to-day activities, directing organizational strategy, supervising other employees, and reporting on organizational and fundraising needs. The Director should be familiar with Raleigh and the community to be served. Local residence in or near Southeast Raleigh is strongly preferred but not required.

Candidates will need to be flexible, independent, and adept at managing a variety of tasks and relationships. Additionally, a successful candidate will demonstrate a passion for environmental issues as well as for working with underserved communities and populations impacted by historic injustices. This is a full-time hybrid position, with most organizational support functions being remote-eligible and most community engagement activities occurring in person.

Primary Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the Executive Director are: 1) to develop and implement strategic plans, annual work and operations plans, and their related budgets; 2) to organize, assist, and supervise staff, interns and consultants; and 3) to oversee, along with the Treasurer, various fiscal matters, including annual budgets, grant proposals and other funding opportunities, receipt and dispersal of funds, reporting on financial and grant matters, and grant administration.

Primary Tasks

Primary tasks associated with the above responsibilities include:

Building Relationships

• Maintaining and expanding relationships with PEJ’s existing community partners in Rochester Heights, Biltmore Hills, and the areas around the Walnut Creek Wetland Park in Southeast Raleigh.
• Cultivating new relationships and collaborations with like-minded individuals and organizations, community leaders, philanthropic organizations, businesses, and municipal partners with similar or complementary missions to PEJ’s.

Implementing and Overseeing Program Objectives

• Supporting program- and grant-specific objectives and activities that support community engagement around environmental issues such as equitable development, watershed health, stormwater management, green infrastructure, and other community-based priorities to benefit these impacted urban neighborhoods.
• Supporting development and implementation of PEJ’s existing programs and initiatives.
• Supporting development of community-driven groups focused on the Walnut Creek Wetland Park and the surrounding community to promote long term stewardship of this important ecosystem.

Amplifying Impacts

• Overseeing the development of marketing and communications tools, newsletters, educational materials, and social media platforms by staff, interns, and volunteers as needed to promote ongoing activities, seek input, and/or share results with residents and other stakeholders.

Funding, Tracking, and Evaluating

• Seeking and securing additional grant resources; coordinating grant applications, submittals, and reporting documentation.
• Tracking and reporting of key milestones and progress in meeting program plans; tracking qualitative and quantitative data as measurable results; preparing, tracking, and reporting on project budgets and expenses.
• Providing monthly reports to PEJ’s Board of Directors during Board meetings or at other relevant times; maintaining electronic files; drafting official letters or other correspondence.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSA’s)

The ideal candidate shall possess the KSA’s listed below:

1. Highly organized, energetic self-starter with demonstrated project management experience, capable of and comfortable with working with minimal supervision.
2. Demonstrated experience with establishing and cultivating meaningful, effective partnerships with individuals, community nonprofits, and government agencies within the Triangle Area.
3. Demonstrated experience with environmental, social, and economic justice, particularly for historically disadvantaged communities or population groups.
4. Demonstrated experience with managing teams and interfacing with multiple committees and working groups within the same organization.
5. Competency with financial reports and financial tracking metrics, both in understanding them and compiling them.
6. Demonstrated experience in grant writing, submissions, and management, including a record of successful grant acquisitions.
7. Clear communicator capable of quickly assessing needs and goals and conveying that information to the people who need to know it.
8. Technological proficiency with software including Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) and its Google equivalents. Proficiency in managing social media platforms and content is desired, but not required.
9. A high degree of cultural competency and a demonstrated ability to work with people of diverse ages, races, professional backgrounds, and communication styles.
10. Demonstrated knowledge of watershed issues, including urban flooding and green infrastructure solutions, or the ability and desire to quickly learn them.
11. Personal affinity for parks, greenways, wetlands, or other types of natural, restored, or managed land or water areas.
12. Flexibility of schedule, including weeknights and Saturdays that correspond to meetings such as with PEJ’s Board, local government (i.e, city council) and community engagement activities.
13. Spanish fluency is a major plus, but not required.

Support

The Executive Director will work with the individuals or entities responsible for bookkeeping, communications, community outreach, programs and projects administration, grant coordination, and volunteer coordination, among others. These functions are performed by other PEJ staff members, Board Members, or volunteers, and sometimes all three.

Compensation

The Executive Director will be compensated for reasonable and approved expenses incurred and will receive a salary as a full-time paid employee of PEJ. The expected hiring range for this position is $65,000 to $80,000 per calendar year, but will be negotiated based on skills and experience. The Executive Director should anticipate working some evenings and weekends to participate in meetings and programs due to workload having some seasonal fluctuation along with PEJ’s slate of programs.

Application

Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to PEJ’s Vice Chair at programdirector@pejraleighnc.org. Applications are due no later than 5 PM on Monday March 6, 2023.