Executive Director

Colorado People’s Alliance (COPA) is a racial justice, member-led organization dedicated to advancing and winning progressive social change locally, statewide, and nationally.  COPA is a power-building organization, working with those directly impacted by our issues to win on climate, economic, & immigrant justice.

Colorado People’s Action (CPA) is a member-driven, racial justice organization dedicated to building governing power in Colorado. CPA builds power by mobilizing voters, electing our people to office, holding elected officials and corporations accountable, and working to put people before profit.

We seek a decisive, focused Executive Director to lead both organizations.

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About Colorado People’s Alliance (COPA)

HISTORY AND OVERVIEW

Colorado People’s Alliance was founded in the winter of 2015 to honor the legacy and shared histories of Rights for All People (RAP) and the Colorado Progressive Coalition (CPC).  Rights for All People was founded in 1995 by a group of attorneys and activists in response to the growing immigrant population and the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in Colorado. Colorado Progressive Coalition was founded in 1996 to fight, build, and win progressive change for Colorado voices that refuse to be marginalized. Over the years, CPC and RAP achieved victories in immigrant rights, health care access, transportation access, payday-lending reform, minimum wage, police accountability, and more.

Colorado People’s Alliance started with a commitment to racial justice, community-led organizing, and working with those most directly impacted by the issues. We work to build power to improve the lives of all Coloradans through leadership development, organizing, and alliance building. We are working for climate, economic, and immigrant justice.

The community guides our work, and all of our issue areas look to improve the lives of all Coloradans, specifically those struggling to make ends meet, who live in fear of being separated from their families, and who are most directly impacted by corporate polluters. We look to build a community in which everyone has the opportunity not only to survive but thrive.

OUR VICTORIES

Our economic, climate, and immigrant justice work has achieved significant wins. Here are a few highlights:

• Amendment 70: In November 2016, COPA co-chaired a massive win for working Coloradans through an increase to the minimum wage to $12 by 2020.
• In 2019, COPA supported the childcare tax credit, which extended the credit for families under $25,000 in income for another eight years.
• HB19-1314: Just Transition From Coal-based Electrical Energy Economy. A bill to create a Just Transition office in the Department of Labor and Employment charged with creating an equitable plan for coal-dependent communities and workers as the state transitions from fossil fuels.
• In 2017, COPA co-led the efforts to pass the Denver Immigrant Protection Policy and Legal Defense Fund. This policy creates a bright line of separation between local government and immigration enforcement and establishes a fund that gives Denver immigrants financial support for their immigration cases.
  
  

OUR FUTURE

COPA/CPA is poised for tremendous growth in the coming years. Under the long-term leadership of our outgoing executive director, the organization experienced unprecedented expansion in terms of staff and community impact. Through our leadership development initiative, COPA trained over 100 members, providing the tools and analysis necessary to lead the work for change. From 2017 to 2022, our budget more than tripled, and the organization finds itself in an excellent financial position.

Under the guidance of an experienced board of directors and with the support of staff with intimate knowledge of the local political landscape, the new Executive Director will be well-positioned to execute a strategic vision to significantly advance the impact that COPA/CPA will make through power building in Colorado and beyond.

Position Overview: Executive Director

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director (ED) will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for Colorado People’s Alliance’s staff, programs, planning, and the execution of its mission. The ED will provide a clear vision, be a team builder and will focus on creating and strengthening internal and external relationships. They will demonstrate proficiency in capitalizing on COPA/CPA’s historical achievements to continue moving forward through the next phases of the organization’s success.

The ED will understand the impact and intersectionality of environmental, economic, and immigration justice and people of color, LGBTQ+, and immigrant populations in Colorado and demonstrate a passion and experience in base-building, member-driven racial justice organizations, issue campaigns, and power-building. It is also essential that the ED understands the value of building governing power in the state.  Fundraising and management experience is essential to this position.

What You Will Do

Leadership & Management:

• Ensure ongoing programmatic excellence, conduct rigorous evaluations, and maintain consistent quality in finance, administration, fundraising, communications, and systems management.
• As a skilled manager, be adept at navigating difficult conversations and fostering stable and meaningful relationships within the organization.
• Collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including organizations, individuals, impacted groups, allies, government entities, and funders in a multi-issue, multiracial context.
• Actively engage and energize staff, board members, allies, partners, funders, and impacted individuals.
• Lead, coach, develop, and retain a diverse and high-performance senior management and staff team.
• Develop and maintain a strong and engaged Board of Directors, involving them in strategic direction and organizational development.
• Ensure effective systems for tracking progress and regularly evaluate program components to measure successes in communication with stakeholders.
• Support an inclusive and welcoming organizational culture, demonstrating cultural sensitivity and awareness and thriving in a multiracial environment.
• Demonstrate vulnerability and honesty in addressing ambiguous situations with limited information, uncertain outcomes, and unclear direction.

Fundraising, Planning, and Programs:

• Expand fundraising activities to support existing program operations, emphasizing diversified funding sources and increasing unrestricted funding.
• Inspire through public speaking engagements and serve as a local and national external presence, effectively communicating program results and promoting member-led organizations, base building, and collaboration.
• Possess a clear vision to lead COPA into the future in alignment with the organization’s mission and strategic plan, guiding its next phase through a deep understanding of the value of power building and analysis.
• Ensure organizational readiness by providing necessary resources and technological equipment to adapt to a rapidly changing organizing landscape.
• Oversee program development collaboratively with staff, stakeholders, and impacted individuals.
• Lead the establishment of new partnerships and expand relationships with funders.
  
  

Qualifications

The ED will be thoroughly committed to COPA’s mission and values. All candidates should have proven leadership, team building, fundraising, policy experience, conflict resolution, and relationship management experience and be comfortable with diverse cultures and backgrounds.

The individual who fills this position will be the second Executive Director in the organization’s history.  We are open to candidates who can relocate to Colorado if they do not already reside in the state.  The individual is expected to be in person in the Denver metro area regularly.  Relocation assistance is available.

• You have five to seven years of experience in community organizing and progressive policy and demonstrated experience in senior-level leadership roles or an equivalent combination of education or other relevant experience.
• You have experience participating or leading in policy, politics, base-building, power building, and electoral work in a racial justice organization dedicated to building people and governing power.
• You are well-connected and respected in the field and have experience in member-led organizations, base-building, and governing power.
• You excel in organizational management with the ability to coach a diverse staff, manage and develop high-performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget.
• You prioritize the interests of the organization and its members above personal interests.
• It’s a plus if you have knowledge or fluency in languages other than English.
  
  

Who You Are

• Persuasive Communicator: You’re a passionate storyteller with the capacity to communicate effectively with diverse audiences. You have excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills and take an action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to organizational planning and fundraising. You can identify and deal with tensions in a timely manner, seeking to resolve conflict and set clear expectations.
• Alliance-Driven Leader: You have a deep understanding of, experience in, and commitment to equitable, sustainable, strategic, and results-driven leadership. You have experience managing a productive team in a setting that requires collaboration and shared commitment to vision. You genuinely enjoy team building and using a coaching approach to develop staff at all levels of the organization. You pick up on team and interpersonal dynamics and know how your own and others’ identities and perspectives impact situations.
• Political Power Builder: You understand thoroughly the nuances of building political power at the local, state, and national levels. You value the importance of base-building in leading an organization whose focus is member-led and member-organized. You understand that supporting power comes from organizing people and money and are ready to outline a clear strategy supporting those goals.
  
  

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt position that pays an annual salary in the range of $110,000 to $125,000, based on experience.

COPA/CPA provides generous benefits, including:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage, including vision and dental; COPA-supported short term disability through the Colorado FAMLI program.
• Other benefits include cell phones, laptops, and travel reimbursements.
• Generous PTO that increases based on years of service.
• Liberal holiday schedule with additional time off post-legislative session and election.
• We have a transparent compensation philosophy for our Union and non-Union team members that includes a one-year anniversary salary increase as outlined in the terms of our Collective Bargaining Agreement.
  
  

How to Apply

We are working with Movement Talent as our search partners for this hire. To apply, please send a letter of interest and your resume to Linda Nguyen at Linda@MovementTalent.org.

Note: For those candidates who would like to include additional relevant work samples as part of their application (e.g., written reports, links to web-based publications, grant proposals, LOIs, podcasts, pitch letters, press releases, videos, audio clips, etc.), we welcome you to attach these.

Hiring Process

We appreciate your time and interest in contributing your talents to COPA’s mission. We wish we could respond personally to all applicants, but only those chosen to interview will be contacted.

We welcome your interest, feedback, and *confidential* inquiries. If you have questions regarding your qualifications for this position, compensation or benefits, our hiring process or internal timeline, or suggestions for how to improve this announcement or the opportunity itself, please email Linda Nguyen at Movement Talent (Linda@MovementTalent.org).

COPA/CPA is an equal-opportunity employer committed to racial and gender equity. We make a particular effort to recruit candidates who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, and trans/non-binary to apply for open positions.

We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. COPA/CPA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, previous incarceration or involvement in the criminal justice system (consistent with legal and job requirements), or veteran status.