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DEEDS NOT WORDS

Founded in 2016, by former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis, Deeds Not Words is a non-profit that seeks to empower and activate the voices of young women in public and political discourse. Deeds is an intersectional community that stands for freedom from violence, reproductive autonomy, economic opportunity, and equitable representation. Guided by intersectional core values rooted in gender justice, we envision a future for young leaders of color where they have the autonomy to reach their full potential. Through college and high school civic engagement and advocacy programs, young people can gain real-world advocacy training. Deeds believes in providing the next generation with the tools needed to make change today, while also developing the skills needed to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Millennials and Gen Zers represent one of the largest untapped voting blocks in the country. Deeds provides them with resources and support so that they will not only vote themselves but also enlist their peers. The work of Deeds is rooted in connecting the desire to drive change on issues with participation at the ballot box. Creating today’s Changemakers and tomorrow’s leaders is achieved by galvanizing the power and building the leadership of young people through organizing, policy-making, art, and voting.

 

THE ROLE

The Managing Director is a new role at Deeds Not Words and blends aspects of Human Resources with People Operations. At its core, this role plays a vital role in cultivating the internal culture and systems at Deeds Not Words. By developing and maintaining systems for onboarding, offboarding, and staff development, the Managing Director ensures that the organization is internally living out its values. This role will be a member of the Executive Team alongside the Executive Director and Finance Director, which means it will have a major impact on the future vision and success of the organization. This role requires strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, vulnerability, and transformative leadership.

 

DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

The foundation of this role is related to Human Resources and Operations. This will include:

• Recruiting and onboarding diverse staff
• Managing hiring processes, and preparing employee documents, contracts, and benefits
• Ensuring all new staff have a deep understanding of the organization and its work
• Developing systems to preserve institutional knowledge and systems management
• Conducting exit interviews and creating a smooth transition during offboarding
• Work to create an employee handbook alongside the Executive Director and update personnel policies on an annual basis
• Continually improve HR practices while aligning processes with racial justice values. 
• Research, problem-solve, and make recommendations on complex administrative issues as they arise 

Additionally, the Managing Director will help define the organization’s internal culture. This will be achieved by:

• Coaching staff
• Creating and facilitating internal learning opportunities
• Supporting managers with developing systems to track programmatic success and areas for improvement
• Alongside the Executive team, monitor and evaluate programmatic, as well as organizational performance
• Having regular check-ins with programming staff
• Giving feedback and identifying areas of growth for individuals and the organization
• Working alongside the Executive Team and Board of Directors to design and implement a strategic plan
• Providing Executive Director with support in creating board and funder reports
• Partnering with the Executive Team to envision the future of the organization
• Identifying opportunities to partner with coalition members
• Occasionally represent the organization in public forums and events
• Fostering donor relationships as needed

 

DAY IN THE LIFE

The Managing Director will typically spend their days balancing macro and individual priorities. While no two days will be the same, and urgent matters will inevitably arise, below is a general idea of how the Managing Director will spend their day.

• 30% Operations- scheduling interviews with applicants, processing employee time-off requests, updating the status of ongoing projects, providing mentorship to junior staff, and developing internal systems to better support programming managers.  
• 30% Learning and Development- weekly one on one check-ins with managers, developing systems for approving funding requests for professional development opportunities and staff reimbursements, reviewing proposals to make a recommendation for all-staff training, reviewing updated curriculum for an external leadership development program
• 20% Executive Leadership- finishing the programmatic portion of a funder report, meeting with the Executive Director and Finance Director to discuss quarterly goals, sending approved agenda to board members
• 10% Relationship Management- connecting with existing coalition members, sourcing partnership opportunities, responding to board requests
• 10% As Needed- miscellaneous tasks that come up throughout the day

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

• 6+ years experience in programmatic development, project management, human resources, operations, and related work, with preference given to experience gained in the non-profit sector
• Demonstrated experience with collaborative leadership and team management
• Strong understanding of HR compliance
• Experience building values-driven systems for organizational operations that are easily understood and easily used by all members of a team
• Strong interpersonal skills, including an ability to navigate and resolve conflict in a manner that values and respects relationships
• Ability to create a culture of community and trust in which all team members can thrive and freely express themselves
• Ability to set, communicate, and maintain boundaries while balancing the needs of the organization and teammates
• Ability to spend the majority of your workday in front of a computer
• Committed to gender and racial justice and operates from an anti-racist framework
• A deep belief in the power of young people and commitment to developing the leadership of young people, in particular, young women of color
• Organized and systematic – you excel at creating efficient systems, time management, and independently completing multiple tasks at a time
• Innovator and problem solver – you are not daunted by complex problems or ambiguity and instead, view them as opportunities for growth, learning, and innovation
• Emotionally intelligent – you understand and value your feelings and the feelings of others, while also prioritizing relationships in decision making  
• Inspirational and optimistic – you see the best in people and help others see the best in themselves in order to support their growth and learning
• Honest and transparent – you openly communicate your thoughts, feelings, and ideas, as well as not afraid to admit when you don’t know the answer or were wrong

 

NICE TO HAVE QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

• Experience specifically with 501c3/c4/PAC compliance regulations
• Experience coaching junior staff or emerging leaders
• Experience with fundraising and donor relations
• Experience with Action Network and peer-to-peer texting platforms
• Experience with hiring and onboarding staff
• Experience interfacing with nonprofit boards

 

HIRING PHILOSOPHY

Economic opportunity is a core tenant of Deeds Not Words. With that in mind, the Deeds hiring process has been thoughtfully designed in partnership with Disruptor Collaborative to foster a culture of equity, authenticity, and transparency from the beginning. While there are some core competencies outlined below, it is not expected that one person will have every required and nice-to-have skill. 

We not only encourage, but also boldly request that people who possess some, but not all of the skills and/or experiences outlined in this job description still apply. People from marginalized communities are especially encouraged to apply, because historically these groups have been kept from employment, despite consistently fighting for everyone’s liberation. 

 

EEOC STATEMENT

Deeds Not Words is an equal-opportunity employer. It does not discriminate based on race, color, faith, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, tribal affiliation, disability, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction. It is committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment and one that honors and promotes a culture of equity and a wide array of diversity. It is engaging in ongoing equity and anti-racism work

Deeds Not Words is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to people living with disabilities. If you require accommodations, please email jobs@deedsnotwords.com with your needs. 

 

APPLICATION + HIRING PROCESS

To apply, please submit a resume, cover letter, three references, and work samples (if you choose) as PDFS to jobs@deedsnotwords.com. Please include in your email body where you found out about the role (e.g. Idealist, Deeds instagram, etc.). Guidance on creating a successful application is listed below. While this position will remain open until it is filled, priority will be given to applications submitted by December 3 at 11:59 pm CT. The hiring process is listed below. Please reach out with any accommodations needed to navigate the process.

We are moving very quickly with this hiring process and have an anticipated start date for the role on February 26, 2024.

• December 3– Priority application deadline
• December 4 thru 16– Phone interviews with Disruptor consultants
• January 8 thru 19– Virtual interview with the Deeds team + Reference check
  • Those moving on to the final interview will be asked to complete a skills test. Candidates will be compensated for their time.
• January 29 thru February 2– Virtual interview with Deeds Acting Executive Director
• February 9– Make an offer

Please note, this is a tentative schedule, and subject to change.

 

RESUME

Here are aspects of a successful resume:

• It is only one page long.
• It includes your full name, email address, phone number, and where you’re located.
• Your work experience is listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent experience at the top. Each experience includes an organization name, title, and dates worked.
• Use action-oriented language when describing your duties and responsibilities at a job.
• Be specific when describing your duties and responsibilities. Give examples of goals and projects you accomplished on the job, with an emphasis on providing metrics.
  • Example: Organized a rally for abortion rights that was attended by 1,500 people
• Include experiences from non-work settings (such as volunteering), awards, trainings you’ve attended, speaking engagements, skills, or any other accomplishments that demonstrate relevant expertise.
• At a minimum, make sure your formatting is clean, consistent, and easy to read.
  • For best results, use a program such as Canva to make a more visually appealing resume. Using a template will also allow you to fit more information on one page.
  • Example: Sample Resume 

 

COVER LETTER

A cover letter is your opportunity to tell us your story, focusing on your why. Why did you take the path that you took? Why was that job or experience important in your professional growth? Illustrate examples of what you learned or how you accomplished something. The goal is to show, not tell, and to give a richer, fuller understanding of your experiences that can’t be conveyed through a resume. This is a chance for us to get to know your personality and hear your voice and perspective. There is no one right template or formula for a cover letter.

Example cover letter

Example cover letter

 

WORK SAMPLES

This section is optional, as not all people may have examples of their work that they are allowed to share. We encourage you to submit anything that demonstrates skills and expertise relevant to the position, it does not have to be a polished, public-facing document. A work sample could look like a spreadsheet you created to track expenses, a budget you wrote, or a training guide. Essentially, this is a chance to show off. 

You can include these samples as their own standalone PDF documents, or you could include links on the second page of your cover letter.

 

REFERENCES

Please list your references on the second page of your cover letter document. Make sure to include the person’s name, pronouns (if comfortable sharing), phone number, email address, organization, and title. Please also provide one to two sentences of context as to how this person worked with you. We would like at least one reference to come from someone who directly supervised you, and at least one reference from either someone you supervised or someone you worked with as a lateral teammate. 

Please ask for permission to list someone as a reference. Not doing so is not only disrespectful, it doesn’t set you up for success. We recommend sending this job posting to your references in advance so they know which of your experiences and skills are relevant for them to highlight. Your references should be people that have worked with you in a professional context, so please don’t list people that have only known you in a personal capacity.