Executive Director

Executive Director

Call of the Sea

A California Nonprofit Educational Organization

Call of the Sea (COTS, founded in 1984, is an educational non-profit that connects people to the sea and to maritime traditions.

The mission of Call of the Sea is to increase coastal access and empower people of all backgrounds through experiential and environmental education on the water.

Our constituency includes underserved students from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, military veterans, and other community members.

We serve all people without regard to race, religion, county of origin, gender or gender display, or level of physical or mental ability.

Our teaching platforms are the 82 schooner Seaward , and the 132 brigantine Matthew Turner.

The Executive Director reports to and is supported by the Board of Directors and is accountable for the overall operations of COTS.

This role requires working closely with the Board of Directors, the Director of Programs, the Education Manager and the Director of Vessel Operations to ensure that all operations are running smoothly and effectively.

The ED’s direct reports include three people in the office, plus the Director of Vessel Operations.

COTS is seeking a dynamic, energetic leader who will lead the organization to greater scale and accomplishment through internal growth, increased fund-raising, and effective collaborations.

This job pays between $125,000 and $140,000 annually DOE. Available benefits include vacation, sick pay, free parking, 401K plan, and health insurance.

Job Responsibilities

• In partnership with the Board of Directors, ensure COTS’ adherence to its educational and charitable mission and compliance with laws and ethical practices required of California nonprofits.
• Ensure ongoing programmatic excellence.
• Ensure adherence to COTS Strategic Plan. Provide periodic progress reports on Plan accomplishments, and recommend Plan changes.
• Grow the COTS leadership team while increasing effectiveness, efficiency, and adequate resources to accomplish the organization’s objectives.
• Use data systems to track and evaluate programs and manage the organization based on empirical findings.
• Ensure health and safety standards are observed at all times on board the ships and in the workshops.
• Act as the face of the organization, creating and cultivating partnerships and collaborations that benefit all involved.
• Lead the organization through mission-oriented growth to achieve long-term financial, integrity, stability and sustainability.
• Serve as a non-voting member of the Board and ex-officio member on committees / teams, and report to the Board through the Board President
• Work with diverse communities to realize the intention of increasing. diversity, equity and inclusion with COTS educational programs, the board, staff and crew.
• Maintain and build partnerships in diverse markets, establishing relationships with funders, political and community leaders.

Required Qualifications

• Five or more years of increasing responsibility or leadership of one or more organizations that showed significant growth and budgets of at least $1 million.
• Demonstrated development of strategies and tactics that have enabled organizations to show sustainable growth.
• Unwavering commitment to personal and organizational integrity, lifetime learning, transparency, and data-driven decision making.
• Experience supervising a growing, collaborative, non-competitive staff, that works successfully together by showing initiative and a dedication to excellence.
• Familiarity with the best practices of business organizations (non profit, for profit, government, community based).
• Strong marketing, public relations, and fundraising experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures.
• Proven strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people and manage a workforce with significant seasonal turnover.

Desirable Personal Characteristics and Skills

• Successful leadership of a for-profit business or social enterprise hospitality / transportation experience is a plus.
• Comfortable on and around boats and marine environments. Naval or merchant marine experience is desirable.
• Strong community and corporate connections in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Microsoft, Google Suite, CRM expertise.
• Facility with Excel and other data analysis tools, and the ability to mine data for insights, and create presentations of findings.
• MBA, other advanced studies or comparable experience.
• Experience working in and / or leading nonprofit organizations.
• Teaching experience in a nontraditional setting.
• Legally qualified to work in the United States. Able to pass a background test (required because we work with children).

How to apply for this position

Please provide the following :

• A current CV / resume covering the last ten years of your career.
• A thoughtful cover letter explaining why you would like to lead Call of the Sea and why you feel you are uniquely qualified for this position.
• Links to your LinkedIn profile or other social media that will help us understand who you are.

Please send your documents to ED Search@callofthesea.org in PDF format.

Nondiscrimination

Call of the Sea does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.

These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.