The Opportunity

Hard Knocks is currently seeking an Executive Director (ED). This is a unique opportunity to lead and shape an innovative approach to mobilizing voters in the state of Florida. The Executive Director will work closely with the Board of Directors to shape and execute on the vision for the company, and lead the team driving day-to-day operations.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic, entrepreneurial leader who is energized about the unique possibilities that Hard Knocks presents. With a growth mindset and a creative approach, the ED will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, design and execute a sustainable business model, and grow the company’s size and impact in the coming years.  The ideal candidate will have deep experience in organizing, mobilizing communities of color, and have the ability to both prospect for business and oversee large scale programs.

The Executive Director’s responsibilities include:

• Working with the Board and staff to create a strategic vision for the future of Hard Knocks that focuses on significant growth and increased impact;
• Developing, implementing, and managing large scale field and communications programs, which includes hiring and managing hundreds of people and multi-million-dollar contracts over a short period of time within a campaign environment;
• Building and maintaining relationships with new and current clients including drafting campaign proposals, plans, and budgets;
• Overseeing legal, financial, compliance, data, human resources, and operational functions of a growing organization.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have most if not all of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

Executive Management

The ED will possess financial acumen and the ability to set priorities decisively, delegate responsibilities, assure accountability and allocate resources to ensure results. This individual will demonstrate the ability to design a sustainable business model for Hard Knocks and also be open to exploring new offerings and new opportunities to expand impact. The ED will have a track record of motivating, developing and retaining a strong team to achieve impact through creativity and teamwork, and leveraging individuals’ strengths to meet goals.

A Relationship Builder and Collaborator

An exceptional relationship builder, the ED will represent Hard Knocks internally and externally with a diverse set of stakeholders. This leader will be comfortable navigating and operating in a range of geographical and political settings and contexts. The ED will bring an extremely high level of emotional intelligence and bring flexible, intuitive relationship management skills. The ED will work to amplify the success stories and lessons learned from the work in order to advance the field. This individual will seek out opportunities to promote Hard Knocks both regionally and nationally.                   

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• Demonstrated passion for mobilizing communities of color and winning political and issue-based campaigns; existing relationships and knowledge within the Black, Black immigrant, and Latinx community highly desired;
• Deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
• A learning mindset, flexibility and resiliency in the face of uncertainty.