Executive Director

Executive Director

Grandmother Collective

 

Grandmother Collective builds and connects a world community to elevate, support, and activate elder women as a powerful positive force. Our vision is a world where the power of elder women is visible, valued, and activated to drive positive impact.

 

About the Organization

 

Our aim is to create a community of practice where elder women, scholars, practitioners, policy makers and others can work together to ensure that the wisdom and energy of elder women is not just celebrated but incorporated into policy, research, and international development agendas. We also support organizations to incorporate grandmother-led initiatives into their current work and build the capacity of elder women everywhere to recognize their power to drive positive change. We advance this work through:

 

• Awareness Building: Elevating the voices of grandmothers and elder women and forging cross-sector partnerships to drive change.

• Community & Connectivity: Convening and creating networks of support and shared practice among organizations and individuals centering on grandmother and elder women leadership.

• Research & Training: Generating evidence and practical tools to strengthen grandmother-led initiatives.

 

About the Role

 

What You'll Do

 

With a strong thought leadership position, broad networks, and rich experience in exploring possibilities for this work, Grandmother Collective (GC) is entering a pivotal moment: transitioning from a start-up into a sustainable, strategically governed, globally visible organization. This role is ideal for a builder: someone energized by creating structure out of possibility, who honors and respects the unique aspects of grandmothers while crafting strategies for long-term impact.

 

The Executive Director (ED) will lead vision, strategy, and program development. They will expand philanthropic partnerships, fundraise, and steward a growing network of partners, researchers, practitioners, and community leaders. The ED will work in close partnership with the Board of Directors, ensuring a smooth transition from start-up to a sustainable organizational model with strong governance practices. This includes honoring the organization's founding vision and values while building the programs, partnerships, and engagement to support long-term growth and mission impact.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Vision, Strategy, and Leadership

 

• Lead the organization's strategic planning process, setting a clear roadmap for scale over the next 3-5 years

• Translate GC's research insights and community wisdom into a coherent organizational strategy and programs

• Build and maintain an inclusive organizational culture rooted in grandmother insights and collaboration

• Partner closely with the Board of Directors to understand GC's history, values, and community relationships, ensuring these elements are embedded in future strategy and programming

• Work collaboratively with the Board of Directors to clarify governance roles, decision-making processes, and a healthy Board-ED partnership model

 

Organizational Development & Operations

 

• Strengthen core operational systems including finance, HR, compliance, data, technology, and administrative processes to ensure GC is equipped for growth

• Lead all day-to-day operations of the organization and its programs, with ultimate accountability for the success of implementation. This includes but is not limited to: budgeting, contracts, and managing volunteers, student interns, and consultants

• Develop staffing and people resource plans (including in-kind services, volunteer, and student interns); hire staff/consultants as resources grow

• Implement internal policies, procedures, and tools that support a healthy, transparent, accountable organization

• Ensure sound fiscal management, including audits, financial controls, and reporting

• Prepare clear operational and financial reports that inform the Board as the organization evolves

 

Fundraising & External Leadership

 

• Create and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy and goals to support GC's next stage of growth

• Cultivate relationships with foundations, individual donors, and corporate/community partners

• Lead grant writing, reporting, and donor stewardship with excellence

• Identify earned revenue opportunities aligned with mission

• Engage Board of Directors in donor cultivation and storytelling where appropriate, leveraging their networks while building sustainable development systems

• Represent GC publicly with partners, funders, policymakers, and the media; develop and deliver at speaking opportunities, events and conferences

• Amplify the GC narrative and messaging through communications, social media, publishing thought leadership, and engaging press opportunities to engage a larger audience

 

Program Development

 

• Develop programs and events to support organizational mission

• Strengthen and expand partnerships with community organizations, researchers, and practitioners across geographies

• Support monitoring, evaluation, and learning efforts to document impact

• Elevate grandmother leadership in programmatic decision-making

• Bring and embody thought leadership for the organization and work with researchers and partners to define research goals and translate evidence into programs, tools, and messaging

 

Who You'll Work With

 

You will report to the Board of Directors and manage a program manager and external consultants, including a fractional operations coordinator.

 

Required Skills and Experience

 

• 10+ years of leadership experience in nonprofit, social impact, community organizing, or philanthropic organizations with a strong track record of strategic leadership

• Proven fundraising track record with foundations, major donors, and/or institutional giving

• Comfort in building from scratch; demonstrated resilience and a willingness to take on tasks large and small to achieve goals; previous experience as an entrepreneur or intrapreneur welcomed

• Prior experience scaling an organization beyond organic growth

• Strong operational and financial management expertise with experience managing and stewarding a budget

• Demonstrated success leading through a period of growth and ambiguity, successfully meeting or exceeding organizational targets, achieving ambitious goals, and driving large-scale impact

• Exceptional oral and written communication, networking, and public speaking skills; the capacity to clearly communicate vision, mission, and concepts to diverse audiences

• Expertise in relationship building and a strong ability to develop and manage partnerships

• Ability to work intergenerationally, across cultures and with diverse communities

• A learning orientation and comfort using a variety of technological platforms as tools for strategic growth

• Preferred experience includes familiarity with leading research-to-practice or evidence translation, familiarity with networked or collective-impact models, international experience, and knowledge of the older women field

 

Additional Details

 

This is a remote position located anywhere in the United States, with a strong preference for the Eastern time zone and located near a major airport. The ED is expected to travel to board meetings and conferences as needed and strategically prioritized.

 

Benefits

 

• Stipend for health insurance

• Stipend for dental and vision insurance

• Competitive paid time off including holidays

• Retirement plan contribution

 

Equity at Grandmother Collective

 

Grandmother Collective is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, or current employment status.