About Youth Represent
Youth Represent is a youth defense and advocacy nonprofit working to build power and opportunity for young people—especially Black, Latiné, and other youth of color—who are harmed by the criminal legal system. Founded in 2006, we provide free, holistic legal services to youth aged 26 and under across New York City, tackling the civil and criminal consequences of system involvement. Through our team of 21 dedicated staff, we support over a thousand young people each year, helping them overcome barriers to education, employment, housing, and stability. At the same time, we fight for systemic change that centers the voices of impacted youth and reimagines what justice can look like.
At Youth Represent, we envision a world where the racist legal system has been dismantled and BIack, Latiné, Indigenous, and other youth of color have the freedom and power to live their full lives.
Our Mission is to use legal services, policy advocacy, peer education, and other tools to build power and opportunity for Black, Latiné, and other youth of color who the criminal legal system and other systems of oppression harm the most.
We approach our work with compassion, respect, and an unwavering commitment to equity, partnering closely with community organizations and directly impacted youth to elevate their voices and create pathways for leadership and lasting impact.
Our team and Board of Directors strive to deliver our mission while staying centered in our core values:
- Youth-Driven: Young people are experts in their lives and best positioned to create solutions and goals for themselves and their communities. Therefore, we take the time needed to listen deeply, think boldly, and act thoughtfully. Our deliberate, youth-driven approach ensures we minimize the harm the criminal legal system—and other systems of oppression—may cause.
- Courageous: We take on the fight for our clients. We recognize that the broader conditions youth experience in their homes, cities, country, and world are inextricably linked to their quality of life and our mission. Racism and anti-Blackness permeate every aspect of society, especially the legal system, and so bold action is required to dismantle it. We are committed to challenging this injustice by leading and effecting transformative, systemic change through our interdisciplinary practice.
- Creative: We are resourceful and flexible, strategically using the law and other tools to achieve our clients’ goals. We acknowledge our strengths and we value the power and abundance that can be found through solidarity with our community. As individuals and as an organization, we are continually learning—from one another, from our clients, and from our community.
- Authentic: We actively cultivate a supportive, healthy community where people are treated fairly and with compassion, and where all our staff and clients can show up as their authentic selves. We strive for this culture to be seen and felt by our young clients, empowering us to be a strong and dynamic force for change.
Learn more about Youth Represent at https://youthrepresent.org/.
The Opportunity
Youth Represent seeks an inspirational, collaborative, and empowering justice-driven leader to provide strategic direction and oversight for this vital organization. This is a tremendous opportunity to join a beloved organization and collaborate with its stakeholders to chart a pathway for future growth and impact, continuing to elevate Youth Represent as a best-in-class leader and boldly champion a future where all youth are treated with dignity, supported in their development, and empowered to thrive.
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the next Executive Director will collaborate with a dedicated staff and partners to advance its powerful approach to the client experience and systems change; further, develop vital partnerships with community partners; ensure the Youth Represent team has the needed infrastructure to deliver the highest quality services to clients; and foster a culture of collaboration, empowerment, and professional advancement.
In partnership with Youth Represent’s board and staff, the next Executive Director will bring the final two years of the current five-year strategic plan to a strong close while laying the groundwork for the organization’s next chapter. They will lead the development of a new strategic plan, furthering Youth Represent’s vision, defining bold short- and long-term goals, and co-creating a cohesive, targeted roadmap for the future. This work will involve engaging a diverse range of stakeholders and ensuring the plan remains responsive, inclusive, and adaptable as it is implemented.
Key responsibilities include:
- Provide strategic leadership for the organization, synthesizing across viewpoints and interests of stakeholders, evolving a clear vision and strategy for how Youth Represent can continue to grow and strengthen its work against a backdrop of a shifting landscape.
- Collaborate with the board and staff to establish short and long-range business and programmatic goals, strategies, and implementation plans, ensuring a deep focus is kept on the quality of services provided.
- Increase impact by elevating policy advocacy efforts to eliminate systemic barriers.
- Promote the organization and articulate Youth Represent’s unique value proposition to a wide range of stakeholders, providing thought leadership; cultivating relationships with partners, funders, and advocates in the field; and growing and diversifying opportunities for partnerships and philanthropic support.
- Lead a highly skilled team— manage, empower, and hold teams accountable, ensuring they are provided with the necessary direction and resources to achieve Youth Represent’s strategic and operational goals.
- Continue to build staff capacity and opportunities for professional development; incubate a compassionate, productive, and inclusive workplace culture.
- Support Youth Represent’s short and long-term financial goals, ensuring it operates as a sustainable and financially sound organization; work closely with the team, assessing opportunities to diversify and grow revenue streams.
- Ensure productive and efficient operations, evaluating the continuous improvement of and investment in systems and resources to support organizational growth.
- Promote collaboration, including fostering a healthy and productive working relationship with union members and representatives.
- Support the future growth and development of a committed Board of Directors.
- Advance Youth Represent’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) plan that embeds a lens for racial justice in Youth Represent’s culture, systems, and practices.
- Ensure the organization complies with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing nonprofit organizations and the provision of legal services.
Candidate Profile
We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every expertise outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
Champion of the Mission
- Possesses an unwavering dedication to advancing the justice and well-being of youth of color.
- Brings a passion for community-focused work and exhibits boldness and courage in their advocacy for justice.
- A values-driven leader known for their integrity, emotional and social intelligence, and humility—someone who builds trust and brings others along with clarity and care.
Strategic & Visionary Mindset
- A strategic leader eager and energized to develop and articulate an innovative vision for the next chapter of a multifaceted organization.
- An action-oriented leader with experience positioning an organization as both a policy and thought leader.
- Models analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills that support and enable sound decision-making. Empowers others to lead and contribute to the organization's overall success. Ability to quickly pivot and act decisively in the face of emerging situations and circumstances while still maintaining focus on big-picture vision and strategy.
Empowering & Collaborative Leader
- Leads talented and passionate teams through an inspirational and empathic approach, fostering positive environments that encourage participation, collaboration, innovation, and empowerment across functions.
- A transparent communicator and natural listener who ensures all voices are heard, while also being firm and resolute in decisions.
- Creates and fosters a culture of high engagement for all team members regardless of background or role; empowers a workforce to excel by focusing on guiding team members’ growth and development.
- Builds consensus, breaks down silos, and establishes interdepartmental unity within organizations through effective and inclusive communication as well as cross-team cooperation.
Fundraising Skills & Nonprofit Business Acumen
- Brings experience in strategic, collaborative fundraising and building organizational capacity to creatively diversify fundraising opportunities from a diverse range of sources.
- Demonstrates experience with nonprofit operations/leadership, including sound financial planning, oversight, and accountability; can clearly communicate financial status to staff, board, and key stakeholders.
- Strong non-profit management skills with an understanding of how to build and implement effective infrastructures and systems that increase internal capacity and efficiency.
- Brings a track record of setting priorities decisively, delegating responsibilities, ensuring accountability, and allocating resources to ensure teams are set up to excel.
- Experience building and working with an engaged Board of Directors, guiding meetings, and holding Directors accountable to governance responsibilities in a productive, efficient, and collaborative manner.
Skilled Advocate & Relationship Builder
- Promotes a powerful sense of shared purpose and engagement among all constituents through effective internal and external communication; serves as a key spokesperson and public face of the organization to community partners, media, funders, policy makers, and others.
- Communicates effectively and frequently, fostering a culture of transparency and bringing staff of all levels and program areas along in a way that ensures all understand and are invested in their role within the broader vision and mission of the organization.
- Ability to successfully convey an organization’s mission and objectives to a wide range of private, nonprofit, and public constituents in written and verbal communications; can communicate complex ideas with clarity.
- Ability to develop and cultivate relationships that will advance and amplify Youth Represent’s value proposition, reputation, and opportunities for impact in the field.
Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
- Empathetic and authentic leader who can relate to a wide range of people from diverse socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
- Enthusiastic to foster an open and dynamic culture, elevating and expanding the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work Youth Represent is championing.
- Demonstrates cultural humility and brings a track record of experience in successfully championing DEI and belonging strategies for an organization through operations, partnerships, and workplace culture.
- Examines all aspects of their work through the lens of equity and prioritizes inclusion and belonging as a strategic imperative.
- Resolute in fostering a culture of physical and psychological safety for staff and clients.
In addition, strong candidates will offer:
- A proven dedication to racial and social justice.
- Experience working within and/or a demonstrated understanding of navigating criminal/legal/government systems.
- A minimum of 7-10 years of high-level senior management experience with increasing responsibility.
- Having a J.D. or master’s degree in criminal justice, political science, public policy, or a related field is one possible indicator of your commitment and experience, but we prioritize lived experience, leadership qualities, and a strong connection to our mission.
Compensation, Benefits, and Location
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary for this role is $180,000 with a generous benefits package including 100% employer-paid health insurance.
The Executive Director role is a full-time position based in lower Manhattan. Staff are currently in the office 3 days per week, and it is expected that the Executive Director will continue to promote a cohesive, healthy, and inclusive in-office culture while prioritizing staff wellness and work/life balance.
Contact
DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Molly Brennan and Corina Benitz. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.
DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Youth Represent is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
About DSG | Koya
DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.
Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm's website.