Director of Operations

Having more than doubled our staff and membership numbers in the last three and a half years, AHMA has reached an exciting inflection point as an organization and the new Director is poised to co-lead a new phase of growth and impact for the organization.

As a senior leader at AHMA, The Director of Operations plays an integral role in the organization’s overall operational development as well as leading and implementing organizing strategy.

The Director oversees the day-to-day operations of the hybrid office environment, ensuring that it runs efficiently and that all members of the team have what they need to succeed- creating and implementing policies and procedures, developing strong relationships with employees, and planning for future organizational development.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director will supervise and lead a team of two regional organizers and a communications and media advocacy manager. Through supervision of organizing staff, the Director will lead overall grassroots & digital organizing strategy by building on AHMA’s success of building local pro-housing group infrastructure and leading grassroots organizing centered on zoning reform.

Core Responsibilities include:

50% Operations/Org. Culture

• Drive an organizational culture that centers employee well-being by amending and/or creating new processes, systems or policies that foster a sense of belonging.
• Serve as a member of the executive leadership team. Partner with the Executive Director and Board of Directors in executing the development of medium to long-range strategic plans for all areas of responsibility and an overall organizational strategic plan.
• In partnership with the Executive Director, support fundraising initiatives through donor cultivation and signature fundraising events.
• Responsible for ensuring efficiency in operations. This involves identifying areas for improvement and implementing strategies to streamline processes.
• Identify and champion opportunities for streamlining and improvement of technology, including integration across applications and workstream efficiencies.
• Manage Employee Relations and processes, such as quarterly and annual performance reviews and facilitating internal restorative justice circle conversations, as needed.

50% Organizing/Member Engagement Leadership

• Coordinate overall membership engagement for the organization through signature annual event planning and supervision of a regional organizer, digital organizer and communications manager.
• Build relationships with other mission-aligned organizations and represent AHMA via community events, speaking engagements and more, as needed.
• Through the supervision of (2) Organizers:
  • Coordinate existing MBTA-CA Advocacy campaign(s) in support of zoning for multi-family housing in key regional communities (~15).
  • Provide direct support to grassroots leaders in targeted communities, including but not limited to: developing organizational structures and strategies for small to medium sized grassroots organizations, designing outreach/educational templates for effective communications, conducting power mapping, and managing constituent databases and digital organizing tools such as Scale2Win, Action Network and Every Action.
  • Facilitate learning opportunities via organizer training and workshops with the purpose of sharing organizing best practices, building leadership capacity and skills, and community/relationship building
• Through the supervision of (1) Communications & Media Advocacy Manager:
  • Increasing AHMA’s visibility in the media landscape via strategic press opportunities, social media, speaking engagements and more.

Desired Qualifications:

• Commitment to the AHMA mission, vision, and to the importance of addressing the housing supply and affordability crisis.
• At least 5 years experience in electoral/political campaign field work, community organizing/engagement, or issues-based advocacy, preferably within MA.
• At least 2 years of experience in organizational leadership, non-profit operations, and/or administration or transferable skills from related areas.
• Previous supervisory experience, within organizing and/or communications, is strongly preferred.
• Excellent people management skills; empathy and enthusiasm when building and maintaining professional relationships; ability to coach, develop, and motivate others to achieve outcomes.
• Strong equity analysis and practice with an understanding of how racism, and other forms of oppression, impact systems, relationships, culture and one’s own lived experience.
• Experience facilitating groups both in-person and online and prioritizing inclusion of all voices, experiences, and backgrounds
• Experience tracking volunteer engagement in a database, particularly with NGP Van or EveryAction.
• Excellent Communications skills with some experience managing website applications such as WordPress and/or social media and media advocacy.
• Ability to interact positively with a wide breadth of people, including AHMA members and volunteers, municipal leaders, elected officials, and the general public including those who may be opposed to our work.
• Proven ability to foster leadership development, recruit and retain volunteers.
• Highly organized and comfortable tracking deadlines, details and moving multiple projects simultaneously.
• Familiarity with housing policy, land use planning, zoning, real estate development, or urban policy or planning is a plus.

Many folks who are impacted by biased professionalism standards, such as women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, immigrants, and individuals with disabilities, tend to only submit an application if they meet every requirement listed. At AHMA, we are always looking for enthusiastic candidates who are the best fit for the role, both culturally and through experience. If you believe you’d be a good addition to our team, we look forward to your application!

Salary and Benefits

This is an exempt, Full-time position with an annual salary range of $90,000-$100,000, commensurate with relevant experience.

Benefits and perks include:

• Unlimited Paid Vacation time plus 10 paid holidays per year.
• Competitive health plan with 80% of premium paid by employer, including medical, dental and vision options.
• 401(k) retirement plan with 100% employer contribution on the first 5% of employee contributions.
• Coworking membership at the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) (50 Milk St, Boston, MA), which employees are encouraged to use even outside of full team gatherings. The CIC is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Reimbursement of up to $500 (per employee’s tenure at AHMA) for work-related personal technological expenses, in addition to employer-provided technology such as a laptop, ipad, etc (to be returned to employers at the end of employment).
• Employer covered expenses for  MBTA- related transportation for commuting to the Downtown office location in Boston and all work-related travel needs.
• Paid opportunities for employee professional development, including yearly travel opportunities for pro-housing conferences and gatherings with the Welcoming Neighbors Network (a national pro-housing network AHMA is a founding member of)

AHMA is a hybrid work environment with staff splitting time between work-from-home, organizing in various communities and co-working in a downtown Boston location. On average, full-team in office coworking days happen once a week.  This position does require living in MA, with the ability to participate in in-person events on a regular basis.

Abundant Housing MA is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion and are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.