FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
SILICON VALLEY SENIOR DIRECTOR
Development and Outreach Department
Silicon Valley Office
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled

Koya Partners is proud to partner with Human Rights Watch in the search for the Silicon Valley Senior Director.

To contact the team with questions or candidate recommendations, Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile, or email Michelle and Jennifer directly at [email protected] and [email protected].

About Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch (HRW) was founded in 1978 as “Helsinki Watch,” when they began investigating rights abuses in countries that signed the Helsinki Accords, most notably, those behind the Iron Curtain. Since then, their work has expanded to five continents. They have investigated massacres and even genocides, along with government take-overs of media and the baseless arrests of activists and political opposition figures. At the same time, HRW expanded their work to address abuses against those likely to face discrimination, including women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities. When families victimized by war crimes found no justice at home, HRW championed international justice and international courts. While they rely on in-person interviews, their research methods have also changed with the times, and today they use satellite imagery to track the destruction of villages and city blocks, and mine big data for patterns in arrest rates or the deportation of immigrants. Everything they do circles back to a commitment to justice, dignity, compassion, and equality.

Who We Are

Human Rights Watch investigates and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. We are roughly 550 plus people of 70-plus nationalities who are country experts, lawyers, journalists, and others who work to protect the most at risk, from vulnerable minorities and civilians in wartime, to refugees and children in need. We direct our advocacy towards governments, armed groups, and businesses, pushing them to change or enforce their laws, policies, and practices. To ensure our independence, we refuse government funding and carefully review all donations to ensure that they are consistent with our policies, mission, and values. We partner with organizations, large and small, across the globe to protect embattled activists and to help hold abusers to account and bring justice to victims.

What We Do

Investigate: Our researchers work in the field in 100 some countries, uncovering facts that create an undeniable record of human rights abuses.

Expose: We tell the stories of what we found, sharing them with millions of social media and online followers each day. News media often report on our investigations, furthering our reach.

Change: We meet with governments, the United Nations, rebel groups, corporations, and others, to see that policy is changed, laws are enforced, and justice is served.

To learn more about Human Rights Watch, please visit the HRW website.

The Opportunity

The Development and Outreach Department of Human Rights Watch (HRW) seeks a passionate and entrepreneurial development leader for the position of Silicon Valley Senior Director to lead all fundraising and outreach in Silicon Valley, California. The Senior Director will oversee a talented and dynamic team in the Silicon Valley Office, located in Palo Alto, and will report to the Managing Director of Development and Outreach in North America.

Inspired and genuinely committed to the mission of Human Rights Watch, the successful candidate will work with HRW’s most active and dedicated supporters in Silicon Valley, to build support for HRW’s work at a truly critical time. The Senior Director will be charged with nurturing, stewarding, and growing HRW’s donor base and presence in Silicon Valley to engage with donors at the $100K+ level, including through an annual fundraising event.

Candidate Profile

Dedicated to the mission of HRW, the ideal candidate will be a bold, fearless, and experienced fundraising leader with a measurable track record of success securing leadership and principal ($100,000 to $1 Million+) gifts. The Senior Director will be a motivated and hands-on leader with the vision and ability to diversify and grow the donor base while enhancing the visibility of HRW regionally. The Senior Director will manage the Silicon Valley Development team and bring best in class systems and processes knowledge with an analytic mindset to make data informed decisions.

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, a successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

Passion for the Mission

The Senior Director will have a passion for and commitment to the mission of HRW, a clear understanding of its work, and be able to articulately relay the organization’s work with internal and external constituents, donors, and the community at large. Bringing a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Senior Director will model inclusive behavior and consistently promote HRW’s core values in development and fundraising operations. Bringing a rights respecting mindset to the role, the Senior Director will utilize sound judgment and discretion in all activities and will display the highest degree of integrity.

Development and Fundraising Leader

The successful candidate will be an outside-the-box thinker with the initiative and drive to find new funding opportunities to increase the donor base and secure funding to ensure long-term organizational sustainability, allowing HRW to continue their goal of generating systemic change. This self-motivated, confident, and respected leader will closely partner with senior leadership in co-creating and implementing a strategy for development and fundraising while finding new and creative ways to create donor engagement. Using metrics and data to methodically create a pipeline, the Senior Director will excel at developing and stewarding relationships in Silicon Valley with donors, the Board, foundations, corporations, and other funding partners. The Senior Director will also use their expertise to cultivate and leverage the potential of the volunteer committee and other supporters.

Relationship Builder and Thought Partner

Responsive, high touch, and possessing strong follow-through, the Senior Director will bring deep experience creating warm and trusting working relationships marked by empathy, extraordinary interpersonal skills, and collaboration. Modeling the highest standards of professionalism and remaining intellectually curious, the Senior Director will work effectively with staff at all levels of the organization striving to provide interactions that are rich in support and care. With the confidence and excitement to move existing donors to higher giving levels as well as bring new donors to HRW, this individual will forge a culture of teamwork, continued learning, understanding, and trust where all staff work in partnership towards common fundraising goals.

Strategic and Visionary Thinker

With the ability to be hands-on while thinking strategically, this person will be a key contributor alongside senior leadership, working towards creating a global fundraising infrastructure to ensure sustainability of HRW’s efforts and programs as the leading credible voice in human rights advocacy. With patience and established gravitas, this leader will have the ability to command a room while making sure others feel heard and valued. The Senior Director will also be highly organized and thorough, with the ability to diagnose critical areas for attention and develop and implement clear, action-oriented, innovative strategies that address challenging problems with effective solutions.

Excellent Communication and Organizational Skillset

The Senior Director will have exceptional organizational capabilities to lead and inspire others, including time management and follow-through. They will have excellent written and verbal communication skills with a demonstrated writing ability across various formats including personal correspondence and organizational communications. The Senior Director will work with staff to authentically tell the stories of HRW’s impact in ways that are compelling, uplifting, empowering, and inclusive. This individual will also invest in staff development with a collaborative and mentoring leadership style and will be adept at creating a healthy organizational culture thriving on clarity, transparency, honesty, and reliable follow-through.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the strategic plan for development and outreach strategy for Silicon Valley, while representing the work of HRW to existing and prospective supporters;
• Develop sustainable financial support for the organization by identifying and soliciting prospects and donors with leadership level potential (US $100,000 to $1 Million+) and general support funds from supporters across Silicon Valley;
• Research, identify, cultivate, steward, and solicit prospective foundations and existing foundations that have the ability and affinity to give to HRW;
• Build connections with and develop a portfolio of major donor prospects that are identified through internal prospect research, volunteer identification, cultivation events, and other sources that have the ability and affinity to give to HRW;
• Oversee and lead fundraising, outreach, and cultivation events in Silicon Valley, including the annual Voices for Justice celebration;
• Work with Silicon Valley Committee leadership and members to develop strategic fundraising and outreach initiatives to engage and cultivate major gift prospects;
• Oversee strategic individual fundraising initiatives to enhance the visibility of the program and increase membership;
• Oversee income tracking & projections, expenditure budgets, event expenses, and revenue, and regularly monitor the Silicon Valley office’s budget to ensure that resources are allocated appropriately; and
• Perform other responsibilities as may be required.

Managerial Responsibilities:

• Lead, motivate, and mentor the Silicon Valley Development team, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely constructive feedback, ensuring balanced workload, providing guidance on professional growth, and monitoring staff well-being as it pertains to stress, resilience issues, and self-care;
• Promote an inclusive, creative, and positive work environment by soliciting diverse points of views, encouraging staff to participate in efforts to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion, and proactively addressing bias, discrimination, microaggressions, etc.; and
• Work with staff to develop initiatives aimed at movement-building and expanding our partnership with diverse clients, donors, constituents, and partners.

Compensation & Benefits:

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $160,000 – $185,000 with a generous benefits package including but not limited to 100% employer paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, including family and domestic partner coverage (taxes may be applicable). Additionally, after two years of employment, HRW will contribute a percentage of your salary to a 403(b) retirement savings account with TIAA, no match required.

Contact

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Michelle Bonoan and Jennifer Smith of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile, or email Michelle and Jennifer directly at [email protected]and [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners 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.

Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

Learn more about how we can help you with your search on the Koya Partners website.