Chief Executive Officer

Young Community Developers • San Francisco, CA

3d • $235,000 - $275,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Young Community Developers (YCD) is a nonprofit organization established in 1973, serving residents of all ages in San Francisco's most underserved communities. YCD employs a holistic approach through a service ecosystem designed to empower residents towards economic mobility, fostering positive community development via education, workforce training, and social services. YCD's core philosophy is that every individual deserves the right to sustainable, generational economic mobility, aiming to break the cycle of poverty. Annually, YCD assists approximately 1,200 community members with employment and training services. The organization has been recognized by Non-Profit Times as one of the top 50 best nonprofits of its size to work for in the United States.

Requirements

• B.A./B.S. degree in a related field or equivalent lived, professional, and executive leadership experience
• Minimum of 5 years of senior leadership and supervisory experience managing a multicultural workforce
• Demonstrated commitment to Black-led, community-rooted, and equity-centered nonprofit leadership, with the ability to honor organizational legacy while guiding innovation and growth
• Deep understanding of San Francisco’s historically underserved communities, particularly the social, economic, cultural, and political realities facing residents in the southeast sector and other communities impacted by disinvestment
• Knowledge of City and County of San Francisco agencies, public funding systems, community-based service networks, workforce development ecosystems, housing and anti-displacement strategies, and philanthropic partnerships
• Experience leading trauma-informed, healing-centered, culturally responsive, and strengths-based programs, people-centric teams, or organizations serving youth, adults, families, re-entry populations, and residents facing complex barriers
• Proven ability to build trust across generations, neighborhoods, public systems, funders, employers, community leaders, and staff through consistent communication, transparency, humility, and follow-through
• Strong executive management skills, including strategic planning, staff development, fiscal oversight, compliance, risk management, organizational design, change leadership, and data-informed decision-making
• Excellent cross-cultural communication skills, including the ability to listen deeply, navigate conflict, facilitate difficult conversations, and communicate with residents, staff, board members, public officials, funders, and partners
• A leadership presence grounded in integrity, patience, diplomacy, courage, and respect for community wisdom, with the ability to represent YCD credibly in rooms of power while remaining accountable to community voice
• Commitment to staff wellbeing, professional development, inclusive supervision, and coaching practices that support high performance without replicating harm or burnout
• Resourcefulness, political acuity, and sound judgment in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities, public visibility, and evolving community needs
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tell YCD’s story, advocate for resources, and translate community impact into compelling narratives for funders, partners, and public stakeholders
• Demonstrated competency with Microsoft Office Suite, Google platform, data systems, and other technology platforms used to support operations, collaboration, and various reporting

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Board of Directors to shape and execute a strategic vision that honors YCD’s Black-led history, community trust, and role as a pillar institution in San Francisco’s historically underserved neighborhoods
• Lead with a trauma-informed, healing-centered, and culturally responsive approach that recognizes the lived experiences of residents, staff, families, and communities impacted by poverty, displacement, systemic racism, violence, and economic exclusion
• Strengthen YCD’s integrated service model across workforce development, education, housing support, re-entry, youth and family services, and community advocacy to improve resident outcomes from cradle to career and beyond
• Build, retain, and develop a values-aligned leadership team and staff culture rooted in dignity, accountability, racial equity, belonging, staff wellness, and high-quality service delivery
• Maintain fiscal discipline and transparency in partnership with the CFO, including annual budgeting, resource allocation, compliance, reporting, and long-term financial planning for sustainable growth
• Cultivate strong relationships with residents, neighborhood leaders, City and County of San Francisco agencies, philanthropy, employers, labor and workforce partners, schools, housing providers, and aligned community-based organizations
• Serve as a trusted public voice for YCD and the communities it serves, advancing narratives that center community assets, intergenerational resilience, economic justice, and the leadership of Black and Brown residents
• Identify and secure public, private, philanthropic, and earned-revenue opportunities that expand YCD’s capacity without compromising mission, community accountability, or program quality
• Ensure strong governance, legal and regulatory compliance, risk management, data-informed decision-making, program evaluation, and continuous improvement across the organization

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive