Elizabeth Scharpf

About Sustainable Health Enterprises:

Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), an award-winning social venture recognized by Harvard Business School, Bill Clinton, and most recently featured by Pulitzer Prize New York Times writer Nick Kristof in his new book, is looking for an Executive Director. We’ve come a long way in a short time and now we’re at an exciting growth point and looking for a dynamic Executive Director (a newly created position) to help lead the way!

SHE is an innovative social venture that invests in people and ideas that are typically overlooked (and often taboo) as vehicles of socio-economic change. SHE’s first initiative, SHE28, addresses girls’ and women’s lack of access to affordable menstrual pads resulting in significant costs to their reproductive health, educational achievements, work productivity, and dignity.  SHE is stemming these costs by developing a franchise model to manufacture and distribute affordable, eco-friendly menstrual pads for girls and women by sourcing local, inexpensive raw materials (e.g., banana fibers) and leveraging existing networks.  Coupling these new businesses with public health and hygiene education and advocacy will have a significant social and economic impact on these communities.

Job Description: Executive Director

The Executive Director will oversee all aspects of SHE, including:

Strategy

1. Review existing 5 year scale strategy and alter (if need be based on current milestones and environment);
2. Determine steps to execute (operational, human resource, financial requirements)
3. Get Board/team buy in
4. Execute on 5 year plan with measurable progress against quarterly and annual targets

Capital raising

1. Determine capital needs based on updated strategy
2. Ultimately responsible for raising funds by utilizing existing partnerships and developing new ones (individual, institutional, Board)
   • Individual-driven: catalyzing major gifts (50K+ range)
   • Institutional: catalyzing $100K+ large multi-year gifts
   • Board: facilitate significant board involvement in raising capital
   • Request for proposals: oversee grant proposal writing and reporting in the 100K+ range
3. Oversee all stewardship of all major capital coming in through in-person meetings and/or reports
4. Ensure SHE Rwanda is meeting sales targets; work with CEO and Board on other diversified earned income streams

Management (Operations, Finance, Organizational Development, Human Resources)

1. Ensure Rwandan operations are fulfilling investor milestones
2. Oversee sharing of best practices globally based on 5 year strategy
3. Work with vendors to follow all financial reporting required by investors as well as US government (including 990 and CHAR filings, audit)
4. Work with vendors and COO Global and Head of Operations Rwanda to make sure all policies and processes are in place for smooth operations
5. Make recommendations on hiring decisions in US and confer with Heads of Operations Rwanda on HR decisions in Rwanda

Board Relations

1. Prepare materials for quarterly Board meetings, updating board on operations, strategy, etc
2. Work with Board Chair to recruit potential new Board members and/or advisors who would accelerate our progress

Leadership

1. Lead with integrity, passion, and determination and inspire the staff and international community
2. Advocate for SHE externally. The Executive Director would represent SHE and/or tap certain staff to represent SHE in national and/or international meetings, communicating our mission to increase our reach and impact.

Qualifications

We are looking for outstanding candidates who fit the following criteria:

• Track record: At least five years of senior management experience in a growing, global organization preferred
• Business savvy: Have been responsible for a P&L (preferably $1M+) and built and managed teams that successfully executed on a strategic plan for impact and scale.
• Must be experienced in building financial models that will drive key parts of the strategy.
• Capital raising: Proven track record of raising venture philanthropic capital (via individuals, institutions—large foundations, corporations, etc) and/or creative new structures
• Extensive network, including relationships with potential large funders and/or strategic partners
• Exceptional communications skills
• Can-do positive attitude (we did figure out how to make sanitary pads out of banana trees—not easy!) and initiative
• Bachelor degree required, advanced degree preferred
• Strong background in international economic development and/or social entrepreneurship preferred, but open to highly-skilled unique leaders
• Language: English required. French is a plus

Job Location: Preferably NYC with up to 50% travel, nationally and internationally

Duration
 minimum: 2+ years commitment, full-time job.

Preferred Start Date:
 June 2015

Compensation: Competitive with performance-driven bonuses and raises

To Apply:

Please send cover letter and CV to hresources@SHEinnovates.com as late as May 5, 2015 (this is rolling though, so the earlier the better) and let us know why you would be the best person for the job today!