About Us
Build It Green (BIG) is a California-based nonprofit working to transform housing and neighborhood development so that they nurture people, places, and nature. We’re pragmatists who believe homes and neighborhoods can be shaped in ways that support ecological health, social equity, and community vitality in our state—without tradeoffs between them.
To achieve meaningful change, we design our programs around “thinking frameworks” that help us—and our partners—see things differently and pursue transformative results. These frameworks are central to what sets BIG apart.
In recent years, BIG has shifted focus from individual homes to neighborhood-scale work. We’ve built strong, collaborative relationships with both neighborhood-scale leaders and building and development professionals—another distinguishing feature of our approach. As our work evolves, these connections will enable us to drive unique and impactful results in places throughout California.
Our beliefs and commitments regarding neighborhood development are outlined in the Regenerative Neighborhood Development Creed. If this creed resonates with you, you’re aligned with BIG. Learn more about BIG at builditgreen.org.
About You
You are deeply committed to helping both human and natural systems thrive—and frustrated by the idea that supporting one must come at the expense of the other. You’ve worked for at least five years, and ideally a decade or more, as a leader engaging with players like community-based organizations, neighborhood residents, government agencies of all levels, and partners like real estate developers, builders, and advocacy groups on issues such residential real estate development and land use planning. You are driven by the connection between people and places and see potential for evolving how homes and neighborhoods are built into a system that nurtures people, places, and nature. You understand that this transformation requires systems change and are eager to engage in the often messy processes that are necessary to create systems change.
Your career to date may have been focused on a one issue area, discrete constituencies, or a single neighborhood, city, or region. Now though, you are drawn to working across places and sectors to develop new thinking skills and capabilities among changemakers to synergistically advance social equity and environmental vitality through the development of homes in neighborhoods. You see yourself working in close collaboration with changemakers leading to a movement that transforms neighborhood leadership, policy, and the residential building industry. You’re confident in your ability to design and lead transformational programs and in ensuring their lasting impact.
You’re an organizational leader who knows that success is tied to the growth of the entire team. You thrive in spaces where convention is challenged and understand that change requires doing things differently. At the same time, you're pragmatic and results-oriented.
If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!
What the Work Looks Like
Transforming how California builds homes and neighborhoods to holistically benefit people and nature requires programs that shift perspectives, build practical skills, and deliver tangible results.
As BIG’s Senior Director, Programs (Neighborhoods and Network) you will, upon joining the team, be responsible for taking programs that the organization has recently put in place and evolving them to ensure program beneficiaries will receive value, that this value aligns with the systemic impacts BIG aims to achieve, and that the program portfolio produces revenue so that the work of BIG can be sustained and continue to evolve. In the months and years ahead, you will play key roles in maturing programs and designing them to maximize impact. As part of our leadership team, you will also be a leader in evolving and supporting our internal team culture so that how we work aligns with the spirit of our external work.
You will not be alone. Consistent with BIG’s collaborative spirit, you will work closely with BIG’s Executive Director and other leadership staff, the programs team, our board of directors, and key partners. BIG is a small team; you will have the opportunity to be involved in the design, leadership, and execution of programs and shaping new ways of creating systems change.
As part of BIG’s leadership team, you will play a meaningful role in crafting BIG’s direction, both programmatic and operational, work plan, budget, and revenue strategy. You will supervise 1-2 program staff initially, and perhaps more as BIG grows.
The specifics of what you will be responsible for include but will not be limited to:
- Building off of design that has already been done, over your first year you will enhance the Regenerative Neighborhood Initiative (RNI), our program that enables neighborhood stakeholders to reveal the potential of their place, consider environmental and social issues holistically, and envision how housing development can be a catalyst for nurturing a neighborhood’s human and ecological vitality. You will ensure the program provides value to participants, leads to tangible neighborhood outcomes that align with community-driven aspirations, generates revenue, and leads to a transformative movement that reshapes how homes and neighborhoods are built across the Bay Area and our state.
- Evolving our California Housing System Innovators Network—an entity we have convened for three years to enable cross-sectoral changemakers to build relationships and envision what system transformation may look like—into a group that serves as the “connective tissue” across BIG’s programs and enables participants to transform systems rather than simply accomplish programmatic outputs and outcomes.
- Ensuring all of our programs are woven together rather than siloed, collaborating with the Executive Director, other staff, and external partners to add your unique insights regarding BIG’s other core programs focused on the builder-developer sector.
- Developing your own capability to understand the “thinking frameworks” and practices that ground BIG’s work and having the patience to build the ability and will to apply them to programs.
- Working with staff and partners to develop their capabilities regarding these thinking frameworks as you develop your own capabilities.
- Supervising 1-2 program staff to ensure effective program design and delivery and that both you and the staff grow capabilities during the work that can benefit each of you as individuals, BIG as an organization, and system transformation.
- Working in close cooperation with other key staff, such as communications staff, and partners in the design and implementation of the programs you direct.
- Serving as a member of BIG’s leadership team, helping to shape overall programmatic and operational direction, including but not limited to work plan, budget, revenue development strategy, methods for tracking progress, and organizational culture.
- Bringing your unique knowledge regarding housing and neighborhood development and networks to the BIG team and our overall ability to see the whole of the fields we are trying to shape.
Skills and Qualifications
We understand no single applicant will possess all of these skills and qualifications. If you feel you meet most of them and find this opportunity exciting, we encourage you to please apply!
- Five-plus years of management/leadership experience in elements of neighborhood development, community organizing/advocacy, network facilitation, and/or issues like housing development, land use planning and policy, etc. We seek someone who understands both the fields in which we are working and who has the means to navigate their various components. This breadth of wisdom will allow the Senior Director, Programs to be a leading contributor to the sector’s evolution into one that nurtures people, places, and nature.
- A track record of successfully designing and implementing programs, as well as managing and evaluating them to ensure their success and sustainability; requires strong project management and attention to detail.
- Excitement to be part of an organization taking early-stage programs and evolving them to maximize their potential and impact.
- Staff management experience and the ability to nurture staff into becoming their most effective selves.
- A demonstrated ability to collaborate with co-workers and outside partners.
- A deep commitment to transforming the practice of housing and neighborhood development and the strength to maintain this commitment in the face of skepticism.
- A dedication to the value of collective action in achieving systems change and the understanding of how an organization can spark change that ultimately requires multiparty collaboration to be successful.
- An understanding that current approaches within the sector will not achieve the environmental and human vitality objectives for which we strive and the willingness to go through a personal development process to establish the skills and capabilities to approach work in a transformative fashion.
- A self-starter with initiative, commitment to quality work, and good judgment, even with light-touch management.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills, and a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice that values and respects all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression/identity, religion, ability and socioeconomic circumstances.
- Ability to build trust and work collaboratively with, and for the mutual benefit of, co-workers, professionals, and neighborhood residents/leaders
- A combination of education and/or demonstrated success in development/construction, urban planning, neighborhood development, environmental/social justice/racial justice advocacy, and/or other related fields.
- Comfort in both leading and doing; the humility to roll up sleeves and get stuff done.
- Working knowledge of Google Suite, Slack, Zoom, and other common technology platforms.
Work Environment
Very strong preference will be given to candidates who can regularly access BIG’s office in Oakland. For a remote candidate to be considered, the individual must have appropriate telecommute tools to conduct work at home or at an alternative work location. When working in the office, BIG supplies necessary tools. BIG currently offers all staff the ability to work a hybrid schedule and provides a Telecommute Expense Reimbursement stipend and a laptop with all necessary software.
The successful candidate should expect:
- To spend considerable time is spent using a computer laptop.
- To maybe be asked to move objects up to 15 pounds.
- To have the ability to travel to various locations; may be required such as attending conferences or training sessions within the Bay Area or in- or out-of-state locations.
Travel
The role may require travel roughly 1-2 times per month and roughly four overnight trips per year to attend internal events (i.e., staff retreats), organizational events and partner events (i.e., conferences).
To Apply
To apply please email a resume and cover letter to jointheteam@builditgreen.org. If you require reasonable accommodation as part of the selection process please let us know via email or call (510) 590-3360. We look forward to hearing from you.
Build It Green is an equal opportunity employer, committed to centering equity and inclusion in our programs and across all aspects of our organization to make it a fair, safe, and inclusive workplace. We believe that diversity is necessary to meet our mission. Recruiting and supporting staff to create an inclusive and equitable organization that reflects the communities and places we serve is a priority. People of color, LGBTQIA+ people, women, and members of other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
Compensation and Benefits
Our office is located in the heart of downtown Oakland close to BART and AC Transit lines. Employees based in the Bay Area currently work on a hybrid remote and in-office schedule. Ideally, the candidate is based in the Bay Area, but we will also consider candidates based within the state of California.
The salary range for this position is $157,700 - $177,900. We offer a competitive wage and benefits package that includes:
- 100% employer-paid medical, dental and vision insurance for the employee
- 403(b) retirement savings plan with a 5% employer match
- Life and disability insurance
- Health savings and flexible spending accounts
- Flexible schedule
- Targeted 15 paid holidays per year
- Paid time off begins with two weeks per year for 0-2 years of service, three weeks for 2-5 years of service, and four weeks after 5 years of service
