About New York Road Runners
New York Road Runners (NYRR) was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate runners vowed to bring running to the people and has grown from a local running club into the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire through running, aiming to empower people of all ages and abilities to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.
NYRR’s year-round offerings of races, community events, programs, and training resources provide hundreds of thousands of people with the motivation, know-how, and opportunities to start running and keep running for life. NYRR’s premier event, the famed TCS New York City Marathon, attracts the world’s top professional runners and committed amateurs alike, while also raising millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for New York City. NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow, passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire children in underserved communities in New York City, nationwide, and around the world.
Headquartered in New York City, NYRR is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information on NYRR, please visit its website.
About The Department
The primary purpose of the Community Engagement department is to increase awareness of, and participation in, NYRR and its programs, including community and youth programs, across New York City. The Community Engagement department will increase visibility of NYRR with critical community organizations and leaders, including community boards and local elected officials. This division will grow partnerships and expand NYRR’s footprint across New York City. This department will work closely with the youth, community, and development teams and will work across teams with the events and partnerships teams.
The Opportunity
This position is responsible for NYRR’s community relations and engagement. The successful candidate will help forge new relationships to build NYRR’s visibility and impact. This role will design and implement a comprehensive community outreach and engagement plan for developing key external relationships with key stakeholders, such as local elected officials, community boards, community leaders, and non-profit organizations. This role will forge critical internal relationships with the following teams: development, events, business partnerships, and marketing & communications in order to obtain the necessary information and support needed to grow NYRR’s presence across all five boroughs. This position will represent NYRR at community meetings and events, as needed.
The Head of Community Engagement will expand and diversify NYRR’s base of non-profit and community partners. As such, this role will build out a team to support the outreach and engagement efforts across the city, expanding its community reach.
The Head of Community Engagement’s responsibilities include:
- Lead the community engagement effort for NYRR in all facets of the organization’s work through internal programming and external relationships.
- Planning, developing and implementing NYRR’s long-term community engagement strategies to deepen engagement within neighborhoods, and opportunities for further participation with NYRR and its programs.
- Cultivate and grow partnerships with local government and community leaders, including elected officials, community boards, chambers of commerce and community-based organizations.
- Communicate closely with all community impact staff to further mission and serve as a connective thread between all departments to help them achieve their goals and fulfill long-term impact goals.
- Work closely with the youth, community, and development teams to support outreach efforts.
- Support volunteer recruitment and cultivation to support community engagement programs.
- Develop and implement strategies to engage the community in existing and new programs, including developing a system to document engagement.
- Work as a team with marketing and communications to increase awareness and engagement of programs.
- Work closely with events team to support adult and youth race awareness and engagement within communities.
- Develop, track, and manage partnerships with a broad base of mission aligned organizations across the five boroughs.
- Plan and implement community events in accordance with NYRR’s mission and vision
- Identify opportunities for parent-led and community-based initiatives for NYRR and manage implementation.
- Support the organization in other community engagement matters as identified and assigned.
- Serve as Ambassador for NYRR and helping to share information about all of its programs and initiatives while speaking to the mission of the organization.
Supervisory Duties and Responsibilities
- Effectively manage employee performance through communication of expectations and standards.
- Prepare performance appraisals. Work with next level management (directors or department head as applicable) when employee performance does not meet standards.
- Provide effective feedback and coaching to employees, including potential areas of improvement.
- Encourage an environment of transparency, support, development, and growth.
- Promote team culture that coincides with NYRR mission and core values.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
- 7-10-plus years of professional experience in a nonprofit organization; demonstrated success in a community engagement function (managing and forging relationships with communities).
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and oral; ability to influence and engage a wide range of stakeholders and build long-term relationships.
- Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, community-centered and innovative approach to organizing and community engagement.
- Tangible experience of having expanded and cultivated community relationships over time.
- A results-oriented nature and the ability to work well with people at all levels of an organization, developing relationships with diverse constituencies while simultaneously employing keen judgment.
- A passion for being a part of the NYRR community, health and wellness along with a commitment to the mission, programs, and future aspirations of the organization.
- Flexible and adaptable style; a leader who can positively impact both strategic and tactical community engagement initiatives.
- A professional and resourceful style; the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative, and to manage multiple tasks and projects at a time.
Other Requirements:
All staff are required to work the NYC Half Marathon, Brooklyn Half Marathon, and the TCS NYC Marathon.
Compensation & Benefits
The Head of Community Engagement role is a full-time position with a salary of $105,000 annually, commensurate with experience. NYRR offers a comprehensive benefits package.
Contact
Trisha Sutrisno and Shelby Woods of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in this role please submit your materials here or email tsutrisno@koyapartners.com and swoods@koyapartners.com directly. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
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NYRR is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
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 NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
About Koya Partners
Koya Partners, a part of the 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.