Executive Director

Common Counsel Foundation (CCF) is looking for our next Executive Director, seeking a candidate who will help us define a new era of leadership and partnership in social justice philanthropy.

Founded in 1988, CCF works across the United States in relationship with frontline grassroots organizations, progressive donors, and social justice movements. We are seeking a dynamic, bold leader who can inspire and challenge us and the sector, who can build diverse partnerships and deep relationships, and, most importantly, who intimately understands the power of unlocking resources in support of community-led change.

We have undergone a period of dynamic change which has enabled us to expand the scale and strategic impact of our work. We need a leader who can help us expertly navigate and chart a values-aligned course through the current complex political and philanthropic environment, someone who brings new ideas and possibilities to our work and is equally at home being a champion, strategist, and institution builder.

We are looking for someone who is an organizer at heart who can build, strengthen, and grow with vision, solidarity, integrity, and purpose.

CCF’s next Executive Director will also play a critical role in securing long-term financial sustainability through organizing and democratizing the flow of resources with sector partners. This role calls for someone who can hold complexity with clarity, communicate openly with vision, and center care and collective wellbeing. This moment requires clear strategic direction and grounded, transparent leadership.

The Executive Director will hold the following key responsibilities:

• Advance CCF’s mission and movement alignment
  , serving as a key leader, advocate, and organizer for social justice philanthropy that centers community power and relationships and shifts resources towards movements.
• Model transparent, accountable, and values-aligned leadership across the organization and with partners.
• Lead organizational strategy and long-term movement alignment
  , including the development of a clear strategic plan and organizational direction; identify priorities for the organization’s next chapter; and determine what work should be strengthened, adapted, or sunsetted in alignment with strategy, capacity, and resources.
• Build and sustain an inclusive, collaborative, trust-centered organizational culture by centering transparent communication, care, and collective wellbeing. Foster an organization that draws in, retains, and inspires a diverse, professional, and experienced staff. Ensure strong supervision and team structures and create professional development opportunities. Guide the team thoughtfully through transitions, ensuring staff feel valued, informed, and supported.
• Strengthen organizational governance by partnering closely with the Board
  . Supervise and support senior leaders (CFO, Director of Housing Justice, Director of Strategic Philanthropy, Director of Philanthropic Advising) to ensure coordination, communication flow, and strong cross-functional alignment across teams.
• Lead fundraising and financial strategy with staff and Board by stewarding values-aligned donor and funder relationships
  , organizing new aligned funding and investment opportunities, and ensuring long-term organizational sustainability. Guide financial planning with the CFO to support strategic clarity, sustainability, and transparent decision-making.
• Deepen external presence, leading clear internal/external communications as a spokesperson, and deepening relationships across philanthropic and movement ecosystems. Ensure CCF’s voice reflects the organization’s evolving strategic focus and commitment to community power and movement accountability.
• Develop and expand relationships and networks with CCF’s funding partners, movement leaders, and colleagues in the philanthropic sector to leverage sectoral influence towards values-aligned change.
• Listen deeply to our movement partners and allies and lead from a space of solidarity and collective good. Ensure that movement partnerships inform organizational strategy, resource allocation, and programmatic direction in…