Executive Director

OCCORD is looking for an innovative and compassionate leader who can effectively use all of our power‑building strategies to drive change at the city and county levels. The ideal candidate should have a demonstrated commitment to advancing racial, economic, and gender justice with an intersectional approach. They should also be committed to identifying and addressing biases and believe in the importance of involving community members in decision‑making.

The next executive leader of OCCORD must have at least 8 years of experience in social, racial, or economic justice issues and a proven track record of building and maintaining strategic relationships with coalition partners, allies, and funders. They should also have experience in leading and winning organizing or policy campaigns, working with the grassroots community, developing community leaders, and managing nonprofit organizations.

The OCCORD board is considering transitioning to a co‑directorship to better support the sustainability and well‑being of executive leadership and to align with the organization’s values for gender and economic justice. They are seeking an executive director who shares an interest in a co‑directorship and will collaborate with the Board to explore models and options for implementing a co‑directorship model of executive leadership within the next 2‑3 years.

After a period of rebuilding, OCCORD is now in a position of strength, with healthy reserves, a dynamic staff, and the potential to lead collaborative governance reform campaigns in Anaheim and beyond. The next executive director will inherit an organization well‑positioned for success.

The executive director serves as the chief executive officer of OCCORD. The executive director reports directly to the Board of Directors and is principally responsible for ensuring the overall success and effectiveness of the organization, including the implementation of the organization’s policies, programs, and financial and staff management.

Ideal Qualities and

Experience:

• Knows Orange County’s landscape & politics
• Has experience organizing campaigns at different levels: local, regional, national
• Knowledgeable about local community issues impacting residents of Orange County: housing, gentrification, immigration, etc.
• Bilingual in Spanish or other languages is a plus

Responsibilities:

• Build the organization’s capacity to achieve its goals, including the strategic capacity needed to build power and move policy change
• Oversee and connect each of the power‑building strategies of OCCORD (citizenship, neighborhood unions, communications, electoral work) into a cohesive plan that advances strategic goals
• Ensure the organization’s campaigns and programs have proper planning, staffing, oversight, and strategy
• Connect OCCORD’s organizational strategy into a regional power‑building strategy alongside partners and develop OCCORD’s unique niche within the Orange County ecosystem

Ideal Qualities and

Experience:

• Understands the root causes of current community conditions, including historic policies, narratives, and systemic racism
• Able to lead a power analysis to understand competing interests and potential levers for change
• Experience as an architect of organizing and policy campaigns minimally at the neighborhood and city levels, ideally at the county and state levels
• Ability to navigate C3 and C4 structures in connections with OCCORD’s affiliated C4

Responsibilities:

• Identify strategic openings and opportunities for policy campaigns in Anaheim and Santa Ana
• Oversee the identification of innovative models for policy change that can be duplicated or adapted to Orange County communities
• Oversee the development of advocacy strategy, position statements, and talking points
• Represent OCCORD’s positions alongside community leaders when needed

Ideal Qualities and

Experience:

• Experience with researching or crafting community‑based, innovative policies, especially in governance and housing
• Strong relationship with other local organizations and policy efforts in Orange County
• Understands how to analyze and utilize research…