Status: Full-time, salaried position

Location: US-based preferred (US work authorization required)

Compensation: $100,000/year plus benefits [currently: a monthly credit to cover the health plan of your choice]

Deadline: May 23, 2022 at 3pmET

Ideal Start Date: Earliest possible ****

Who We Are

Zebras Unite (ZU) is a global movement of founders and investors coming together to create the culture, capital, and community for a more just and inclusive economy. We serve this mission through a hybrid organization that includes our nonprofit, ZebrasUnite.org, to advance our educational mission, and our member-owned co-operative, Zebras Unite Co-Op, to scale products and services that support our members and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

As the nonprofit arm of ZU, ZebrasUnite.org focuses on initiatives for the public good, including research, educational programming, communications and events, and groundbreaking initiatives like the Inclusive Capital Collective (ICC). Our unique organizational structure means that team members for the .org work closely with team members of Zebras Unite Co-Op, which anchors ZU’s global growth activities, including consulting, chapters, capital, and membership.

What We Look For in All Team Members

We are a young, international, and distributed start-up striving to implement and institutionalize values that upend business-as-usual, all the way from our big dreams to our daily interactions. We operate on a **sociocratic** model of governance, which is highly collaborative, iterative, and unlike traditional organizational hierarchies. To help us all flourish together, we look for people who:

• Align with our values of truthfulness, mutualism, fierceness, and emergence
• Listen attentively and communicate thoughtfully
• Collaborate with a true spirit of reciprocity by sharing their own gifts and celebrating others’, asking for and offering help, and remaining flexible when work is both mundane and sublime
• Strive to be curious about others and practice emotional intelligence
• Understand that work and cultural change happen at multiple scales, from one-on-one interactions to systems change
• Demonstrate a commitment to upending oppressive systems, norms, and practices we all carry with patience and generosity to oneself and others

We want our team to reflect the wide diversity of lived, learned, and labored experiences that exist across race, nationality, gender identity and expression, religion, class, sexuality, and ability. We encourage and welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds to build the new economy together.

What You’ll Do

ZebrasUnite.org is looking for a General Manager to steward the strategic and operational development of the nonprofit arm of ZU.

As a sociocratic organization, we operate in Circles, which are defined by the domains of work they steward. Each Circle has a Lead, and those people represent the interests and work of their Circle as participants in the governing body of Zebras Unite, called the General Circle. ZebrasUnite.org is its own Circle, and as General Manager, you will also be the Circle Lead.

Purpose

To ensure the success of ZebrasUnite.org’s charitable mission by developing operational policies and procedures, overseeing grants management, building a strong and aligned strategic relationship with Zebras Unite Co-Op, and stewarding the financial health of the organization. This position reports to ZebraUnite.org’s Board of Directors.

Responsibilities

The General Manager will have four primary domains of work, outlined below. The first three domains pertain to the success of ZebrasUnite.org, and the fourth reflects the responsibilities unique to Zebras Unite’s hybrid, sociocratic structure.

1. Board Governance
   • Responsible for leading ZebrasUnite.org in a manner that supports and guides the organization, ensuring alignment with the organization’s charitable mission
   • Serve the operational arm of the Board of Directors of ZebrasUnite.org and provide timely and accurate information necessary for them to function properly and make informed decisions, including:
     • Grant inflows and outflows
     • Key organizational activities and operations
     • Areas of concern
     • Any other aspects of grants management
   • Serve as the liaison between the Board of Directors and Zebras Unite Co-Op
2. Financial Performance and Viability
   • In partnership with ZU’s accountant and finance team, develop and submit annual budget proposals to the Board of Directors that reflect the strategic goals and financial realities of the organization
   • Support ZU’s accountant and finance team in developing and submitting monthly financial statements to the Board of Directors that reflect the financial health of the organization, including any areas of concern such as financing gaps, diversion from budgets, or other unexpected changes
   • Steward the fiscal integrity of ZebrasUnite.org by ensuring operations align with the approved budget, maximize resources, and maintain the organization in a positive financial position
   • On an as-needed basis and as time allows, support fundraising and other strategic revenue generation activities to support ZU’s educational mission
   • Monitor and oversee all aspects of the grant management process, including:
     • Managing financial and tax oversight, including ensuring compliance with all U.S. federal and state regulations regarding fiscal management of grant funds
     • Maintaining contracts
     • Tracking and managing project progress and deliverables
     • Maintaining relationships with donors
     • Hiring consultants
     • Closing out grants
     • Pursuing and managing strategically aligned fiscal sponsorship opportunities
3. Nonprofit Mission, Strategy, and Operations
   • In partnership with the Board of Directors and Zebras Unite staff across its hybrid structure, ensure the fulfillment of ZebrasUnite.org’s mission by:
     • Leading ZebrasUnite.org in developing and implementing a strategic planning process
     • Ensuring that ZebrasUnite.org’s initiatives, such as the ICC, are appropriately resourced, on target for deliverables, and meeting the needs of the organization and the funders
   • In line with the budget and strategic plan, identify the need for, then hire and retain, competent, qualified staff, contractors, and volunteers as needed to fulfill ZebrasUnite.org’s mission, in partnership with the Board of Directors and People Operations Lead at Zebras Unite Co-Op
   • Design and implement workflows and standard operating procedures for ZebrasUnite.org, in partnership with the Operations Circle Lead for Zebras Unite Co-Op
   • Sign all notes, agreements, and other instruments made and entered into and on behalf of ZebrasUnite.org in accordance with the organization’s established policies and procedures
   • Develop and administer effective operational policies and procedures for grants management, including:
     • Establishing and implementing a document-and-information tracking system that shows progress against financials, deliverables, and reporting for ZebrasUnite.org overall, as well as for the ICC and any other programs and initiatives of the nonprofit
     • Maintaining copies of critical documents, such as grant details, contracts, and progress reports
     • Submitting timely and accurate progress reports to ZebrasUnite.org and grantors, as required by terms of grant agreements
4. Circle Lead and Executive Governance
   • Oversee the workstreams, projects, objectives, metrics, and budget related to ZebrasUnite.org’s activities
   • Participate in weekly team meetings to represent the Circle and its activities to the broader executive team
   • Liaise with any stakeholders (e.g., members, contractors) who participate in the delivery of Circle activities, including member-led Circles
   • Participate in weekly meetings to fulfill the executive functions of the organization, including financial planning and management, tracking Community Growth and Outreach activities to overarching OKRs, and stewarding ZU’s mission
   • Participate in internal training programs and opportunities for Circle Leads and/or ZU personnel as a whole
   • Work in partnership with other Circles to meet ZU’s organizational objectives and key results

Decision Rights

• You will take the lead in setting the strategic priorities and objectives for the nonprofit in close collaboration with the Board of Directors, to whom this position reports. You will also represent the interests of ZebrasUnite.org in the General Circle (aka the executive team) of the hybrid organization as the Circle Lead.

Who You Are

While we know that no one individual is likely to meet all of these qualifications, we look forward to applications from people who bring a strong combination of some of these skills and are eager to expand and grow their skillset:

• You have 7+ years of experience working in an operational capacity for a nonprofit or hybrid organization, including developing policies and procedures across grant and program life cycles
• You are adept at strategic thinking and planning at a high level, and can envision and convey the organization’s strategic future to the Board, staff, volunteers, and donors
• You are a skilled communicator who can convey the organization’s mission and unique structure to a wide range of stakeholders, including the Board, donors, and ZU staff
• You have proven experience overseeing the financial aspects of the grant management process, including analysis, tracking, impact measurement, and reporting
• You wield a thorough knowledge of U.S. federal and state regulations regarding fiscal management of grant funds, as well as a deep understanding of business and industry practices
• You can manage and oversee projects to ensure they are on track with timelines and deliverables, particularly in the absence of a manager
• You can collaborate and delegate effectively in service of a project or goal
• You are comfortable working with ZebrasUnite.org’s legal team to ensure all aspects of 501c(3) compliance are being met, including annual tax and other reporting requirements
• You have an entrepreneurial spirit and are highly motivated to succeed in collaboration with others
• You take ownership over your work and are able to develop and execute a plan or strategy in collaboration with others
• You are flexible and responsive when processes are new or emergent, or when things don’t go according to plan
• You are willing to hold yourself accountable, ask for help when you need it, and maintain a high level of integrity
• You have practical or lived experience in one or more of the following: BIPOC-owned startups, cooperative initiatives, entrepreneurship and business development, catalyzing new programs, shared power governance models, participatory design, mutual aid or solidarity efforts
• You have a passion and enthusiasm for shared power, cooperative governance, and economic democracy
• You have experience and are comfortable working across time zones
• You have experience or are willing to learn how to use Asana, Slack, Crowdcast, Mighty Networks, Google Drive, Zoom, Airtable, Quickbooks, Squarespace, and Notion

Who You’ll Work With

We’re a small, remote and tightly-knit team across several time zones. This role will involve working with the following people:

• Chair of the ZebrasUnite.org Board and the broader group of Board Directors
• Co-Founder and CFO, Zebras Unite Co-Op (Astrid Scholz)
• Community Manager and Circle Lead, Inclusive Capital Collective (Najaah Yasmine Daniels)
• Co-Founder and Managing Director, Zebras Unite Co-Op (Mara Zepeda)
• Co-Leads of Operations Circle, Zebras Unite Co-Op (Sheeza Shah and Madelynn Martiniere)

To apply

Submit your application here.

<aside> 📌 Given the emergent nature of this opportunity, we plan to revisit this scope of work after an initial 3-month working period.

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