CAREERS

Title: Executive Director
Classification: Full Time/Exempt
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (primarily remote with some in-person meetings and community engagement weekly)
Reports to: JMP Board of Directors
Grant Status: Funded annually
Salary: Range $90,000 to $110,000

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Background
This dynamic organization grew organically out of a desire to return Community Mediation to Pittsburgh. Just Mediation Pittsburgh was founded in 2020 as a continuation of Pittsburgh’s rich history of Community Mediation; a history which includes not only being the home base for Mediator’s Beyond Borders, but also the former home to one of the first vibrant Community Mediation Centers in the country, The Pittsburgh Mediation Center. The Pittsburgh Mediation Center conducted groundbreaking work with police, victim/offender mediation, and conflict resolution training in schools. Unfortunately, funding restrictions forced the center to merge with another nonprofit, and it eventually lost its presence in the community.

The Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania began searching for an opportunity to bring Community Mediation back to Pittsburgh. This opportunity presented itself during the depths of the COVID pandemic and the eviction crisis that followed. The creators knew that mediation could help resolve landlord tenant issues more productively than the traditional legal eviction process. Working closely with stakeholders from the City of Pittsburgh, The Council created Just Mediation Pittsburgh with an initial $50,000 Community Block Development Grant. During the next two years, it worked to train over 80 diverse community mediators, engage stakeholders in the housing community, and develop organizational systems to support the growing caseload.
Four years later, Just Mediation Pittsburgh is a thriving organization, held up nationally as an example of the successful use of a mediation program to address the eviction crisis. JMP has helped over 3,000 families maintain housing stability. With the generous support from the local foundation community and government grants, it has a budget of over $2 million and an engaged staff of 14.

Just Mediation Pittsburgh was founded with the belief that mediation can be used as a tool to empower underutilized community capacity to address complex societal issues. Now that it has firmly established itself as a resource for landlord tenant disputes, it is ready to expand its reach to other areas and types of mediation and community dialogue. JMP is looking for a new Executive
Director who is poised to take JMP to the next level by maintaining the firm foundation that has been established while also launching new programs to expand the positive effects of mediation to address other issues facing the Greater Pittsburgh community.

The ideal candidate will be a leader with strong nonprofit leadership experience who has a deep understanding of the power of mediation to resolve community issues and an appreciation for joining a well-established organization.

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Job Summary
The Executive Director is responsible for

• the successful leadership and management of Just Mediation Pittsburgh according to the strategic direction set by the Board of Directors

• providing strategic thinking around fundraising sources to provide for sustainability of programs

• supervising JMP Directors to support their staff’s continued success and leverage the existing systems to take JMP to a higher level

• maintaining fidelity to the organizational mission, supporting existing programming while steering efforts for community mediation expansion

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Responsibilities

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Development and Grant Management (25%)

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• Strategically identify and secure new funding sources with an interest in community mediation and conflict resolution

• Develop and sustain relationships with grant funders to maintain existing grants and acquire new grants

• Lead individual and team-wide grant-writing activities across the organization to secure grants for JMP services

• Oversee financial planning, reporting, and auditing processes

• Coordinate the development or implementation of budgetary control systems, recordkeeping systems, or other administrative control processes

• Ensure compliance with all financial regulations and donor requirements

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Staff (25%)

 

• Supervise and support the JMP Directors and their staff

• Support talent management and staffing decisions in collaboration with the Deputy Director

• Oversee day-to-day management of the operations of JMP

• Promote staff training, development, and evaluation with the JMP Directors

• Communicate grant status updates to staff to ensure adherence to grant purposes

• Establish departmental responsibilities and coordinate functions among departments

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Executive (25%)
 

• Oversee mediation programming infrastructure to maintain fidelity to community mediation values and best practices

• Supervise development of and regularly review organizational policies, procedures, and processes in tandem with JMP Directors

• Establish, model, and maintain an organizational culture of inclusion and belonging

• Provide strong leadership and clear recommendations for decisions that move JMP toward its goals in the appropriate time frames

• Lead the development of long-term goals and objectives to achieve the organization’s mission.

• Supervise the monitoring and evaluation of program outcomes and impact, overseeing adjustments as necessary to enhance effectiveness.

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Board Relations (10%)
 

• Establish and maintain an effective working relationship with the Board of Directors

• Oversee preparation and submission of quarterly financial reports with the Board Treasurer to the Board of Directors.

• Participate in strategic planning

• Act as the liaison between the Board and JMP Staff

• Inform the Board of staff changes, donor details, successes, and areas where the staff feels help is needed

• Relay staff and mediator engagement ideas, as well as concerns that need to be considered by the Board

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Stakeholder Engagement (15%)​

 

• Serve as JMP’s public face to elected and other officials, media, business groups, community, and state organizations

• Develop and maintain referral sources in coordination with the Deputy Director and Lead Intake Specialist

• Initiate media publicity and respond to inquiries on behalf of JMP

• Develop and deliver trainings for community members, partners, and stakeholders

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Qualifications
 

• Over five years of experience in nonprofit management, alternative dispute resolution leadership, organizational leadership, or related fields preferred

• Robust mediation experience and a strong understanding of mediation principles, practices, and ethics with populations from diverse backgrounds preferred

• Proven track record of effective fundraising, financial management, and donor relations preferred

• Ability to engage with local and statewide programming networks, including community mediation centers, judicial systems, and eviction prevention partners

• Ability to lead and motivate a diverse team and create an inclusive, positive work environment, supported by compassionate accountability

• Experience with grant-writing and grant management preferred

• Demonstrable skill in coalition-building and collaborative program design to solve complex problems preferred

• Experience working with people from a wide range of backgrounds

• Experience in program development, implementation, and evaluation preferred

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Skills

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• Strong leadership and decision-making skills

• High level of integrity, transparency, and accountability

• Excellent problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills

• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and public speaking skills

• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively

• Organization of an efficient work calendar

• Effective design and delegation of workflow across the organization

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and tasks in a dynamic environment

• Proficiency with nonprofit management software, fundraising tools, and financial management systems. Experience with HubSpot and monday.com a plus

• Effective technology skills in Excel, Zoom, and Google platforms

• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion

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Requirements

 

This hybrid position requires flexible work hours, including some evenings, and transportation access to attend meetings around Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. This position primarily involves office or non-manual work, so the employee is required to sit for prolonged periods of time. This position requires the use of a personal cell phone, computer, and internet access.

 

This position is grant funded and responsible for ensuring the financial sustainability of the organization. This is an at-will employment position.

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How to Apply

Interested candidates can submit a resume, cover letter, and list of references to JMP’s Board of Directors by email to lauren@theconflictlab.com.

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