Role Description
The Managing Director will ensure that the organization operates to meet its mission and vision, within the long-term strategy and sustainability goals of the owner council. This is a new role for JLA so we’re looking for someone who has equal parts knowledge of running a company and interacting with a small, dedicated team of employees to handle organizational changes. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of four years of experience in a senior management or director-level leadership role.
Every day is different at JLA (and that is part of the fun). As the Managing Director, you can expect to help the client-facing team as we engage with communities about the projects that affect their lives, as well as supporting our internal team to smoothly run the company’s finances, marketing, and creative services teams.
Your daily work activities and responsibilities will include:
- Maintaining and enhancing client value and reputation for the firm, with the help of senior leadership and the client-facing team. This will include managing the operational leadership team, responding to escalations from key clients, effectively engaging with owners and maintaining transparent communication.
- Monitoring and strengthening the company’s financial health, with the support of our financial team. This will include reviewing and mitigating contract risks, developing external contractor (SME) standards, and signing contracts for clients outside of the contract risk standards. Additional responsibilities include overseeing financial performance, budgeting, and resource allocation, as well as assessing and managing financial and operational risks effectively.
- Developing effective team and organizational structures to ensure that our company values are realized in practice. This will include supporting a new practice lead structure by working with the leadership team to strengthen best practices, allocating marketing resources and budget allocation within a negotiated yearly budget, supporting budget creation and tracking, and holding teams accountable for achieving plan targets. Additional responsibilities will be to attract, retain and develop top talent to support organizational goals, as well as developing and implementing succession plans for key leadership roles
- Serving as a source of centralized communications to help keep the team connected and aware of operations and organizational development. This will be crucial to the daily success of the team, as well as supporting the long-term health of the firm. This will include leading team meetings, all-staff communications, and tracking the firm’s progress or staff initiatives. This will be strongly tied to enhancing a supportive team culture. Responsibilities will include checking in regularly on team morale and working to support the team through changes or issues. JLA strives to be a supportive and healthy place for people to do good work, so the Managing Director will embody this in their daily activities.
- Supporting future goals through efficient and effective business operations. This will include developing short- and long-range plans with appropriate measurement of progress, developing and monitoring KPIs to measure organizational performance, creating and communicating a compelling vision for the organization's future, developing and implementing strategies that align with the company's mission and objectives.
- Demonstrating strong and compassionate leadership by caring deeply for customer value and experience, nurturing a firm culture that is effective for the company and its people, and leading and inspiring a high-performing team. This means managing a diverse workforce and embracing and leveraging technology to improve business processes and operations. Additional responsibilities include making strategic decisions in a timely and decisive manner and consistent with decision framework, as well as addressing complex challenges and finding innovative solutions.
- Shaping office operations that support our hybrid team. We moved into a new office one year ago and are still working toward more efficient use of our systems, communications, and office operations. Responsibilities will include a review of current systems, suggestions for streamlining and enhancing the efficiency of the system, as well as potentially hiring for staff support.
- Guiding the organization through periods of change and growth, which will include adapting to evolving market conditions and industry disruptions, effectively managing crises and guiding the organization through challenging situations.
Key Experience
Studies show that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they can meet every experience or skill listed in the job description. However, we know that each new JLA staffer brings unique skills (some that we haven’t considered) to our collaborative team. We encourage you to apply, even if you don’t feel like you have all of the listed skills! If we sound like a good fit, we’re interested to hear what you can bring to the role.
Required
- Strong executive leadership skills and entrepreneurial spirit, with at least 4 years of experience in a senior management or director-level leadership role.
- A proven track record in financial and strategic planning, experience with business operations, facilities management, and a passion for serving the community.
- High emotional intelligence and ability to create an environment of trust and confidence in others. Passion for the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as JLA’s mission.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, the ability to lead and develop staff, and comfort with contemporary HR policies and practices.
- High ethical standards and adherence to the company values, which includes acting respectfully and inclusively, continuously learning and improving yourself, as well as ensuring that the company is complying with applicable laws, and regulations.
- Proficient in Teams, Zoom and Microsoft Office Suite, including Word and Excel.
Desired
- Previous experience working for a consulting firm or non-profit where a fast-paced environment and self-directed mindset is common.
- Education, training, or volunteer experience related to working with people, which could include facilitation, de-escalation, mediation, communications, or similar topics.
Compensation and Working Conditions
This is a full-time exempt position. You will typically work long periods at a desk but also have the expectation of giving presentations to small and large groups. Employees may work under the stress of contact from clients, community members, co-workers and business partners, and the pressure to meet deadlines. It will occasionally be required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds; accommodation can be provided.
This position will be hybrid with about half time in the office to ensure a thorough understanding of the office and functions today and an informed ability to make operational changes. This position is expected to quickly get to know all of our team, approximately 25 staff.
Salary: $100,000-$160,000/year at 40 hours per week depending on experience
Benefits: JLA Public Involvement pays 90% of medical insurance premiums for employees and 50% for dependents for regular, full-time employees (working 30 or more hours per week). Dental insurance and paid sick time are also provided for full-time staff. We provide ten vacation days in your first year, with an additional day for each year worked, plus nine paid holidays. A 3% retirement plan match, with access to a financial advisor through an EAP (employee assistance program). Opportunities for professional development and paid training, including tuition reimbursement for relevant programs, internal trainings, and attending relevant courses/trainings to support your career development. We also offer employees access to a flexible spending account (cafeteria plan).
How to Apply
To apply for this position, please submit your one-page resume and one-page cover letter that describes your experience working with small teams to review and improve system improvement processes.
We love learning about people — so let’s start a conversation! If you have questions about this job description, please reach out to Brandy Steffen, Talent Officer at Brandy.Steffen@jla.us.com subject heading “Managing Director Application Questions.”
About JLA
Founded in 1988, JLA Public Involvement is a leading public involvement consulting firm in the Pacific Northwest. We help people communicate with and influence local, regional, and state government and non-profit projects that affect their everyday lives. We’re not advocates for an outcome, but rather champions for a fair and equitable process that empowers, educates, and involves the community in ways that help our clients meet their goals of serving the public good. We are “public process specialists,” dedicated to building constructive two-way communication between government agencies and the communities affected by their planning and decision-making efforts.
We communicate complex information to the public about a range of projects from transportation to wastewater treatment to parks development. We use a wide variety of engagement tools and tactics including video, websites, postcards, in-person interviews, going door-to-door to local businesses, public meetings, virtual meetings, surveys, and more.
Our mission is to create collaborative, meaningful and exceptionally effective public processes that lead to better, more inclusive outcomes.
We are a small, women-owned firm in Portland, but we work across Oregon and SW Washington. Here’s what it’s like to work with us:
- There’s always something new. We work for a variety of public clients, topic areas, and project types (construction, design, planning, policy), so there is always something new to learn.
- We believe in what we do. Our work helps create a better life for people living and working in the Pacific Northwest by supporting transportation, water, wastewater, park, and other beneficial projects.
- We want new ideas. We value and encourage collaboration and creative problem solving. We want to ask questions, to grow, and help provide new and better solutions to how we engage and communicate with communities.
- We want you to grow. You will have opportunities for continued education, training, promotion, and personal growth.
- We’re flexible. We support home/off-hours and are a family-friendly company. We take care of one another with clear communication, honesty, integrity, and a passion for pitching in for the team.
- We have some pretty fast paced days. JLA teammates work together to assess project needs and implement projects. This can mean quick decisions or changes to provide quality products and hold events for our clients and the community.
A FOCUS ON EQUITY
Engaging diverse communities in a meaningful way is the most pressing issue facing our profession. We are committed to continually learning, listening and improving practices to create effective, community-centered strategies. Our team engages in conversation and personal reflection around identity, bias, racism and equity, and what they mean to our team and our work.
COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY
Environmentally sustainable practices are at the core of our operations and our work for clients. We think of ourselves as part of an environmentally sustainable supply chain with our clients, partners and suppliers. JLA began certifying our sustainability practices with the City of Portland in 2008 (RecycleWorks) and has held Gold-level certification from the Sustainability at Work Program by the Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability.