Berkeley Student Housing Cooperative

Executive Director

Based in Berkeley, CA

 

The Berkeley Student Cooperative (BSC) is a 501c3 nonprofit housing cooperative. The BSC provides affordable housing and board to students at UC Berkeley and other Bay Area colleges and universities thereby providing an educational opportunity for students who might not otherwise be able to afford higher education.

Presently the BSC has over 1300 student members living in or eating at our seventeen houses and three apartment cooperatives around the UC Berkeley campus. Each house is democratically run, and we all contribute our labor to help keep our housing costs affordable.

Founded in 1933, the BSC is the largest student housing cooperative in the United States.

For additional information about BSC please visit our webpage: https://bsc.coop/

The Position
The Executive Director reports directly to the Board of Directors, and is responsible for ensuring that the Board oversees the long-range strategic, annual, and financial plans of the organization. They promote effective external relations and continuing relationships with the BSC's alumni. They oversee staff, and assist them in their efforts to educate members to be effective participants in the BSC's governance. They are responsible for ensuring that the BSC fulfills its mission of providing quality, low-cost cooperative housing to students. They provide leadership to the membership, the staff, and the Board of Directors, in order to ensure that all departments and programs of the BSC operate in a cost-effective manner consistent with cooperative principles of democratic, participatory decision-making.

Specific Responsibilities

1. Ensures the development of strategic and long-range planning, and works with the BSC's student—run Board of Directors and the Board's executive officers to:
   • Implement these policies and plans
   • Engage the membership in BSC’s democratic decision-making process
   • Supports leadership development opportunities for co-op members
2. Supervises the BSC Management Team and other direct reports including working with the HR department to ensure all BSC employees are hired, supervised, disciplined, or terminated in accordance with the Employee Association Contract and Employee Handbook.
3. Ensures the organization’s compliance with employment and labor laws and best practices in the workplace.
4. Oversees long range fiscal planning in order to ensure the continuity and solvency of the organization.
5. Oversees long range physical and capital asset planning.
6. Oversees Development and external Communications.
7. Acts as the primary public and community relations contact for the BSC and works with outside agencies including banks, universities, lawyers, insurance companies, and government officials to fulfill this role.
8. Reports regularly to The Board and its committees, provides continuity and institutional memory, and makes recommendations on policies and procedures.

Personal Attributes

1. Excellent management/Supervisory skills
2. Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
3. Ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment and focus in times of crisis
4. Acquired fluency with BSC policy and practices
5. Ability to delegate to and motivate direct reports
6. Desire and ability to work in a student-run, democratic, cooperative process
7. Willingness to attend regular and lengthy evening meetings
8. Good sense of humor

Required Qualifications and Experience

1. Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible management and executive experience or a combination of an undergraduate degree in related field and 4 years of progressively responsible management experience
2. Minimum of 5 years of experience in project management, preferably in affordable housing and/or property management roles
3. Experience working with a non-profit Board of Directors
4. Experience managing mid to senior level professional staff.
5. Working knowledge of:
   • Business, finance, and budgeting
   • Personnel and labor law
   • Project management and contracting processes
   • Asset management

Preferred Experience

1. Director level experience (strongly recommended)
2. Previous experience living or working in a democratic, member controlled, and/or cooperative environment
3. Extensive Human Resources and/or Organizational Development background
4. Experience with emergency response and/or setting up emergency response plans
5. Proficiency in some or all of the following computer systems:
   • RMS Mercury
   • AccuFund
   • AssetCalc
   • GoogleSuite
6. Experience working with the BSC’s target demographic groups, including but not limited to:
   • Low-income students
   • Students of color
   • Disabled students
   • Queer and trans students
   • Previously incarcerated individuals

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• For this role, the BSC offers $145,000 – $165,000 + annual base salary based on experience plus a robust benefits package that includes medical and dental covered by BSC at 100%, a 403 (b) retirement plan with employer contribution, and a generous paid time off program including 14 paid holidays, 17 paid days off to start, and 12 sick days, long and short-term disability, a commute benefit option, cost of living increases, and annual raises and bonuses based on performance.
• Housing Incentive: BSC is prepared to offer the selected candidate an optional two-bedroom apartment in the co-op rent-free for the first year of employment at BSC.

TO APPLY
To be considered for this position, you must submit the following: your résumé, a cover letter summarizing your qualifications (required), and a list of three professional references to our Career Center.

Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

THE BSC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The BSC encourages applications from those formerly incarcerated, people of color, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, and women.