Executive Director

TalentRise, An Aleron Company; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI) seeks an entrepreneurial Executive Director to provide overall leadership, strategic direction, and staff development for a mission-driven nonprofit in Buffalo. You will partner with the Board to refresh strategy and strengthen funding partnerships.

The role focuses on sustaining and growing programs, ensuring financial health, compliance, and community engagement while upholding WEDI's collaborative culture and regional impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field required; Master's preferred.
• Five+ years of leadership/management experience in nonprofit or related field.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to launch new programs and generate revenue.

Responsibilities

• Serve as WEDI's chief executive, providing vision and leadership across programs and operations.
• Lead the development and execution of a multi-year strategic plan with governance oversight.
• Oversee staff development, hiring, onboarding, and performance management.
• Drive fundraising efforts with foundations, corporate sponsors, and individuals to diversify revenue.
• Represent WEDI externally with funders, partners, and the Buffalo community.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Strategic planning

Board governance

Nonprofit operations

Team building

Stakeholder engagement

Financial oversight

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Master's degree preferred

Job description

About Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI)

Founded to expand economic opportunity on Buffalo's West Side, WEDI is a mission-driven nonprofit that helps low-income individuals and families, including immigrants, refugees, and other underrepresented residents, build sustainable incomes and futures. WEDI pursues its mission through three connected areas of work:

• Economic Development: Business training, one-on-one counseling, and microlending that help entrepreneurs launch and grow small businesses.
• Community Development: The West Side Bazaar, a small-business incubator and marketplace that has helped dozens of entrepreneurs test, refine, and graduate their businesses into the broader market.
• Education: After-school and out-of-school-time programming that helps multilingual and English-language-learning children and youth build the skills and confidence to succeed in school and beyond.

WEDI completed an $11 million capital campaign in 2023 that funded the purchase and renovation of a larger, permanent home for the West Side Bazaar, which today hosts up to 21 small businesses under one roof. The organization is financially stable, with a dedicated, engaged staff and Board of Directors.

Learn more at wedibuffalo.org.

The Opportunity

With its signature capital campaign complete and the West Side Bazaar established in its permanent home, the organization is shifting its focus from building to sustaining and strengthening what it has built. The next Executive Director will lead WEDI in developing a sustainable, diversified funding model while refreshing a strategic plan and helping the organization act on the findings of an organizational assessment now underway.

This is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial, business-minded nonprofit leader to bring operational discipline and clear accountability to a lean, collaborative organization while supporting the relational, mission-driven culture that has made WEDI effective. The right leader will be a confident, decisive decision-maker who can also guide a dedicated staff, partner authentically and respectfully across Buffalo's diverse West Side communities, and build the kind of visible, trusted relationships that sustain funding, partnerships, and community goodwill over the long term.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is responsible for the overall leadership, management, and success of WEDI. The Executive Director partners with the Board on strategic direction and governance, leads and develops WEDI's staff, oversees the organization's financial health and fundraising, and serves as WEDI's primary external representative with funders, partners, and the community.

Functions & Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as WEDI's chief executive, providing overall vision, strategic direction, and leadership across all programs and operations.
• Build and sustain an organizational culture of accountability, transparency, and high performance.
• Ensure the organization's mission, strategy, and day-to-day operations remain aligned as WEDI grows.

Board Engagement

• Engage the Board in the development and execution of a multi-year strategic plan with the inclusion of priorities identified through an organizational assessment currently underway.
• Support Board development, recruitment, and committee structure to build and sustain an engaged, effective Board.
• Provide the Board with clear, timely reporting and data to support informed governance and fiduciary decision-making.

Human Resources and Management

• Reaffirm and evolve WEDI's values and culture as the organization grows.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the staff, including Program Directors and direct reports — overseeing hiring, onboarding, training, performance evaluation, and professional development, with attention to retention.
• Clarify roles, structure, and accountability across the organization while preserving a collaborative culture.

Legal and Compliance

• Work with legal counsel to maintain WEDI's legal standing and the enforceability of its lending operations.
• Systematically audit grant-dependent programming to ensure compliance with regulatory bodies, including funders.
• Review, update, and propose policies and procedures as WEDI's programs and risk profile evolve, and maintain appropriate, affordable insurance coverage for the organization, directors, and staff.

Operations

• Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery across WEDI's economic development, incubator, and education programs.
• Drive an annual planning process with established quarterly priorities and metrics.
• Implement and manage the organization's internal projects, including ensuring that program improvement projects are completed on time, on budget, and within scope.
• Negotiate contracts with vendors to ensure affordability and successful implementation.
• Manage technology improvements and acquisition, ensuring IT systems, networks, and technical services are secure, integrated, and aligned with current and projected needs.
• Oversee facilities to ensure efficient utilization of space and consistent operation as the organization grows.
• Maintain appropriate, affordable insurance for the business, directors, and staff.

Fiscal Controls and Fundraising

• Oversee grant proposals and fundraising activities, including foundation, corporate, and individual giving, to ensure programs are well-funded and revenue is diversified.
• Working with the Finance Committee chair and finance staff, ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local laws, including timely filings and reporting.
• Oversee and direct preparation of all functional budgets, with attention to sustainable, proactive budgeting practices that meet budget projections.

External Relations & Community Engagement

• Serve as WEDI's primary external representative with funders, government partners, media, and the community.
• Build and sustain relationships with donors, grant officers, and community partners that support WEDI's funding base.
• Represent WEDI's interests as workforce development, small-business, and economic development policy and funding priorities evolve.

Qualifications

The Executive Director will have the following experience and attributes:

• A minimum of a bachelor's degree in a relevant field; Master's degree preferred.
• At least five years of experience in leadership, management, operations, or a related field.
• Experience in nonprofit and business operations.
• An entrepreneurial and growth mindset with prior experience conceiving and implementing new programs within existing organizations, identifying new opportunities to generate revenue.
• Team builder who partners with the leadership team to develop and implement a strategic vision of growth for the agency.
• Demonstrated success with fundraising or business development, including from foundations, corporate sponsors, and individuals. Ability to engage, steward, and cultivate donors at all levels.
• Use of a collaborative and facilitative approach and the flexibility to work with a broad range of cultures, personalities, and work styles.
• Commitment to community development, helping low-income communities, and a strong work ethic.

Work Environment & Expectations

This is an in-person leadership role based in Buffalo, NY, with occasional evening and weekend commitments for board, funder, and community events.

Compensation and Benefits

A salary range of $110,000-120,000 plus a comprehensive benefits package is offered.