Executive Director

Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center in Oakland seeks an experienced Executive Director to lead the organization at Merritt College, guiding mission-driven programs and resilient operations.

You will steward fundraising, staff development, governance, and external partnerships, advancing Kingian nonviolence and youth empowerment through education and civic engagement. This role requires visionary leadership, financial oversight, and a commitment to equity, with a focus on sustaining impact

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in nonprofit, mission-driven, educational or community organizations.
• Proven ability to supervise and develop staff.
• Strong fundraising and funding development capabilities.
• Solid fiscal management and fiduciary responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Organizational Leadership: Lead, supervise, develop, and evaluate staff while maintaining effective systems and operations.
• Program & Curriculum Leadership: Ensure quality and integrity of educational programs and contribute to curriculum development.
• Fund Development: Lead fundraising across foundations, government, corporations, individuals, labor organizations, and tribal partners.
• Fiscal Stewardship: Provide budgeting, accounting relationships, financial controls, and fiduciary oversight.
• Board & Governance: Build a strong partnership with the Board and support effective governance.
• External Relations: Serve as ambassador and maintain relationships with officials and community partners.
• Risk & Compliance: Ensure policies, insurance, legal coordination, and nonprofit compliance.

Skills

Organizational Leadership

Staff Development

Fundraising

Financial Oversight

Governance

External Relations

Risk & Compliance

Job description

The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center is seeking a values-driven, mission-centered leader to serve as its next Executive Director.

Based at Merritt College in Oakland, the Freedom Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to advancing nonviolence, human and civil rights, civic engagement, and youth empowerment.

For more than two decades, the organization has used the teachings and philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to uplift marginalized youth and families and strengthen their capacity to create meaningful change through personal transformation and direct civic action.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic direction for the organization while ensuring the integrity and sustainability of its mission and programs.

Key responsibilities include:

• Organizational Leadership: Lead, supervise, develop, and evaluate staff while maintaining effective organizational systems and operations.


• Program & Curriculum Leadership: Ensure the quality and integrity of the Freedom Center's educational programs and contribute to the development of curriculum and learning materials.


• Fund Development: Lead fundraising efforts across foundations, government, corporations, individuals, labor organizations, and tribal partners.


• Fiscal Stewardship: Provide strong financial oversight, including budgeting, accounting relationships, financial controls, and fiduciary responsibility.


• Board & Governance: Build a strong partnership with the Board of Directors and support effective governance and Board engagement.


• External Relations: Serve as a visible ambassador for the Freedom Center and maintain relationships with elected officials and community, educational, labor, faith, and tribal partners.


• Risk & Compliance: Ensure appropriate organizational policies, insurance coverage, legal coordination, and nonprofit compliance.

These responsibilities reflect the broad executive leadership mandate outlined for the position.

What Makes This Role Distinctive

The Freedom Center is looking for more than an accomplished nonprofit executive. Its next leader must have a genuine commitment to the values underlying Kingian nonviolence and be willing to learn and apply Dr. King's Six Principles and Six Steps of nonviolence as a leadership practice.

Candidates do not need to arrive as experts in Kingian nonviolence. What matters is intellectual curiosity, humility, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to modeling these principles for the young people and communities the organization serves.

The Ideal Candidate

Strong candidates will bring:

• Demonstrated leadership experience within a nonprofit, mission-driven, educational, civic, or community-focused organization


• Experience supervising and developing staff


• Proven fundraising and fund development capability


• Strong fiscal management and organizational stewardship


• Experience working effectively with Boards and governance structures


• Strong external relationship-building and community engagement skills


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills


• The ability to work credibly across diverse communities and constituencies


• A genuine affinity for the Freedom Center's mission and a willingness to learn and practice Kingian nonviolence

The Freedom Center is particularly interested in a leader who combines strong executive management capability with authentic mission alignment.

About the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center

Founded by Oakland community organizers and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2001, the Freedom Center grew from the tradition of the West Coast's first and largest Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March & Rally. Today, its work includes youth leadership development, human and civil rights education, civic engagement, public programming, residential learning experiences, and partnerships across community, educational, governmental, and tribal organizations.