Associate Director, Programs

Position: Associate Director, Programs

Employment Type: Full-time, Exempt

Reports To: Senior Director, Power Building

Position Notice

This is a management‑level position and is not subject to any collective bargaining agreement or union representation. Employees of Black Feminist Future work across the 501(c)(3) organization and its 501(c)(4) arm, Black Feminist Future Action Fund, to maintain alignment and cohesion of organizational strategy and objectives across both entities, as established by the Executive Director.

About Black Feminist Future

Black Feminist Future (BFF) is an initiative informed by the legacy of Black feminist organizing, grounded in the current pulse of movements, and located at the emergent need to amplify the power of ALL Black women and girls in organizing and building power for the 21st century. BFF is a movement incubator that focuses on the dynamic possibilities of galvanizing the social and political power of those who have the lived experience of being a Black woman or girl including but not limited to trans, cis, gender non conforming, non binary, LGBTQIA, and other gender marginalized people. Our vision of Black feminisms values and centers those who are most marginalized within our communities. BFF intends to amplify and build the leadership of Black feminist leaders and increase the capacity of Black feminist movement building.

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Programs (ADP) will serve as the senior director’s right hand, driving the implementation of BFF’s organizing strategy and cultivating the largest, most politicized and engaged base of Black feminist leaders. This role centers on base building, program and project development, and ensuring that initiatives integrate transformative interventions that provide material support to communities while building political power. The ADP will manage programs that activate and engage members, train Black feminist organizers and member leaders to strengthen community‑based organizing efforts. They will also lead and integrate a Black feminist analysis into programming, and our community and civic engagement.

Essential Responsibilities

The ideal candidate is an experienced organizer who can activate our transformative organizing tactics, operationalize strategic plans, and bring strong knowledge of left Black feminist politics, along with experience leveraging member engagement to build Black feminist power, all while uplifting Black feminist leadership and values.

Leadership & Team Management

• Manage and train staff by providing clear direction to staff, while building, motivating, and inspiring a strong Power Building Programs team with clear goals, objectives, expectations for total department success.
• Foster a positive and supportive culture that includes check‑ins,1:1s, formal follow‑up and touch points, team meetings, formal staff assessments and evaluations while helping to retain staff to keep them engaged.
• Provide direct feedback and opportunities for growth by helping PB Programs staff to develop their skills, strengths, and expertise, ensuring staff have regular communication, resources, knowledge, professional development, training, and political education for greater growth, alignment, and success.
• Team direction and strategizing by supporting staff to develop clear and strategic work plans, providing ongoing and regular feedback, supporting the coordination and execution of the Power Building Department and team advances, and managing team budgets, with the support of the Senior Director.
• Mediate conflicts and ensure effective communication as conflict arises within the Programs Branch of the Power Building Department, addressing issues and maintaining a positive working environment, with the support of the Senior Director.
• Evaluate program outcomes and community impact, iterating strategies to ensure continuous growth and effectiveness.

Manage Transformative Organizing Programs

• Manage the process to successfully assess and audit BFF’s current programs while making possible recommendations for phase‑outs of legacy programs and innovating new ones.
• Responsible for the successful management and evaluation of BFF’s signature programs such as the Organizing Schools–Some of Us Are Brave and Harriet’s Troop, and any forthcoming transformative programs such as: political education, technical assistance training, and research training for Hives/chapters and members.
• Manage aspects of BFF’s signature bi‑annual conference, Get Free, as assigned by the Senior Director of Power Building.
• In collaboration with the Senior Director, create strategy around base building projects and programs to support org‑wide strategy.
• Build out BFF’s national and transnational networks which include, but are not limited to managing the coordination of the Okra Collaborative, Protect, Love, and Defend, and the Constellation Programs (which currently include: Abortion Is Freedom (AIF), Channel Black, and the Black Reproductive Justice (RJ) Speakers' Bureau, AB+ Plug Training, AIF Technical Assistance).

Cross‑Department Collaboration

• Working with the Senior Director to translate program and organizing project priorities into actionable steps for organizers, members, member organizations, and Hives/chapters.
• Collaborating with the BFF Communications Department, and other branches of the Power Building Department to ensure campaign messaging is consistent across materials and public‑facing content.
• Sharing relevant data and stories with the BFF Resource Mobilization Department to document campaign impact.
• Developing systems to track member and Hive/chapter engagement and campaign goals, milestones, and achievements.

Program Development & Management

• Provide execution and facilitation of BFF’s Transformative Programs and initiatives, ensuring alignment with departmental and organizational strategy and compliance.
• Facilitate the development of BFF place‑based and virtual chapters and membership leadership, growth, and development, in collaboration with the Senior Director.
• Organize high‑impact events, actions, and blitzes, ensuring strong community and member participation.
• Evaluating and assessing the success of BFF’s AB+ Plug programming and increasing training participants.
• Develop strategy around strengthening and expanding BFF’s Membership Program, including our Member Governance Body, Member Congress, member political education, and equipping 200+ members with leadership development tools.

Base Building & Membership Engagement

• Develop and help launch place‑based and virtual chapters with leadership structures, political education, trainings, and support systems in collaboration with Senior Director.
• Develop and provide guidance to the Member Governance Body, Member Congress, and other member leadership bodies.
• Develop strategy around member development and organizing.
• Develop individual membership recruitment, retention and engagement plans that increase the understanding of BFF’s mission, values, vision, and strategic priorities in a way that creates a powerful membership experience.
• Manage the creation and execution of an annual BFF Member Congress to support strengthening the organizing work, and the decision‑making muscle and strategy of the BFF membership base.
• Support with the creation of resources and tools to proliferate and amplify the brilliance, creativity, and power of Black feminist organizations and movements.

Building Infrastructure and Accountability Structures

• Evaluating systems for tracking member engagement, chapter members, and leaders by working with the Senior Manager of Membership to develop and implement accurate and efficient systems to manage, monitor, and track information related to Hive/chapter members and leaders, and their campaign participation and engagement history.
• Developing accountability structures by developing mechanisms to ensure Hives/chapters adhere to the organization’s mission, values/Meridians, vision, and strategic priorities.
• Establishing leadership structures that develop accountability structures and systems in order to support and strengthen the base‑led initiatives and organizing formation.
• Establishing conflict resolution processes by working across the Power Building Department to co‑construct structures and processes that support conflict resolution and transformative justice.

The Associate Director is an organizer, first, who will bring discipline, expertise, leadership, and accountability to these initiatives, ensuring they align with BFF’s organizational priorities as outlined in the work plan, with an emphasis on people management, network building efforts in collaboration with aligned partners, and initiatives. As a movement organization, all staff are committed to left Black feminist base building ethos and organizing orientation.

This job description should not be considered an exhaustive or exclusive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Employees may be required to perform other job‑related instructions as requested.

You will thrive in this role if you have:

• Structural Analysis: Must possess a strong structural Black feminist analysis, have a deep understanding of the current landscape, and be a knowledgeable and embodied student of Black feminist praxis.
• Problem solving. Able to efficiently identify, determine cause, propose and implement solutions to solve problems. Able to balance the needs of different people in a solution to a problem.
• Innovation. Demonstrated ability to use ideation and creativity to approach work, remain adaptable in a constantly shifting environment, and stay focused on quality.
• Leadership. Demonstrated ability to manage and develop others, build effective teams, and direct work in a collaborative way. You must possess the ability to foster trust, and drive team performance.
• Value Alignment. Sustained interest in the issues, challenges, and opportunities that impact Black women, girls and gender‑expansive individuals.
• Decision‑Making. Must make well‑informed, grounded, and decisive next steps, even in instances where solutions produce unfavorable consequences; perceives the impact and implications of decisions for the benefit of the department.
• Communication. Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills. Must possess a strong track record as an implementer of information in a way accessible and understandable by all levels of staff.
• Strategic Thinking. Able to establish clear objectives, goals and benchmarks in alignment with BFF’s organizational strategic plan. You will be adept at designing strategy and structure, preparing a plan that identifies outcomes, and conducting analyses. You must be able to clearly articulate the department's strategy consistent with the organization's long‑term interest.
• Discipline and Humility. Seeks out and has an openness to feedback with an awareness of your own strengths, areas for growth, and personal transformation.

Required Qualifications

• Must have a minimum of 7 years experience working with community, labor, or electoral organizations where you had success in developing and winning campaigns. Similar level of experience supervising staff, with a strong track record of building teams and developing staff leadership.
• Must have well developed socio‑emotional intelligence and communication skills.
• Must display strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Commitment to racial, gender and economic justice and their intersections with a global and internationalist lens.

Benefits

Excellent benefits package including IRA with employer contributions, medical and dental coverage and professional development.

Travel

35% of travel is expected, including but not limited to BFF’s weeklong semi‑annual all‑staff advances, occurring in the spring and fall of each calendar year, one executive and two senior leadership retreats as well as attendance at departmental advances the Managing Director oversees. Intermittent travel related to BFF programming needs may also occur.

Location

Black Feminist Future is a hybrid organization, based in Atlanta, GA with staff working both remote and in office with mandatory in‑person staff and team meetings and in‑office visits during the year.

This position is located in Atlanta and expected to work in the office twice per week.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Black Feminist Future (BFF) is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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