BACKGROUND

The Organization

The State Innovation Exchange (SiX) is fighting for a governance system that reimagines how elected officials, their constituents and civil society leaders build, shape and sustain shared power in service of racial, gender, social and economic justice within a multi-racial society.

The State Innovation Exchange (SiX) makes collaborative governance the norm among values-aligned state legislators in their partnership with issue advocates and grassroots leaders. Through this practice, we commit to centering the people most impacted by systemic and structural oppression to transform the conditions of power at the state level. When we do this, we will secure and sustain meaningful racial, gender, social, and economic justice outcomes that are fully realized in the lived experience of these communities.

Collaborative governance is a governing model and practice in which the people most impacted by governing decisions have real agency, through collaboration with their elected decision makers, to pursue racial, gender, social, and economic justice by shaping the rules, processes, and structures that govern their lives.

SiX has a dynamic team of 35 staff members and is currently concluding a comprehensive strategic planning process. This process has clarified the organization's mission, vision, and theory of change while laying the groundwork for future work on its program model, operating model, and financial model. This thoughtful and phased approach positions SiX to deepen its impact and advance its commitment to collaborative governance and transformative justice.

The Position

SiX seeks two leaders to serve as Co-Executive Directors, who will equitably share all responsibilities for leading and managing the organization. This unique power-sharing model reflects SiX’s values of equity and collaborative governance, requiring the Co-Executive Directors to act as equal partners across every facet of the organization’s operations, strategy, and external engagement.

As co-leaders, the Executive Directors will jointly:

1. Set organizational vision and strategy to advance SiX’s mission.
2. Oversee programmatic, operational, people, and financial management, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.
3. Foster and model a collaborative organizational culture, emphasizing shared decision-making and accountability.
4. Engage with legislators, partners, and funders, serving as co-ambassadors for the organization.

The Co-Executive Directors will work as a unified team to demonstrate SiX’s principles of equity and inclusion, representing shared power within and beyond the organization.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Shared Vision and Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of SiX’s strategic plan, ensuring alignment with its mission and values.
• Foster a vision that reflects the evolving needs of state legislators, coalition partners, and other stakeholders.
• Collaboratively identify and prioritize opportunities for organizational growth and impact, ensuring alignment in decision-making.

Co-leadership of Organizational Culture and Management

• Cultivate a workplace culture of collaboration, trust, and equity.
• Serve as visible leaders who embody SiX’s core values, setting a standard for shared accountability and respect.
• Ensure that leadership responsibilities, such as staff supervision and operational oversight, are equitably shared.
• Collaboratively oversee a staff of approximately 35 employees, including a senior leadership team, and ensure cross-departmental alignment.

Unified Financial and Operational Stewardship

• Jointly oversee the organization’s financial health, ensuring responsible stewardship of its $11M budget.
• Share responsibility for strategic fundraising, donor cultivation, and stewardship, focusing on expanding philanthropic support.
• Guide the operational scalability of the organization, implementing systems that enhance efficiency and compliance while meeting programmatic needs.

Joint Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy

• Act as co-ambassadors of SiX, sharing external responsibilities such as public speaking, media appearances, and coalition-building.
• Cultivate relationships with funders, state legislators, and movement partners, ensuring consistent messaging and unified representation.
• Represent SiX at national and state-level convenings, balancing responsibilities to maximize coverage and engagement.

Collaborative Decision-Making and Conflict Resolution

• Resolve internal and external conflicts in alignment with SiX’s values, modeling thoughtful and equitable problem-solving.
• Make joint decisions on critical organizational matters, leveraging input from staff and board members.
• Design and implement systems to balance workloads and ensure seamless collaboration across leadership roles.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate for the Co-ED position possesses the following competencies:

Strategic Vision

• Ability to translate big-picture ideas into actionable strategies that align with SiX’s mission.
• Strong understanding of state-level policy landscapes and legislative ecosystems.

Collaborative Leadership

• Proven ability to share decision-making power and navigate complex leadership dynamics.
• A deep commitment to equity, shared governance, and cultivating an inclusive workplace.

Organizational Management

• Experience leading a team within a multi-stakeholder, high-impact organization.
• Capacity to scale organizational structures and systems to meet evolving needs.

Fundraising and Financial Acumen

• Demonstrated success in fundraising and cultivating long-term donor relationships.
• Financial literacy and experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets.

Public Representation

• Skilled in public speaking and building relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience representing an organization at the national level.

Adaptability and Resilience

• Comfort navigating a rapidly changing political and social environment.
• Ability to handle ambiguity and lead through complex, evolving challenges.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of leadership experience, including senior management roles.
• Experience working in or with state legislatures, policy advocacy, or progressive coalitions.
• Expertise in fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational development.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with a co-leader or in a shared power structure.
• Commitment to SiX’s mission and values, with a track record of advancing equity and justice.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with C3 and C4 funding models.
• Experience scaling organizations from budgets of $10M to $15M or more.
• Background in legislative strategy or state-based advocacy.

Travel Requirements

Both Co-Executive Directors are expected to travel nationally, approximately 50-60% of the time, to engage with stakeholders, staff, and partners. Coordination between the Co-Executive Directors will be essential to optimize travel schedules and ensure representation at critical events.

WHO WE ARE

At SiX, we are guided by our core values:

• Adaptability and Imagination
  • We believe there are multiple ways of knowing and welcome opportunities to learn from our past, present, and future.
  • We remain open to learning, sharing, and shifting our approach, perspective, and process.
  • We embrace the necessity of change within ourselves, our communities, and our organization.
  • We have both the audacity to dream beyond what seems impossible and the boldness to pursue those possibilities with tenacity.
• Connection, Relationship, and Collaboration
  • We believe that authentic relationships and principled partnerships are the foundation for building people-centered power within systems that will lead to communities living the lives that we deserve and are fighting for.
  • We cultivate relationships, grounded in trust and respect, to work toward a common purpose and shared vision.
  • We believe that the quality of our work is just as important as the path we take to achieve it, so our passion for excellence does not outweigh accountability to our partners, communities, and each other.
  • We operate with integrity, acknowledging our mistakes and attending to the impacts.
  • We are honest, kind, and direct in instances of conflict and believe that principled tension is necessary for the advancement of our work.
• Wholeness, Consideration, and Care
  • We are whole human beings and honor the fullness of our lives and the lives of those around us.
  • We believe that all people and communities are deserving of joy, rest, safety, and respect.
  • We are flexible in how we work while respecting the space, boundaries, and care of ourselves and those around us.
  • We are responsible for our own emotions and how those emotions shape how we respond to and engage with others.
• Belonging and Difference
  • We believe in the power of our shared humanity and are committed to upholding the inherent value of people, across identities, experiences, and perspectives.
  • We acknowledge the systems that work to oppress the communities we are a part of and collaborate with and are actively working against them to build the world we want to live in.
  • We oppose all forms of racism and are committed to learning and proactively shifting how our behaviors, beliefs and policies reinforce racist ideas and actions.
• Sustainability and Perseverance
  • We prioritize the sustainability of ourselves, communities, and organization by pausing when necessary and reducing harm wherever possible.
  • We understand the value and importance of access to information and learning and operate in a stance of abundance and generosity of resources, ability, and knowledge.
  • We recognize the “long arc” of systematic change work and are deeply invested in the generational commitment and organizing necessary to realize the world we want to live in and can thrive.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary

$265,000 annually (non-negotiable)

Benefits

SiX offers competitive benefits including generous healthcare coverage options for you and your family, life insurance, a retirement match, a flexible schedule, and generous leave including August and December breaks and holiday schedules.

TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS

If you are interested in this position, please click here. All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application. Candidates may apply as individuals or pairs. If applying as a pair, please indicate so on your resume.

SiX is committed to fostering a thoughtful and values-driven process for selecting its Co-Executive Directors. Candidates applying individually will have the unique opportunity to be paired with a complementary co-leader. This process emphasizes shared values, complementary competencies, and the importance of collaboration. Our approach ensures that candidates will have meaningful opportunities to meet and engage with potential co-leaders, allowing them to explore alignment in vision, leadership style, and priorities.

As part of our commitment to equity and shared governance, SiX provides robust support to the co-leadership team, including ongoing resources, guidance, and collaboration frameworks. We believe that strong co-leadership begins with intentional pairing and thrives through continued investment in the partnership. This unique model reflects our dedication to equity and to building leadership structures that exemplify the transformative power of collaboration.

We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply even if you do not meet all of the qualifications outlined above. If you are selected to move forward for an initial screening call, we expect you to hear from us by March 2025.