CeaseFirePA, Pennsylvania’s leading state-based gun violence prevention advocacy organization, is seeking a Deputy Director to support our rapidly growing work to end gun violence in Pennsylvania. Partnering closely with our Executive Director, the Deputy Director will drive organizational development by managing day-to-day programs and operations, evaluating and improving effectiveness to boost our impact, driving the strategic direction of our campaigns, and serving as a critical bridge between programmatic and operational work. 

More on CeaseFirePA and the issue:

CeaseFirePA’s goal is simple: everyone in the Commonwealth should live in safe communities where they feel and are safe. Gun violence, in any form, makes that an impossible reality, taking the lives of nearly 1,900 Pennsylvanians every year with thousands more living with the damage of a bullet wound. Shootings have broken the peace in cities from Erie to Reading to Philadelphia. And the fear of the next mass shooting at a school, grocery store or place of worship, has altered the fabric of daily life.

Over more than two decades, CeaseFirePA has expanded background checks, disarmed abusers, won $180 million for community-based violence prevention programs, and launched powerful coalitions standing against gun violence. We have become Pennsylvania’s leading organization working to end this public health crisis as we fight illegal trafficking, boost funding for safer communities, and save the next life from suicide.

The position:

The Deputy Director will work closely with the Executive Director to align resources to strategic initiatives, manage senior program staff, develop systems to ensure organizational success, and provide guidance on key initiatives to accelerate our work to end gun violence. 

Strategy Implementation

• Coordinating CeaseFirePA’s different strategies across the organization, including communications, partnerships, organizing, and policy to achieve programmatic and organizational strategy and drive goals;
• Serving as the organization’s bridge between programmatic priorities and operational implementation, ensuring the two are aligned;
• Working with the Executive Director and Leadership Team to develop and oversee a process for ensuring CeaseFirePA’s principles in day-to-day work and long-term strategy and planning;

Organizational Management

• Lead internal operational and financial systems by working with our accountants, Finance Committee, and team to ensure that internal structures and processes align with best practices in nonprofit management;
• Supporting the Executive Director in cross-organizational and Board-level planning, including driving processes forward and supporting the team in the development of plans;
• Supporting organizational, strategic, and project planning;

Team Leadership

• Providing day-to-day management of senior program staff and consultants as well as support for longer-term leadership and development and effective campaign progress;
• Developing and implementing structures and processes that facilitate organization-wide information-sharing, communication, and transparency in decision-making;
• Work closely with the organization’s leadership to continue to build a culture that is driven, fun, supportive, collaborative, trauma-informed, and committed to our values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ). 

Additional responsibilities include

• Serving as a representative and spokesperson for CeaseFirePA in meetings with strategic partners, elected officials, and/or philanthropic supporters as needed;

What we’re looking for in you:

• You have at least 8 years of experience, with a successful background in nonprofit, political, or other related leadership and management;
• Proven track record in leveraging a team to effectively implement a strategy, solving challenges as they arise, and providing support; 
• You have experience recruiting, training, managing staff, and facilitating across teams and initiatives, including programs, operations, communications, and DEIJ values; 
• You are passionate about ending gun violence by building movements to enact gun safety laws, increasing investments in community-based violence prevention programs, and enacting other public policy solutions;
• You have a commitment to and experience working with people from a variety of backgrounds, including gun violence survivors, communities of color, low-income communities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, various religious backgrounds, and more;
• You have some experience in an issue advocacy campaigning or a grassroots organizing setting;
• You are comfortable operating in a dynamic setting where changes in external factors like politics and current events can require quick pivots;
• You are adept at supporting your team to grow and thrive. You’re able to balance coaching and mentoring staff, holding a team accountable to goals, seeing how individuals and projects align, and driving forward implementation;
• You love to learn about new issues and approaches, and implement change management programs across a team;
• You are a strong writer and verbal communicator and can distill complicated information into clear, digestible content and action items;

Preferred Experience: We’d prefer a candidate with one or more of the following experiences:

• Strong preference for a significant amount of experience in public policy, advocacy or political campaigns;
• You have experience building and managing 7-figure budgets;

More about our team: CeaseFirePA is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds including staff from legislative offices, advocacy organizations, and nonprofits, as well as survivors, youth, parents, and others who care deeply about these issues. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming place for people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, parents, empty-nesters, and more.  

DETAILS: Candidates can be based in Philadelphia (preferred) or Pittsburgh. We operate in a hybrid environment with offices in both cities with staff near a local office expected to work an average of 2 days a week in the office to connect with other team members and coordinate activities. There will be some travel (2 to 3 days a month on average) with at least two work retreats a year as well.

This is a full-time position reporting to our Executive Director. 

CeaseFirePA requires its staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, based on CDC guidelines, to help protect our staff, allies, volunteers, and family members. 

SALARY & BENEFITS: Salary is $90,000-$100,000, depending on ability and experience. We have an excellent benefits package, including fully covered health care for them and one dependent, paid time off, a retirement plan with matching support, and a training stipend.

TO APPLY: Please complete our application, including your resume and letting us know how you heard about the job. The application deadline is Monday, August 5th, but please apply as soon as possible. CeaseFire PA is working with Rooted Edge Consulting to coordinate this search.

We strongly encourage all interested individuals to apply and allow us to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and abilities you demonstrate using an intentional equity lens. Research suggests that women; Indigenous, Black, Asian, Pacific Islanders, other persons of color; and individuals with differing abilities are less likely than men and white job-seekers to apply for positions unless they are confident they meet 100% of the listed qualifications. If you’re interested, we want to hear from you. 

CeaseFirePA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We value a diverse workforce. CeaseFirePA encourages women, people of color, persons with disabilities, people with records of arrest or conviction, veterans, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals to apply.