With 11 successful years in operation and a thriving community of fashion designers and industry collaborators, the Fashion Incubator San Francisco (FiSF) is looking for its next Executive Director.

FiSF helps creative professionals in the fashion industry do what they love for a living. FiSF does this by accelerating the growth of entrepreneurial designer-led businesses and industry-disruptive brands within the fashion industry. FiSF nurtures and convenes a “collective” of creative talent and resources where people in the business of fashion can collaborate, learn, share and thrive.

The Executive Director will be leading the strategy and redefining a successful non-profit business structure needed to serve this mission. It is an entrepreneurial role, for someone who is excited to (i) reimagine our core offering to creative entrepreneurs (ii) run a self-sustaining non-profit organization (iii) grow the FiSF thought leadership initiatives.

As of 2023, FiSF is transitioning to a remote operation, and the team is excited to explore new opportunities to expand its reach and value. The Executive Director will be responsible for partnering with the Board of Directors to create and execute a plan to support the three pillars of our organization:

Our Core Offering: Tailored coaching for designers and creative entrepreneurs by subject matter experts and a customized mentor-based roadmap for achieving tangible results.

· Curate and manage a team of expert mentors who are relevant to the current and changing needs of designer-led businesses and industry-disruptive brands

· Establish a model for highly personalized and results-oriented mentor/mentee interactions, which will be virtual for the most part

· Scout for designers and creative entrepreneurs that will benefit from our mentoring and roadmap programs

Strategy & Operations: A self-sustaining non-profit organization with a small staff, donor base, volunteers, sponsors and other stakeholders.

· Develop a strategic plan that includes fundraising initiatives to ensure consistent access to 12-months of operating capital; Manage and oversee the annual budget.

· Lead fundraising initiatives, including strategies to approach sponsors and donors, with consistent outreach and engagement.

· Recruit and oversee team members, including volunteers and interns, with a strong emphasis on mentorship, professional development and retention.

Industry-wide Impact: Industry relationships and content flywheel that build our thought leadership brand.

· Create content for the benefit of our broader community and FiSF, showcasing accelerated brands and designers as “case-studies” for teaching unique approaches to entrepreneurial challenges.

· Structure opportunities for the fashion professionals in our collective (ie stylists, photographers, models) to collaborate.

· Recruit speakers and content creators from a wide range of backgrounds including fashion & lifestyle brands, retail, technology, entertainment, social media

· Collaborate with other accelerator and innovation programs, investors, educational institutions and philanthropic foundations, developing a mutually supportive and inclusive community and ecosystem.

Qualifications of the Successful Candidate:

· Showcase 7 years of relevant professional experience with a minimum of 3 years management experience, specifically with non-profit management included.

· Have a proven track-record of sales and generating revenue.

· Have stellar interpersonal skills with a passionate communication style and confidence as a public speaker and presenter.

· Be the public face of the organization, continuously networking and externally promoting the mission of FiSF.

· Be trustworthy, driven by ethics, and able to analyze conflicts of interests, acting as a fiduciary of the organization.

· Experience with leading a strategic pivot and have P&L responsibility.

· Experience working with startups and entrepreneurs, ideally with consumer products.

· Have experience recruiting, inspiring, and managing long-term relationships with volunteers.

Nice to Have:

· Be a retail and fashion trend researcher, always learning about new industry developments and what consumers want.

· Experience with any of the following: web3, blockchain, Metaverse, digital IDs for products, RFID tags, phygitals, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and circularity systems.

· Experience growing virtual social communities, including leveraging social media and newsletter followings.

· Other ideal qualities are empathy, authenticity, patience, and curiosity.

FiSF is committed to an inclusive and collaborative environment for all.

FiSF welcomes the unique contributions that candidates may bring in terms of education, experience, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

This is a remote position with preference for a candidate who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. There may be occasional travel and in-person events required. It is anticipated that there will be some night and weekend work to accommodate the schedules of community members who are in a range of time zones.

It is a full-time, exempt, salaried position. Compensation with a fundraising incentive structure to be negotiated based on experience and skillset. Annual base salary range is $130,000-$150,000.

HOW TO APPLY

· Please send a resume and thoughtful cover letter to careers@fashionincubatorsf.org. (please do not apply via LinkedIn)

· Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a goal of the successful candidate starting June 19, 2023.

Fashion Incubator San Francisco (FiSF)

New Jobs

Executive Director