Senior Vice President- Community Solutions
One Economy Corporation

 One Economy Corporation, the worldwide leader in bringing broadband and educational online content to low- income people, seeks a new dynamic Senior Vice President for their staff of 61 dedicated social entrepreneurs and professionals. Based in Washington D.C., this Senior Vice President, a hardworking strategic thinker with passion, drive, and creativity, will manage a $7.8 million budget and work in a dynamic team environment impacting and empowering the lives of thousands of people in need through the power of technology.

Overview

One Economy Corporation (OEC) is a multinational nonprofit organization that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people, giving them valuable tools for building better lives. One Economy’s mission is to maximize the potential of technology to help low-income people improve their lives and enter the economic mainstream.

One Economy Corporation brings broadband Internet into the homes of low-income people, works with partners to make computers affordable, trains people to use them effectively and provides socially responsible media properties that offer a wealth of information on jobs, education, health care and other vital issues. OEC has youth and on-the-ground programs in several cities in the United States, as well as South Africa and Jordan.

One Economy provides users with online content through its media properties, such as The Beehive a web portal that provides low-income individuals web-based tools and information about financial services, education, childcare, health care and employment; the Public Internet Channel, a web-based channel for public service content; and the 24-7 Townhall, a social media website designed to help Americans get involved with policy and government. Through its Bring IT Home campaign, OEC’s work has helped bring broadband into the homes of more than 200,000 low-income Americans. For more information please visit their website.

Current Situation

Over the past seven years, since its founding by four social entrepreneurs in a basement in the District of Columbia, One Economy has achieved a remarkably high degree of growth, with its staff growing fifteen times larger and its budget exceeding ten million dollars. The key to its success has been One Economy’s core mission of empowering low-income people by connecting them to the Internet. One strategy has been to work with both municipalities and housing owners/developers to set up broadband in the homes of people who traditionally could not afford commercial broadband service. Another strategy has been to develop media properties that are intuitive and easy-to-use that help low-income people find localized web content on basic business, health, education, family, money, and government information.

Their premier media property is the Beehive, a multi-lingual web portal, allowing people to find jobs, locate banks, open checking accounts, start their own businesses, locate doctors and medical services, buy homes, purchase health insurance, and discover valuable information to live as a fully engaged citizens. To date, more than 10 million people have used the Beehive with local content spanning over 40 communities. A program called Digital Connectors has been implemented in 16 locations in the United States transforming youth in low-income neighborhoods into “technology ambassadors” who aid other people in their communities by showing them how to access the information highway.

The enormous success of these community development programs has allowed OEC to develop two new ambitious initiatives: One Economy California, a state-level project facilitating the connection of 150,000 low income houses to the Internet and One Global Economy, OEC’s international subsidiary, helping poor and marginalized people abroad connect to the Internet and the world. In June 2007, One Global Economy launched the first Arabic community web portal in Jordan and, by the end of August, 2007 the organization will launch, in Istanbul, a community web portal in Turkish.

At this time, a sixteen-member Board of Directors governs One Economy Corporation, headed by its founding Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair. The Chief Executive Officer/Board Chair leads the day-to-day operations and oversees a staff of 61, including an executive team of an Executive Vice President, two Senior Vice Presidents, six Vice Presidents (including a Vice President/General Counsel), a Chief Financial Officer, an Executive Producer of the Beehive, and the One Global Economy President/Senior Advisor. One Economy Corporation is headquartered in Washington D.C. and has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, New York City, Winston-Salem, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose. One Global Economy has offices in South Africa and Jordan, and will soon open a third office in Istanbul.

At the end of 2006, One Economy Corporation recorded net assets at $12.3 million, a dramatic jump from two years earlier when they held assets at $2.2 million. This exponential growth resulted primarily from a major corporate grant. OEC estimates its 2007 budget at $14 million. The majority of its revenue base consists of public and private support from corporations, foundations, and fees for service.

 Specific Role

The Senior Vice President of Community Solutions (SVP) is an exciting, new senior-level position at One Economy, based in Washington D.C. The SVP works in concert with the CEO/Board Chair to provide leadership, direction, strategy, and accountability to build and manage the units within the Community Solutions division. The SVP oversees the Community Solutions senior management team and will manage an annual budget of $7.8 million. The Community Solutions division encompasses four administrative units in various offices across the United States, South Africa, and Jordan: Access Services (staff of 6), providing affordable high-speed Internet access to low-income families; Field Operations (staff of 13), managing OEC’s programs and marketing activities in the field with its local partners; One Economy California (matrixed staff of 5), focusing OEC’s work to connect low-income homes in California, and One Global Economy (staff of 7), OEC’s international arm. These units address One Economy’s priorities of getting internet access into the homes of low-income families both domestically and globally.

The SVP provides creativity and strong leadership in developing and implementing innovative programs and strategies that reflect the mission of One Economy. This officer sets programmatic priorities that are consistent with the overall strategic plan, and ensures that new programs complement the organization’s mission and are economically viable. The SVP builds programmatic capacity for all projects and initiatives, acting as a conduit for resources and assets to aid the divisional leaders in actualizing OEC’s mission and goals. The SVP motivates and evaluates the team to ensure that they are well-suited to address the challenges facing the Community Solutions division.

The SVP defines the goals and purposes of the Community Solutions programs and brings an increasingly sharp focus to its activities. To measure its productivity, the SVP establishes annual programmatic benchmarks, timelines, metrics, and work plans needed to achieve consistent and high-quality results. The SVP provides direction on grassroots organizing and fosters partnerships with other organizations. The SVP develops meaningful, substantive relationships with major funding sources within the corporate, foundation, and financial communities in order to maximize the business opportunities for OEC. In order to be successful in this position, the new SVP must be a creative, strategic thinker with tremendous passion, drive, and innovation who can develop and sustain relationships with communities, both local and worldwide, to leverage the resources needed to transform the lives of millions of low-income people through the power of technology.

Major Objectives  

Personal Characteristics

The following characteristics are preferred in the new SVP: 

• A strong, personal commitment to One Economy’s mission and work;

• A leadership ability that inspires people to achieve;

• Strong management skills, characterized by compassion but tempered by focus and discipline, that produces results;

• Open, positive, confident, collegial manner with an ability to work effectively with and influence a broad range of people;

• Goal-oriented, project-oriented, and achievement-oriented;

• A superb listener and a consensus builder with a measure of humility;

• Healthy respect for colleagues, employees, and superiors;

• Exceptional oral and written communications skills;

• Superb organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills combined with an ability to set and implement priorities that at times are competing;

• Capacity to simultaneously work on multiple tasks and projects, and the ability to set priorities for self, team and peers;

• Strong sense of honor and integrity;

• Sense of humor.

Compensation / Travel 

A highly competitive compensation package is offered with salary negotiated based on experience. One Economy offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Travel will be required for this position.

Application

 Please forward resumes and appropriate material immediately to:

Patrick Chizeck
The Boulware Group
625 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 422
Chicago IL 60611-3172
Phone: 312-322-0088
Fax: 312-322-0092