Jul 14

Job: Executive Director at Japan Society of Boston (Boston, MA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Executive Director at Japan Society of Boston (Boston, MA)

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Position: Executive Director
Posted by: New England JETAA
Location: Boston, MA
Status: Full-Time

Overview: 

We have recently been retained by the Japan Society of Boston to find its new Executive Director.

Founded over 100 years ago, the Japan Society of Boston (JSB) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote cultural and economic ties and active interchange between Japanese and Americans for mutual understanding, benefit and enjoyment. One of the first Japan Societies in the United States, the JSB serves as a bridge and programming nexus for a network of individuals, cultural and academic institutions and business and financial firms, linked together by a strong interest in Japan and a shared recognition of the importance of the US-Japan relationship.

Located in the GBA, its membership consists of individuals and corporations and students and teachers, old and young alike, unified by a common recognition that Japan and the United States wield great global influence and that their harmonious interactions affect the well-being of people throughout the world. As a repository of Japanese art and culture, with more than a century of cultural and economic exchange, no city in the world matches Boston. Linked by historic ties of commerce and cultural activity, “we understand the importance of our special history and see it as the foundation for a future of enriched cooperation and international impact.”

Reporting directly to the Chairman of the Board, the Executive Director will have the responsibility for the creation and implementation of the organization’s strategic goals and vision, the development and administration of its program activities, the funding of these programs, the direction of the day-to-day administrative functions, the support, development and motivation of volunteers and the financial well-being of the organization, enabling it to be managed to a plan.

The charter of the Executive Director is to work with the Board to help develop and implement a strategic initiative that will capitalize on JSB’s heritage and “move the organization forward”. The goal is to articulate a vision that will at once broaden and energize the membership base, and the board, to help the organization stay relevant. The objective is to create new programs to reach a wider membership base, including a next-generation component and achieve more visibility and involvement in the Japan related business community by establishing and solidifying relationships with new and existing sponsors and partners.

The ideal candidate will have 10 to 15 years of experience successfully managing an entity, demonstrating strong marketing & P&L capabilities, as well as excellent interpersonal skills as s/he has created and implemented a visionary strategic plan that has achieved increased visibility, “branding” and viability for an organization- one who has the ability to monetize events and relationships. S/he will be a highly motivated tenacious “can-do” entrepreneurial individual, an energetic self-starter who is not risk-averse, one who is adept at networking, can articulate the organization’s vision and mission- and can fund it as well.

The ideal candidate will have spent time in Japan in a business, cultural, academic or diplomatic capacity. Knowledge of the Japanese language – while preferable – is not mandatory. What is imperative is that s/he has a knowledge of and passion for “all things Japanese”

S/he will be a resourceful, visionary manager and self-starter who has either successfully run a business or created and implemented a strategy to introduce a product into the marketplace, or successfully run a non-profit organization that is dependent on membership participation. As a hands on shirt-sleeved doer s/he will be equally comfortable with the running of a growing entity as s/he is in the Boardroom soliciting major local businesses to be significant sponsors, one who can generationally relate to and connect with the current Boston Japanese business community. “Someone who can make the call – and can make the ask”. S/he will have a technological savvy and an understanding of the value of social media and technology efficiency for the organization.

The individual may currently be the President or Executive Director of a small to medium sized non-profit organization and the position may also represent a “career crossroads” for an operating executive from industry or the business world or the State Department with proven non-profit interests and the ability to generate and maintain business connections.

Since we are looking for the exceptional individual, the compensation package is competitive. Please reply with a letter outlining your qualifications and a resume attached, in complete confidence to our search consultant at EDJSB@erisearch.net . No phone calls please.