Executive Director

San Diego, CA

About San Diego Pride

San Diego Pride has grown from a small grassroots march in 1974 into one of the most respected and philanthropic Pride organizations in the world. Originally formed as a sponsored program of The Center for Social Services to produce San Diego's first Lesbian and Gay Parade commemorating the Stonewall Rebellion, the organization incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1994. Today, it is a year-round LGBTQ+ education, advocacy, and cultural institution with a global footprint.

Each July, San Diego Pride produces the city's largest civic event, welcoming more than 250,000 participants to its parade, festival, and week-long series of programs and celebrations. These events, powered by thousands of volunteers, not only uplift and affirm the LGBTQ+ community but also generate millions in economic activity for the region.

Revenue from festival ticket sales, beverage sales, sponsorships, and exhibitor fees sustain Pride's extensive community philanthropy. To date, San Diego Pride has distributed more than $3 million in grants to LGBTQ+ organizations and initiatives, making it the most philanthropic Pride in the world. This commitment extends globally: in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and the San Diego Diplomacy Council, Pride has engaged hundreds of delegates from over 125 countries, advancing equality and human rights worldwide.

San Diego Pride also plays a foundational role in the broader Pride movement. In 1982, its leadership helped establish InterPride, which has since grown into an international network of LGBTQ+ organizations sharing knowledge, resources, and strategies for change. Locally, Pride continues to deliver year-round programs in leadership development, youth engagement, and advocacy, ensuring the community's needs are met beyond the parade and festival.

Mission: Fostering pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally.
Vision: A world free of prejudice and bias.
Values:

Diversity – being inclusive, accepting, and respectful of the differences of people who share our values.
Respect – valuing others by accepting individuality and demonstrating courtesy and mutual regard.
Honesty + Integrity – communicating factual information and being true to our values.
Accountability – to be responsible for the effects and consequences of our words and actions.

Position Summary

San Diego Pride seeks a transformational executive leader to meet this moment in history with grace, compassion, resilience, and humility. The next Executive Director must be capable of reinforcing operations, rebuilding trust, and advancing the organization's mission during a pivotal period in the history and legacy of the organization. The ideal candidate will demonstrate exceptional LGBTQ+ movement and social justice competency, crisis management skills, strategic vision, impeccable self-awareness, and the ability to earn stakeholder confidence and respect while driving sustainable organizational growth from the perspectives and praxis of queer theory, intersections of oppression, institutionalized injustice, decolonization, anti-racism, and antiblackness.

The Executive Director serves as the senior staff member of San Diego Pride, providing strategic leadership, operational oversight, and external representation. This role requires a dynamic leader who can navigate complex challenges while advancing LGBTQ+ advocacy and maintaining the organization's position as an international leader in Pride celebrations and community philanthropy. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director supervises a talented Director-level staff across Finance + Operations, Marketing + Communications, Development, Programs + Events, and Entertainment. The non-director-level San Diego Pride staff members are represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) through a recently signed collective bargaining agreement.

This is a unique opportunity to lead one of the most influential LGBTQ+ Pride organizations during a transformative period. The successful candidate will have the chance to shape the future of LGBTQ+ advocacy while stewarding an organization that has distributed millions of dollars to support community organizations and brought joy to hundreds of thousands of people annually. This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of social justice, community building, progressive causes, and large-scale event management while making a meaningful impact on LGBTQ+ lives locally, nationally, and globally.

Essential Position Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

Develop and implement comprehensive strategic plans aligned with organizational mission.
Lead organizational transformation and change management initiatives.
Build and maintain strategic partnerships with community organizations, government entities, and corporate sponsors.

Reputation Building + Crisis Management

Navigate complex reputational challenges with transparency and integrity.
Rebuild stakeholder trust through consistent, mission-driven leadership.
Build, participate, and stand as a coalition member with other allied peers and organizations.
Manage crisis communications and public relations to elevate organization's reputation.

Fundraising + Philanthropy

Foster and grow comprehensive fundraising strategies to support year-round programming and distributed grants.
Cultivate major donor relationships and secure gifts of $10,000+.
Expand corporate sponsorship and partnership programs.
Oversee grant-writing initiatives and foundation relationships.
Entrepreneurial spirit to further diversify revenue and resource strategies.

Event Leadership + Entertainment

Provide executive oversight for annual Pride Parade, Festival operations, and Pride365.
Ensure successful execution of events serving more than 250,000 attendees and engaging over 1000 volunteers.
Coordinate with city officials, vendors, volunteers, and community partners.
Signatory responsibility for contracts, ensuring proper vetting and alignment with organizational values.

Operational Excellence

Partner with senior staff on day-to-day operations, leadership development, and organizational responsiveness through a variety of leadership models.
Oversee budget development and financial management.
Ensure compliance with all legal, regulatory, and nonprofit governance requirements.
Coordinate with external consultants supporting and augmenting work of the organization.

Board Leadership + Development

Cultivate and nurture positive relationships with volunteer board members.
Effectively communicate organizational goals and metrics to keep board informed.
Support best and effective practices and policies to ensure Board's ability to execute fiduciary responsibilities.

Qualifications + Characteristics

Core Competencies

Organizational Leadership: Ability to champion staff at all levels while modeling organizational transformation and cultural change through a variety of leadership models.
Strategic Vision: Experience developing, articulating, implementing, and leading long-term strategic plans for a community-based organization.
Crisis Leadership + Resolution: Proven ability to navigate organizational challenges and rebuild stakeholder confidence at all levels.
Community Engagement: Capacity to engage, include, and interact with constituents from a broad spectrum of racial, ethnic, economic, religious, expression, political, gender, age, education, and other demographic identities.
Fundraising Excellence: History of securing and retaining major gifts, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants while understanding the role of philanthropy in the LGBTQ+ ecosystem.
Board Leadership + Development: Experience effectively managing and serving community-based nonprofit boards and governance structures.

Essential Skills

Demonstrated ability to ingratiate and build sustained community connections across all constituencies in and impacting the LGBTQ+ community in the San Diego area and beyond.
Knowledge of intersectional justice issues and inclusive practices with a demonstrable commitment to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.
Success in working with historically overlooked, underserved, and excluded communities.
Experience with restorative justice and trauma-informed leadership.
Exceptional multi-modal public-facing communication abilities that demonstrate presence, cultural awareness, and political savvy.
Strong financial acumen, budgeting competency, and fiscal planning experience.
Experience with large-scale event planning, production, and execution
Negotiate and leverage contracts that provide value-added relationships and revenue opportunities.
Proficiency in philanthropic strategies, stewardship activities, and donor database technology.
Comprehensive understanding of brand management, marketing, reputation, and communications for a community-based organization.

Personal Attributes

Unquestionable integrity, ethical leadership, and executive morality while being engaged with intentional transparency.
Tenacity in passion, presence, resilience, emotional maturity, and adaptability in challenging environments while conveying kindness, vulnerability, and inquisitiveness.
Collaborative leadership style with ability to inspire and motivate board, colleagues, volunteers, and constituencies.
Cultural competency and ability to collaborate effectively with diverse communities in a way that makes others feel safe, seen, and heard.
Personal alignment with the San Diego Pride Pillars of Justice, which include Disability Justice, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Gender Justice, Health Justice, Racial Justice, and Reproductive Justice.
Engagement and passion for LGBTQ+ advocacy and social justice.
Respect and deference in critical conversations with all community members.

Educational + Experience Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree(s) or aligned certifications welcomed.
7+ years of executive experience in leadership and organizational management.
Proven record in organizational turnaround and crisis management.
Demonstrable experience in reputation building and community healing.
Experience leading organizations with budgets exceeding $2M.
Background in fundraising and development with sustained success in sponsor, grant, and major gift cultivation.
Previous leadership within LGBTQ+ movement and/or radical and progressive movements.
Existing relationships within San Diego's nonprofit, corporate, government, and foundation communities preferred.
Bilingual or multilingual conversant preferred.

San Diego Pride is dedicated to building a workplace based on its own values. Research shows that members of overlooked, underserved, excluded, or marginalized communities self-select out of considering opportunities if they do not meet every single qualification. If you believe that you can meet the expectations of the position, yet your past experiences do not perfectly match every qualification in this job prospectus, you should consider applying.

Working + Reporting Relationships

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is responsible for directors, managers, hourly staff governed by a collective bargaining unit, and volunteers.. Additionally, the Executive Director will interface with the standing board committees, including Executive, Finance, Development, Governance, and Audit, and the current ad hoc Strategic Planning Committee. San Diego Pride also has existing contracts with external consulting firms to support strategic planning, finance operations, human resource alignment, and public relations. Given the external-facing nature of the position, the Executive Director will also be a visible and engaged member of the San Diego LGBTQ+ community and establish a credible presence with elected officials, civic leaders, corporate funders, peer organizations, and individual donors.

The Executive Director supervises these full-time staff members:

Director of Operations and Finance
Director of Marketing and Communications
Director of Development
Entertainment Director
Director of Events and Programs
Forthcoming anticipated hire: Director of Advocacy and Education

More about San Diego Pride can be found on their website at: https://sdpride.org/

Compensation + Benefits

The starting salary range for this position is $190,000–$210,000. Relocation expenses will be considered as part of the initial compensation package.

San Diego Pride offers a generous benefits package that includes:

Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Full-time employees of San Diego Pride become eligible for Health and Dental insurance benefits on the first of the month following 30 days of employment, subject to the terms and conditions of those benefit plans.
- Employee contribution for benefit premiums is determined annually and, therefore, subject to change. In 2025, San Diego LGBT Pride pays 100% of Health insurance and Dental insurance premiums for full-time and eligible employees, and 80% of Health insurance and Dental insurance premiums for spouses and dependents enrolled in the employer-sponsored plan.
403(b) Retirement Plan
- Full-time employees of San Diego Pride are eligible to participate in the organization's employer-sponsored 403(b) plan through Vanguard immediately upon hire. There is currently no employer contribution to the plan.
PTO and 16 holidays, plus temporary seasonal closure following signature event
- Sick Time: Pursuant to California Law, employees of San Diego Pride accrue 40 hours of sick time on their date of hire and every year following on January 1. Sick time does not carry over from one year to the next.
- Vacation Time: Employees of San Diego Pride begin accruing Vacation Time immediately upon their date of hire. Starting Vacation Time accrual rate is 3.08 hours per pay period, which equates to approximately ten (10) days per full year for the first two years of employment. The Vacation Time accrual rate increases with additional years of employment, as outlined in the employee handbook. Employees may carry over Vacation Time from one year to the next, up to a maximum of 200 hours. When employees reach the maximum accrual allowed, they will not accrue additional Vacation Time.
- Paid Holidays: There are currently sixteen (16) paid holidays annually:
  - New Year's Day
  - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  - Presidents Day
  - Cesar Chavez Day
  - Harvey Milk Day
  - Memorial Day
  - Juneteenth
  - Independence Day
  - Labor Day
  - Indigenous Peoples' Day
  - Veterans Day
  - Thanksgiving
  - Day After Thanksgiving
  - Christmas Eve
  - Christmas Day
  - New Year's Eve
- Additionally, on the third day after the last day of San Diego Pride Festival and Parade (otherwise known as the "Signature Event"), the organization will temporarily close for a minimum of four (4) business days.
Professional development opportunities and annual reimbursement stipend of $250, with prior approval.
Pride does not currently offer any additional leave or paid leave above the minimums required by federal and California law.

San Diego Pride complies and adheres to all local, state, and federal applicable employment laws. This includes but is not limited to California Pay Transparency Law (SB 1162), the California Labor Code (Section 226), the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and California Labor Code (Section 1174).

As a reflection of our firm's commitment to equity and equal pay for all, Cooper Coleman requires that salary ranges or salary starting points be published for every search we conduct. The practice of not posting salaries perpetuates the gender and racial wage gap and discriminates against women, people of color, and other historically excluded populations by causing individuals to negotiate from a disadvantaged starting point.

Location + Travel Expectations

This position is based in San Diego, California, with an expectation that the selected candidate will reside/relocate to the San Diego area. Currently, staff work on-site at the San Diego Pride office near Balboa Park. The successful candidate should be committed to creative and non-traditional working requirements that center and prioritize staff health and the sustainability of work. Donor/Sponsor visits, regional meetings, and interstate travel may be required over the course of a fiscal year.

EEO and Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

San Diego Pride Racial Justice and Equity Statement

San Diego Pride (SDP) is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with their mission to foster pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally, San Diego Pride is specifically committed to racial justice and equity, both externally through programming and communications, and internally through organizational culture and operations.

SDP recognizes that the incredible progress in the LGBTQIA+ movement has also been deeply uneven and that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have lived experiences that have not fully benefited from the many LGBTQIA+ advances in social and legal equality. San Diego Pride is committed wholly to this deeply reflective and active work to dismantle white supremacy and anti-Black racism in all its forms. San Diego Pride's vision is a world free of prejudice and bias.

SDP's accountability work does not stop at any of their own organization's decisions or statements, knowing that as a part of a movement, there is a continuum. San Diego Pride acknowledges that addressing and dismantling white supremacy and anti-Black racism, two ideologies that form the underpinnings of the founding and continued functions of the United States, is not an easy task. It is not comfortable. It is also not optional.

San Diego Pride's racial justice and equity work includes:

Human Resources: Hiring and retaining a workforce that represents the diversity of the San Diego Pride community with regards to race and other socioeconomic status positions the organization to best achieve its mission of fostering pride, equality, and respect for all LGBTQIA+ communities.
Internal Trainings: Internally, San Diego Pride provides regular trainings for both volunteers and staff about racial justice and equity, which are mandatory for all staff and expected of all lead volunteers. Both staff and volunteers are accountable for upholding and adhering to the expectations set by the organization in this statement and in these regular trainings related to racial equity and justice.
Operational Metrics: The data collected for program assessment and measurement includes information related to race, ethnicity, and other oppressed identities. Program assessment and measurement include an explicit category for identifying the reach and impact of the programs on all marginalized communities, including BIPOC communities.
Programming: Pride programs are responsive to community needs, including centering the needs identified by and with BIPOC siblings. Pride programs use a "for us, by us" mode of operation, uplifting members of marginalized communities to step into leadership roles to create and run programs for the community's needs.
Entertainment: The flagship event, the Pride Festival and Parade, intentionally includes performers, speakers, and featured guests that reflect the diversity of the community. Pride Festival booking requires at least 50% BIPOC entertainers.
Visible Representation: The style guide and standards for San Diego Pride marketing and communications explicitly and intentionally include BIPOC folx, with a standard of at least 50% BIPOC representation.
Training Institute: San Diego Pride LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity training centers on principles of intersectionality, acknowledging and addressing the ways in which racial oppression, white supremacy, and anti-Black racism interact with and complicate the journey to full LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and equality.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Submission Instructions (read carefully)

Cooper Coleman is leading this search on behalf of San Diego Pride. To apply, please visit this link (www.coopercoleman.com/current-searches). All expressions of interest should be made as soon as possible through the online application. Nominations of qualified candidates can be sent to:

J. Michael Durnil, PhD
michael.durnil@coopercoleman.com

All nominations will be held in confidence. A cover letter is not required with your initial application but is welcomed to help us understand your fitness for and interest in this role during our initial evaluation. Candidates invited for interviews will be asked to provide a thoughtful letter of interest indicating their specific qualifications for the opportunity, desire to join San Diego Pride and connection to its mission.

Cooper Coleman LLC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or identity, age, ability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Background Checks + Credentials Verification

Before sending your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. Cooper Coleman verifies its candidates' employment and academic credentials at the time of offer, and our clients frequently conduct background checks before finalizing an offer.

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