Summary
Description
About South Asian SOAR:
South Asian Survivors, Organizations, & Allies—Rising (SOAR) is home to a powerful, long-standing movement to end gender-based violence in the South Asian American diaspora. Since our founding in 2021, we’ve grown into a national network of 50 community organizations, allies and survivors united in our commitment to prevent and end violence. Together, we center survivors’ voices, build collective power, and strengthen the field to create a future free of violence and abundant with joy and justice.
Our groundbreaking work has been mentioned in NBC Asian America, Gothamist, and Prism. You can find more of their work at these links: Their Light Remains, Sanctuaries Storytelling Anthology, Research Reports, and their South Asians for Abortion Hub.
Learn More: LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
The Opportunity
South Asian SOAR is seeking an Executive Director to serve as a builder, strategist, and community leader—someone who has founded, built, or scaled organizations, initiatives, or movements, and who is a skilled facilitator and convener able to bring diverse stakeholders into alignment around shared goals.
This leader will combine compassion with conviction, bring a trauma-informed and survivor-centered leadership approach, navigate complexity with clarity, and have the confidence and skill to lead SOAR into its next phase as a strong national movement for ending gender-based violence.
This is a defining leadership moment for SOAR. The organization is moving from an early-stage, founder-led phase into its next chapter of growth and integration. The Executive Director will be responsible for building what comes next—clarifying structure where needed, strengthening systems and culture, and scaling impact without losing the relational, survivor-centered heart of the movement.
This role offers a rare opportunity for a values-driven, visionary leader to shape and grow an emerging national coalition—deepening regional and national impact, strengthening survivor- centered and member organization centered ' approaches across capacity building, leadership development, organizing, research, and advocacy, and helping define the future of culturally specific, survivor-centered responses to gender-based violence in the United States.
Reports To: SOAR’s Advisory Board
Direct Reports: Staff to be hired and supervised as the organization grows
Benefits & Salary: $130,000 – $150,000, commensurate with experience, plus benefits
Location: Virtual with 10 – 15% travel, as needed, across the United States
Target Start Date: May 2026
Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership and Strategy
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Lead long-range visioning and strategic planning in partnership with the Board and staff, grounded in assessment of community needs and evolving landscape.
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Translate strategy into clear organizational priorities, outcomes, and accountabilities, ensuring programs are high-quality, proactive, and responsive.
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Nurture a unifying organizational mission, vision, and theory of change that integrates SOAR’s programs, services, and cross-functional work.
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Lead the recruitment, development, and management of a high-performing team, fostering accountability and collaboration to deliver work aligned with strategic goals.
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Establish and oversee effective governance and advisory structures—working in close partnership with the Board—to ensure strong oversight, timely delivery of milestones, and responsible financial management as the programme scales.
Fundraising and Development
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Set and execute annual and long-term fundraising goals and strategies that ensure SOAR’s financial sustainability and growth as a national coalition.
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Build, diversify, and steward a sustainable funding base across individual donors, foundations, corporations, and government.
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Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with institutional funders, philanthropic partners, and aligned movement funders.
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In partnership with the Board, serve as a public-facing representative of SOAR, generating visibility, trust, and support among funders and partners.
Program Strategy & Member Engagement
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Provide strategic leadership across all of SOAR’s programmatic areas—capacity building, leadership development, organizing, research, and advocacy—clarifying and strengthening programs to support organizational growth and long-term impact.
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Serve as a trusted connector and facilitator across members and program participants, fostering collaboration, shared learning, and alignment; ensure SOAR’s vision meaningfully informs organizational priorities, strategies, and public positions.
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Oversee monitoring, learning, and evaluation across programs, using data, reflection, and community feedback to assess impact, strengthen effectiveness, and guide continuous improvement.
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Serve as a skilled facilitator, convener, and trusted connector across member organizations, survivors, and partners—designing and leading spaces for collaboration, shared learning, alignment, and ensuring diverse voices meaningfully shape SOAR’s priorities and strategies.
External Relations, Advocacy & Movement Leadership
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Serve as SOAR’s primary spokesperson and national representative, advancing the organization’s visibility, credibility, and influence
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Build and maintain strategic partnerships with allied movements, advocacy organizations, policymakers, and national networks
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Advance policy, systems-change, and narrative-change efforts aligned with SOAR’s mission and values
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Position SOAR as a thought leader in culturally specific, survivor-centered approaches to ending gender-based violence
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Lead SOAR’s external communications and messaging—including marketing strategy and public-facing platforms—ensuring all fundraising and communications reflect survivor-centered values, cultural humility, and ethical storytelling practices.
Finance and Operations
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In collaboration with the Board, lead budgeting and financial planning, providing responsible stewardship of organizational resources.
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Partner with the fiscal sponsor to ensure strong financial management, internal controls, and compliance with legal, regulatory, and HR requirements, consistent with nonprofit governance best practices.
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Oversee organizational operational systems, HR infrastructure, and risk management appropriate for a growing national nonprofit.
The Candidate
The next ED will be a builder, strategist, and community leader—someone who combines compassion with conviction, can navigate complexity with grace, and has the confidence and skill to lead SOAR into its next phase as a strong national movement for ending gender-based violence. They will bring a deep commitment to survivor-centered work, racial and gender justice, and collective liberation.
Qualifications
Required
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Minimum of 7–10 years of relevant work experience
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Minimum of 3 years in leadership roles, preferably in the nonprofit sector
Preferred
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Experience within networks or coalitions facilitating organizational shared goals
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Experience with developing organizational structure, including board development, management and governance
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Experience hiring staff and building and developing teams
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Record of thought leadership, advocacy and media relations
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Demonstrated passion, understanding and alignment with SOAR’s mission to end GBV
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Proven ability to lead strategic planning and program design, development and scaling
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Ability to build relationships and partnerships across regions to amplify and connect grassroots/local efforts
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Experience with building in early-stage development or solo leadership
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Demonstrated fundraising success with cultivating individual and institutional donors
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Experience working in culturally specific, survivor-centered, or gender-justice organizations strongly preferred
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Comfort working in a fully remote, nationally distributed organization
Leadership & Strategic Competencies
Strategic & Systems Thinking
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Skilled in strategic planning and prioritization.
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Ability to understand national politics and shifting landscapes.
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Can move the organization through big-picture, forward-thinking work.
Relationship & Community Building
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Exceptional relationship-building skills across diverse stakeholders.
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Builds trust and credibility with members, funders, board, and community.
Communication & Thought Leadership
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Clear, compelling communicator internally and externally.
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Able to serve as a national thought leader and public voice for the movement.
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Skilled at explaining decisions, sharing rationale, and creating buy-in.
Emotional Intelligence & Resilience
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Deep empathy, compassion, and care—paired with strong boundaries.
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Comfortable managing conflict, dissent, and criticism.
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Resilient, patient, and steady under pressure.
Adaptability & Learning Agility
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Flexible and comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty.
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Learns quickly and adapts across contexts (local ↔ national).
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Can synthesize multiple inputs and determine what action SOAR should take.
Operational & Execution Skills
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Self-starter with strong project management abilities.
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Able to juggle multiple roles (strategy, fundraising, operations, relationships).
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Can set timelines, execute plans, and follow through.
Values & Personal Attributes
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Mission-driven and survivor-centered without centering self.
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Humble, authentic, and an active listener.
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Truth-teller—even when difficult.
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Passionate, with the stamina to sustain long-term movement work.
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Knows when to push hard and when to pause to avoid burnout. Demonstrates accountability and commitment to the collective care of the south asian GBV community.
How to Apply
The application deadline is February 20, 2026. Application requirements include:
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Resume
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Completed screening questions form
Screening Questions: Please read carefully before submitting your responses. Responses should be clear and concise with two to three sentences that demonstrate your relevant experience.
Click here to apply and for the full job posting.
