Executive Director

Executive Director

About Enroot

Enroot empowers immigrant youth to achieve academic, career, and personal success by connecting them to inspiring experiences and providing a welcoming community of support. Enroot alumni graduate from high school with substantially increased self-confidence and with strong advocacy and leadership skills. With the growing immigrant population in our service area of Cambridge and Somerville, the need for our programming – and the opportunity for Enroot’s impact – is tremendous.

Our program supports recently arrived immigrant students during their high school to post-secondary years as they learn a new language, adapt to a new culture, and set roots in a new community. We strive to create a sense of belonging for our students through a network of relationships, including mentors, volunteers, and community partners as well as our staff. Each student identifies their own vision for their future in school, career, and life, and we support each student through a variety of activities, including paid internship experiences, academic coaching, mentoring relationships, out-of-school-time activities, and preparation, guidance, and support for college and other post-secondary choices.

Enroot is proud to have helped English Language Learners succeed for 28 years through our proven, comprehensive wrap-around program model. We grew out of Cambridge Community Services, which was established in 1938 and operated a range of programs, including the City Links program for immigrant students that ultimately became the foundation for our current program model. In 2016, we narrowed our focus to direct-service work with immigrant students and rebranded as Enroot. Since then, we have expanded to serve up to 300 students annually, including individuals in ninth grade through high school in Cambridge and Somerville and at 15 college campuses.

We operate with a dedicated team of 12 full-time staff members, several year-long as well as seasonal fellows, over 100 volunteers, a budget of almost $2M, and an endowment of over $13M. Our funding portfolio is diverse, with approximately 30% from private foundations, 30% from corporate foundations, 20% from government, 10% from individual donors, and 10% from corporate sponsorships. We have built our endowment to position Enroot for future sustainability and possible program expansion to other local cities with high recent immigrant populations. To learn more about our program and the students and values that drive our work, please visit

Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity at Enroot

At Enroot, we are deeply committed to advancing Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity. The heart of our work is creating a sense of belonging with immigrant students. We work to build an inclusive environment where all team members feel a sense of belonging and are included as full partners in pursuit of this mission. Our staff and Board are highly diverse, most of whom share lived experiences with the students we serve. We are an organization committed to disrupting and dismantling the oppressive power structures and systemic barriers immigrants must navigate. With humility, we are committed to ongoing learning and understanding as we embark on our own racial equity journey. This drives every decision we make, and every action we take, in pursuit of equity for immigrants. We believe a diversity of voices fosters innovation and creativity, leading to better decisions and outcomes for immigrant students, families, and communities. Enroot is an equal opportunity employer and as such, we do not discriminate on any basis.

The Executive Director Opportunity

We are excited to welcome a new Executive Director who will provide vision, leadership, and passion for our mission, in a collaborative and facilitative style. Our next leader will guide our organizational strategy, working with staff and Board to ensure we have the resources and infrastructure necessary to meet our goals. Acting as our leading external champion, the Executive Director will lead our fundraising and partnerships strategy to increase visibility for our work and deepen our relationships and base of support. As the leader of a talented, mission-motivated team, the Executive Director will provide guidance, management, and support to our staff, ensuring a healthy organizational culture that fosters high performance and opportunities for growth and development.

Key Responsibilities:

Organizational Leadership

• Lead our team of staff and Board in assessing the organization’s strategic direction, identifying opportunities to make adjustments and supporting change as needed

• Collaborate with staff to refine and focus work plans in line with our strategic direction and support ongoing progress toward goals

• Work with the Senior Director of Programs to ensure we approach our program strategy with a commitment to continuous improvement and have effective data collection and evaluation practices in place to measure the impact of our work

• Work in partnership with staff, consultants, and the Board to ensure effective strategies and practices for our financial, human resources, and operational management needs

Team Leadership and Culture-Building

• Maintain an inclusive, transparent, and empowering work environment for our diverse team of mission-oriented staff and ensure ongoing growth and leadership development for our team members

• Foster a healthy and welcoming environment for students, staff, and Board members who represent a diversity of identities and lived experiences

• Supervise the Senior Director of Program, Senior Director of Development, and Director of Operations, ensuring that leadership team members have the guidance and support they need to fulfill their roles and manage their teams toward high performance

Development

• Lead the development team to carry out a comprehensive fundraising strategy for Enroot that generates approximately $2M/year; in particular, provide leadership for growing our individual donor program

• Play a leading role in donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship across a variety of types of funders, collaborating with development staff and Board members to build donor relationships

Partnerships and External Relations

• Cultivate relationships in Cambridge and Somerville including contacts in city and school district administration and in the business community, as well as with potential volunteers

• Position Enroot for partnerships with other organizations that serve our communities, identifying mutually beneficial opportunities to work together in support of common goals and purpose

• Raise awareness of our work and the Enroot brand, leveraging opportunities to share our perspective and expertise on immigrant student experiences through activities such as public presentations and media engagements

Board Governance

• Partner with the Board to build a strong, diverse pipeline of prospective Board members

• Promote active Board involvement, including providing information necessary for the Board to make informed decisions and fulfill its responsibilities

• Ensure appropriate preparation and support for Board and Committee meetings