Executive Director

The Board of Directors of Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation (Allston Brighton CDC or ABCDC) seeks an Executive Director. Serving the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods of Boston for over 35 years, Allston Brighton CDC has led initiatives that: create affordable homes, foster community leadership, enhance and protect open spaces, and offer steps to increased incomes and assets, so that residents can call Allston Brighton home for the long-term. 

Our Organization and Our Communities

Allston Brighton CDC builds a stronger and more stable community by representing and supporting the expressed interests, positive engagement and leadership of Allston Brighton’s diverse local communities, institutions, individuals, and families of all incomes. We: develop affordable housing; secure properties for homeownership; train people who wish to become homebuyers; offer services to residents of the housing we develop; and build community leadership and engagement.

In 2017, we:

• Renovated 235 affordable rental units
• Sold six units to owner occupants
• Executed a purchase and sales agreement to acquire a 33-unit housing co-op
• Continued to operate our portfolio of 506 affordable rental units
• Trained 255 people to become first time homebuyers
• Graduated 11 residents of our housing from our leadership academy, and
• Engaged more than 350 community residents in events, work groups, and committee meetings.

Late in 2017, we began working with an Interim Executive Director and a Transition and Search Consultant on an Executive transition. We have affirmed our strategic direction, as we continue to explore development opportunities and engage residents in critical community issues. We have strengthened community partnerships, and expanded our resident service programs, including financial coaching, recreational, and other activities at our new Community Center.

More than 75,000 individuals and families now live in the approximately 4 square miles that make up the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods. Our organization is currently led by a 15- member board made up of community residents and local business people. ABCDC is currently staffed by eight people.

Challenges and Opportunities

Moving forward, we aim to increase our impact, recognizing the challenges and opportunities that are before us, as summarized below.

Strong market area—Our neighborhoods are attractive to families, students, elders and single individuals. New real estate development around our local universities, hospital and highways creates challenges to acquiring and retaining properties for affordable rental housing and to stabilizing the community with homeownership. We continue to identify development opportunities, and partner with key local institutions to secure our communities.

Active local environment—There are a number of organizations offering individual and community support in Allston and Brighton. We seek to continue to build effective partnerships with local service providers to meet individual and community needs.

Ongoing leadership development—Some leaders have transitioned off our board and off local advocacy committees, particularly when they are priced out of the local market or move on to other roles. We continue to build new leaders, in our housing, on our board and committees, and in the community at large.

Strengthening our diverse team—Our staff is busy and dedicated to our mission. We aim to update our systems and strengthen our operations, in order to increase efficiencies, and support our staff to grow and develop in their roles.

The Executive Director of Allston Brighton CDC

The Executive Director will serve as a strategic leader for ABCDC. They will build on ABCDC’s active history and its solid financial base. Together with our board and staff, the new Executive Director will strengthen our organization and partnerships.

 The Executive Director will act as: 

• A strategic and supportive leader of the staff team
• An engaged partner to ABCDC’s Board of Directors
• A strong advocate and spokesperson for our community’s vision of our neighborhoods
• An effective partner to local organizations, public officials and funders, and
• A responsible overseer of our budget and our operations.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate for Executive Director will be committed to ABCDC’s communities, and motivated to lead the organization into its next phase of growth. They will possess many of the following skills and qualifications:

• At least five years of community development or related nonprofit leadership experience
• Familiarity with affordable housing development and asset management
• Passion for community-based work
• Experience as a mentor and supporter of staff
• Strong organizing and leadership building skills
• Good listener
• Bold, strategic and innovative thinker and decision maker
• Collaborative team manager who can work well with a diverse workforce, board, and community
• Ability to identify issues and resolve conflicts, both internally and externally
• Comfortable fundraiser and spokesperson
• Skilled overseer of organizational finances
• Leader with established relationships in our community preferred
• Ability to establish trusting and respectful relationships both internally and across the cultures and communities of Allston and Brighton required
• Strong communication skills in English
• Additional proficiency in languages spoken in our communities preferred (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian).