Mission: “To create equitable opportunities in Harlem through cultural industries workforce development.” 

THE OPPORTUNITY

Search for Executive Director

Economic development in West Harlem, intensified by gentrification and the expansion of Columbia University, has largely bypassed communities of color, particularly women. Founded in 2011, SoHarlem is a cultural industries incubator which connects residents of Harlem to a range of opportunities to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency and their full potential.

SoHarlem plays an active role in the ongoing transformation of the once desolate Manhattanville Factory District into a thriving community where professionals run successful micro-businesses that employ local residents earning livable wages. Dedicated to racial and social equity and working at the intersection of arts and community development, SoHarlem has incubated dozens of creative entrepreneurs who have launched micro-enterprises in fashion and other elated industries.

SoHarlem seeks an Executive Director who will play a lead role in ensuring that SoHarlem’s Creative Collective receives strategic direction and operational support. The successful candidate will coordinate and support strategic plans, infrastructure development, and the implementation of SoHarlem’s programs, the incubation of local creative businesses and workforce development. S/he/they will assist in leading day-today operations and administration and overseeing site management. 

SoHarlem (pronounced So Harlem) was founded by women in 2011 as a community based social enterprise to connect people living in poverty with cultural industry opportunities to promote economic self-sufficiency.

SoHarlem’s mission is to create equitable opportunities as a place based Cultural Industries Incubator in Harlem dedicated to creativity and economic development as a way to address racial inequities and ensure a vibrant future for our community. Through ongoing, evolving partnerships with individuals in the creative community, along with public and private entities, we provide a wide range of services to our neighbors towards the goal of achieving economic self-sufficiency. We have demonstrated that social cohesion is critical to addressing the needs of our community, bringing people together to create and learn at the intersection of the arts with economic development.

SoHarlem has distinguished itself as the sole manufacturer of one-of-a-kind designs in west Harlem. SoHarlem has served more than 120 designers, all of them persons of color, enabling more than 50% of them to launch their own line and develop their fashion enterprises in an industry which has been grossly under-represented by people of color. Since inception, revenues for the businesses served range from $50,000 to $75,000, with an average of 2-3 employees. As a cultural industries incubator our programs include: Designers’ Studio which assists Creative Entrepreneurs both emerging and established; Apprenticeship Program in design and studio management; and our Creative Economy Training Institute for individuals in need of sewing and fashion industry skills that can lead to a career path.

As SoHarlem has evolved, particularly during and after the pandemic, our creative entrepreneurs have increasingly become involved in defining the organization and the services it provides. We currently have 18 creative entrepreneurs of all ages and throughout various stages of their careers. Several first came to SoHarlem as workforce trainees while others became involved in search of specific resources needed to build their businesses.

The entrepreneurs, otherwise known as the Collective, meet at our fully equipped and furnished Studio, within the historic Mink building on Amsterdam Avenue and 126th Street, on a regular basis. Their collaborative strengths span various disciplines and connections including: the arts, fashion, retail and entertainment. This Collective also benefits from SoHarlem’s expertise in business development and fundraising.

For our designers, having the Studio as a constant available, affordable and accessible resource is critical as they manage the day-to-day operations of their various businesses. The feeling is the same for the hundreds of local residents who visit the Studio annually - some for formal classes, others make impromptu and unscheduled visits but are in search of information, guidance and local shopping.

To learn more about SoHarlem’s history and programs, please visit: https://www.soharlem.org. About SoHarlem, Inc 

Janet Rodriguez, Founder and CEO 

Janet Rodriguez, SoHarlem Inc, Founder and CEO, has more than twenty years of experience in policy and grantmaking positions in public, private, and corporate philanthropy. That, along with a personal understanding of the critical role the arts play in child and community development, led her to serve on boards, manage institutions, initiate change, and become a social entrepreneur.

She established SoHarlem to ensure creative and local people participate in the economic development in the Manhattanville Factory District. SoHarlem is dedicated to forging partnerships that contribute to transforming Manhattanville’s creative spirit, cultural economy, and public spaces through mentoring, training, and educational programs.

Prior to establishing SoHarlem, she served as Vice President of the JPMorgan Chase Global Philanthropy Group and was responsible for providing leadership and support to the National Community Relations team charged with developing and implementing philanthropic strategies in their local communities.

She was also the proprietor of Straight Out of Harlem, Inc. (SOH) in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem. As the sole creative outlet among retail stores and bodegas in Sugar Hill, the SOH storefront was an integral part of the community, addressing its broader needs by producing public programs, exhibitions, and salons that explored contemporary cultural issues, and by promoting and selling the work of more than 250 local and global artists who created functional and wearable art.

Other professional experiences include: Program Officer with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Executive Director of the Aaron Davis Hall; Consultant to the New York Philharmonic’s Music Assistance Fund and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Program Director for the Kentucky Arts Council; and Co- Founder of Latin American Music in Alternative Spaces.

Rodriguez is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of the Arts, MFA in Arts Administration; Columbia University’s Teachers College, MA in Art Education; and New York University, BS, Art Education. She has served on many boards, among them the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, the World Media Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and Grantmakers in the Arts. 

The Executive Director will report to the CEO. S/he/they will partner with, and support, SoHarlem’s Collective, which is comprised of in-house instructors, creative entrepreneurs, designers and makers in residence, communication specialist and apprentices. . 

As a key member of the organization, the Executive Director will be expected to contribute broadly to all aspects of the fulfillment of SoHarlem’s mission and goals. The executive director initially will be expected to spend no more than 50% of their time assisting with fund raising, maintaining and cultivating new funders, submitting applications, reports and maintaining the applicable software.

SoHarlem seeks an experienced leader with both the capacity and experience to perform the following responsibilities in order of priority:

Fund Raising

➢ Ability to understand and gain an in-depth understanding of SoHarlem’s history, priorities, and key programs to help lead the organization and effectively tell its story;

➢ Maintain relationships with SoHarlem current base of public and private partners, and others.

➢ This individual will play a key role in helping to build and streamline a platform strategy, focused on individual donors, that incorporates Stripe, Bloomerang and Kindful utilized to increase our individual donations and earned income.

➢ Partner with SoHarlem’s CEO to develop reports for donors, monitor activities to ensure compliance with contract goals, and help track program data, performance milestones, and program outcomes; and

➢ Partner with SoHarlem’s CEO and Communications Team to develop marketing materials, including running recruitment advertisements on digital channels and other platforms and ensuring timely revisions to marketing collateral materials.

Programs

➢ Provide oversight of performance measures, recruitment, enrollment, and outcomes to ensure SoHarlem’s programs are effective and sustainable;

➢ Lead day-to-day site management for the Designers’ Studio, ensuring that apprentices and others adhere to established Studio protocols and schedules as they relate to safety, cleanliness, and environmental stewardship;

➢ Enable the micro-enterprises based at SoHarlem to address the social and economic development of unemployed people in Harlem;

➢ Oversee the recruitment, training and placement of graduates from our Creative Economy Training Institute;

➢ Work closely with principal trainer to ensure the implementation of training programs produce a pool of skilled workers; 

The successful candidate for this role will have the operational experience necessary to effectively meet the responsibilities listed in the preceding section. Expected experience and personal qualities include:

➢ Demonstrated passion and connection to SoHarlem’s mission, vision, and values;

➢ Excellent presentation, organizational, interpersonal, and writing skills;

➢ Strong project management skills, including managing competing priorities, meeting deadlines, and establishing tracking to analyze partnerships;

➢ Outcomes-driven approach with strong analytical skills, using data and trends to inform programmatic decisions and improvements;

➢ Self-starter with the ability to work independently, take initiative, and thrive in a high-paced, entrepreneurial environment

➢ Demonstrated passion for creativity and equity;

➢ Ability to provide quality internal and external community service and demonstrate good judgment in dealing with issues;

➢ Detail-oriented with the ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing environments;

➢ Intellectual curiosity and a collaborative working style, with the ability to work independently in a team environment;

➢ Commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and best practices; and

➢ Minimum Associates Degree required;

➢ Proficiency with Spanish a plus. 

It is the policy of the SoHarlem, Inc. to provide for and promote equal employment opportunity in employment compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination based on age, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, Vietnam Era Veteran status, genetic predisposition, or carrier status.

SoHarlem, Inc. is committed to assuring equal employment opportunity and equal access to services, programs, and activities for individuals with disabilities. It is the policy of SoHarlem, Inc. to provide reasonable accommodation to a qualified individual with a disability to enable such individual to perform the essential functions of the position for which he/she is applying or in which he/she is employed. Further, it is the policy of SoHarlem, Inc. the to provide reasonable accommodation for religious observers.

The policy applies to all employment practices and actions. It includes, but is not limited to, recruitment, job application process, examination and testing, hiring, training, disciplinary actions, rate of pay or other compensation, advancement, classification, transfer, reassignment, and promotions. 

Compensation for this 4 day position is $80,000 and benefits. 

All applications must include: (1) an up-to-date resume; (2) a formal letter of interest (addressed to Janet Rodriguez) that specifically cites the experiences that best prepare the applicant for this role and why this particular opportunity at SoHarlem is the logical and desired next step in their career, and (3) a list of references.

Please send all confidential inquiries, applications, and nominations directly to info@soharlem.org

Please no calls or visits we will only respond to the applicants who meet the requirements