President (Co-Directorship Role)

PRESIDENT (CO-DIRECTORSHIP ROLE): JOB POSTING

La Cocina’s mission is to elevate Latine-centered knowledge that heals and transforms, always in partnership with those most impacted by trauma and systemic inequity.

REPORTS TO: Board of Directors

DEPARTMENT: Executive

FLSA STATUS: Full-time, Exempt

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 24, 2025

THE OPPORTUNITY

La Cocina stands at a pivotal moment in its evolution. As a nationally recognized Latine-founded, led, and serving mental health movement-builder and social impact organization, we are preparing for a thoughtful, six-month leadership transition that reflects our values of equity, community co-design, and visionary sustainability. This is not a routine executive search—it is a calling for a leader who is fluent in the language of community knowledge, systems change, and institutional trust.

Rooted in culturally and linguistically affirming mental health practices, La Cocina has grown into a social enterprise and nonprofit institute known for healing justice programs, scalable innovations, and transformative partnerships. Our first President will inherit not only a strong organizational foundation, but also a moment rich with possibility: the opportunity to shape our next chapter alongside our CEO & Founder within a permanent co-directorship structure that deepens La Cocina’s vision, mission, and values.

This role is ideal for a seasoned bilingual (Spanish-English) leader with deep experience in nonprofit management, thought leadership, and a passion for elevating community-led solutions. The President will serve as La Cocina’s chief operational and strategic steward—guiding a high-performing team, ensuring fiscal and programmatic excellence, and championing the values of equity, belonging, and transformation that define our work.

If you are inspired by movement-building, health equity, and visionary leadership—and ready to co-author the next era of a groundbreaking organization—this is your opportunity.

JOB SUMMARY

La Cocina’s President (Co-Executive Director) serves as a senior leader and organizational co-steward, partnering with the Founder & CEO in a permanent co-directorship that centers collaborative decision-making, mutual accountability, and a deep commitment to community-led impact. Both co-leaders report directly to the Board of Directors and share executive responsibility for the organization’s strategic direction, management, and sustainability.

Together, the President and CEO & Founder engage in thought partnership to shape La Cocina’s long-term vision, strategic initiatives, and overall impact. Within this co-leadership structure, each leader holds final decision-making authority in distinct areas: the President & CEO leads in development, vision articulation, and external communications, while the President leads in operations, HR, compliance, and program execution. This model honors both collective leadership and clarity of roles, ensuring responsiveness, integrity, and balance across all domains.

The President is responsible for leading La Cocina’s day-to-day operations, supervising all staff outside the development and communications team, and ensuring excellence across clinical, fiscal, and programmatic areas. This role builds and strengthens the internal systems that make organizational growth possible—while advancing a healing-centered, equity-rooted mission.

This position is ideal for a highly skilled, bilingual (Spanish-English) executive with a track record in nonprofit operations, values-aligned leadership, and community-rooted implementation. It offers the opportunity to co-lead one of the country’s most innovative Latine-led mental health and social impact organizations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Serve as La Cocina’s primary operational and fiscal steward, including as the Board of Directors’ direct report for financial reporting, compliance, and budget oversight.
• Co-lead execution of La Cocina’s mission, strategic initiatives, and organizational growth in deep and trusted partnership with the President & CEO.
• Direct all day-to-day organizational operations—including finance, HR, compliance, contracts, grant management systems, and program implementation—ensuring alignment with La Cocina’s values and long-term goals.
• Supervise and support La Cocina’s clinical staff, ensuring excellence in service delivery, productivity, Medicaid compliance, and adherence to all DORA and professional standards.
• Manage personnel systems and internal operations across La Cocina’s physical locations in Northern Colorado and Denver, cultivating performance and infrastructure that support sustainability and staff wellbeing.
• Learn and implement La Cocina’s unique Community Co-Design (CCD) approach to data collection, ensuring that all evaluation and reporting activities are conducted in close partnership with community leads and directly inform strategic planning, communications, and development.
• Along with the CEO & Founder, produce quarterly organizational performance reports and fiscal dashboards for the Board of Directors, using CCD data to drive decision-making.
• Supervise all staff outside of the development and communications team, including managers across clinical services, early childhood programming, and operations.
• Collaborate closely with the President & CEO on philanthropic storytelling and clinical fundraising, particularly in ensuring that program outcomes and community-informed data guide grant writing and donor communications.
• Represent La Cocina in funder meetings, public forums, and institutional partnerships related to programs, clinical services, and operational impact.
• Lead implementation and programmatic execution for key initiatives.
• Co-lead the organization’s 2025-2028 strategic planning process alongside the President & CEO and Board of Directors.
• Advance organizational systems and culture grounded in equity, healing justice, cultural and linguistic affirmation, and participatory leadership.

Leadership & Core Competencies

• Proven executive experience in nonprofit or social enterprise leadership, with a focus on operations, finance, and nonprofit systems governance.
• Strong strategic thinker with the ability to set priorities, manage complex projects, and maintain accuracy under pressure.
• Demonstrated success in supervising and mentoring diverse teams while building organizational capacity across leadership and staff levels.
• Highly skilled in navigating the intersections of strategic planning, business development, and systems-building practices.
• Effective communicator with excellent verbal and written skills; able to contribute meaningfully to public-facing materials including reports, grant narratives, and messaging.
• Deep understanding of and alignment with La Cocina’s mission, vision, and values—including its emphasis on equity, cultural affirmation, and healing justice.
• Comfortable operating within a multilingual, multicultural environment with team members who bring a range of lived experiences and professional lenses.
• Demonstrated capacity to implement, evaluate, and scale community-led innovations using participatory and relational models.
• Ability to learn and apply La Cocina’s Human Centered Co-design (HCC) framework for participatory data collection and strategy development.
• Skilled at translating programmatic outcomes into grantmaking strategies that support organizational sustainability and scalable product innovation.
• Grounded in a movement-building, social justice leadership style responsive to communities navigating systemic oppression and toxic stress.

Education & Professional Experience

• Minimum of eight years’ experience in nonprofit or social enterprise management, with significant responsibility in fiscal oversight and organizational operations.
• Track record of effective fiscal stewardship, grant and contract management, procurement systems, and collaboration with auditors and financial professionals.
• At least five years of experience with data systems, program evaluation, and productivity frameworks, especially those rooted in community leadership.
• Demonstrated success cultivating trust-based relationships with communities and stakeholders to advance mission and secure resources.
• Experience leading within organizations focused on racial equity, health justice, immigrant rights, or aligned social change movements.

• Bilingual fluency in Spanish and English is required.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree in a related field—preferably a clinical degree in mental health—or a PsyD is strongly preferred.
• Clinical program management experience preferred.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

The President (Co-Executive Director) directly and indirectly supervises all La Cocina staff, with the exception of the President & CEO and the Communications & Development team. This includes oversight of clinical, programmatic, and operational staff across both Northern Colorado and Denver sites. Responsibilities include hiring, onboarding, supervision, performance evaluation, and staff development, all in accordance with La Cocina policies and applicable laws.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This is a hybrid position with the option to work remotely up to two days per week. The President (Co-Executive Director) will work from both La Cocina’s Northern Colorado and Denver office locations, with periodic travel required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to perform the essential functions of the role. While performing job duties, the employee is regularly required to communicate effectively, both in person and via digital platforms. The role may involve standing, walking, and using hands to handle or feel tools and equipment. Ability to occasionally lift office supplies up to 20 pounds is required.

CLASSIFICATION

This is a full-time, exempt position eligible for benefits after 60 days of employment. Occasional evening and weekend availability is required based on program and organizational needs.

SALARY RANGE: $125,000 to $150,000

This is a full-time, exempt position with an annual salary range of $125,000 to $150,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

La Cocina offers a competitive compensation package and may provide relocation support for exceptional candidates moving to the Northern Colorado or Denver metro areas, in proximity to one of our primary office locations.

HOW TO APPLY & DEADLINE

To apply, please submit a cover letter and Curriculum Vitae (CV) or résumé through this portal. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted until the position is filled.

In your cover letter, please include a reflection on what courageous leadership looks like in this historical moment. What have you learned about your leadership during times of uncertainty, disruption, or change? And what have those lessons taught you about the way you wish to lead La Cocina?

Only complete applications (cover letter & CV/resume) will be reviewed.

All of us at La Cocina look forward to welcoming a new co-leader who shares our knowing that healing and justice are not just outcomes—but critical ways of leading.

La Cocina is an equal opportunity employer that centers diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. We encourage applications from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) persons, immigrants, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other underrepresented and/or under-resourced groups. La Cocina does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status and/or veteran status. La Cocina’s mission is to elevate Latine-centered knowledge that heals and transforms, always in partnership with persons most impacted by systemic inequity and harm.