Executive Director

Job description

About DanceSafe

Founded in 1998 in San Francisco, CA, DanceSafe emerged from a recognized need within the rave community for better access to drug checking and drug education. Since its inception, DanceSafe has been at the forefront of harm reduction efforts within the electronic music and nightlife communities.

Today, our mission has expanded to promote health, safety, and fulfilling experiences for people who use drugs and their communities. We believe in harm reduction as a pragmatic approach to reducing the risks and enhancing the benefits associated with drug use and other health behaviors, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Examples of current programs and services include field outreach, online outreach, FTIR program, DanceSafe Training Program, WeLoveConsent, and the Harm Reduction Distribution Program.

Central to our work are our values of authenticity, cultivating community, curiosity, collaborative service, and popular education. These values coupled with our principles guide everything we do, from our outreach efforts to our organizational culture. Learn more about our values and principles at dancesafe.org/about-us/.

While DanceSafe has existed for 27+ years, we are very much a developing organization. In recent years, DanceSafe has been undergoing deep and transformative growth focused on establishing critical administrative infrastructure (e.g. budget and financial systems, human resources, technology, etc.), revamping our outreach systems and processes, creating sustainable and scalable harm reduction distribution practices, implementing a brand refresh, and navigating the ever growing demand for our services. In the years to come, we intend to continue investing in the foundational infrastructure of our organization, diversifying our revenue streams, and expanding the reach and scope of our audiences, programs, and services.

Join us at DanceSafe as we continue to drive positive change, advocate for social justice, and create safer and more inclusive spaces for people who use drugs and their communities.

What We Value

DanceSafe is seeking a visionary and community-rooted Executive Director to lead the organization into its next era of growth, impact, and innovation. This is a rare opportunity for a strategic and values-aligned leader to oversee a national harm reduction nonprofit with international reach at the intersection of public health, drug policy, lifestyle, and nightlife culture. The Executive Director will work in close partnership with the Board of Directors and executive leadership team to drive long-term sustainability, deepen programmatic impact, and uphold our community-centered approach.

The ideal candidate will be agile and collaborative, skilled in both strategy and execution, and committed to the principle of “power with, not power over.” We are seeking a leader who believes in collaboration over control, transparency over perfectionism, and trust over top-down directives. They will guide DanceSafe in expanding our reach beyond our roots in electronic dance music, cultivating partnerships across diverse communities while stewarding a healthy, mission-aligned organizational culture.

The Executive Director will have two direct reports upon hiring - both DanceSafe’s COO and Chief Growth & Impact Officer. We will be looking for an individual that will have the ability to support recruitment efforts organization-wide and oversee additional direct reports as our team continues to grow.

Your Key Contributions

[30%] Strategic Leadership, Strategy, & Vision

• Provide visionary leadership and sustainable strategic direction for DanceSafe alongside the executive leadership team and board of directors, shaping a future that ensures mission fidelity while aligning all strategies, and operations with DanceSafe’s mission, vision, values, principles, and organizational goals.
• Define and track measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) across all departments to evaluate organizational health, program effectiveness, and strategic progress
• Lead DanceSafe through phases of organizational change efforts, growth, and evolution, aligning infrastructure, strategy, and culture with DanceSafe’s mission, vision, and goals.
• Serve as a visible and trusted ambassador of DanceSafe, representing the organization’s mission, values, and harm reduction principles in public, media, and movement spaces.
• Continue to cultivate DanceSafe’s role as both a public health leader and cultural participant, bridging community care with nightlife and festival culture.
• Embody and promote accountability and alignment with DanceSafe’s cultural expectations, ensuring all volunteers and employees actively practice and embody our mission, vision, and values.
• Uphold our community-centered approach, ideally drawing from experience with chapter-based organizational models.
• Demonstrate organizational agility, responding and adapting to evolving needs, landscapes, and opportunities within the harm reduction landscape.
• Build and operationalize comprehensive crisis response and risk mitigation plans, ensuring alignment across leadership, staff, volunteers, and contractors for proactive and coordinated action.

[30%] Financial Growth & Sustainability

• Steward a sustainable business model that integrates fundraising, grant income, marketing, earned revenue (ie. paid and non-paid social enterprise strategy, program-related income, etc.), and other.
• Diversify DanceSafe’s revenue streams, including identifying new funding opportunities, cultivating relationships with donors, foundations, and funding partners with a strong focus on securing large & major gifts and grants.
• Continue development and execution of comprehensive fundraising systems, initiatives, and campaigns.
• Oversee annual and multi-year budgeting processes to support strategic priorities and long-term sustainability
• Lead financial planning, including forecasting, cash flow, scenario modeling, and cost modeling
• Ensure DanceSafe maintains strong internal financial systems, controls, regulatory compliance, sound fiscal policies, clean audits, and platinum Candid status
• Collaborate with the finance committee on transparent financial reporting and risk oversight
• Monitor financial performance and adjust strategies to maintain fiscal health
• Continue to build and maintain efficient, scalable, and mission-aligned financial and reporting systems

[20%] Operations Leadership & Internal Systems

• Lead HR systems and functions in a way that centers equity, care, and accountability, while ensuring strong legal compliance and fostering a supportive, inclusive, and values-driven work environment.
• Lead comprehensive talent acquisition, retention, engagement, and growth strategies in close collaboration with the Board of Directors and the executive leadership team
• Provide strong operational leadership to ensure daily organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance across finance, HR, programs, administration, technology & digital Infrastructure, facilities & logistics, and all legal areas that effect the organization.
• Guide the strategic direction, execution, and evaluation of all DanceSafe programs to ensure community relevance, quality, and scalability.
• Oversee DanceSafe’s portfolio and project management systems and foster a culture of transparency, value delivery, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Utilize data, feedback, and evaluation tools and strategies to optimize systems, inform decision-making, and enhance community and user experience across programs and platforms (including DanceSafe’s entire digital ecosystem).
• Be very tactical minded, enthusiastically willing to directly execute tasks, own a high amount of administrative work, and contribute to the workload across the organization.

[20%] Movement Leadership, Engagement & Advocacy

• Represent DanceSafe externally through media, public speaking, coalitions, conferences, etc. to build strategic alliances
• Champion progressive drug policy reform and advocate for culturally responsive harm reduction.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with community leaders, organizations, coalitions, and movement partners to strengthen collective impact.
• Monitor the organization’s public perception, identifying reputational risks and proactively strengthening trust, transparency, and accountability.
• Oversee a comprehensive communication strategy that uplifts DanceSafe’s mission and goals across platforms
• Align internal culture with external messaging, ensuring the organization “walks the talk” and maintains credibility in the communities it serves.
• Respond to cultural, political, and public health moments with clarity, care, and mission-aligned leadership — especially when visibility is high and/or stakes are sensitive.

What Success Looks Like

• Passion and deep commitment to DanceSafe’s mission, vision, values, and principles, with a deep understanding of harm reduction as a public health and social justice approach
• Lived experience as a member of one or more of the communities DanceSafe serves
• Proven track record of executive leadership, with the ability to oversee complex organizational landscape, portfolios, drive measurable results, and lead effectively through change and growth
• Exceptional leadership and management skills, rooted in collaboration, transparency, and a “power with, not power over” philosophy
• Deep commitment to accessibility, justice, equity, ethics, and cultural humility as guiding frameworks for leadership, programs, and internal culture
• Clear rejection of psychedelic exceptionalism, with a strong grounding in drug policy and public health solutions that prioritize those most harmed by prohibition
• Proficiency with Google Suite, ClickUp, Slack, AirTable, Notion, Miro, and other remote office and collaboration tools
• Direct experience in drug policy, public health, music industry, and/or harm reduction.
• Experience leading or working within a chapter-based organizational model.
• Board Member experience in nonprofit and/or private organizations.

Your Qualifications & Potential

• Minimum 10 years in an executive leadership role, with at least 7 years as an Executive Director role with a successful and active track record:
  • Leading nonprofit organizational growth—including expansion of programs, team, infrastructure, impact, and budget—with measurable, mission-aligned outcomes.
  • Stewarding successful non-profit fiscal strategy, operations, and health.
  • Fundraising, campaigns, donor programs, and securing large & major gifts
  • Program design and evaluation, with a strong ability to use data and community insight to inform decision-making and drive impact.
  • Building, managing, and mentoring high-performing, cross-functional teams in a remote or distributed environment.
  • overseeing and optimizing impactful digital infrastructure and omni-channel digital initiatives, including websites, tools and platforms (CMS, social & digital media, paid & non-paid marketing & communications, analytics & optimization, donation/payment processing, etc.), e-commerce systems, CRMs, and UI/UX strategies.
• Exceptional emotional intelligence, cultural fluency, and cultural humility with high capacity to build trust, psychological safety, navigate conflict, and foster an inclusive, trauma-informed organizational culture.

Salary & Benefits

The salary for this position is $133,200 and includes a generous benefit package, including PTO, medical and dental benefits, disability and life insurance, professional development, and employer contribution retirement.

Job Accommodations &Travel Expectations

• Travel will include several times a quarter for team meetups and gatherings, conferences, in-person meetings with foundations and donors, stakeholders, community members, networking events, festivals, and other events as-needed.
• Travel may include domestic and international flights (must have or be able to obtain required travel documents)
• Camping and/or working in a variety of weather conditions including freezing and hot temperatures, (sometimes both within a single event), rain, wind, dust, etc.
• Standing, sitting, and walking for long periods of time

DanceSafe Equity Commitment Statement

DanceSafe is committed to equity and inclusion in all our partnerships. We prioritize your demonstrated skills, relevant experience, and unique talents over checking every box on a qualifications list. All lived, professional, and community-based experience will be considered. We understand that no candidate is perfect, and we value a growth mindset. Candidates of all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. This includes but is not limited to queer, trans, non-binary, Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled people, parents, non-monogamous, immigrants, and anyone else who has experienced systemic oppression and/or gender-based violence. DanceSafe does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, ability, or any other aspect of identity. We’ve designed our hiring process to be accessible, and reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities.  If you’re excited about this role and possess many of the experiences and attributes we’ve outlined, please apply.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Nonprofit HR is committed to fostering and maintaining a work environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fully integrated into everything we do for the benefit of our employees and the clients that we serve. To fully realize our goal, we prioritize our understanding of the complexities of DEI within our workforce to inform our approach to talent management. We believe that this guides how we do our work, advise our clients to operationalize DEI and position our content and educational opportunities help strengthen the talent management capacity of the social impact sector.

Continue reading our about our commitment at nonprofithr.com/deinow.