Managing Director. Search conducted by: waldronhr.com

Transcription

1 Managing Director Search conducted by: waldronhr.com

2 When the iron bird flies, and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the world. And the Dharma will come to the land of the Red Man. Padmasambava, 9th Century Indian master who led the conversion of Tibet to Buddhism Namchak LLC is a Montana limited liability company formed for the purpose of engaging in the development of the Namchak Retreat Ranch. The Namchak Retreat Ranch will be built on 9,000 acres of nearly pristine ranch land in Western Montana. The ranch land is privately owned land held in trust that is being developed for charitable use by the Namchak Foundation. The Namchak Foundation was founded in Montana to benefit humanity primarily by promoting the growth, study, and practice of the Namchak lineage of Tibetan Buddhism domestically and internationally. We do this through the website and by holding retreats and educational events in Western Montana. The Namchak LLC is a private entity that supports the mission of Namchak Foundation. The missions of the Namchak Foundation and the Namchak LLC will be closely aligned, and their leaders and staff will operate very closely together to carry out the organizations shared goals. The Managing Director of the Namchak LLC will be primarily responsible for leading and managing a multi-faceted and unique endeavor that includes the creation of a web of student groups across the nation, and an online supported educational program. On the Namchak Retreat Ranch we will be building an extensive Tibetan Buddhist retreat complex, institute an extensive educational program there, with an agricultural and herbal business for supporting the above activities into the future. To be successful, the Managing Director will bring clarity of vision, a voice of guidance, and a broad capability to carry multiple functional areas forward in a landscape where many competing priorities demand attention at once. They will benefit from partnering with a team of decision makers, but will also be an inspirational, business-minded leader who possesses innate strategic and operational excellence and has the capacity for leadership and inspiration. A community builder and mentor at heart, they should also bring a respect for and/or a personal dedication to a daily practice of reflection and meditation, which is authentically woven throughout their work. Given the nature and purpose of our organization, having an ongoing meditation practice at this time is not required but highly desirable.

3 THE NAMCHAK LINEAGE Tulku Sangak Rinpoche, a renowned meditation master and scholar, is a holder of the Namchak lineage and other profound and widely practiced lineages of Tibetan Buddhism in the United States and Asia. He is the founder and spiritual director of Ewam International Centers around the world. Rinpoche was born into an old family of spiritual leaders in Tibet. Rinpoche s family has traditionally held the Namchak, or sky iron, Lineage, in an area called Chamdo in the Kham region of Tibet, though the Namchak lineage has been in other areas of Tibet as well. Rinpoche was recognized in early childhood to be the reincarnation of the Gochen Tulku. Near the mere age of three, when Rinpoche was with his family and a large group of others harvesting hay in the fields, he was left sitting on a boulder at the foot of a cliff. As he was running uphill toward the adults, he imparted the wondrous sign of his realization by leaving his footprint in a rock, as though in soft clay, still visible to this day. Lama Tsomo, Rinpoche s first western student to be ordained a lama and one of few female lamas, is a long-time practitioner and teacher, and co-founder of the Namchak Foundation. Lama Tsomo has studied and completed many intensive retreats under Rinpoche s close instruction and supervision and has received many empowerments and teachings from him as well, including the course of study and practice of the traditional Three-Year Retreat. Tulku Sangak Rinpoche has asked her to teach Vajrayana, and to work toward the creation of the retreat facility, which she and others are doing through the Namchak Foundation and the Namchak LLC.

4 CREATING PATHWAYS OF EXPLORATION AND LEARNING Carrying the vision of Rinpoche, and under the leadership of Lama Tsomo, the Namchak Foundation will provide the opportunity for westerners - from those deeply experienced with Tibetan Buddhism to those just approaching it for the first time - to explore opportunities to begin or to further their practice through online learning and courses, publications, and various interactions and levels of engagement ranging from living room conversations to three-year retreats at the Namchak Retreat Ranch. The Namchak Retreat Ranch in Montana: A unique teaching and practice facility, ratified by Rinpoche according to ancient scriptures, will be located on 9,000 acres in picturesque Lake County, Montana, and will provide the education and a facility in which up to 60 retreatants for Three Year Retreat, and up to 190 students can pursue more foundational training in Tibetan Buddhist practices. The Retreat Ranch will feature a large temple along with dormitories and smaller practice facilities. In addition, a secluded portion of the ranch will be dedicated to three-year retreats, featuring six simple, 10-person dorms to optimize opportunity for reflection and meditation. A variety of shorter retreats will be offered with participants paying housing and tuition fees commensurate with the program they choose. In addition to the retreat offerings, there will be an agricultural and herbal business. Website, Distance Learning, and Learning Communities: A comprehensive website will be built under the auspices of the Namchak Foundation to house, virtually, teaching and communities that will form across the country. A tool for experienced teachers, advanced students, or for those just exploring a first-time practice, this website will be a major pathway of distribution of products and courses which educate people in the practices and history of the Namchak lineage, and facilitate the exercise of its spiritual practice. The website will include an online store as well. Moreover, it will foster the formation and nurture the ongoing needs of learning communities, virtually, in living rooms, and in larger venues, to promote spiritual practice and a learning network of practitioners.

5 THE MANAGING DIRECTOR Reporting to a three-member Executive Committee (the Deciders ), the Managing Director will have overall responsibility for the strategic, programmatic, financial, and physical operations of the Retreat Ranch and will work closely with the Director of Education and Outreach. They will mainly be responsible for the overall day to day managing of this endeavor. To a limited extent, they will serve as a spokesperson to various constituencies, including the media, community groups, potential funders, partners, vendors, the Retreat Ranch staff, etc. Acting as the overarching balloon string holder of the various teams, the Managing Director will work collaboratively on a day to day basis with the Executive Committee and the teams, which include Land Management, Retreat Ranch Operation and Management, Design and Construction, Education and Outreach, and Finance and Administration, among other key staff, to ensure that critical resources, expectations, systems, and support are in place to achieve the Namchak vision and strategy. It will be their responsibility, in a more immediate way than the Deciders, to support the various committees in implementing the strategic plan successfully, on time, and within the approved budgets. Every bit as important will be the responsibility of working collaboratively with the team, to ensure a healthy culture that reflects the Namchak values. As the primary liaison with the Executive Committee, the Managing Director will build on and execute a strategic and operational vision of the Retreat Ranch that is aligned with its mission and core values, and articulate a plan for building the Retreat Ranch s long-term capacity. In collaboration with the team, particularly the committee balloon holders, they will implement and articulate a concrete plan to ensure short- and long-term deadlines are identified and met, while being nimble in responding to the changing landscape and shifting deadlines inherent in a growing start up. The Managing Director will bring the highest levels of integrity and a personal investment in the Namchak mission and will possess the ability to discuss, with authenticity, the importance of the mission and the transformative educational experience that its courses, conversations, and connections provide.

6 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES The challenges and responsibilities in which the Managing Director will engage in the first months of their tenure include: Be a carrier of the Namchak culture which we have all been carefully nurturing since the creation of this endeavor. Bring a sophisticated understanding of how to develop organizational capacity and operationalize the strategic vision by identifying and implementing greater efficiencies and systems that result in consistently high-quality programs, communications, and resources internally and externally. Refine a strategic plan, in conjunction with others, and implement the human and physical infrastructure, also in conjunction with others, that is required to achieve the agreed upon shortand long-term goals and deadlines. This person will be doing this on a more on the ground way than the Deciders. Understand and convey to staff the importance of efficient and seamless operations management, equal in importance to compassion and heartfelt connection. They will be working in a relatively flat, less hierarchical, team-based structure, in a mission-driven environment. Work with the Controller to create a long-range financial and development plan that ensures continued fiscal health and supports future growth and development. Act as a supporter and guide to the Namchak LLC staff, working to ensure each individual is adequately supported to perform at the highest level, while ensuring that communication within the organization is fluid and effective. Lead all aspects of hiring, separation, ongoing training and professional development, and foster a culture that embraces teamwork, seamless communication, accountability, integrity, and high levels of morale. Expand the impact of Namchak by fostering and maintaining trusted, productive relationships with community and tribal members, vendors and partners, media outlets, and other key constituents, while cultivating new and strategic relationships with other relevant organizations and individuals. Work closely with the Director of Education and Outreach and their teams to ensure the timely development of a compelling and robust website, with a complete online supported educational program, marketing/outreach materials, and educational programs in local groups across the country that will engage and support practitioners. Work in close partnership with the Deciders, the Director of Built Environment, staff and outside parties to support the planning and construction of the Namchak Retreat Ranch facilities.

7 QUALIFICATIONS The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial, proactive, and nimble leader who possesses both the vision to inspire and the skills and gravitas to lead an organization into its next phase of growth. The candidate will be a collaborative professional and an outstanding, nurturing manager who brings a demonstrated respect and understanding for the shared vision, goals, and core values of the Namchak LLC and the Namchak Foundation: peace, respect, openness, compassion, honesty, patience, as well as effectiveness, good business practice, professionalism, good sense, and capability. Coming from a dynamic nonprofit or for-profit background, they will possess excellent leadership, planning, organizational, analytical, and project management skills and will serve as a compelling leader and representative. They will be an innovative and strategic thinker. While no one person may embody all of the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences: Sophisticated and seasoned leadership skills developed through a minimum of eight to ten years of executive level experience in a large, dynamic, multi-faceted environment with solid strategic thinking and an ability to manage multiple priorities while leading in a manner that embodies respect, teamwork, and collaboration from a diverse and dedicated staff. Ability to lead programs and organizations with balanced compassion and a practical, strategic business sense; demonstrated budget development experience and the proven ability to interpret, forecast, and manage financial statements. A track-record of backing assertions with facts and data. A strategic, self-motivated, and efficient approach to planning and decision making while balancing multiple tasks and demands simultaneously; the ability to work independently as well as with the support of the executive leadership team, consultants, volunteers, and fellow staff. A collaborative, inspirational, and energetic professional who embodies in his or her working relationships the values and interpersonal skills on which the Namchak LLC s work is based. A mentor at heart who is able to foster an organizational culture that combines respectful collaboration with disciplined productivity. Though their focus will mainly be internal, the ability to operate comfortably with a wide variety of external audiences in a skillful and nonjudgmental manner is important. The ability to be a team builder who is participatory and inclusive in style when appropriate as well as a decision maker who is able to successfully implement strategic priorities; a willingness to roll up one s sleeves to accomplish any task. The integrity, wisdom, patience, persistence, and humor necessary to address the practicalities of a dynamic nonprofit and the courage and creativity to grow the organization to reach new levels of promise. An entrepreneurial and indefatigable nature married to a dedicated and serviceproviding orientation and an ability to act creatively and nimbly in response to the unexpected. A demonstrated appreciation for environments that cultivate wellness and personal growth is desired. In order to authentically reflect the work of the Namchak LLC and the Namchak Foundation, the candidates would have a daily meditation practice and a respect for, and some understanding, of Buddhism. A passion for the work that this organization is undertaking. An undergraduate degree is required.

8 TO BE CONSIDERED Please submit your resume and cover letter expressing your passion for the mission and fit for the role via Waldron s candidate web portal. Cover letters may be addressed to Jeff Waldron. The Namchak LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants who contribute to this diversity are strongly encouraged to apply. The search for a Managing Director for the Namchak LLC is being assisted by a team from Waldron: Jeff Waldron Principal Eliza Kinrose Engagement Manager Mikela Topey Senior Associate Direct: Direct: Direct: jeff@waldronhr.com eliza@waldronhr.com mikela@waldronhr.com

9 Waldron is honored to work with the Namchak LLC in the search for a Managing Director. We believe in and support the work of the Namchak LLC, Namchak Foundation, and Namchak Retreat Ranch. We are doing our best to recruit a talented leader who will accelerate this mission. As the consulting partner strategic leaders choose to help attract, engage, and inspire effective leaders, Waldron provides a unique combination of executive search, leadership development, and career transition services across sectors and industries. Our passion is helping people and organizations realize their full potential and increase their impact. Seattle Portland San Francisco waldronhr.com