Washington, DC
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
m/Oppenheim Associates is assisting the Sunlight Foundation in the search for its new Executive Director to lead the organization’s work in producing more accountable, transparent politics & government, using the tools of journalism, technology and open data, as well as effective advocacy, policy analysis, partnerships and programs. For more information, please review the complete Position Description.
Sunlight’s vision is to leverage technology to enable more complete, equitable and effective democratic participation by people, with the overarching goal to work towards real-time, online transparency of government information with a special focus on money and influence in politics. When founded in 2006, it was clear that technology could be a powerful tool to support and enable government transparency but it wasn’t clear what that would look like in practice, and for nearly a decade, Sunlight helped to figure this out by building experimental apps and APIs. That period of experimentation is over and today, forward-thinking governmental innovation shops are building their own tools in-house with many being led by Sunlight alumni.
This means it’s time for Sunlight to take on a new role. The Foundation has developed a deep understanding of why transparency and accountability matters and how it can be best achieved using technology. In this new chapter, Sunlight’s task is to renew its focus, so that its expertise is effectively directed at informing and driving the public’s demands for transparency and accountability, and advising governments at the federal, state and local levels on how to achieve that through technology and open data, and through law, policy, and practice.
The Board of Directors seeks a leader who will closely collaborate with board, staff and existing and new funders to shape a coherent, forward-thinking strategy to maximize the Foundation’s impact. The Executive Director will leverage Sunlight’s brand, credibility, nonpartisan character and network of support (particularly in technology circles) to advance the cause of transparency and accountability in politics and government. Sunlight is located in Washington DC, and currently has a staff of 22 and an annual budget of $3M contributed by individuals and foundations interested in civic society.
For additional information or to apply, please contact Lisa Grossman at info[at]moppenheim[dot]com.
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