Board Member

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Ensaaf is the leading NGO working to redress gross human rights violation in India, with a special focus on Punjab. Ensaaf has documented thousands of disappearances and unlawful killings of men, women, and children perpetrated by India's security forces, and helped obtain the convictions of several officials. Their work has been recently covered in the The Hill, BBC, LA Times, and The Christian Science Monitor. Their 2014 short documentary, The Last Killing, which chronicles the struggle for justice of a police whistleblower, has won numerous awards, including best human rights short by Amnesty International. Ensaaf's major initiatives include completing documentation of "disappearances" among Punjab's 12,000 villages, establishing the first virtual site of conscience, and replicating its innovative strategy for redressing crimes against humanity throughout India. Ensaaf was launched with support from the Echoing Green Foundation and Harvard Law School.

Ensaaf is working to develop a strong, strategic board capable of raising the resources for its growth and communicating the importance of its work to external audiences. We are looking for individuals from the Business and Civic realms who:

* Believe strongly that no ones’ right to life or liberty should be deprived without due process of law, in contravention of universal standards, irrespective of their minority status

* Are strategic thinkers, passionate communicators and advocates, and who bring the highest levels of credibility and ethics

* May have a few other philanthropic involvements but have enough bandwidth to be meaningfully engaged with a young but growing organization

* Will leverage their networks to secure the resources needed to achieve goals, and will make a personal donation towards its annual budget, with the aim of helping it grow.

* Love collaborative work, engage passionately and kindly with others, and bring a sense of humor

We have identified 5 broad profiles that align with our strategic imperatives for leveraging our work. While not exhaustive - candidates may cover multiple areas or additional ones - they serve as markers for the type of leaders we hope to identify.

Financial Leader: A financial services professional with a reputation for integrity and smarts. A respected leader from the hedge fund, private equity, or investment banking industries, this candidate may not have a ton of time, but follows through on the specific things she/he pledges to do; takes a great deal of personal satisfaction around our organizational successes but is equally interested in the challenges of scaling at our size; and is comfortable, perhaps even competitive, with raising money.

Corporate Leader: A corporate professional with strong operational/ experience

and a deep personal interest in our work. With an entrepreneurial spirit, she/he loves solving problems and scaling big ideas. Ensaaf will be a significant commitment and she/he is confident and willing to play a public role and open doors among peers.

Philanthropist: A high-impact volunteer who is looking for meaningful engagement with Ensaaf and will be a passionate advocate for our work. A professional who is savvy about board governance, he/she is equally comfortable sitting with our staff as leading a major fundraising pitch.

Technologist/Data Scientist: A thoughtful and creative problem-solver who is passionate about leveraging technology and data to create connection and positive change and brings expertise in consumer-facing interfaces and build-outs, digital strategy, and/or data science. They are willing to help leverage their company’s/employer’s assets behind a partnership and want to have a hands-on relationship with Ensaaf. This professional might come from a technology company or perhaps the CTO of a consumer-facing brand, or even academia.

Marketing Guru: A smart, creative marketing executive that is very active in the digital space and has a particular passion for human rights. He/she will leverage company resources behind a partnership and wants to have a hands-on relationship with Ensaaf as we design a campaign to engage public opinion on human rights issues in India. Could be a start-up agency CEO or the CMO of a consumer-facing brand.

We ask each board member to make the following commitments to Ensaaf:

* Work collaboratively to provide leadership, direction, and vision for the organization

* Raise resources, increase strategic visibility, and engage others in our work

* Ensure strong, ethical governance, sound financial policies, and programmatic oversight

* Evaluate the Co-Directors; serving as mentor and advisor to the senior leadership team

* Serve a renewable, three-year term

* Attend at least 3 out of 4 meetings each year (held in rotating cities, usually on the West Coast or by teleconference)

* Serve on at least one board project or committee (1 - 2 hours a month)

* Be available as needed for special projects and assignments

* Be a passionate advocate for Ensaaf and the constituents it represents