Executive Director

Executive Director, Breaking Free • Minnesota

Breaking Free, founded in 1996 in Saint Paul, is a survivor-centered nonprofit dedicated to ending sex trafficking and exploitation while supporting survivors in building safe, stable futures. With nearly 30 years of impact, Breaking Free provides safe housing, trauma-informed services, advocacy, and community education across Minnesota. Our holistic model — shaped by lived experience and grounded in racial equity — has supported thousands of survivors and continues to drive systemic change in Minnesota and beyond.

We are seeking a strategic, equity-centered Executive Director to lead Breaking Free into its next chapter. This leader will bring strategic and relational acumen — someone who can hold organizational complexity while staying grounded in community, healing, and justice.

The Opportunity

The Executive Director (ED) serves as Breaking Free’s primary leader, strategist, and ambassador. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED guides a committed staff team and board of directors to advance the mission through strong operations, community-rooted leadership, and values-driven decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Visionary Leadership

• Lead implementation of the strategic plan.
• Cultivate a trauma-informed, racially equitable, psychologically safe organizational culture.
• Center lived experience in leadership and decision-making.

Board Partnership & Governance

• Serve as primary liaison to the Board.
• Support governance development, recruitment, and strategic planning.

Financial Stewardship & Sustainability

• Oversee organizational budget and fiscal integrity.
• Lead diversified fundraising across government, foundation, and individual sources.
• Advance equity-informed compensation and financial decision-making.

Staff Leadership, Culture & Equity

• Supervise senior leadership; foster collaborative, accountable management.
• Champion staff wellbeing, professional development, and sustainable workloads.
• Lead organizational equity initiatives

Programs, Services & Community Impact

• Ensure programs are grounded in evidence, lived experience, and continuous learning.
• Maintain compliance with grants, contracts, and licensing.
• Build partnerships with community organizations, government agencies, and coalitions.

External Relations & Advocacy

• Serve as Breaking Free’s spokesperson and ambassador.
• Lead advocacy aligned with policy priorities: decriminalization, harm reduction, housing justice, racial equity.
• Ensure Breaking Free is represented at local, state, and national convenings.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee HR, technology, and compliance infrastructure.
• Lead trauma-informed change management.
• Ensure risk management and legal compliance across all functions.

Qualifications

We welcome candidates with diverse pathways into leadership — including lived experience, community leadership, and nontraditional career trajectories. As the description states, “No formal degree is required… lived experience is considered a meaningful qualification.”

Required & Highly Valued Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity, social justice, and trauma-informed leadership.
• Understanding of trafficking, sexual exploitation, gender-based violence, housing instability, and/or survivor services.
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience in nonprofit, government, or community-based settings.
• Experience managing senior teams.
• Proven fiscal management experience with budgets of $1M+.
• Diversified fundraising experience.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Familiarity with Minnesota’s nonprofit landscape and policy environment.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $95,000–$125,000, commensurate with experience.
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision; 401(k) with 4% employer match; disability and life insurance; EAP; generous PTO, holidays, safe/sick leave.
• Professional Development: Annual stipend.
• Work Flexibility: Primarily remote; Minnesota-based.

How to Apply

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. Submit cover letter + résumé as one PDF document to View email address on click.appcast.io by October 9, 2026.

Breaking Free strongly encourages applications from:

• People with lived experience of trafficking or sexual exploitation
• Black, Indigenous, and people of color
• LGBTQIA+ leaders
• People with disabilities
• Women and non-binary leaders