Executive Director

The Kinship Foundation is seeking an exceptional Executive Director to build and lead a new organization focused on helping Muslim founders and investors build value together at scale to drive forward community empowerment. Using the Kinship platform, the Foundation’s goal is to maximize the value potential of 100,000 Muslim founders by 2030 by creating focused connections with the founders, investors, and catalyzers best positioned to help them reach their goals. The Executive Director will lead the Foundation that runs the platform, build the initial team and operating model, and help launch the organization’s first year of strategy and execution. This is a rare opportunity for a high-capacity leader to shape a new national institution at the intersection of entrepreneurship, community infrastructure, and long-term economic empowerment. About the Role The Executive Director will serve as the senior leader of the Kinship Foundation, reporting to the Board of Directors. This leader will be responsible for turning an ambitious vision into a living, operating system: building the team, guiding the Foundation’s strategy, growing the user base, strengthening platform-enabled services, and building the relationships that make Kinship increasingly valuable over time. The Executive Director’s team will initially include a Community and Operations Manager and an Entrepreneur in Residence. Together, they will use the Kinship platform to activate a broader ecosystem of support for Muslim founders and investors, helping the Foundation build momentum, increase meaningful engagement, and create lasting value for participants. The ideal candidate is both a strong operator and a natural ecosystem convener: someone who can build systems, manage people, create momentum, and earn trust across diverse stakeholders. Key Responsibilities Build and lead the Kinship Foundation as it launches, including helping shape and execute its first-year strategy. Hire, manage, and develop the Foundation’s initial team, including community management and entrepreneur support functions. Grow and engage the Kinship user base until the platform and surrounding services develop sustained momentum and self-reinforcing participation. Iterate and improve both the Kinship platform experience and the service model behind it, based on user needs, outcomes, and feedback. Generate meaningful deal flow and value creation opportunities for participants across the Kinship ecosystem. Build relationships with key external stakeholders, including venture capital firms, accelerators, campus organizations, and Muslim entrepreneurs and company owners who can serve as mentors or subject matter experts. Promote entrepreneurship to talented young Muslims in the United States and globally, helping expand the pipeline of future founders, builders, and contributors. Help build a useful and growing dataset that can inform the Foundation’s strategy, improve matching and support, and strengthen the overall Kinship model over time. Translate a big vision into clear operational priorities, measurable progress, and effective day-to-day execution. What Success Looks Like In the first 12 months, the Executive Director will be expected to help establish the Kinship Foundation as a credible and effective operating organization, with an initial team in place, a clear first-year strategy underway, and a growing base of engaged users. Success in this role means building Kinship toward operating self-sufficiency: creating an environment in which the platform increasingly attracts and engages participants because it is genuinely valuable, not because participation has to be forced. It means generating deal flow and useful connections that create real outcomes for founders and other stakeholders. It also means building the systems and data foundation necessary to strengthen the project over time. Ideal Candidate Profile We are looking for a leader who combines strong execution with strong relationship-building. This person should be equally comfortable building an organization, improving operations, and representing the Foundation in conversations with strategic partners across the entrepreneurship ecosystem. The strongest candidates will bring a mix of nonprofit and startup ecosystem experience, a demonstrated ability to build networks across national Muslim organizations and communities, and a nuanced understanding of what helps Muslim entrepreneurs succeed. They should understand the distinctive challenges Muslim founders may face and be able to translate that understanding into practical support, ecosystem design, and institutional strategy. Qualifications Required Senior leadership experience in a nonprofit, startup, entrepreneurial ecosystem, or similarly fast-moving mission-driven organization. Demonstrated ability to build systems, manage execution, and lead teams from an early-stage or growth-stage environment. Experience developing strategic partnerships and cultivating relationships across multiple stakeholder groups. Strong people management skills, with the ability to lead and support a small, high-performing team. Familiarity with entrepreneurship, founder support, venture ecosystems, accelerators, or adjacent fields. Ability to engage credibly with national Muslim organizations, communities, and ecosystem leaders. Clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges that shape Muslim entrepreneurship and economic advancement. Excellent communication, judgment, and organizational leadership skills. Preferred Experience launching a new initiative, organization, or platform from the ground up. Experience working with founder communities, talent pipelines, or ecosystem-building efforts. Experience using data and user insights to improve strategy, programming, or platform-enabled services. Existing relationships with venture capital firms, accelerators, campus organizations, or founder support networks. Why This Role Matters Too much entrepreneurial talent remains underconnected, under-supported, and undervalued. Kinship exists to change that by building the connective infrastructure that helps Muslim founders and investors create value together at scale. The Executive Director will play a defining role in shaping not just an organization, but a long-term platform for empowerment. This role is for someone who wants to help build enduring infrastructure, unlock human potential, and create the conditions for thousands of people to succeed together. #J-18808-Ljbffr