Dear friends and colleagues of Access Now,
Following on from Brett Solomon’s announcement of his upcoming departure from the Access Now Executive Director position, we write to celebrate Brett’s incredible leadership — having seen the need for an organization delivering a comprehensive, multifaceted approach to digital rights and then making it a reality — and to open the search for a new Executive Director who can build on his work.
Since co-founding Access Now in 2009 and serving as Executive Director for the past 15 years, Brett has provided the strategic direction, inspirational guidance, and hard work needed to build Access Now into a thriving organization at the frontlines of human rights and technology. He founded and helped steer RightsCon into becoming the premier global convening on human rights in the digital age. His skills as an advocate and coalition builder have been indispensable and impactful across a wide range of issues, from internet shutdowns and content moderation, to data protection and cybersecurity.
We thank Brett for his tireless dedication to defending and extending the digital rights of people and communities at risk across the globe.
To continue Access Now’s vital work, we are starting the search for a new Executive Director who can spearhead a talented, dedicated, and diverse global team of 130+ experts and activists. The Board of Directors has established a Transition Committee, comprising the Board and staff members, to find the right candidate and ensure a smooth transition.
We know that the Access Now team, together with the Access Now Board, has built up the resilience needed to continue its excellent work and mature into an even more impactful organization, and we look forward to welcoming a new Executive Director to lead the team.
We seek a considerate and effective leader with experience managing an operationally complex and globally distributed organization. The next Executive Director should have an unwavering commitment to Access Now’s mission, a proven track record of delivering results and creating positive impact, and deep practice of embodying and cultivating accountability, transparency, and equity as core values.
We’re looking for someone with resolute integrity and extensive knowledge, collaboration, and partnership with people working at the forefront of human rights issues across different contexts. The Executive Director must ensure Access Now achieves its long-term goals, while remaining nimble and responsive to ever-changing circumstances.
Together with the team, the Executive Director will be responsible for creatively implementing the organization’s plans and priorities, as we enter the second year of a five-year strategic vision. To do so successfully, the ideal candidate will be an empathetic and generous leader who can motivate their team, manage performance, foster diversity, navigate conflict, and oversee organizational growth and change; an adept fundraiser who can bring in financial resources and develop philanthropic relationships required to resource the organization; and a skilled ambassador in both high-profile international fora and grassroots spaces.
Applications for the Executive Director position can be submitted here.
We welcome qualified candidates to apply, and we look forward to meeting the next Executive Director of this wonderful team.