Position:

Organization:

Location:

Metro Region:

Overview:

Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Through extraordinary attention in yearlong one-to-one relationships, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved and communities to progress together. Headquartered in Boston, Jumpstart pairs 3,500 trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of assistance.  During the 2007-2008 program year, Jumpstart is serving 13,000 children across 20 states, in partnership with 300 early learning centers and nearly 70 universities and colleges throughout the country. Jumpstart’s national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Pearson, Sodexho and Starbucks. Jumpstart has earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and is the recipient of the Fast Company/Monitor Social Capitalist Award (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007) and the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy’s Directors Award. In 2006, the organization launched Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, an annual campaign to bring national attention to early education while setting a world record for the number of adults and children reading the same book in a single day. 

Jumpstart’s Mid-Atlantic region is based in New York City, with program sites in New York City, upstate New York, and Pennsylvania, with growth potential in New Jersey.  The current annual budget of $2.3M supports 650 college student Jumpstart members and 24 full-time staff members working with 2,000 children. 

Position:

Jumpstart is seeking a highly entrepreneurial leader to serve as the Mid-Atlantic Executive Director in a region poised for exciting and aggressive growth of approximately 15-30% per year for the next 3-5 years. S/he will deepen our impact and broaden our scope in the region by driving success in development and fundraising, program management and growth, relationship cultivation, staff management, and operational effectiveness. S/he will leverage new and existing partnerships within the higher education, early education, and funding communities to achieve these ambitious goals and thus bring Jumpstart closer to the day when every child in the Mid-Atlantic Region enters school prepared to succeed.  Reporting to the Vice President of Field Operations and Strategic Growth, the Executive Director will also play an integral role on Jumpstart’s national Management and Executive Director teams, developing organizational strategy, policy, and growth plans. This position is based out of Jumpstart’s Mid-Atlantic regional office located in New York City. 

Responsibilities:

Strategic
• Drive the development and execution of the Mid-Atlantic region’s growth strategy in collaboration with the Vice President of Field Operations and Strategic Growth, the regional advisory board, and Jumpstart’s senior management team
• Monitor, evaluate, and amend existing strategies to better position the Mid-Atlantic region for both immediate impact and long-term growth

Fundraising and Relationship Building
• Work with regional Director of Development and the national development team to create and implement a regional fundraising strategy, including developing and cultivating relationships with key donors and partners and ensuring that revenue goals are met across a variety of sources including foundations, corporations, government, individuals, and special events
• Ensure regional revenue goal is met or exceeded annually
• Collaborate with national development team to support national fundraising efforts as appropriate
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with and increased funding from state AmeriCorps commissions
• Steward and develop regional Board of Advisors
• Maximize opportunities for increased organizational visibility through regional media and press opportunities

Management
• Assume full management of 3 direct reports and 24 total regional staff, assuring that all employees are maximizing on individual potential
• Foster a strong regional culture in the workplace aligned with Jumpstart’s core values
• Ensure operational efficiency, including administration, planning and implementation
• Oversee regional and affiliate site fiscal matters such as creating and monitoring budgets, authorizing expenses and reimbursements, and accounting for revenue

Program Growth and Management
• Manage regional program team, ensuring continued growth in program quality and implementation
• Identify and plan for new growth opportunities; develop and grow relationships with existing partners and drive the development of new collaborations that support Jumpstart’s mission and goals

National Responsibilities
• Participate on Jumpstart national Management Team as an advocate for the region and the Executive Director team
• Collaborate with national staff on developing national strategy and operating policies
• Collaborate on management of relationship with the Corporation for National and Community Service
• Participate in upcoming organizational strategic planning process and manage program, fundraising and operational pilot projects as necessary

Qualifications:

• At least 5 years of professional experience in program management, development and fundraising, and/or project management in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; experience in nonprofit leadership or early childhood education preferred
• Entrepreneurial self-starter with a proven ability to motivate staff to reach ambitious goals in a high-growth environment
• Proven leadership competencies in the areas of staff and financial management, with a commitment to goal-setting and results-oriented performance management
• Strong relationship-building skills, with an ability to leverage own networks to broaden Jumpstart’s base of support; knowledge of and/or experience in higher education and political circles preferred
• Strong communication, including written, public speaking and presentation skills
• Comprehensive analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills with the ability to plan and implement in a demanding, fast-paced environment
• Energetic, enthusiastic team-player eager to contribute and grow within an entrepreneurial environment
• Commitment to Jumpstart’s mission and values of quality, challenge, diversity, respect and kindness
• Ability to undertake regular regional travel as well as periodic travel to the national office in Boston
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required; Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Development, Education, Public Administration or Management or Urban Studies preferred

To Apply:

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format and addressed to Erin Cox Weinberg, at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1146.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Jumpstart is an equal opportunity employer, and encourages applications from all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.