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New Jersey Executive Director, Citizen Schools
Position: New Jersey Executive Director
Functional Area:
Organization: Citizen Schools
Location: Newark, NJ
Metro Region:
Overview:
Citizen Schools accelerates student learning through an innovative expanded learning time model that is rigorous and evidence-based. We partner with middle schools to provide “apprenticeships” (hands-on projects taught by volunteers from business and civic organizations), academic support and a culture of high expectations. As a result, our students develop the skills, knowledge and beliefs they need to succeed in middle school, advance towards college, and become leaders in their careers and communities. Our goal is to demonstrate that these approaches, taken together, can transform struggling schools.
Citizen Schools operates in seven states (New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey and Texas), serving approximately 4,400 students and engaging 3,400 Citizen Teachers. Building on fifteen years of programming innovation and results, Citizen Schools is in the midst of a strategic plan that will place this model at the center of school transformation. Nationally, Citizen Schools is scaling its Expanded Learning Time (ELT) model to 25 urban middle schools by 2012, as well as its model to transition 8th graders to high-performing high schools.
Citizen Schools has been recognized as a national model program by the White House and the U.S. Department of Education, has been named a national winner of Fast Company Magazine’s Social Capitalist Award in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, and has been chosen by the Skoll Foundation as a winner of the Skoll Social Entrepreneurship Award.
Position:
Newark is rapidly emerging as a center of innovation and thought leadership in education reform, with political leadership demonstrating a strong commitment to improving public schools and unprecedented philanthropic investment led most prominently by the Zuckerberg Foundation. The Executive Director will have the unique opportunity to ensure that expanded learning time is an essential component of school turnaround efforts in Newark and other key urban centers throughout the state. The Executive Director will join Citizen Schools at a critical juncture nationally, in which the organization is leveraging its record of improving student outcomes to effect political change and transform education across the country. The Executive Director will create the strategy for driving the growth of Citizen Schools in the state of New Jersey, doubling the number of students served by 2014.
Specifically, this role will require cultivating state and local public and private sector funds; leading regional expansion; cultivating and stewarding relationships with partners; championing the Citizen Schools brand; and actively engaging in local and state policy work and initiatives. The Executive Director will directly supervise the four-member New Jersey regional team, with ultimate accountability for approximately 30 New Jersey-based staff. This position will be based in Newark and reports to the President of Citizen Schools. The Executive Director will also serve on the national Leadership Team, comprising state Executive Directors and senior executives from the National Headquarters.
The ideal candidate has proven leadership skills with demonstrated success in fundraising or highly transferable skills (sales, business development, etc.), entrepreneurial zeal, excellent partnership and relationship management skills, familiarity with the New Jersey education, business, and political landscapes, and a deep commitment to education reform.
Responsibilities:
Vision and Strategy
- Lead development of a growth strategy for New Jersey that will position Citizen Schools as an educational leader and first-in-class expanded learning time partner
- Articulate the ways in which Citizen Schools, with partners, can help close the achievement gap in New Jersey
- Strengthen existing sites and cultivate new ones in key urban centers by securing related partners - i.e., schools, school districts, funders, and community-based organizations
- Further develop a deep portfolio of apprenticeships and a strong pipeline of Citizen Teachers
- Develop local and regional philanthropic, political, corporate and educational contacts as Citizen Schools champions
Partnership Development: Public Policy, Fundraising, and Brand Building
- Raise and grow an approximately $2.1 million annual budget through a combination of individuals, corporations, foundations and public fundraising;
- Cultivate and steward relationships with policymakers at the district, city, and state levels
- Engage partners and media in active dialogue about education reform in New Jersey; serve as spokesperson for Citizen Schools
Organizational and Program Leadership
- Directly support and develop regional team of four staff and work with the Program Director to retain and develop approximately 30 program staff (currently)
- Champion New Jersey’s accountability to Citizen Schools’ quality standards, as expressed in our Program Scorecard and Balanced Score Card, and as measured by an external evaluation
- Support the Program Director in the delivery of essential support and technical assistance to the Campus Directors at each site
- Facilitate interaction among state-based programs to share best practices; initiatives include regional meetings/trainings and state team building events
- Serve on Citizen Schools’ Leadership Team; collaborate with headquarters staff on key national initiatives
Qualifications:
All candidates should have demonstrated leadership skills, a passion for education and community, and effective collaboration skills. Other qualifications include:
- Substantial leadership experience, including three to five years of experience managing successful teams.
- Knowledge of Newark in particular, New Jersey in general, and a well-developed professional network; experience working with the education reform community in New Jersey is strongly preferred
- Fundamental belief in the ability of all students from all backgrounds to achieve excellence both academically and professionally, on an absolute scale
- Proven fundraising experience or clearly transferable skills that can be leveraged to raise New Jersey’s annual budget, assuming growth each year
- Understanding of the challenges inherent in large-scale education reform; experience with policy advocacy and/or analysis would be an advantage
- Entrepreneurial self-starter; capable of self-managing in a complex environment with multiple stakeholders
- Familiarity with the Citizen Schools program and/or experience in an education environment preferred
- Excellent presentation, verbal and written communication skills
- Strong organizational and logistics skills
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity and cultural competency across all levels of the New Jersey team
- Ability to model Citizen Schools’ core values: Pride, Joy, Respect, Courage, Teamwork, Perseverance, and Vision
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution required; relevant advanced degree preferred
To Apply:
Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, addressed to Emily McCann outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format, http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1750. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
