Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging community volunteers in under-resourced schools. Our diverse and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful, happy and confident readers in school and in life. Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that works. Join our stellar team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Learn more about us at www.readingpartners.org.

The High Level

Reading Partners was founded in 1999 at the Belle Haven Community School in Menlo Park. Now, Reading Partners operates in multiple states across the U.S. serving more than 8,000 students annually. The Silicon Valley is our flagship region currently serving in 26 schools across three counties: Santa Clara, San Mateo and Alameda.

Reading Partners is seeking a dynamic Executive Director to provide leadership, management, and strategic oversight of the Silicon Valley region. The Executive Director will build and lead a program, development, and administrative team, which include employees, AmeriCorps members, and community volunteers. The Executive Director will also drive expanding fundraising partnerships, and have full bottom line fiscal responsibility for the entire region.

The ideal candidate is a social entrepreneur who has deep connections with the K-5 educational and/or nonprofit sector(s) with state/local officials and philanthropic leaders who can accelerate Reading Partners’ regional program expansion. This person will roll-up their sleeves to lead the region, acting as the primary contact to both internal and external stakeholders.

What you’ll do:

Lead and manage a team of 46 staff and AmeriCorps/VISTA members toward highly successful program implementation, community engagement, and fundraising targets. Oversee growth strategy and all regional business operations.

• Set and achieve programmatic, fundraising, and other goals aligned with the regional and national strategic plans.
• Build fundraising and organizational infrastructure and capacity to support future growth.
• Provide executive oversight of all program operations: compliance, quality assurance, and program efficacy.
• Oversee all business functions (accounting, HR, IT, legal, etc.), with significant support from the national accounting, HR, and IT departments.
• Partner with the program director to recommit current schools and recruit new schools to ensure Reading Partners will meet its schools served and wait list targets the following school year.
• Partner with development and community engagement teams to drive resources to the region.
• Collaborate with other executive directors and members of the National team to develop and implement a system for sharing resources and best practices across all Reading Partners locations.
• Participate on one or more task forces or working groups with other executive directors and/or members of national departments.

Strategize and lead all fundraising to exceed regional revenue goal of $2M+.

• Set, meet, and exceed annual fund development goals in future years to support ongoing expansion in the local area.
• Cultivate and manage donor relationships across the region to secure monies from government, corporate, foundation, and individual funding sources.
• Develop and manage the regional board to provide effective local leadership and ambassadorship.
• Collaborate with development staff and board members to identify, cultivate, and steward potential funders.
• Work closely with the national grants team to ensure proper implementation of the state or national AmeriCorps grants, and to steward the relationship effectively to continue our strong relationship with all state and national AmeriCorps agencies.

Drive all external relations activities in the region to grow and scale the region.

• Create and lead a broad coalition of nonprofit, for-profit, and governmental entities to affect students’ reading success.
• Engage and manage relationships with elected officials and public sector partners (municipal, school board, state, and district staff for Congressional offices) to support the advancement of Reading Partners as a key partner in the educational system in the region.
• Build and grow relationships with district-level leaders to ensure Reading Partners’ success as a best in class literacy program.
• Support Reading Partners’ role in the policy dialogue around literacy, education, and national service.
• Increase organizational visibility and profile in local media markets through the successful creation and implementation of a regional communications plan.
• Serve as the primary local public spokesperson for Reading Partners, acting as the public face of the organization within the region.
• Develop strategic partnerships to support Reading Partners’ community engagement and volunteer recruitment efforts.

How you’ll do it:

• Mission and Culture Catalyst: In order to thrive as a culture leader at Reading Partners, you are highly motivated by Reading Partners’ work and authentically represent this mission externally. You demonstrate a sincere passion for enriching the lives of high need students through literacy development and embody Reading Partners’ mission, core values and approach. You are energized by working amid ambiguity and will bring a patient and solutions oriented outlook to their work. You are a dedicated leader who is strategic and dynamic, with a track record of establishing meaningful and trusting relationships with colleagues and stakeholders. Finally, you bring an understanding of how to partner with schools and serving at-risk youth, ideally within the context of K-5 education.
• People & Operations Management: Lead, motivate and manage a team of 46 to results, while coaching and developing the capacity of the people on the team. Oversee and deliver professional development and management training for regional staff including the following direct reports: Program Director, Development Manager and 2 Community Engagement Managers. Demonstrate advanced ability to plan and implement efficient internal operations to support future growth. Demonstrate experience serving as an inspiring mentor to staff members, either in a formal management structure, or informally through influence. You also have the ability to develop a strategic vision and motivate teams to achieve measurable goals, while maintaining a results oriented, collaborative and healthy organizational culture. You bring strong track record of establishing the metrics, processes, and protocols needed to effectively move from vision to implementation. Finally, you have experience juggling multiple work streams concurrently, managing complex and competing priorities, and executing on ambitious goals effectively.
• Relationship Development & Communications: You establish deep relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including staff, community constituents, elected officials, media outlets, non-profit and for-profit leaders, as well as board members. You are able to open doors, make connections, tell a compelling story, build consensus and create opportunities to both generate revenue and support advancement in literacy education, across the region and within a very competitive market. You have experience identifying, building, and maintaining strong relationships with a diverse array of non-profit, government, community, private sector, and high-net-worth stakeholders. You are someone who is an effective communicator, natural “connector”, and you have a track record of successfully increasing revenue and cultivating donors and community support.
• Strategic Leadership and Execution: You develop and design new strategies and approaches to meeting programmatic growth goals and then lead implementation of those strategies. You bring a systems perspective to organizational challenges, with the ability to effectively move from vision to strategy to plan to execution while managing multiple work streams and demonstrating exceptional project management instincts. You are creative, a thoughtful decision maker, and are comfortable partnering with others to problem-solve, and use clear and strategic processes in making decisions. In addition, you have professional experience both developing and executing strategy to optimize organizational processes and achieve ambitious goals.

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you have:

• Robust experience working with nonprofits, school districts, government officials, and philanthropic organizations in the Silicon Valley area
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing fundraising strategies
• Proven accomplishments in front-line fundraising, including demonstrated success of fundraising $1M+
• Strong staff management skills, including recruitment, leadership development, day-to-day oversight, team building and retention
• Ability to develop and manage large and complex operating budgets
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated creativity when addressing challenging situations with limited resources
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in a fast-paced, highly adaptive environment
• A Bachelor’s degree
• Excellent computer skills

• A deep belief in our mission
• The innate ability and desire to root your work in our core values
• Hold US Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status

Bonus Points if you:

• Hold an MBA or advanced degree
• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna
• Have experience working in launch or growth phases of organizations

What we offer

Reading Partners offers the full package – great benefits, a great place to work and the opportunity to have a glowing and growing career.

• We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience. This is a full time, exempt salaried position.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, referral bonuses, 403(b) option, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• We offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and we commit to investing in and supporting our amazing people to grow their careers with us. As such, we provide ongoing professional development opportunities, including an annual staff retreat in Oakland, CA.

The other stuff you need to know

• Travel: This position travels regularly throughout the local area. This position may also involve occasional travel to Reading Partners’ National Headquarters in Oakland, CA.
• Typical Physical & Mental Demands: Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping and stretching, and eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, photocopier, calculator and other office equipment.  Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to communicate with volunteers and staff. Also requires flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role, along with your salary history for your past three roles.
• Resume

Reading Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer, with a strong commitment to diversity in the workplace.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.  Position will remain posted until filled. No phone inquiries, please.