The National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) was founded in 2014 to advance policy and practice and to improve student achievement through family engagement strategies. It is the first, and a growing, membership association focused solely on advancing family, school, and community engagement. With its lead partner, the Early Math Collaborative at Erikson Institute, NAFSCE was selected by the Coordinating Committee of the Family Math Roadmap Project in Fall 2020 to lead a national movement to advance family math and is now at a pivotal moment and seeks a leader of a national Center for Family Math to implement, grow, and build upon an extensive foundation of work advanced by the Family Math Roadmap Project. To that end, NAFSCE seeks nominations and applications for Director of the Center for Family Math (Director). The New Director will carry forward the Center’s vision through implementing a recently developed strategic plan; engaging and inspiring partners, funders, and diverse stakeholders in advancing activities; and practicing collaborative leadership that supports collective impact and the Center’s sustainability.
The ideal candidate will be a strategic and tactical leader and expert relationship builder with a strong equity lens. They will bring 5+ years of nonprofit leadership experience in related fields including education, public administration, policy, and social work. They will have demonstrated the ability to collaboratively develop, manage, evaluate, and adjust strategies that advance equity, family, and community engagement. They will also be a strong team player with a collaborative and consultative working style.
ABOUT NAFSCE AND THE CENTER FOR FAMILY MATH
The National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) is a growing education non-profit founded in 2014 and based in Alexandria, Virginia and is the first membership association focused solely on advancing family, school, and community engagement. NAFSCE’s mission is to advance high-impact policies and practices for family, school, and community engagement to promote child development and improve student achievement. Their vision is a world where family engagement is universally practiced as an essential strategy for improving children’s learning and advancing equity. With its lead partner, the Early Math Collaborative at Erikson Institute, NAFSCE was selected by the Coordinating Committee of the Family Math Roadmap Project in Fall 2020 to lead a national movement to advance family math, including the creation of a national center for family math. NAFSCE’s Center for Family Math was established in late Fall 2021 to build on the extensive foundation of work advanced by the Family Math Roadmap Project to act as an instigator, connector, convener, bar-setter, curator of resources, and hub of expertise around family math, addressing communications, partnerships, practice, policy, and research. Accordingly, the Center for Family Math developed a strategic plan which includes a mission, vision, and strategic pillars:
Mission: Advancing research, policies, practices, partnerships, and systems that inspire, harness, and amplify the power and love of math through family and community engagement.
Vision: A world where family math advances learning and equity for each and every child.
Strategic Pillars:
- Practice: Clearinghouse, Scale, Practitioner Capacity.
- Capacity Building and Partnerships: Strong Partnerships, Policy-Maker Capacity, Partner Capacity.
- Communications, Outreach, Policy, and Advocacy: Communications, Aligned Contributions, Critical Conversations.
- Research: Ecosystem, Translation, Researcher Capacity.
- Sustainability: Needs Analysis, Network of Funders.
OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES
The Director of Family Math (Director) will lead efforts supporting a nation-wide family math movement. Reporting to NAFSCE’s Executive Director, the Director will engage immediately in the following opportunities for impact:
Set and implement the Center’s vision through implementing the recently developed strategic plan to support the Center’s success and sustainability. The new Director will develop and implement both a short and long-term implementation plan for the Center that operationalizes a decentralized hub model. The Director will drive the Center’s work through horizonal thinking and models for working; making connections across the sector; and driving activities that center diversity, equity, and inclusion. Operationally, the Director will oversee the research and evaluation efforts for the Center, tracking activities, outputs, outcomes, and overall impact primarily through the effective management of the Erikson Institute, and working closely with NAFSCE’s Senior Director of Research and Policy, as well as its Senior Research Consultant. The Director will also develop and manage annual and longer-term budgets to support the operations of the Center, working collaboratively with NAFSCE’s Director of Finance and Operations and lead fundraising and development of other revenue streams necessary to sustain the Center, with support from NAFSCE staff.
Effectively engage and inspire partners, funders, and diverse stakeholders in advancing Center activities. The New Director will manage the Center’s external representation and serve as the public face and primary spokesperson of the family math movement by being active and visible in national conversations; overseeing effective external communications through management of Communications staff and consultants; by establishing and managing strategic relationships with regional, state, and national organizations. They will manage the Center’s official partners, including Erikson Institute, Institute for Education Leadership, and MAEC, developing and overseeing a scope of work and annual agreements. The Director will also lead, cultivate, and manage various family math stakeholder groups including the Family Math National Alliance, Research Consortium, and Parent Advisory Council in a manner that supports and guides the Center’s mission and vision and mobilizes the network toward collective action.
Exhibit collaborative leadership that supports collective impact and continued learning. The new Director will lead and effectively manage up, down, and across the organization. They will work collaboratively with the entire NAFSCE team, including supervising a future Manager of Family Math, and know what it means to be inclusive in sourcing ideas and leading informed and participatory decision-making processes that lift up the collective impact and work of the Center. The Director will break through silos and make connections across the organization while fostering curiosity, learning, and an ability to think expansively.
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The Director of the Center for Family Math will be a strategic and tactical leader committed to the mission of the Center for Family Math. While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:
- Master’s Degree in education, public administration, policy, social work, or other related fields strongly preferred.
- Five or more years of senior nonprofit leadership and/or management experience.
- Active fundraising experience, including excellent donor relations skills and understanding of the funding community.
- Previous success in establishing and stewarding relationships with individuals and organizations of influence including funders, partner agencies, and volunteers.
- Excellent strategic skills and ability to think about the bigger picture and long-term goals while managing day-to-day details.
- Solid organizational abilities, including planning, delegating, program development, and task facilitation.
- Experience supporting families of low-income backgrounds, diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and educational institutions.
- Strong understanding and experience designing and/or delivering programming to support family engagement and/or early math.
- Outstanding verbal communication, listening, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build trusting relationships with various stakeholders and bring them onboard with a project or idea, and empower them to take their own ideas forward.
- Outstanding written communication skills with the ability to produce engaging copy which spurs people to action, including blogs, supporter emails, and social media.
- A strong team player with a collaborative and consultative working style.
- Deep understanding and analysis of the way grassroots movements grow, shift power, and create change.
- Willingness and ability for planned travel within the U.S.
LOCATION: Washington D.C. or Chicago, Illinois Preferred
The target salary range is $100,000 - $115,000 with some flexibility. NAFSCE also offers a compelling benefits plan that includes 10% of salary annual retirement contribution from NAFSCE, a monthly contribution toward NAFSCE provided single or family healthcare plan, options for vision and/or dental insurance partially covered by NAFSCE, short and long-term disability insurance, a monthly stipend for cell phone, and a newly purchased lap top computer.
More information about NAFSCE may be found at: nafsce.org
This search is being led by Allison Kupfer Poteet and Sharon Gerstman of NPAG. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s website (https://npag.com/nafsce-director-family-math).
The National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.