We are seeking a seasoned professional with nonprofit experience to lead Teach For America Buffalo into its next phase. The incoming Executive Director will be charged with developing the longer term vision that builds on the regional team’s successes while continuing to develop innovative and sustainable approaches to closing the education opportunity gap in Buffalo.
To realize the vision of growing and deepening our impact in Buffalo, you will grow the power of the Teach For America Buffalo network by retaining and supporting over 90 Buffalo alumni—half of whom did the corps in Buffalo, and continue to maintain a corps size of 30. You will also leverage the talent of 7 staff members and a $1.75M fundraising goal towards these ambitious outcomes. As the Executive Director, you will work deeply in partnership with the broader community, private sector, education, and political leaders at all times to enhance the Buffalo education movement.
Areas of Responsibility:
- Propel Teach For America Buffalo into the next stage of its evolution as it transitions from its origins with its founding executive director leadership to an institution with five years learning, growth and maximizing its positive impact in partnership with the Buffalo community.
- Invest stakeholders in an innovative, clear, compelling, community-based vision that is grounded in the landscape’s opportunities, needs and problems; enabling them to pursue and achieve bold outcomes in service of this vision.
- Lead fundraising efforts and cultivate stakeholders to ensure that Teach For America Buffalo is a meaningful part of the educational fabric of the community; focusing on maintaining a sustainable funding base that will include gifts and revenue from individuals, corporations, foundations, and districts—raising a budget of $1.75M.
- In partnership with staff, corps members, alumni, and others, build and maintain a culture that is grounded in our core values and fosters our commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.
- Provide executive management to Teach For America-Buffalo by attracting, hiring, and developing a team of diverse and talented staff members to reach ambitious goals and executing the fundamentals of nonprofit management (board management, fundraising, fiscal management, etc.).
- Exercise strong judgment when facing new challenges and viewing situations through multiple lenses; lead with integrity in ambiguous and/or paradoxical situations; construct decision-making processes to engage multiple perspectives in a timely course of action.
- Cultivate new relationships while retaining and continuing to deepen existing regional relationships with public officials and organizations throughout our region and working with all sides to maximize our scale and impact.
- Partner with and drive strategy for the regional advisory board who help maximize Teach For America-Buffalo’s impact, narrative, and sustainability in the region.
Educational Background:
Undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university
Skills/Experience:
- Nonprofit leadership experience (minimum of 5 years in a senior role) or relevant skills to manage a high-performing team toward ambitious outcomes in a mission-driven organization
- Buffalo experience or context, preferred
- Ability to develop a compelling vision grounded in the opportunities, needs and problems of Buffalo communities and set a strategy and direction that aligns to Teach For America’s mission and Foundations (core values, core tenets and diversity, equity and inclusiveness statement)
- Prioritizes leading with a diversity, equity and inclusiveness lens; creating an environment, policies, and practices that foster diversity and inclusiveness amongst teams, corps members, alumni and throughout the broader Buffalo education landscape
- Demonstrated achievement in partnership development or external affairs, including an ability to mobilize people and create champions to support the organization’s mission
- Working knowledge of ways to partner with a Board of Directors, in addition to possessing a strong understanding of the roles of the Executive Director and the board
- Outstanding interpersonal skills and an ability and desire to develop and maintain deep relationships with a variety of diverse constituents
- Excellent strategic thinking skills to understand, leverage and navigate multiple perspectives amongst elected officials, legislators, school district officials, school board members and community members while leading in a complex environment
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
Personal Characteristics
- Strong personal alignment with and commitment to the mission and Foundations (core values, core tenets and diversity, equity and inclusive commitment) of Teach For America
- Operate with a sense of urgency and thoughtfulness around accomplishing goals and objectives
- Clarity of vision and the ability to invest others within the organization and in the broader Buffalo community in that vision
- Extraordinary cultural leadership and credibility
- Strong sense of self-awareness and understanding of one’s strengths and areas for development
- Commitment to exploring issues of race, class, and privilege
- Ability to navigate ambiguity and resolve conflict
- Excellent judgment and sound decision-making skills
- Willingness and ability to learn about the Buffalo education landscape and establish oneself as a key partner in the local movement to fight educational inequity
- Ability to work some evenings and weekends
- Ability to travel within the region daily and ability to travel to in-person meetings in various U.S. cities quarterly
Job Function:
Organization Info
Listing Stats
Post Date:
Feb 12 2019
Active Until:
Mar 12 2019
Hiring Organization:
Teach For America
industry:
Nonprofit