Summary
On August 25th, Hurricane Harvey blew ashore as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Save the Children was on the ground, helping kids cope and working with partners to begin the long road toward recovery. As we shift towards long-term recovery programs,
Save the Children is seeking a State Director to lead our program and advocacy work in Texas. She/he will provide overall leadership and representation, oversee program operations within the State and establish and strengthen strategic partnerships. The State Director will work seamlessly with Save the Children HQ staff to align programmatic strategy and growth, secure additional funding, and drive our state level policy and advocacy agenda.
What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
Leadership and Representation: 25%
- Lead State-level programs, operations, advocacy, fundraising, marketing and communication
- Establish and maintain relationships with State officials, donors and partners
- Establish and maintain strategic partnerships to scale the impact of our work and promote long-term sustainability
- Increase the visibility of Save the Children's work in Texas – represent Save the Children to opinion leaders and high level officials; Host site visits for donors/VIPs; serve as a spokesperson with media and at state events
Program Strategy and Implementation: 20%
- Coordinate with National team to develop and execute long-term program strategies, focused on increasing reach and diversifying stable funding
- Work with partners to advance Save the Children's Policy and Advocacy goals in Texas
- Partner with National Education, Early Childhood and Child Protection teams to ensure programs meet quality standards
- Collaborate with disaster response team to ensure effective close-out of initial response programming stemming from Hurricane Harvey – including donor reporting
Operational Excellence: 25%
- Lead development and management of state-level annual budget and plan
- Oversee/implement all sources of funding to ensure donor compliance and efficient use of resources
- Build and maintain a high performing team – participate in the development of organizational design and staffing plan; lead recruitment efforts for state-based staff; promote staff learning and development goals
Partnership Development and Management: 20%
- Ensure effective management of sub-grants and engagement with local volunteer groups
- Establish State-level, county-level and local level, partnership strategy and relationships, including with key stakeholders, funders, and programs partners in the Greater Houston area and in hurricane affected communities on the coast. Maintain current emergency partnerships with child care and early education networks and leaders, school district partners.
- Develop new partnerships with schools and other community organizations as STC expands into long term education programming
Public and Private Fundraising: 10%
- Identify competitive grants and partnering opportunities locally in partnership with National fundraising teams
- Identify and implement TX-focused Private Funding strategy and pipeline at State level in partnership with fundraising and advocacy colleagues
- Raise incremental funds from local corporations, foundations and individuals; secure Gifts-in-Kind in partnership with fundraising colleagues
Required Qualifications
- 7-10 years of nonprofit work experience, with a minimum of 5 years in a management role with increasing responsibility,
- Established track record of donor relationships with significant Texas-based funders focused on children, including by not limited to the Houston Foundation, the Greater Houston Community Foundation, the Meadows Foundation
- Bachelor's degree
- Strong leadership and managerial skills
- Experience directing a large and complex grant portfolio
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across levels and locations
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Entrepreneurial approach for growing state-level presence and programs
Preferred Qualifications
- Extensive knowledge and experience working with child-focused organizations in Texas eg. Texas Department of Education
- A strong preference of work experience within Child Development, Education, Mental-Health/Psychosocial, or Child Advocacy or related field.
- Strong network and relationship among funders, partners and policy makers in Texas
- Comfort working with high-level donors, board members, legislators and other VIPs
- Spanish proficiency is a plus
What's In It for You
- Meaningful work, with a knowledge that you are changing the lives of children all around the world
- A family friendly work environment
- Highly collaborative and innovative teams
- Generous paid vacation days, holidays, family leave days, and sick time
- Healthcare plans including medical, dental, and life insurance
- Retirement savings account with matching company contributions
- Structured and formalized management development and coaching programs for mid and senior level managers
- Extensive e-learning opportunities on a variety of topics offered through our affiliation with several prestigious universities and with the American Management Association, as well as language learning opportunities
Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we are dedicated to ensuring every child has the best chance for success. Our pioneering programs give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Our advocacy efforts provide a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. As the leading expert on children, we inspire and achieve lasting impact for millions of the world's most vulnerable girls and boys. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours.
Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom Save the Children is in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children's policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation. Any violations of this policy will be treated as a serious issue.
We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.