The Director of Alumni Leadership & Engagement will play a critical role in developing and supporting the leadership pipeline that will help ensure all Houston students have access to an excellent and equitable education within our lifetime. In this role, you will support the vision of the Alumni Leadership & Engagement team to offer high impact opportunities to sharpen, position, convene and highlight alumni – thereby helping us maximize the impact our alumni have in the region. Specifically, you will support the engagement of alumni school and system level leaders and oversee the continued development and execution of our two Aspiring Leaders Cohorts.
To be the most successful candidate, you must deeply believe in the value of alumni engagement, and see your role as integral to the work of the alumni team. You must love and be stellar at managing projects and working across functional teams and externally to execute the team vision. You are passionate about the impact of school and systems leaders on students and communities. You must operate with generosity of spirit and be passionate about educational equity in Houston, a conscious leader, a team player, innovative and strategic, obsessive about outcomes, motivated by relationships, self-driven, self-aware, and a compelling communicator. Above all, you see this role as the best way you can use your skills and talents in service of achieving One Day in Houston.
Setting vision and direction for the ongoing support of alumni school and systems leaders (35%)
- Own the relationships with, and support and engagement of alumni school district central office personnel and school leaders (principals and assistant principals) within the region’s Sharpen, Position, Convene & Highlight framework
- Plan and execute programming designed to meet the needs of our current school and systems leaders such as our School Leaders to Learn From events
- Partner with LEE (Leadership for Educational Equity) to fuel political, policy and organizing leadership amongst our alumni
- Collaborate with alumni school and systems leaders and with the region’s Director of Educational Leadership & Engagement on high-impact talent matching needs
- Work cross-functionally to identify opportunities to maximize the impact of community supporters and alumni outside of education on the work of our alumni school and systems leaders
Setting vision and direction for our aspiring leaders cohorts (35%)
- Work cross-regionally/-functionally and with external school and district partners to identify strong prospects for each aspiring leaders cohort
- Manage the recruitment and selection of cohort participants through effective project planning
- Build strong relationships and work with district leadership locally and at the state level to identify opportunities to partner and for career opportunities for cohort participants
- Research opportunities/experiences for our cohort participants that will enhance their learning (conferences, partnerships, etc.) and work closely with the Coordinator, Alumni Leadership & Engagement to execute these opportunities/experiences
- Work with the regional Development team to gather and provide data as necessary for grant-reporting tied to cohort funding
Providing thought partnership and support toward relevant team goals (20%)
- Maintain up-to-date data tracking system (Salesforce & Box) so the team is able to accurately communicate our progress to goals and impact as well as speak clearly to the work and efforts being made to serve our alumni.
- Collaborate with other members of ALE team to provide logistical insight and support in execution of alumni-related events. These events include, but are not limited to: lunch and learns, alumni dinners, the alumni and friends fundraising event, job fair/networking events, etc.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to execute region-wide initiatives such as all-corps events, the Annual Benefit Dinner, new corps member Induction, etc.
- Participate in team and regional meetings and retreats
Supporting our National and Regional Organizational Goals (10%)
- Participate in recruitment events, multiple selection windows, matriculation, etc.
- 3+ years of experience as a school leader with strong campus-wide results
- 4+ years of teaching experience in a Title 1 school with evidence of strong student outcomes
- Experience or deep familiarity with the HR structures and school leadership requirements of traditional public school districts
- Exceptional track record of designing and facilitating adult learning experiences
- Successful track record of managing the execution of groups of adults
- Teach For America alum preferred but not required
Work Demands
- Be able to work weekends and evenings, as necessary
- Be able to travel up to 4 times per year for conferences and professional development
Skills
- Exceptional organizational, written and oral communication skills
- High level of attention to detail
- Ability to execute in a fast-paced work environment
- Sophisticated ability to influence others (peers and senior leaders) to achieve outcomes
- When things are very busy, make smart choices about what to prioritize and what matters most
- Reflective and proactively work to grow, improve, and respond to feedback
- Able to work with a high degree of independence
- Able to adapt in a changing environment and operate with flexibility when necessary
- Exemplify Teach For America’s core values
- Demonstrate deep commitment to the future of the TFA-Houston region and ALE team