Founded on the belief in the potential of all children and their right to an excellent education, Teach For America’s reach and impact have increased significantly in the last 28 years. In 1990, we placed 489 corps members in 6 regions. This year, our diverse network of 60,000 corps members and alumni are working toward educational equity in more than 50 communities across the country.
We are preparing to launch our next organization-wide strategic planning process through which we aim to imagine a future for Teach For America that builds on the assets and approaches of today, looks forward to imagine new possibilities for our work tomorrow, and positions the organization and network for even greater impact. The process will produce a strategy to guide Teach For America’s efforts in the coming years, and engage the people who will be critical to supporting our strategy and responsible for translating it into action and impact. The Vice President, Strategy will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of this plan through FY21.
The ideal candidate for this role will be motivated by the opportunity to shape Teach For America’s approach to delivering on our mission in this next era, have superior strategic and communication capabilities, and be an entrepreneurial self-starter with the ability to operate at a high level and drive strategic decisions. You must be highly skilled in planning and managing consequential projects with many moving parts, and adept at conducting analyses and facilitating group discussion that fosters efficient decision-making. You thrive in environments of change, ambiguity and uncertainty, and demonstrate sound judgment related to organizational and interpersonal dynamics. This role requires maturity, flexibility, humility, and resourcefulness.
- Work extensively with colleagues across the organization, and external partners and consultants
- Conduct and oversee analysis to derive trends and insights, and frame and inform key choices
- Oversee (and in some cases perform) project management to ensure all aspects of the effort are moving forward successfully, and there is tight coordination with other organizational initiatives and activities as needed
- Develop and oversee the creation of high-impact deliverables (documents, presentations, etc.) that reflect strong analysis and a deep understanding of the interests of various stakeholder groups (e.g. board members, senior executives, staff members, etc.)
- Build strong relationships with, and earn the trust of, key internal and external stakeholders at all levels
- Manage stakeholder involvement in the strategy development process, including organizational leaders, corps members, alumni, staff, and external constituents
- Previous management/strategy consulting experience or MBA strongly preferred
- 8+ years of professional work experience, including 3+ years in roles requiring strong lateral management, relationship building, project management, and cross-functional leadership
- Track record of success in a complex, high-stakes environment
The ideal candidate will exhibit exceptional skills in strategic thinking, judgement, reasoning, communication, and problem solving as demonstrated by the ability to:
- Design and lead complex, high-stakes projects/initiatives, including mitigating risk and tracking issues through to completion
- Conduct and leverage rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis to guide decision making and make recommendations
- Communicate effectively at the executive level (written, verbal, and presentation skills), including proficiency with PowerPoint
- Work collaboratively in dynamic organizational environments, developing strong internal and external relationships
- Display poise, confidence, and maturity in interacting with senior executives
Work Demands
- Some weekend and evening work or travel may be required
- Ability to travel to in-person meeting in various US cities (approximately 35% on average; will vary based on the phase of work and will be higher than average at times)
- Working with colleagues who are based across the country in various time zones via phone and video conference