ABOUT ALLIANCE COLLEGE-READY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools was founded based on the belief that all young people, regardless of zip code, are capable of achieving at high levels. Alliance is now one of the largest and more successful public charter school networks in the nation, operating 25 high-performing middle and high schools serving 13,000 scholars in Los Angeles’ more educationally underserved communities. In our 14th school year, Alliance has a proven record of success: though our scholars come to Alliance on average four grade-levels behind in reading, 95% of Alliance graduates have been accepted to college—including 73% to a four-year university in 2018. We strive to truly change the life trajectories of our scholars and communities, with a goal of 75% of Alliance graduates completing a four-year college degree. Now is the time to join our collaborative community to make long-lasting change across Los Angeles.
ROLE SUMMARY
The Advancement Team supports Alliance mission by informing, inspiring, and activating internal and external organizational constituents to support Alliance’s mission. The Advancement Team is comprised of three sub-teams: Development, which raises philanthropic support for Alliance; Advocacy, which mobilize internal and external constituents to advocate in the community and with public officials on behalf of Alliance schools and families; and Communications, which oversees all internal and external communications, marketing and PR. The Director, Strategic Initiatives reports to the Chief Advancement Officer and is an ideal opportunity for someone who is passionate about building systems and processes to support a dynamic and growing cross-functional team that engages a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders. The Director, Strategic Initiatives is responsible for overseeing the team’s strategic planning and monitoring of progress toward plans, creating systems and processes to improve cross team collaboration and efficiencies, data strategy, and leading the development of infrastructure and tools to support team goals, including constituent relationship management (CRM) and digital communications tools. The ideal candidate will be a systems thinker, and an experienced project manager, with strong quantitative and strategic thinking skills, who can work with diverse constituents toward achieving goals.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Lead team strategic planning and goal monitoring
- Lead the ongoing refinement, monitoring, and implementation of the Advancement Team’s strategies to engage and activate constituents.
- Lead the team to achieve goals by improving and iterating on the monitoring and tracking system as necessary; develop meeting agendas and facilitate team meetings, and manage follow-up to key actions and decisions.
- Lead the monitoring, tracking, and support of Advancement-related metrics. Ensure data is being used to drive strategic decisions across the organization.
Lead cross-team and cross-functional priorities critical to the organization
- Oversee the project management function of the Advancement Team, managing cross-functional initiatives (e.g. develop process-map for cross-departmental communications challenges), especially those requiring rapid-response or resolution (e.g. manage across teams to meet external and internal deadlines from key stakeholders), develop project plans, and conduct data analyses.
- Lead the development and implementation of constituent relationship management processes, tools and training for staff.
- Lead the scoping, identification and development of technological and digitals tools to advance the engagement of Alliance constituents.
Provide leadership and advising support
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief Advancement Officer on team cross-departmental projects, opportunities for cross-collaboration, process improvement, and problem solving.
- Set vision for and implement approach to foster sense of community within the team.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATES WILL HAVE/BE:
- Commitment to Alliance’s core beliefs and philosophy.
- Knowledge of urban school environments and school culture.
- Experience in marketing, sales and/or constituent engagement.
- Strong analytic and systems thinking necessary to interpret data to inform goals and strategy, as well as build infrastructure where none exists.
- Ability to work effectively in a multi-layered organization and build strong relationships with a variety of individuals including teachers, coaches, school leaders, parents, vendors, and other Home Office and school-based colleagues.
- Experience providing counsel to senior leaders.
- Exceptional project management skills with strong attention to detail and ability to efficiently and simultaneously manage multiple projects.
- Proven ability to navigate complex issues and drive strong performance results.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Fluency with Google and Microsoft Office suites of applications, project management software, CRM applications (preferably Salesforce) and digital marketing tools.
- Entrepreneurial spirit to thrive in a fast-paced and achievement-oriented environment.
- Willingness to go above and beyond to contribute to the success of a dynamic team committed to a new future for urban education.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- At least 5 years of progressive professional work experience in a related field and a Bachelor’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university OR
- At least 6 years progressive professional work experience and a high school diploma or equivalent (e.g. GED)
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
In alignment with our commitment to equity for our scholars, Alliance is committed to equity and transparency for our team and offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience and education, as well as an employer-sponsored 403b plan annual contribution equal to 5% of regular earnings, and a comprehensive group health benefits package, including medical, dental and vision. This position is exempt. The compensation range for this position is $89,000 - $130,000.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested candidates should submit their resume and cover letter at www.laalliance.org/careers. Please note that only candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools are free public charter schools which do not discriminate against any student, parent, community member, or employee on the basis of actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
