Director at Silicon Schools Fund
About the Employer
At a moment in time when student needs are great, capacity is strained and opportunities for innovation continue to emerge, the Silicon Schools Fund has launched a fund to deliver on the promise of what education can be in the United States. We are hiring a Director who will partner with educators and leaders to help improve K-12 Education in California and beyond. As one of the country’s most dynamic philanthropic organizations, Silicon Schools provides funding and strategic support for high-performing and diverse education entrepreneurs. The leaders we fund create new education organizations and companies that figure out better solutions to vexing problems around teaching and learning. Silicon Schools has raised over $100M to pursue this mission over the past twelve years. We have supported and invested in some of the most exciting ventures in education, launching schools and organizations that have shaped the landscape. Over 60% of our grantees are organizations led by people of color, and our commitment to diversity permeates all elements of our work. We are passionate about creating more educational opportunity for students, especially historically marginalized students. In this next fund, as part of the team, the Director will help deploy $45M of philanthropy to support the launch of innovative new schools, instructional improvement and innovative organizations, technologies, and ideas at the core of schooling.
Job Summary
Job Summary
The Director at the Silicon Schools Fund will one of three core branches of work, investing in innovative new schools across California that create better ways for students to learn and thrive. The Director will also play a supporting role in our work focused on instructional improvement. The Director will evaluate, invest in, support, and learn from some of the most dynamic schools and leaders in the country. The Director will help lead one of the three core branches of our work, investing in innovative new schools across California that create better ways for students to learn and thrive. The Director will also play a supporting role in our work focused on instructional improvement. The Director will evaluate, invest in, support, and learn from some of the most dynamic schools and leaders in the country. Our organization is in a strong position with a deep network across California and the country, well-positioned to deliver regional and national impact. This role will lead important work across our organization and deploy multi-year grantmaking strategies that will impact thousands of students. The right leader for this position will have experience in education directly as a teacher and an administrator in high-performing schools. We seek candidates who bring significant instructional expertise to the table, and who are nimble in responding to the needs of the organizations we work with. This position offers an exceptional opportunity to partner closely with incredible education leaders to direct cutting-edge strategies working to transform education. The Director will also participate in our work across the fund, bringing their instructional lens to all our work, including innovation investments. This is an outstanding opportunity for the right person to learn from and add to one of the stronger teams in the country working on issues of better approaches to education, while also offering the opportunity to deploy significant amounts of capital to dynam
Job Description / Essential Elements:
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- Lead and implement our innovative new schools grant-making strategy: Lead and continue to evolve our innovative new schools strategy (one of the three main pillars of our work) to create high-performing new schools across California that in particular serve students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This leader will deploy $10 million dollars over the next three years and oversee these investments.
- Support our instructional improvement grant-making strategy: Work closely with the leader on our team focused on improving instruction across schools.
- Create and sustain portfolio relationships: Serve as the point person for our new school grantees and investments, developing strong partnerships with portfolio leaders. The Director will support leaders with feedback and connections to maximize their impact.
- Integrate an equity lens throughout grant-making work: ensure that SSF’s resources are going to people, schools, and organizations that prioritize work to improve outcomes for the most marginalized populations.
- Thought leadership: Be a thought leader internally and externally regarding instruction, student success and how these things intersect with innovative new ideas.
- Be a team player: Lean into the broader areas of our work, supporting our small and nimble team as we tackle the mission of transforming the education sector and better serving students and families.
Requirements / Qualifications
• Highly successful instructional leader with 5-10 years of professional experience and an outstanding track record in the K-12 education space, including as an educator and school-site leader with some charter school experience • Deep commitment to equity and a belief in the power of education to transform lives and our society • Effective in an entrepreneurial, self-directed environment, creating own opportunities and work streams. Focused relentlessly on getting great results and putting structure to complex work without always having clear direction • Powerful relationship builder and coach with strong cultural competence; experienced at leading and working with people from all backgrounds, having honest conversations, and showing personal humility • Possess an investor’s mindset, able to think about the potential returns on investment in the education space • A strategist, with strong strategic thinking, communication, and creative problem-solving skills as well as a doer, excited to implement strategy and roll their sleeves up • Exceptionally efficient, effective project manager, committed to outstanding results and great attention to detail • A great team member who leads with positivity and builds strong internal team relationships • Trustworthy with strong integrity and an optimistic, can-do attitude
Requirements / Qualifications
• Highly successful instructional leader with 5-10 years of professional experience and an outstanding track record in the K-12 education space, including as an educator and school-site leader with some charter school experience • Deep commitment to equity and a belief in the power of education to transform lives and our society • Effective in an entrepreneurial, self-directed environment, creating own opportunities and work streams. Focused relentlessly on getting great results and putting structure to complex work without always having clear direction • Powerful relationship builder and coach with strong cultural competence; experienced at leading and working with people from all backgrounds, having honest conversations, and showing personal humility • Possess an investor’s mindset, able to think about the potential returns on investment in the education space • A strategist, with strong strategic thinking, communication, and creative problem-solving skills as well as a doer, excited to implement strategy and roll their sleeves up • Exceptionally efficient, effective project manager, committed to outstanding results and great attention to detail • A great team member who leads with positivity and builds strong internal team relationships • Trustworthy with strong integrity and an optimistic, can-do attitude
Comments and Other Information
Benefits
Why Silicon Schools Fund
• A leadership opportunity to implement current strategies and develop new strategies to transform
how learning occurs in the United States, especially for the students who have historically been
furthest from opportunity.
• A team that is passionate about our mission and that has the autonomy to innovate and try new
things. A philanthropic organization that does things differently than traditional foundations and is
always open to questioning how things have historically been done
• An incredible network of schools and companies that are national proof points for innovation and
are run by incredible leaders who are our closest partners in the work
• Access to the operators, thinkers, and funders working in education to help team members grow
personally in knowledge and expertise
Location: Oakland, CA with some travel within broader California. Three days a week on average in the office, with multiple days a month in the field spending time with companies and schools. Travel outside the Bay Area, including overnight stays, do happen seasonally and for a couple conferences a year.
Compensation and Benefits
This position offers a highly competitive salary of $140,000 - $160,000 with small bonus potential as well as generous benefits including medical, dental, retirement (including 401k matching) and vision.
The Silicon Schools Fund is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. A highly inclusive culture is a non-negotiable priority for our organization, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.
Comments and Other Information
Benefits
Why Silicon Schools Fund
• A leadership opportunity to implement current strategies and develop new strategies to transform
how learning occurs in the United States, especially for the students who have historically been
furthest from opportunity.
• A team that is passionate about our mission and that has the autonomy to innovate and try new
things. A philanthropic organization that does things differently than traditional foundations and is
always open to questioning how things have historically been done
• An incredible network of schools and companies that are national proof points for innovation and
are run by incredible leaders who are our closest partners in the work
• Access to the operators, thinkers, and funders working in education to help team members grow
personally in knowledge and expertise
Location: Oakland, CA with some travel within broader California. Three days a week on average in the office, with multiple days a month in the field spending time with companies and schools. Travel outside the Bay Area, including overnight stays, do happen seasonally and for a couple conferences a year.
Compensation and Benefits
This position offers a highly competitive salary of $140,000 - $160,000 with small bonus potential as well as generous benefits including medical, dental, retirement (including 401k matching) and vision.
The Silicon Schools Fund is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. A highly inclusive culture is a non-negotiable priority for our organization, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.