Thanks to strong support from AmeriCorps, the private sector, Duval County Public Schools, and a local Founding Committee and Founding Site Board, 58 City Year corps members are currently deployed in 6 of Jacksonville’s highest need schools serving as tutors, mentors and role models. City Year Jacksonville’s service model was piloted in 2 schools during the site’s Start Up year in 2012-2013, and this is currently City Year Jacksonville’s Founding Year.
The Executive Director (ED) serves as the primary leader, strategist, external champion, builder, and internal manager of a City Year site. The ED is responsible for the site’s strategy, performance and success in achieving its potential for impact, sustainability, and scale. The ED is the chief “resource magnet” for a site, translating strategy into action and results through developing and executing a multi-year strategic plan, as well as an annual operating plan and budget, to manage the performance and growth of the site.
The ED represents the organization within the local community by establishing and maintaining relationships with major local internal and external stakeholders, including the staff team, site board members, corps members, Duval County Public Schools, the Florida Department of Education, the Florida State Commission on National and Community Service, City Year alumni, and private sector funders and sponsors.
The ED is the primary champion of City Year’s impact locally, leading City Year’s efforts to keep students in school and on track, while also ensuring the growth and sustainability of the City Year site. An effective ED will be able to both lead the site at its current size and scope, and successfully strategize and manage leading to growth in the future.
In Jacksonville, the top priorities will likely include:
- Maximizing impact on students and strengthening school partnerships,
- Increasing fundraising results, including a focus on corporate and high-net worth individual giving,
- Developing a strong staff team and a site-wide culture of excellence, and
- Growing the brand recognition of City Year Jacksonville.
Functions
The ED is responsible for leading site staff to ensure performance in all major areas, including;
- Service Performance, Implementation and Delivery: In partnership with senior program staff, ensure high quality delivery of City Year’s Whole School, Whole Child service model in all partner schools.
- Staff Management: Support the growth and professional development of senior leadership team members, and provide leadership and vision for the full team of 12-15 site staff members as they manage 58 corps members (note: growth is anticipated in 2014-2015) in service implementation and secure needed resources. Establish effective succession plan for key roles to assure ready candidates and smooth transitions.
- Board Management & Development: In partnership with local Board leadership, recruit, develop and manage a dynamic, engaged, and productive Site Board executing a multi-year site strategic plan while contributing to the success of City Year, Inc.
- Public Policy: Engage local and national elected officials – e.g. mayor, city council, governor, and members of U.S. Congress - to support funding and policies for City Year and the national service movement.
- Government Relations: Maintain relationship with AmeriCorps state commission; prepare effective AmeriCorps grant applications and progress reports, and meet compliance requirements associated therein.
- Fundraising/Development: Lead site staff and Board to raise funds to meet annual and long-term revenue goals (FY16: minimum $4M in public and private sector support). Identify, cultivate, solicit, and manage strategic relationships with funders; build a sustainable revenue model based on philanthropic, government, and earned income sources.
- Corps Recruitment: Ensure site recruits, selects, and admits corps members within the regional framework, meeting quality, quantity, and inclusivity goals.
- Program: Ensure site delivers a transformative civic leadership development and training program for its corps.
- Financial Management: Manage budget, including forecasting and cash flow, for an annual site budget that is currently $2 million.
- Alumni Engagement: Involve corps alumni to advance City Year goals and continue a lifetime of service.
- Communications: Ensure the site achieves goals for marketing, publications, media, and brand management.
In addition, the ED also integrates the site’s strategy and priorities with those of City Year, Inc. and participates within the City Year global network to advance the mission, managing working relationships with staff at City Year Headquarters and helping to lead and set organizational strategy through network-wide project teams.
- A minimum of 8–10 years of professional experience with a solid track record of building and/or leading an organization.
- Outstanding leadership and management skills overseeing a complex enterprise at a high level of responsibility.
- Ability and experience working in an entrepreneurial and dynamic organization. Entrepreneurial mindset.
- Capacity to both effectively manage the organization to success in its current state, and to lead future growth and success.
- Ability and interest to lead a site within a larger global network; familiar with the challenges of coordinating local organizational priorities with global/national ones.
- High level of organizational and political sophistication, especially as it relates to connecting programs to funding, creatively generating other resources, and building collaborative and strategic partnerships.
- Proven skills and experience in fundraising and/or sales; a “closer”; with the ability to meet revenue goals.
- Outstanding relationship management skills; ability to build relationships with senior level stakeholders.
- Ability to relate with and inspire 17 – 24 year olds and mobilize large or small groups into action.
- All of the following skills and/or competencies are extremely helpful:
- City Year knowledge/exposure
- Significant non-profit, volunteer, or multi-sector experience and an established local network
- Content knowledge of K-12 education, youth development, and/or community or national service.
Education and Experience
Candidate should possess a minimum of an undergraduate degree, ideally with an advanced degree (e.g. M.B.A.) in a related field. Nonetheless, while education is judged valuable as an index of general intelligence and motivation, it will not take the place of common sense, management/administrative experience, creativity, risk-taking ability and passion for growing an organization and its staff. While a not-for-profit sector background is a positive, strong transferable skills in organizational management and development from any sector are similarly desirable.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation commensurate with experience. Great benefits including health insurance with Flexible Spending Account, paid vacation, holidays, parental leave, 401K, and more.
