Director, Closing the Achievement Gap, William Penn Foundation

Posted by on November 12, 2012

Position Announcement

Title: Director

Specific Focus: Closing the Achievement Gap

Reports to: Vice President, Philanthropic Programs

Direct Reports: 3 – 4

Location: Philadelphia

Travel: Regional/Domestic Travel -10-15%

Effective Date: November, 2012

The William Penn Foundation is a leading American Philanthropy located in Philadelphia. With approximately $2 billion in assets and an $80 million annual grant budget, the Foundation is a vital part of the civic life in one of the country’s most important and historically significant regions.   A recently completed strategic plan charts a vision for the next decade, consistent with the Foundation’s enduring focus on education, the environment and the cultural vitality of Greater Philadelphia, yet with a renewed sense of urgency, leadership and entrepreneurship.

Three Grant Centers will lead the way. Each Center will be guided by a measurable macro goal, baseline data, and articulated strategies. Each will be structured as a 10-year campaign.

The three core priorities for this time period are:

• Increase the supply of high-quality schools to close the achievement gap for low-income children.

• Ensure clean water by protecting the Delaware and Susquehanna watersheds.

• Make Philadelphia an even more creative community, from Center City throughout the neighborhoods, including investments in great public spaces.

These priorities will be integrated with two new philanthropic investment vehicles – a Transformation Fund and an Innovation Fund – creating new chances to invest in breakthrough ideas and to help key legacy organizations respond to changing conditions.

As the Foundation prepares to launch the new strategic plan, four new Directors will join the leadership team to implement the new vision and continue to shape it in the years to come.

Position Summary

The Foundation’s programmatic investments are led by the team of Directors, each with strategic, team, and initiative management responsibilities.  Directors play a key leadership role in managing team(s) working on program investment and execution of initiatives. They will work with other colleagues across the Foundation to identify and understand trends, issues, challenges and opportunities. Directors must be able to initiate and lead work that ranges across multiple sectors, topics and fields. Directors are also responsible for developing new initiatives.

This Director position is responsible for leading and implementing a portfolio of work that both contributes to broad institutional goals, and builds on and breaks new ground. While the direct focus of the work will be regional, it is assumed and desired that its influence upon thought-leadership and policy be national. Working closely with Foundation colleagues, the Director will lead the assessment of the portfolio’s direction, strategy, and results.  He/she will also generate new streams of work within the Foundation’s strategic framework and represent the Foundation externally.

This Center’s goal is to maximize the number of low-income children achieving academically and socially on par with national and global success norms.

The Director will lead the Foundation’s ten year campaign to dramatically increase the number of low-income children in Philadelphia who are achieving academically and socially on par with national and global success norms.  Specifically, the Director will lead a grant making team focused on the following three areas three areas of investment:

• Kindergarten through 12th grade – scaling the best district, charter, and private schools that demonstrate that they close the achievement gap; supporting district turnarounds devoted to achievement and innovation; and building the talent pipeline for teachers and education leaders.

• Early childhood care and education – increasing the number of high quality slots for low-income children; promoting kindergarten readiness; and growing a high quality child care workforce.

• Post-high school success – advancing research that can improve K-12 education and post-high school supports to increase the number of students who succeed in employment and college.

By the end of this 10-year campaign, the region will have great schools, bookended with early childhood education and research that identifies pathways to post-high school success.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Leadership

• Serves as a strategic leader, presenting annual strategic plans, portfolio reviews, evaluations, and new initiatives, managing a grant budget of approximately $20 million.

• Participates in and is accountable for key deliverables to the organization as part of the Foundation’s leadership team.

• Collaborates with other Directors to ensure integration of program investments.

• Leads initiative teams to develop and execute outstanding work within, and guided by, the strategic framework of the Foundation.

• Convenes stakeholders across a variety of sectors to drive programmatic investments and results.

• Represents the Foundation in diverse communities, including speaking engagements, attending conferences and participating in other key internal and external meetings.

• Serves as internal leadership voice – represents the Foundation’s decisions in a positive, encouraging, and motivating manner.

Initiative and Team Management

• Develops and executes work in all stages of programmatic investment work.

• As a senior grant-maker, ensures grant-making advances the work of the Centers and supports the strategic framework of the Foundation.

• Responsible for and helps develop the less senior members on the team(s).

• Promotes and models excellent external relations with grantees and partners.

Expected Competencies

Strategic Agility and Ability: Ability to see opportunities, design innovative approaches backed by strong analysis and planning.

Outcome-Focused: Results-driven approach, supported by a focus on quality and strong project management skills, deadline management, sense of responsibility and accountability and the ability to effectively multi-task.

Decision-Making and a Sense of Urgency: Ability to evaluate risks and opportunities, using analytical and strong problem-solving skills.

Partnership and Relationship Building: Strong professional representation of the Foundation, interpersonal relationship abilities, intercultural knowledge and appreciation, strategic partnership building.

Influence and Management: Strong interpersonal and communication abilities; exceptional listening, written and verbal capabilities; skills in team building, coaching, mentoring, delegating, inspiring and motivating internally and externally.

Marketing Oriented:  Ability to market great ideas and great practices; smart values and effective solutions to expand philanthropy and highlight the best outcomes and methods.

Openness and Curiosity:  An awareness that excellent ideas can come from many sources.

Education, Training and Experience

• Advanced degree preferred, such as: PHD, JD, EDD, MA, MPP, MPA, MBA (Education, Early Childhood Education, Public Policy, Social Policy, Law, Business)

• Bachelor’s degree required

• The successful candidate is likely to have had significant experience in effecting change in K-12 education on the city, state or federal level

• A minimum of 12 years of relevant work experience

• Experience setting priorities in dynamic environments

• Experience developing, managing and implementing multi-party projects with defined objectives, deliverables, monitoring and evaluation of results

• Experience developing strategy

• Experience with evaluative research methods preferred

• Prior foundation experience is not required

Compensation and Benefits

The William Penn Foundation offers a competitive compensation and benefits packages. It employs a well-qualified, professional, and respected staff.  It is committed to creating and maintaining an organizational structure that enables all staff to do the work of the Foundation in the highest quality manner possible. The Foundation’s compensation strategy contributes to assuring a work environment that attracts and retains talented, high-performing individuals. In addition, comprehensive benefit programs are offered.

For Consideration

The Foundation is working with the search firm Machlowitz Consultants, Inc. on this recruitment. All nominations, inquiries, and applications should be sent to Marilyn Machlowitz at the search firm and will be held in confidence.

Contact:  resumes@machlowitz.com Subject line:  Closing the Achievement Gap

We regret it will not be possible to communicate with candidates except those who most closely match our requirements.

The William Penn Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.