Founding Executive Director of the DC School Support Hub

Job Description

Job Description

Salary : $165,000-$225,000 based on experience

Background

In school-year 2023-24, Education Forward DC contracted with Bellwether Education Partners to conduct a needs assessment and create a business plan for an entity that could serve as a centralized school support provider for charter LEAs in DC.

The needs assessment revealed that DC LEA leaders are seeking (among other solutions) affordable, non-evaluative school reviews from a trusted provider and a centralized source to find and vet vendors.

The resulting business plan proposed the creation of a DC School Support Hub ( the Hub ) that could work with schools to develop and implement plans for improving performance, support them with accessing vendors and best practices, and bring them together with peers for learning.

See here for more details on the needs assessment and the proposed Hub. Ed Forward DC is funding a pilot for the School Support Hub, which will incubate at the DC Charter School Alliance (DC Alliance), to begin as early as January 2025.

Job Summary

The Founding Executive Director (ED) of the DC School Support Hub will spearhead the development of a school support model designed to strengthen charter sector quality.

The Hub ED will refine the Hub’s service delivery model and business plan and serve as the face of the Hub in early-stage fundraising and partnership building.

While the ED will receive a business plan developed by Bellwether to guide this early phase, the Hub remains an untested concept with key decision points on the immediate horizon.

The founding ED will have a strong support network but will be given the autonomy and authority to design a pilot to test critical components of the model (e.

g. review process, fee structure, staffing). Pending a successful pilot, Ed Forward DC is prepared to make a significant anchor investment supporting the launch of the Hub, with the hope that it will continue to serve and support DC schools for years to come.

The Founding ED will report to the DC Charter School Alliance Executive Director and have the guidance and mentorship of the Hub’s Advisory Board, which is comprised of LEA leaders and representatives from OSSE, PCSB, the DC Alliance and Ed Forward DC.

The Hub ED and Hub staff will be employed or contracted by the DC Alliance and benefit from its back-office support but will function as a separate and distinct team from the Alliance staff.

Depending on the chosen ED’s preferences and current circumstances, there is flexibility on start date, work schedule and pilot launch timing.

Pilot and planning period will preferably launch between January and July 2025.

Application will remain open until November 11 or until the position is filled.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy Development and Business Plan Refinement

• Develop and drive overall vision and strategy for the Hub.
• Build out key components of the business plan, including :
• Process and materials for school review, coaching and service matching.
• Eligibility for schools to be candidates for services from the Hub.
• Staffing model for the pilot and early launch phases, including plans for contracted staff, that best supports intended pilot outcomes.
• Long-term (five-year) financial model for the Hub, and create a corresponding long-term fundraising plan to ensure financial sustainability.
• Design and implement a six-to-twelve-month pilot of the Hub that will test out key components of the model to inform decisions about Hub structure (e.

g. fee structure, menu of services, staffing model).

Following the pilot, partner with the Advisory Board to reflect on lessons learned and make any required shifts in strategy, prioritizing financial sustainability in the long run.

Program Delivery

• Engage at least two schools to participate in the Hub pilot.
• Lead the core work of the pilot : school reviews, service matching, and coaching for LEA leaders receiving Hub support
• Create and implement a plan for progress monitoring that includes systematically documenting participating schools’ improvement.
• Following the pilot
• Plan for and lead sector collaboration opportunities (e.g. Communities of practice or targeted convenings for peer support and shared learning)
• Design a process for continual improvement of the Hub model that includes dissemination of key learnings and bright spots.

Leadership and Management

• Recruit, develop and retain high-quality staff members, including contracted staff, of the Hub in alignment with pilot and long-term strategic priorities.
• Build a strong and inclusive Hub staff culture, and work with the DC Alliance Executive Director to ensure collaboration and relationship-building between Alliance and Hub staff.
• Align the development of necessary Hub systems with existing DC Alliance’s back office structure for greatest efficiency.
• Develop, track and monitor annual Hub budget to ensure sound fiscal stewardship of resources.
• Maintain a strong Advisory Board; seek and build Advisory Board involvement with strategic direction for ongoing operations and fundraising.
• Work with the DC Alliance Executive Director to align Hub work to DC Alliance school support offerings.

Relationships and Fundraising

• Develop and execute a fundraising strategy to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Hub, with the support of Ed Forward DC and the DC Alliance.
• Explore new and creative pathways for ensuring long-term funding streams, including local and federal government sources, private donors, and fee-based revenue.

This should include, but not limited to, an understanding willingness to pay for services provided by the Hub.

• Work with the Executive Director of the DC Alliance and DC Alliance team on a communications strategy for the Hub that includes a plan for proactive external communications
• Build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders across the city, including school leaders, government leaders, elected officials, and funders, and leverage these relationships to build awareness of and trust in the Hub as a quality school support provider in the city

Qualifications

Mindset / Values

• A passion for educational equity, access, and opportunities for families combined with a deep respect for charter schools and the diversity and history of the charter movement in DC.
• A deep-seated commitment to (and history of) leading with integrity, including building long-term relationships that engender trust.
• The grit necessary to persevere in achieving goals with a balance of urgency and focus.
• Flexibility to act and lead in an entrepreneurial, roll-up-your sleeves environment.
• Humble and responsive to feedback, with capacity to learn quickly and continuously.

Skills

• Expert understanding of best practices in school performance and improvement and an ability to translate those best practices into actionable steps for school clients
• Excellence in organizational management, with the ability to manage and develop a high-performing team, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget.
• Strong coaching skills; demonstrated ability to build trusting relationships across lines of difference and to mobilize others to act.
• A clear and effective communication style that includes excellent and persuasive written and verbal communication skills and an ability to empathize with and understand the perspectives of others.
• Action-oriented, self-directed, entrepreneurial, and adaptable, with an innovative approach to strategic planning and an ability to creatively problem-solve in the face of unexpected challenges.

Experience

Ten + years of school and LEA leadership experience preferred (some in DC required), including senior management experience, at a high-performing or high-growth LEA with the ability to point to specific examples of having led an LEA to strong academic outcomes (e.

g. through a period of growth or turnaround)

• Knowledge of the DC charter school landscape / sector and a personal connection to education; local relationships in the DC charter sector required
• Experience uniting different groups / entities around a common goal and / or message and mobilizing others to take action.
• Experience building, nurturing, and supporting high-performing teams to achieve ambitious outcomes.
• Experience building and stewarding external partnerships and serving as the external face of an organization.
• Fundraising, public relations, and marketing experience required
• Bachelor’s degree required.

Compensation

The salary range is $165,000-$225,000 based on experience. The DC Charter School Alliance provides a comprehensive benefits package including medical, prescription, vision, dental, flexible spending account, and life and disability insurance, as well as commuter benefits and retirement programs.