Motivation
Race and educational inequity have been intertwined throughout our nation’s history. On May 17, 1954, in the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the Supreme Court observed “… it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.” However, oppression, inequity, and violence still obstruct the path to self-determination and a life full of choices for young people from historically marginalized identities.
In fall 2017, Xiomara Padamsee and her team of nearly a dozen professional talent advisors formed Promise54 -- driven by the conviction to help organizations deliver on the promise implied in the Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling. We envision a day when organizations committed to educational equity have maximum impact because they have the right people excelling in the right roles, their teams reflect the communities served, their cultures are inclusive, and their internal structures are equitable. Essentially, Promise54 helps adults to thrive so that they can do their best work for students, families, and communities.
Organization
Promise54 is a nonprofit 501(c)3 with a small, strong, passionate, and growing team of 20+ experienced advisors. Our partnerships balance investments in people and the organizational systems and culture around them, spanning topics such as recruitment systems, competency modeling, compensation, performance management, change management, board development, management / leadership development, communications, decision-making and more. All of our work includes a deep focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI), based on our belief that creating a thriving, sustainable workplace for a diverse team will both generate greater impact for students as well as more durable relationships with the communities these organizations serve.
We have committed to specific goals by 2023: first, we aim to engage 1,000 leaders about the link between talent and DEI in achieving strong organizational outcomes for kids; second, we will support 100 organizations to material progress on diversifying their teams, increasing staff performance, and strengthening retention without gaps by seniority or identity.
Promise54 provides services to support these goals at three levels:
For the field, we conduct research, mine for insights, and disseminate widely to support leaders in their work to build thriving organizational environments with effective DEI to drive better outcomes in service of kids, families, and communities. Our research products include quantitative and qualitative reports such as 2017s Unrealized Impact and a set of deep and vulnerable case studies about to be released.
For organizations, we focus on supporting and enhancing organizational effectiveness, inclusive culture, and equitable systems through tailored advising partnerships and cohort programs.
Finally, for individuals, Promise54 focuses on supporting and developing leaders to thrive through 1:1 executive coaching, and cohort-based workshops and institutes.
In service of this work, our team is committed to the following core values :
Champion Justice : We acknowledge the impact of historical inequities and are committed to pursuing justice. We will do this by reshaping mindsets, behaviors, and structures one organization and one leader at a time, while examining ourselves in the process. We believe all young people, especially those of color and those growing up in low income communities, deserve to have adults acting boldly on their behalf – challenging the status quo, spotting and addressing inequities, sharing power and, perhaps most importantly, making room for silenced voices to be heard.
Pursue Impact : We are committed to helping adults live out their fullest potential, so they can offer their very best to the young people they serve. This means we relentlessly pursue the best outcomes with our partners and, in the process, we always choose courage over comfort. We strive to consistently deliver excellent work and an unparalleled client experience to inspire effective action, advance equity, and help our partners realize their missions.
Embrace Possibility : We approach our work/h with a sense of possibility, adaptability, and optimism. We invest time in new ideas, engage in thoughtful problem solving, and explore innovative ways to team with each other and partner with our clients.
Be Well: We know that to do our best work, we must accept and support each other in all of our humanity. We have fun, laugh out loud, celebrate each other’s life milestones, and live unapologetically in our own skin. We practice flexibility related to where and how we get our work done, respecting each other’s professional preferences and life priorities. We carve out time to relax, recharge, and refuel individually and as a team.
Be Humble: We don’t have all of the answers, so we listen closely to our colleagues, our partners, our schools, and our communities, as they tell us what’s working and what’s not. We embrace those who push our thinking while helping us make progress. This learning makes us and our work better.
Promise54’s first two years of operations have been auspicious; client demand for our services exceeds our capacity, we have gained the support of several national funders, and we have high standards for how we operate internally. Specifically, we’re trying to build a radically human organization whose policies and practices support all of our team members to bring their full selves to work. But, like any relatively new organization, we are making critical internal operational decisions in real time while serving clients, developing our team, and building our brand. This combination of aspirations means that we are juggling the different kinds of work we need to do for ourselves, and that for the field which, in turn, has revealed areas where we have room for improvement. Specifically: we don’t yet have all of our systems and structures in place; our website needs a refresh (and one is underway); we need to grow our team even further to serve the work we’re being asked to do in the field; and sometimes we achieve the elusive work/life balance we’re after, and other times we fail. Essentially, we are a work-in-progress.
Position
This is an opportunity to join a highly dedicated team of people within a vibrant, cutting-edge, and unique nonprofit committed to equity in education. Consultants play an integral role in helping us live up to these aspirations. Consultants work as members of small teams and play key roles in both external and internal capacities. Externally, Consultants serve on client project teams by identifying issues, forming hypotheses, designing and conducting analyses, building models, synthesizing conclusions into recommendations, developing work plans and, ultimately, helping to implement change with our clients. Throughout an engagement, a Consultant is directly involved in discussions, presentations, and workshop facilitation with client leadership. Internally, Consultants work closely with Promise54 Partners and Associate Partners. Consultants are accountable to Associate Partners who, in turn, guide their work and invest in their growth and professional development.
Duties and Responsibilities
In that context, the Consultant’s primary responsibilities and duties will be to take on client and team leadership responsibilities, as described above, and specifically:
partner with clients to develop sustainable and impactful talent strategies and implement these plans to address the hardest people-related issues in response to real-world, time-sensitive challenges brought forward by the client;
develop and execute work with independence and a high degree of ownership, but also work in close collaboration with the internal team producing client deliverables (reports, analysis, decks, recommendations, presentations, facilitation, plans, etc.);
perform quantitative and qualitative analysis on core issues for clients; generate and synthesize insights;
gather data through interviews, focus group facilitation, and desk research;
manage client meetings/calls with independence, strong preparation, and follow-up;
serve as a thought partner and engage in team problem solving by sharing best practices and leveraging internal and external networks;
write and deliver high-impact presentations, strategic plans;
take on internal roles and projects to build out Promise54’s key capabilities; and
generate creative, action-oriented insights and recommendations for both internal and external improvements.
Requisite Experience, Skills, and Personal Characteristics
First and foremost, the Consultant must share Promise54’s conviction that organizations will best maximize their impact and truly thrive when their teams are diverse, their cultures are inclusive, and their practices model the equity they wish to see in the world.
The ideal candidate will have training and experience from a management consulting organization, bring an understanding of relevant issues in education equity. In addition, the successful candidate will have the following professional experience:
at least three to five years’ professional experience in a role requiring project management, and analytical problem solving, preferably at an established consulting firm serving external clients;
experience working in or with schools and/or organizations supporting schools; and
a well-rounded interpersonal skill set with the presence and capacity build relationships, work effectively in teams, and facilitate joint problem-solving with clients and team.
Candidates must also have the following skills:
an understanding of – or better: a deep familiarity with – the national education sector in the U.S. and past efforts to reform its systems and practices, particularly those related to the challenges facing young people from historically marginalized identities;
capacity for client services demonstrated by comfort with organizing ideas, translating ambiguity into clear direction, and the ability to develop compelling written communications and presentations, including PowerPoint decks;
analytical inclination demonstrated by a strong grasp of key takeaways from data sets and visuals, quantitative fluency, and comfort with basic data analysis;
the ability, willingness, and—ideally—comfort with working virtually;
agility in Excel and PowerPoint;
strong communication skills, both verbal and written;
the ability to prioritize among many different projects and tasks at once; and
consistent follow-through.
Finally, candidates should demonstrate the following personal characteristics :
unwavering commitment to Promise54, its mission, and its core values;
sound judgment and discretion with respect to critical information and decisions;
attention to detail;
a highly self-motivated work style and willingness to proactively take on leadership roles within project teams;
maturity, flexibility and comfort working in a small organization, often autonomously;
integrity; and
a sense of humor.
Reporting Relationships
Consultants report directly to Associate Partners.
Compensation
Promise54 provides competitive compensation and an attractive benefits package including a performance-based bonus based on individual and firm success, full health care coverage, and access to 401(k) accounts with a matching contribution policy.
Location
Our work is national in scope, and our team is virtual (though concentrated primarily in the Northeast, Chicago, and Atlanta). The location for this role is flexible, though the Consultant should possess the willingness and availability to travel approximately 30% of the time (or 2 trips/month with a typical duration of 1-2 nights per trip), for team retreats, national conferences, and other critical in-person meetings.
Start Date
As soon as possible.
To Apply
The review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position(s) is filled, although submission by January 6 is strongly encouraged . Inquiries or applications (consisting of a letter of interest and a current resume) should be directed to
[email protected] .
Finally, Promise54 is deeply committed to providing equal opportunities. We serve diverse organizations, we are a diverse organization, and we are committed to non-discrimination. It is our policy to ensure that all individuals with whom we are in contact are treated equally without regard to age, color, ability, gender, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, expression, gender identity or veteran’s status.
www.promise54.org
