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Chief Talent Officer   Who are we?   Achievement First (AF) exists to address the legacy of racism in education in America. We know that all children—regardless of race, zip code, or economic status—need and deserve access to a great education.  At the core of our approach is the shared journey by our students and staff to fulfill our incredible potential. Just the facts.  Achievement First has consistently been rated one of the top charter school networks in the country, AND we are still learning and growing.  AF is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that currently supports 37 public charter schools in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The mission of AF is to deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all children. We currently employ more than 2,000 staff -- 47% of whom identify as Black, Latinx, or Multi-racial -- who collectively educate more than 14,300 students in Brooklyn, NY; Providence, RI; and New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford CT.  More than 85% of our students qualify for free or reduced priced lunch. Our students are proving what’s possible by achieving breakthrough results in terms of academic achievement and long-term college persistence.   Our focus and reach extend beyond the students and communities that we serve directly.  Achievement First is an engaged and prominent partner in the broader education-reform movement, partnering with schools and networks from across the country and openly sharing all of our resources with all educators free of charge.  We currently serve more than 100,000 additional students through two key partnership initiatives. Our Charter Network Accelerator is an intensive cohort-based training program for CMO leaders (with a focus on leaders of color) who are looking to increase the number of top-quality options available to parents across the country; and through our Navigator Program, we provide coaching and support for district and charter schools who want to adopt and adapt our curriculum and instructional practices to help students achieve breakthrough results.   Why work at Achievement First?  First and foremost: you should work at AF if you believe in our values and want to surround yourself with people who share them.  We are committed to leading for racial equity. W e approach our work with humility, humanity, and the recognition that both what we do and how we do it must model the equity we seek.  We strive for excellence by setting a high bar in all areas and pursuing it relentlessly.  We care about the whole person and are known to be as warm as we are demanding.  We choose joy and actively seek out moments of humor, gratitude, and deeper purpose for ourselves and with each other.  We know that we will go further together and intentionally choose to join forces on both big and small things. We name brutal facts, embrace challenge, and see our mistakes as opportunities to get better. Finally, come to Achievement First if you want to help support schools that are striving to not only close the achievement gap but also to redefine what’s possible in education.  We are obsessed with getting better and are working to create some of the best schools in the country - schools that support not just student academic success but also their social-emotional learning, identity development, independence as learners, passion/enrichment/extracurriculars, and life-long fulfillment.  AND, at AF, we believe getting better starts with looking in the mirror. We have done a lot of that lately, as we have more aggressively confronted our own biases and unacceptable gaps in our student experience. We are committed to addressing inequity within our systems, culture, and talent with resolve to walk the long road ahead to the true equity and opportunity that our kids and families deserve.  So, come to Achievement First if reflection, challenge, and growth feeds your soul.  THE OPPORTUNITY  Position Overview  At Achievement First, the Chief Talent Officer (CTO) is our #1 people leader. They co-create and hold a talent vision for AF that puts racial equity squarely at the center of our work so that we can attract the strongest talent in our sector, and develop and deploy them to cultivate a spirit of self-determination and possibility in our communities. After fourteen years at Achievement First - 4 of which were in the CTO role - incumbent CTO Tom Kaiser will be transitioning from AF.  The next CTO will carry on Tom’s work to foster a culture of values-driven excellence AND support AF at this critical juncture by helping us realize the next iteration of our talent vision -- operationalizing the strongest set of talent practices to fuel success and drive equity in our next chapter. YOU should consider this role if you are… A Big Thinker (who sweats the details)  You understands that mission and values alignment are not the same, and you are committed to the values-driven pursuit of goals and outcomes. You are not about the “status quo,” but are a disruptor who encourages continuous learning and interrogation of how things are done. You are a facilitative leader who is curious and who can co-design a vision with people at all levels of the organization, and capture that vision in a talent strategic plan that will unite the talent team behind a “theory of action” in which the threads of the strategy are stronger than the sum of their parts. A Culture Leader  You are one of the top leaders of our organizational culture. You  have deep beliefs and strong views about what makes a culture “great,” and you can paint a compelling picture of what AF can be for all of our employees. You deeply understand and can model how to build an outstanding adult culture, both with your own talent teams, and within AF’s top executive team. The most important goals you will own relate to building a culture of “high equity / high excellence” teams (as evidenced through our organizational health survey) and retention of school-based staff ( especially our teachers), so experience working directly on these or similar challenges will be highly valued.   A Technical and Tactical Talent Expert You will leverage your talent and human resources expertise to ensure that AF has best-in-class systems to evaluate, nurture, train, and reward staff and the tremendous talent that exists in our schools, so that those who are on the front lines working with students every day are maximizing their professional potential. You will oversee initiatives to improve human resource management functions, and build and support internal systems designed to support equity and minimize organizational risk. An Equity Champion You will shape the way the entire organization thinks about and develops talent, and help Achievement First model what it looks like for one of the country’s biggest charter networks to truly lead for racial equity. Your background includes getting to the root of adaptive challenges and tackling  organizational systems and structures that block leaders of color from thriving and ascending. You are an empath who values and elevates the experience of people of all identities at all levels of the organization.   MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Set the strategy and drive results through others. Team Leadership .  Set and refine our talent strategic plan (goals, priorities, tactics), oversee strong sub-plans (recruitment, sustainability, etc.) and set up strong systems to monitor progress and course correct in order to ensure AF is best-in-sector at attracting/selecting, developing, engaging, and retaining top talent with no gaps along lines of race.  Managing up .  Serve as a member of AF’s senior cabinet, acting as a major player in key discussions and decisions about the direction of the organization, thereby requiring the gravitas to effectively manage up and, occasionally, a willingness to push colleagues when necessary and have courageous conversations in order to do what is best for students.   Build and develop a team of talent leaders. Manage and support our talent team leaders, including: The Vice President of Equity, to create an execute a strong strategic plan that promotes equity for students and adults in our highest priority areas  The Vice President of Talent Operations, to ensure that each AF employee receives the most competitive and comprehensive compensation and benefits packages, that all AF core HR policies are strong and further equity, and that our teacher career pathway represents an empowering and equitable path for our network’s teachers The Vice Presidents of Recruitment, to ensure that we are recruiting the best / most diverse talent The Senior Director of School Leader Pipeline and Preparation, to ensure all schools are led by a highly effective principal and our leader pipeline is robust and diverse  The Senior Director of Adaptive Leadership, to ensure the strongest people leadership training for our principals and beyond The Talent Chief of Staff, to ensure that the talent teams function and collaborate effectively Nurture organizational culture.  Oversee the organizational culture of the entire network, including:  Playing an active role in building organizational culture, including robust internal communications that reinforce our core strategy and values  Constantly partnering with other senior leaders to ensure strong “adult culture” health in all areas of the organization Overseeing implementation of the bi-annual organizational health survey  Setting clear goals for our organizational health (adult culture -- not financial health or student achievement)  and aligning all talent teams and levers to delivering on those goals Executing robust analysis of survey data from our organizational health and adult culture surveys    EXPERIENCES AND QUALIFICATIONS   The ideal candidate will have the following experience and characteristics: A minimum of 10 years of professional experience with a majority of time spent in talent management roles coupled with a strong track record of experience and equity-driven results at a senior level Specific expertise in attracting, selecting, developing and retaining diverse talent  Deep familiarity with the talent challenges facing urban schools strongly preferred (especially issues of principal/teacher development and retention)   A human capital professional with broad exposure to all HR functions who understands how various talent systems- and their corresponding legal and policy implications -   impact employees and fuel - or hinder - equity within an organization   A track record of pursuing equity within their leadership  Deep familiarity with talent management issues and the talent challenges facing urban schools strongly preferred (especially issues of principal/teacher development and retention.)   an exceptional manager, coach, and team leader Excellent communication and influencing skills to interact effectively with all levels of the organization and the school network Experience bringing strategic, analytical and critical thinking skills as a member of an organizational leadership team   KEY RELATIONSHIPS Reports to:  President Manages:  Five leaders of our talent teams (Recruit, Leadership, Equity, Talent Operations) and one Talent Chief of Staff. Most are currently based in NY with team presence (Talent Operations and Recruit) also in CT.   LOCATION NY, CT, or RI. COMPENSATION:  Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.   TO APPLY  Achievement First welcomes comments, referrals, or expressions of interest. The review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position(s) is filled. However, please note that the search for Achievement First’s first-ever President, to whom this position reports, is also underway. Therefore, while applications submitted by 12/19 are strongly encouraged, the finalist round of interviews will not occur until after the President has been selected, which is likely to be in February 2020 . Inquiries or applications (consisting of a letter of interest and a current resume) should be directed to [email protected] .  Achievement First is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Spanish language proficiency is a plus. You can learn more about diversity at Achievement First here .

    GENERATION CITIZEN Position Description: Chief Executive Officer     OVERVIEW Generation Citizen champions real-world democracy education that equips all young people with the skills and knowledge needed to effect change. Our Action Civics program inspires robust civic participation by inviting students to engage directly with the local issues and institutions that affect their communities. To ensure that our democracy represents the voices of all people, we prioritize working with students from communities that have been historically excluded from the political process. By centering youth voice and equitable participation, we can shift the balance of power to accelerate a more just society.   Beyond the classroom, we provide thought leadership, conduct research, and build coalitions to advocate for state and district level policies that ensure schools prioritize Action Civics. Combining our program work with policy and advocacy, we aim to push for systems change on a broad level, scaling our ideas across the country.   Founded in 2008 by college students, Generation Citizen is nearing its official 10th year of operations. To date, we have served more than 60,000 students, and we are on track to serve more than 25,000 this academic year.  Generation Citizen has also helped to pass state-level legislation and contributed to Action Civics becoming a well-known academic discipline through hosting convenings, organizing coalitions, and serving as one of the pre-eminent leaders in the emerging civics education field. We have opened six offices in diverse parts of the country (California, Texas, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island), and have built a committed and effective Board of Directors. We have engaged hundreds of stakeholders through Local Boards, Associate Boards, Student and Teacher Leadership Boards, and we have trained and mobilized thousands of college volunteers as Democracy Coaches. Above all, our students have taken real and effective action: helping to pass new laws, changing school policies, and galvanizing their peers to use their voices in powerful ways to change our political system and disrupt traditional power structures.   OPPORTUNITY Generation Citizen was co-founded by Anna Ninan and Scott Warren, and has been led for the past decade by Scott, whose ability to articulate and act upon a vision for an equitable democracy fueled by youth empowerment has propelled the organization to achieve its place at the forefront of the field of Action Civics. In early 2020, after supporting and ensuring a smooth leadership transition, Scott will step down to make way for his successor to craft a vision for the next chapter that both honors and interrogates GC’s rich history, and boldly advances GC’s mission and  strategic goals.   Our new CEO will maximize impact as the face of external/field leadership and resource development. They will drive strategic clarity, create equity-centered systems, and lead infrastructure and talent development by addressing sustainability and organizational structure, and implementing more equitable and inclusive decision-making frameworks. The CEO role represents an opportunity to join a nationally recognized organization with a strong, dedicated, values driven team, field-changing program and policy models, and established network of partners and funders. The new leader will leverage GC’s momentum and success, while guiding strategic choices and moves that strengthen the organization overall, and position it to play an increased leadership role in the field. ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES Our next CEO will work closely with GC’s board, leadership team and staff, collaborating to achieve ambitious goals. Specific responsibilities include: Organizational Leadership   assuming ultimate oversight and accountability for the leadership, vision execution, and management of GC, our current budget of $6+ million, and current team of approximately 50 personnel; actualizing GC’s mission by ensuring a disciplined organizational focus, clear goals, and strong partnerships that invest and engage stakeholders across GC and externally; providing inspirational leadership, guidance and support that fosters equity, inclusion, accountability, transparency, cohesion and productivity across the leadership team and broader organization, and engaging and leveraging the Board.   Strategic Direction   serving as GC’s chief fundraiser, translating the organization’s competitive strengths and existing key donor base into an institutional fundraising strategy and revenue model that support growth and sustainability; cultivating strategic relationships with policymakers, major investors, and other key players to support development and delivery of programs and policy initiatives at scale; leading the execution of multi-year strategic, programmatic and financial plans that are responsive to the needs of the field and leverage opportunities to optimize GC’s impact on students, and ensuring that the GC team is receiving the training and development necessary to optimally execute these plans.   National Visibility   providing provocative and pace setting national and local thought leadership; collaborating to advocate for youth voice and youth leadership opportunities in the civics and education fields; collaborating with other advocacy and policy organizations to increase collective impact, and furthering GC’s work as a national leader on civics education, consistently pushing to ensure that its focus on equity, and youth leadership explicitly, continue to shape and advance the broader field.   EXPERIENCE The next CEO of Generation Citizen will be an inspiring, visionary and highly relational leader, whose expertise combines the capacity to connect across a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, with the instincts, authenticity and gravitas to gain their trust and confidence. They will drive results by investing the team in a co-created, organization-wide vision, and tying it in a meaningful way to the aspirations, realities and desired outcomes of local sites and communities with widely varying conditions and context. Valuing the voices and perspectives of youth, our new CEO will exude a level of interest and accessibility that invites young people into dialog. They will be skilled at identifying adaptive challenges, and dismantling organizational systems and structures that impede the development and ascension of team members of color or other marginalized identities. GC’s CEO will balance this attention to internal, structural change with equal accountability for the external facing work of resource and partnership development and field building. Additionally, our new CEO will possess some combination of the following professional experience and personal characteristics that validate their readiness to lead a complex, geographically dispersed education organization with an ambitious mission.   Experience & Skills A proven track record of success in building and/or managing a complex organization or enterprise (e.g., a successful non-profit or for-profit organization, government entity, political campaign, etc.) with a multi-million-dollar budget A successful track record of stewardship and fundraising and/or the ability to identify and secure new sources of funding by building relationships with foundations, corporations, investors, and/or individual donors Track record of creating the conditions for high performance and talent retention by fostering a development-oriented environment of support and accountability Experience effecting healthy change and creating organizational strength and synergy through rigorous strategic planning, collaborative and transparent decision making, and demonstrated commitment to mutual-accountability and impact Proven ability to develop systems and infrastructure that are grounded in equity and optimize efficiency across regions with site-specific conditions and needs Reputation as a leader in the field of education, youth development, policy/politics   Personal Characteristics Passion for GC’s mission and the power of young people; dedication to ensuring that student voices are included, heard and valued Demonstrable commitment to racial equity and social justice, and a track record of identity-informed, values-driven leadership Ability to develop deep and productive relationships and inspire confidence and cooperation; support and advocate for staff who are being impacted by issues of equity and inclusion Strong personal and professional integrity Humility and self-awareness The inclination to create space for difficult conversations and dissonance, and the ability to mediate and resolve conflict Entrepreneurial spirit; propensity for innovation; grit and tenacity   REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS The CEO will report to the Board of Directors. Direct reports include the Chief Operating Officer, Senior Director of Programming, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, Senior Director of Development Strategy, and Chief of Staff.    LOCATION Boston or New York City   WHAT WE OFFER Generation Citizen offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits. We cover the majority of the employee premium for all medical plan options. Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time (plus a winter break between December 24 and January 2 of each year), commuter benefits, and a 401(k).   At Generation Citizen, we believe each of us has the capacity to make a difference within our communities. Our hope for a better democracy, and brighter future for all, fuels our commitment to seek systems-level responses and solutions to present challenges. We invite collective inquiry, experimentation, failure, and resilience to inspire inventive outcomes, learning, and growth. We strive for an inclusive work environment where employees are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work and come together to create a collaborative, fun and collegial team driven by our big mission and living into our core values.   OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY IN HIRING Generation Citizen is an equal opportunity employer and places a high value on creating a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. Generation Citizen does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. We believe diverse teams are effective teams, and that innovation is only possible when a set of diverse experiences and perspectives are at the table.   HOW TO APPLY Please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected] . For best consideration, apply on or before January 17. While the hiring timeline is subject to change, the Generation Citizen team hopes to have the new Chief Executive Officer identified by March 15.