Program Director – San Francisco Bay Area

Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging community volunteers in under-resourced schools. Our diverse and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful, happy and confident readers in school and in life. Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that works. Join our stellar team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Watch this video to learn more about Reading Partners.

The high level:

The Program Director’s main role is to provide mission-critical leadership to the regional program function. The Program Director’s main role is to lead, develop and mobilize a team of one deputy program director and six program managers and indirectly lead the AmeriCorps members and tutors to implement all aspects of Reading Partners’ program with high fidelity. Reporting directly to the Executive Director in SF Bay Area, the Program Director oversees all aspects of program quality, delivery, and implementation in all schools within the region. The Program Director re-commits school partners, builds and leverages new school partnerships, and builds transformational relationships with districts and schools to support scale in the region. The Program Director drives regional program strategy and activities, and thoughtfully supports the Executive Director in growing the region to deepen impact. The Program Director is a resource mobilizer, and relationship-building expert, and is savvy at leading and leveraging people, processes, and policy, both internally and externally. 

What you’ll do:

Each year, lead the entire program team in SF Bay Area toward highly successful program implementation across 28 reading centers. 

• Achieve a rating of at least 90% satisfaction from principals and community school managers from all school partners.
• Support 80% of enrolled students in meeting or exceeding their annual performance goals.
• Retain 95% of AmeriCorps members through the term of service.
• Retain 100% of the Program Manager/Associate team.
• Achieve 100% enrollment of students by March (56 students/school).

Each year, collaborate closely with the Executive Director to support regional growth by cultivating and stewarding transformational external relationships at the district and school levels.

• Formally recommit 95% of school partnerships that meet Reading Partners’ conditions for success
• Create and maintain a pipeline of potential new schools, with at least 2 new school partnership possibilities by end of year. 
• Create and lead on execution plans for strengthening school partnerships, ensuring that program managers meet the goals for their portfolios.
• Manage and steward a portfolio of external partners that serve as peers and potential allies in our work. Ensure all new relationships in portfolio are established, that existing relationships meet or exceed goals, and that each relationship is optimized.

Oversee all operational aspects of program delivery in the region. 

• Develop program budget with support from Executive Director and Deputy Program Director, and manage expenses of team to stay within overall program budget
• Ensure all finance and operational activities for the program team are 100% completed in a timely manner (e.g. expense reports, timecards)

Other duties as needed. 

How you’ll do it:

Leadership & Management: 

• Demonstrate an exceptional ability to lead the mission-critical program function, and strategy at the regional level. Show a genuine interest in coaching, inspiring, and developing entry level to senior level staff members. Cultivate a culture of growth and development. Possess a strong ability to coach direct reports on management of emerging professionals (AmeriCorps members).

• Set clear goals, delegate and provide growth opportunities while supporting progress along the way. Recruit, hire, onboard, and collaborate with the Executive Director to deliver high quality training to the regional program team. Provide on-site regular coaching and support to the program team. 

• Contribute to the national network of program leaders, representing regional needs and advancing regional strategies.

Relationship Development & Communication

• Demonstrate a savvy ability to cultivate strong internal and external relationships. For external stakeholders, provide a best-in-class experience with Reading Partners, and demonstrate the ability to transform leads into school partners. Serve as the external ambassador and face of the organization to district and school stakeholders, peer organizations, and serve as program expert to returning funders. 

• Demonstrate an ability to cultivate strong internal relationships with peers, direct reports and regional leadership, particularly in the national Program & Research department. Set up strong operational systems within the program department. Have a strong aptitude for and commitment to effective communication remotely, in person, via email, via phone, etc.

Project Management

• Demonstrate an ability to lead a complex and growing program in an ever-changing educational climate. Anticipate challenges and opportunities, and proactively act to address them. Translate larger strategic priorities into action steps, and leverage and coach a team to make measurable progress against these larger goals efficiently and effectively to deliver their work on time and under budget. Show an ability to make quick, sound, and on-the-fly decisions that consider all stakeholders. See the bigger picture and be able to drill down to smaller details and connect the dots.  

Educational Expertise

• Work closely with the regional team of Deputy Program Director and Program Managers to ensure high fidelity of the Reading Partners model at all school sites. Provide guidance and support on program implementation, curriculum and assessment. Possess a high level of knowledge and competency in literacy strategies, behavior management, data analysis, and action plan creation, and, subsequently, provide coaching and training to the program team to transfer and boost educational expertise competency. Keep track of current education interventions that compliment and/or complete with Reading Partners to maintain and advance our market value.

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Have 5+ years working with elementary-aged students in an educational setting. Teaching experience is strongly preferred. In addition, you’ll be successful if you have 3+ years of educational program management experience.
• Regularly lead team members to meet or exceed goals 
• Have 2+ years experience managing full time staff
• Have experience with literacy assessments, teaching strategies, and student data analysis
• Have access to reliable transportation to travel within a defined geographic region on a daily basis
• Have some flexibility and adaptability in your work schedule, including some night and weekend time
• Have excellent computer skills, including MS Office and database management
• Can prove eligibility to work in the U.S. legally
• Hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Boast a deep belief in our mission
• Root your work in our core values

Bonus Points if you:

• Have at least 3 years of experience as a Program Manager at Reading Partners 
• Hold a master’s degree in education or a related field
• Have experience working in the launch phase of projects or programs
• Have knowledge of and a connection to the SF Bay Area elementary education community
• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna 

What we offer:

Reading Partners offers the full package – great benefits, a great place to work and the opportunity to have a glowing and growing career. 

• We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience. This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position. 
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, 403(b) match option, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP). 
• We offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and we commit to investing in and supporting our amazing people to grow their careers with us.

The other things you need to know:

• Travel: Willingness and ability to travel frequently to school sites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area region, including, but not limited to, San Francisco, South San Francisco, and Oakland. Attendance at occasional night and weekend events will be required. 
• Typical Physical & Mental Demands: Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping and stretching, and eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, photocopier, calculator and other office equipment.  Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to communicate with volunteers and staff. Also requires flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role. Please include your salary needs. 
• Resume