Executive Director - South Carolina

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. 

To learn more about Reading Partners, please visit https://readingpartners.org

OPPORTUNITY

Reading Partners is seeking a dynamic leader to serve as our next Executive Director of Reading Partners South Carolina. This seasoned executive will support programming in Charleston County School District (CCSD) and Berkeley County School District and set up the conditions for expansion in future years. The Executive Director will lead regional staff and AmeriCorps members in the South Carolina region, with a significant footprint in Charleston, SC. This individual will be the primary face of Reading Partners South Carolina, managing fundraising and community partnerships, and have full bottomline fiscal responsibility for the region.

The ideal candidate is a social entrepreneur who has deep connections with the K-12 educational and/or nonprofit sector(s). They possess strong relationships with  South Carolina/Charleston officials and local philanthropic leaders who can accelerate Reading Partners' impact and service model. This person is driven by a commitment to create educational equity for all students, communities, and families in Charleston. Additionally, this executive has experience with building and leading racially diverse teams. Specifically, this individual is skilled at building an internal culture that is constantly striving to be inclusive and equitable for all employees and AmeriCorps members by mitigating implicit and explicit bias, and actively dismantling systems of oppression. This person has a commitment to addressing racism and sees literacy as a tool to combat forms of systemic oppression.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

The Executive Director’s primary responsibilities include:

• Mission and Culture Catalyst: Demonstrate passion for enriching the lives of high-need students through literacy development and embody Reading Partners’ mission, core values, and approach. Strategic and dynamic leadership, with a track record of establishing meaningful and trusting relationships. An understanding of how to partner with schools and serve under-served youth, ideally within the context of K-3 education.

• People and Operations Management: Lead, motivate and manage a team of full-time staff and AmeriCorps members to achieve results, while coaching and developing the capacity of the team. Oversee and deliver professional development and management training for regional staff including the following direct reports: Program Director, Community Engagement Director and Development Director. Develop a strategic vision and motivate teams to achieve measurable goals, while maintaining a results-oriented, collaborative and healthy organizational culture.

• Relationship Development and Communications: Serve as the main conduit to the South Carolina Regional Advisory Board. Establish deep relationships with all stakeholders, including staff and AmeriCorps members, community constituents, elected officials, media outlets, nonprofit and corporate leaders. An effective communicator, with a track record of successfully increasing revenue and cultivating donors and community support. A commitment to helping to expand, diversify and develop the regional advisory board.

• Strategic Leadership and Execution: Develop and design new strategies and approaches to meeting programmatic growth goals and lead implementation, in partnership with the Program Director, of those strategies. Creative and thoughtful decision making, and comfortable partnering with other individuals to problem solve. Possess experience using data and clear and strategic processes in making decisions.

PRIORITIES

A successful first year in this role for the new Executive Director will include:

• Leading and managing a team of approximately 15 full-time staff and 36 AmeriCorps members toward highly successful program implementation, community engagement, and fundraising targets. Overseeing growth strategy and all regional business operations.
• Overseeing all fundraising for the region to exceed revenue goal of $2.3M, including nearly $765K in private revenue.
• Working closely with the national grants team to ensure proper implementation of the state or national AmeriCorps grants. Also, partner collaboratively with the team to steward the relationship effectively to continue our strong relationship with all state and national AmeriCorps agencies.
• Driving all external relations activities in the region to grow and scale the region.
• Engaging and managing relationships with elected officials and public sector partners (e.g., municipal, school board, state, and district staff for Congressional offices) to support the advancement of Reading Partners as a key partner in the educational system in the region.

QUALIFICATIONS

In order to meet these priorities and fulfill these responsibilities, our ideal Executive Director candidate will be/will have:

• Demonstrated commitment to Reading Partner’s mission and core values.

• Deep commitment to the mission and vision of Reading Partners; deep commitment to race,equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI).

• Culturally competent and a self-reflective leader who understands the effects of race, class, ethnicity, income, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and other issues of difference in society and is able to lead direct conversations about them.
• A builder of authentic relationships with community partners, policymakers, funders and other supporters.
• A leader who engages with a variety of individuals and speaks in a clear and compelling manner about the organization’s goals and priorities.
• Robust experience working with nonprofits, school districts, government officials, and philanthropic organizations in the Charleston area.
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing fundraising strategies and proven accomplishments in frontline fundraising.
• Demonstrated success in staff recruitment, management, and development.
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated creativity when addressing challenging situations with, at times, limited resources.
• COVID-19 vaccination is required unless a medical or religious accommodation is requested and approved. Please review our Vaccination Policy.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This position offers a competitive salary at $110,000 annually and robust benefits. Our benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, 403(b) option, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP). More details can be provided upon request.

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

Reading Partners is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.