Spark seeks an entrepreneurial leader with education, management, and fundraising acumen in the San Francisco Bay Area to lead our regional office and programs.
Position Overview:
The Executive Director (ED) is the overall leader for Spark's programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, responsible for leading and expanding a vibrant apprenticeship program that works to increase high-school graduation rates. Reporting to the CEO, the ED leads Bay Area external relations, building sustainable funding relationships and corporate partnerships, as well as providing strategic leadership and vision to program operations, working with a talented program team to ensure the highest-quality programs for at-risk youth. The ED defines Spark's regional vision for the Bay Area, working closely with Spark's national leadership team to set and implement strategy that maximizes Spark's impact in the region. As a member of the organization's leadership team, the ED also helps to guide Spark's national growth, which has seen the organization grow from a regional to a national non-profit in less than three years.
Background:
Spark (www.sparkprogram.org) is an award-winning youth apprenticeship program. Spark works to increase high-school graduation rates with a unique apprenticeship program, focused on at-risk middle-school students. In partnership with public schools serving high-poverty neighborhoods, Spark creates one-on-one apprenticeships in real workplaces, where youth explore careers and develop the skills and motivation to succeed academically. Funded by a number of major foundations, including the Steans Family Foundation, Finnegan Foundation, and Kaplan Family Foundation, and in partnership with leading companies like CareerBuilder, Morningstar, LinkedIn, and others, Spark is demonstrating a powerful new approach to the high-school dropout crisis, one that draws in new resources by turning workplaces into learning places.
Spark was awarded the prestigious Draper Richards Kaplan Fellowship in 2008, given to five early-stage non-profits from around the world with the highest potential for "broad social impact." In 2010, Spark won the Ashoka Fellowship, one of the top honors for social innovation worldwide. With this and other support, Spark is building a foundation for national scale. Spark's programs have been operating in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2005, in Los Angeles since January 2010, Chicago since 2011, and launched in Philadelphia in Fall 2012. In the Bay Area, Spark will create 400 apprenticeships in 2013.
Spark has managed rapid fundraising growth in the past two years, moving from a local to a national organization, with a 2013 budget of approximately $3.6 million. Of this, Spark Bay Area has a 2013 budget of $767,000. The Executive Director is responsible for raising these funds from Bay Area sources, building on the existing base of support, and working closely with Spark's two Bay Area-based Boards.
Spark's Core Values:
- Be a student and a mentor. We celebrate the learning process, and believe people can reach their potential when we are always learning and always teaching.
- Take positive risks and dream big. We approach our work with an entrepreneurial and optimistic spirit, taking challenges as opportunities as we set our sights on systemic change.
- Create meaningful change in the world. We believe all students have the right to realize their potential through an education rooted in relevance, relationships, and challenge.
- Make diversity a priority. We value different perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds; we proactively invite all members of our community to help us learn and to grow together.
- Love what you do. We are passionate, devoted, and joyful toward our work, applying the best of ourselves to create impact.
Responsibilities:
Lead Bay Area Boards, Fundraising and Financial Management (50%)
- Enhance and lead Spark's local fundraising strategy for the Bay Area, in collaboration with Spark's Chief Advancement Officer and National Development team in San Francisco, and local development team, ensuring that Spark Bay Area exceeds a fundraising goal of approximately $767,000 in 2013;
- Place a particular focus on increasing individual major contributions, at the $10,000 level or higher, working with the regionally based Chief Growth Officer to build on board relationships and develop new relationships to meet fundraising goals;
- Serve as principal relationship manager for foundations supporting the Bay Area, working with the national Grants Manager to develop funder proposals;
- Lead Spark Bay Area's Executive Board and provide key oversight of the Bay Area Advisory Board, ensuring board members are engaged and effective in providing strategic guidance, introductions, and fundraising support.
- Provide strategic oversight for regional fundraising events, working with the national Development and Communications Manager to execute.
- Effectively utilize and manage the local site budget to implement the program and sustain the Bay Area office;
Lead the Operation and Growth of Spark's Bay Area Programs (30%)
- Directly manage one Program Director who supervises a team of four Program Coordinator staff members, developing an exceptional regional team to accomplish three core goals: (1) successfully manage relationships with Spark's school partners, including training and ongoing support, to ensure high-quality in-school programming for Spark students, (2) cultivate a network of mentors through corporate/organizational partners for apprenticeship placements and funding, and (3) guide the growth and evolution of Spark's work in the Bay Area.
- Lead the partnership-building process with formal agreements with schools and/or school districts, and provide strategic guidance to the program team to ensure high quality partnerships with school administrators and teacher teams.
- Oversee Spark's evaluation methods by leading the collection and input of surveys, demographic data and school district data, and utilizing data for program assessment and team management.
Lead Spark Bay Area Brand Development (10%)
- Provide overall leadership to regional team, creating a high performance and positive work environment that values staff development and retention;
- Create and expand alliances in the for-profit, government, and non-profit sectors to establish a portfolio of sustainable partnerships in diverse fields of work for apprenticeship placements;
- Ensure that Spark Bay Area recruits at least 50% of apprenticeships through corporate and community partnerships as well as board networks;
- Expand Spark Bay Area's regional model and continue Spark Bay Area's spirit of innovation along with regional and national excellence in program operations, volunteer experience, and fundraising success.
National Leadership Team (10%)
- Participate as active member of national leadership team, which includes Executive Directors from all regions and national executive team, shaping key opportunities and strategies for Spark nationally;
- Contribute to and/or lead major organizational initiatives that strengthen national capacity, brand, and program model.
Qualifications:
All candidates should have a passion for Spark's mission, demonstrated effectiveness as a leader, and excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. Candidates with experience and skills in entrepreneurial, high-growth environments will be most successful. Additional qualifications include:
- Relevant graduate degree preferred;
- Minimum three years of management-level experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented organization; for-profit experience is welcomed;
- Demonstrated success in fundraising, sales or external relations; educational non profit experience preferred but not required;
- Experience working with school administration and teachers, preferably at the middle-school level;
- Sophisticated personal networking and relationship-building skills;
- Independent, results-focused, highly organized self-starter;
- Demonstrated ability to design and manage complex projects involving many personnel;
- Mature judgment, with a high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness;
- Knowledge of local Bay Area issues and dynamics; especially around education and volunteerism;
- Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people;
- Comfortable giving and receiving honest, constructive feedback, and acting as a coach or mentor to staff;
- Fully computer and internet literate, with experience in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
- Legally eligible to work in the United States; no sponsorship provided.
Compensation & Benefits:
- Salary: Commensurate with experience.
- Health Benefits: Full health coverage is provided, including medical, dental, life and vision insurance, with Spark covering 100% of monthly premiums. Spark also covers a portion of the monthly premiums for dependents.
- Learning Benefits:Spark staff and students are fellow learners, and the organization highly values the staff's personal learning pursuits. To that end, there are several opportunities for staff to "walk the talk" and experience the excitement of being a Spark student:
- Annual Paid Sabbatical: One week of paid time off per year, in addition to other paid time off, for the pursuit of a personal learning opportunity. Learning stipend included.
- Professional Training Account: To pursue your choice of professional training opportunities, including workshops, conferences, books, etc
- Retirement Benefits: For all contributions through Spark's SIMPLE IRA plan, Spark will match retirement contributions dollar-for-dollar up to 3% of total salary.
- Paid Time Off: Spark has a unique flexible time-off policy, which empowers staff to collaboratively determine and schedule time off as needed. Rather than setting and tracking specific numbers of days off, Spark staff may take time off based on the status of their work- related goals and results within the organization. This policy is part of Spark's focus on a balanced and healthy life for staff.
- Non-monetary compensation: The opportunity to be an integral member of an energetic, innovative, hard-working and rapidly growing team, within an organization that has the potential to significantly change American middle-school education.
Application Timeline:
Applications will be reviewed starting in February 2013 on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
To Apply:
Please email your resume and letter of interest to bayareaed@sparkprogram.org. Please put "Executive Director, Bay Area" in the subject line. Spark is not accepting phone calls in regards to this position.
Spark is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, and evaluate all candidates based on merit.
