LOCATION: Flexible (New York City, Chicago, Houston or Washington D.C. preferred)
TERM: Role ends June, 2021 (with opportunities to continue on staff)
THE ROLE
Founded on the belief in the potential of all children and their right to an excellent education, Teach For America’s reach and impact have increased significantly in the last 28 years. In 1990, we placed 489 corps members in 6 regions. This year, our diverse network of 62,000 corps members and alumni are working toward educational equity in more than 50 communities across the country.
In February 2021, Teach For America will convene ~10,000 alumni, corps members, staff, students and partners to rally our community around the need and possibility for bold, systems- and community-level progress and to inspire each other to lead in new ways in order to achieve it. In planning the 30th Anniversary Summit we will draw lessons from previous five-year anniversary summits, but this event will be different. It will serve as a catalyst for a new era of our work, one with an increased priority on accelerating the impact of our alumni in order to ensure vastly better outcomes for children in communities across the country.
As Vice President, 30th Anniversary Summit, you will lead the design, planning and execution of this incredibly critical and pivotal event. In so doing, you will have the chance to consult leading thinkers, researchers and experts; collaborate with leaders from within and outside of our community; and build and empower a team of event design and operations staff. Ultimately, you will help set a new course for our work, ensuring that 10,000 members of our community leave feeling even more hopeful and urgent about achieving One Day and inspired to think and act in new ways to make much greater progress in the decade ahead.
THE ORGANIZATION
There are more than 16 million children growing up in poverty in the U.S., and less than 10 percent of them will graduate from college. These statistics are not a reflection of our children’s potential; we know that children growing up in poverty can and do achieve at the highest levels. Rather, these statistics reflect the systemic lack of access and opportunity for children in low-income communities.
Teach For America’s (TFA) mission is to find, develop, and support a diverse network of leaders committed to expanding opportunity for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that shapes the broader systems in which schools operate. We are seeking individuals who align with our mission, core values, and commitment to Diversity Equity & Inclusiveness and are ready to join us in this global movement.
- THE PERSON
- Lead stakeholder involvement in the planning for the 30AS, including alumni, students, corps members, organizational leaders, staff, and external constituents (30%)
- Manage and empower a 3-4 person team of event design and operations experts to ensure the event achieves its purpose and goals (40%)
- Oversee (and in some cases perform) project management to ensure all aspects of the effort are moving forward successfully and there is tight coordination with other organizational initiatives and activities as needed (10%)
- Design and implement an effective budget strategy that optimizes opportunities for earned revenue to ensure the event is affordable and delivers a strong return on investment (10%)
- Manage conference planning vendors, event vendors and other partners to ensure a well-integrated operation leading to and during the 30AS (10%)
- Experience successfully leading diverse teams to set and achieve ambitious goals in the context of complex, multi-layered projects
- Exceptional management skills, specifically a track record of leading diverse teams to set and achieve ambitious goals in the context of complex, multi-layered projects
- Knowledge of the education and education policy landscape, including the influential leaders and thinking currently shaping it
- Superior strategic skills necessary for setting vision and direction for an event of this scale
- Entrepreneurial and self-starter mindset
- Superior communication and relationship-building skills, including an ability to invest, influence and align senior leaders and stakeholders with diverse interests and ideas
- An ability to lead (and thrive) in environments of change, ambiguity and uncertainty, demonstrating the sound judgment, flexibility, resourcefulness and maturity necessary
- Deep belief in our mission and core values and demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
It is preferred, though not required, that the person in this role have previous experience with any or all of the following: human-centered design practices preferred, collective leadership approaches, large-scale event planning- Ability to travel for team meetings, design sessions and other organizational engagements 2-3 times per quarter
- Ability to travel for extended periods of time, including over weekends, especially to D.C. and as the Summit nears
- Ability to work long hours on the weeks and days leading to the Summit and during critical sprints of planning and execution
- Diversity is crucial for successful change efforts and is one of Teach For America’s greatest strengths.
- The full potential of our diverse network will be reached only when we are an inclusive community.
- The predictability of success or failure for our students or individuals in our organization should not correlate with any social, cultural or other identity-based factors.
- This job description reflects Teach For America’s assignment of essential functions and qualifications of the role. Nothing in this herein restricts management’s right to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities to this role at any time.
The ideal candidate for this role will be motivated by the opportunity to shape the experience of the Teach For America community at this critical juncture. The VP, 30th Anniversary Summit (30AS) will:
THE MUST HAVES
Prior Experience
Skills
Work Demands
THE TEAM
A small, but mighty team, the Office of the CEO ensures our organization’s overall strategy and operations enable us to effectively pursue and accomplish our goals and support Elisa Villanueva Beard in her role as CEO. We work closely with senior leaders and others across the organization to move Teach For America’s work forward and make sure we’re keeping a pulse on what’s happening at TFA by understanding the diversity of perspectives within our community of corps members, alumni, and staff, and building and maintaining relationships with our partners and supporters. We are scrappy, entrepreneurial, and we get things done. We are models of our core values and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusiveness, and keep our students and their families at the forefront of our work.
THE PERKS
By joining staff, you join a network of individuals committed to pursuing equity for all students and developing themselves as professionals in the process. We as an organization value the longevity of our employees and offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits plan. The salary for this position is also competitive and depends on your prior work experience. Please be advised, you will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the application process.
WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSIVENESS
In all we do, we act on the following beliefs:
Teach For America encourages individuals of all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort.
Teach For America is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
NEXT STEPS
Interested in this position? Apply now! Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the link to the online application. If you still have questions regarding the role, feel free to contact our recruitment team at staffhiring@teachforamerica.org or visit http://www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers.
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