President, North Bennet Street School

North Bennet Street School

President Search

About North Bennet Street School

As America's first trade school, North Bennet Street School ("NBSS") is internationally known for its programs that help students to achieve meaningful lives and livelihoods. For more than a century, the exceptional programs, expert faculty, and inspiring community have encouraged individual growth, curiosity, technical mastery, and commitment to excellence. Pauline Agassiz Shaw, the School's founder, was a visionary educator and supporter of the "Sloyd" system of manual training. This Swedish method focuses on the development of character, intellectual capacity, and hand skills, which includes an understanding of tools, materials, and processes. It has evolved at NBSS to encourage a great sense of care and commitment to excellence and to teach the "whole person" how to make a living and how to lead a fuller life. Today, the philosophy of Sloyd remains at the heart of the School.

Housed in its spacious, 64,000-square-foot facility located in Boston's historic North End neighborhood, the community in which it was originally founded over 140 years ago, NBSS continues to bridge opportunity and demand by training the next generation of traditional tradespeople using time-honored methods and skills while also creating rewarding, life-long careers. NBSS offers Career Training programs in Bookbinding, Carpentry, Cabinet & Furniture Making, Jewelry Making & Repair, Locksmithing & Security Technology, Piano Technology, Preservation Carpentry, and Violin Making & Repair for those seeking intensive, career-oriented study and Community Education classes, which are often connected to career training programs, for those eager to learn a new skill or perfect an existing practice. NBSS also develops programs to teach traditional trades to young adults.

NBSS enriches all its educational experiences by fostering an environment that embraces and respects a variety of perspectives and talents. NBSS is committed to providing access to quality education, supporting self-actualization and progressive growth for all. Community engagement is also a prominent feature of NBSS, with offerings that range from career discovery programs for youth, to preservation projects with civic partners, to virtual programming and exhibitions for the public at large.

Currently, NBSS employs forty-nine faculty and staff and has an annual operating budget of approximately $8 million. The School is overseen by a sixteen-member Board of Directors and is additionally supported by a prominent Board of Advisors. Collectively, the Boards are comprised of business, education, and trade leaders, many with long histories and deep personal and professional commitments to the School and its mission.

The President Position

Serving as NBSS's chief executive officer, the President will have the opportunity to lead an internationally known and ACCSC accredited institution that provides world-class training as it advances toward its 150-year anniversary in 2031. Collaborating with the Board of Directors, faculty, and staff, the President will refine the School's vision and implement practices that uphold the school's tradition of excellence while navigating the dynamic and constantly evolving landscape of post-secondary education and vocational training. In addition to overseeing all fiscal and academic operations for the School, the President will:

• Spearhead the development and implementation of a long-term strategic vision for NBSS, one which prioritizes NBSS's growth and expansion while considering the dynamic nature of its sector and the shifting demographics locally, statewide, and nationally.
• Refine NBSS's marketing and public relations practices and be the School's primary external representative and spokesperson to broaden public awareness, support fundraising efforts, promote expansion, and ensure full enrollment.
• Work collaboratively with the Board of Directors, the Board of Advisors, and NBSS's development team to execute the School's comprehensive fundraising program to finance operations, provide student scholarships, and secure NBSS's long-term sustainability.
• Analyze and implement an organizational structure and internal operations, ensuring that departments are optimally staffed to support efficient internal operations, compassionate human resource practices, and sound fiscal policies and procedures.
• Enhance internal communications to support a shared sense of belonging by faculty and staff, provide for common information exchanges, and minimize departmental silos which are a natural byproduct of NBSS's high intensity yet disparate programs of study.
• Build camaraderie and teamwork, unifying faculty, staff, students, board members, and stakeholders around a common vision and future for NBSS.

Profile of the Ideal Candidate

Preferred Background:

• A minimum of seven years of senior leadership, or equivalent experience.
• Prior responsibility for significant personnel management, fiscal oversight, and revenue generation through earned income and philanthropy.
• Passion for NBSS's mission which balances artisanship, career training, craftsmanship, and trade.

Skills and Qualities:

Strategic and Visionary Leader

• Strategic, visionary leader who can evolve NBSS's mission and vision and set tactical direction while respecting the School's foundations and history.
• Skilled at actualizing a vision to ensure long-term fiscal stability, full enrollment, effective facility utilization, and increased external support.
• Innovative, creative, and analytical thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit who is a confident problem solver who can handle complex situations and adapt to change.
• Able to evolve NBSS's governance structure and employ board members to align governance with the School's emerging direction, expanded opportunities, and capacity needs.

Charismatic Public Spokesperson and Relationship Builder

• Highly developed communication and listening skills to engage faculty, staff, students, board members, donors, and public audiences.
• Inspired to be the public face, dynamic spokesperson, and ambassador for NBSS, advocating for its mission and representing its interests to funders, partners, the media, and the public.
• Able to inspire confidence and build excitement about NBSS and its mission.
• Committed to and skilled at building and maintaining partnerships with stakeholders in higher education, professional trades, and the broader community to broaden the School's visibility and impact.

Skilled and Resolute Fundraiser

• Passionate and experienced fundraiser with the ability to inspire others to support and participate in fundraising.
• Able to develop a comprehensive fundraising plan and execute targeted strategies to raise the funds needed to ensure NBSS's financial stability.
• Experienced in donor cultivation and engagement to recruit and sustain long-term, major donors, and to grow the donor base.
• A demonstrated commitment to diversify NBSS's revenue streams where possible.

Experienced Fiscal and Academic Administrator

• Knowledgeable about nonprofit finance with the ability to oversee budgeting and financial reporting and make strategic financial decisions to support organizational growth and sustainability.
• Able to develop and implement an effective organizational structure that empowers administrators and supports the smooth functioning of the School.
• Provide insight and leadership in offering compelling programs that attract and retain capable students, faculty, and staff while adapting the School's offerings to embrace new technologies and distance learning opportunities.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to balance internal and external responsibilities effectively.

Emotionally Intelligent Developer of People and Culture

• A compassionate, collegial, approachable, and supportive leader with humility, self-awareness, contagious energy, and the ability to build consensus and foster a culture of respect within our uniquely and distinctly different programs and departments.
• A skilled listener who can create a school-wide work culture that is humane and collaborative, one which respects the School's ethos, history, and unique nature.
• Honest, transparent, and action-oriented manager with ethical professionalism who leads by example, consistently holding self and others to high levels of accountability.
• Strong leadership acumen with experience hiring, motivating, activating, and empowering a strong senior leadership team to maximize individual and collective contribution.

Compensation and Benefits:

This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position with a starting salary range of $225,000 to $250,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications, with a relocation stipend also available. In addition, NBSS offers a comprehensive and generous benefits package which includes health, dental, group life and disability insurances, a retirement plan with employer contributions, and generous time off. This is an on-site position with some flexibility especially during the summer months to accommodate occasional offsite work.

Application Process and Additional Information

Candidate must include a resume and a cover letter, both in PDF format, which describe how qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of NBSS. A background check will be required for finalists. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Upload required documents to: https://eostransitions.applicantpool.com/jobs/.

This executive search is being conducted by Eos Transition Partners consultant, John Tarvin. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential, and any questions can be submitted to John at: jtarvin@eostransitions.com.