Executive Director

Executive Director

Partnership for College Completion

Chicago, IL

The Partnership for College Completion (PCC) seeks an innovative, strategic, and dynamic leader to serve as the next Executive Director (ED) of the organization. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED will lead the organization at a pivotal time for higher education in Illinois and across the country and will build upon the organization’s past success to propel PCC into its critical next chapter.

Based in Chicago, PCC was launched in 2016 to address disparities in college access and completion that impact a broad segment of first-generation, low-income, and students of color in Illinois. Since its launch, PCC has helped lead new and urgent conversations for higher education equity through its three-part strategy, including college and university partnerships, public policy, and research and data. Today, due in large part to PCC’s work, there is greater awareness and more nuanced discussion about college access and completion in the state; a community of institutional leaders and practitioners committed to ensuring equitable student outcomes continues to grow; and, increasingly, lawmakers in Illinois are focused on addressing the complex needs of low-income, first-generation college students, including students of color, in the policies they introduce and champion. These are exciting and needed developments, and yet these are extraordinarily challenging times that will require PCC to redouble its efforts and navigate the nuances involved in addressing equity-related disparities in college completion.

As the chief executive of a relatively young organization, the successful candidate will be an established education leader with experience leading teams to deliver on ambitious goals and a commitment and connection to PCC’s mission. The ideal candidate is both a thought leader and a convener, is creative and entrepreneurial, brings experience with strategy and solutions development, and has a proven ability to effectively communicate and execute initiatives from start to finish. The next ED will shape the vision and strategy for the organization; significantly grow and steward PCC’s financial resources as the organization’s chief fundraiser; expand PCC’s visibility with policymakers and other key stakeholders across Illinois and nationally; support and grow a high-performing, mission-driven, and diverse team; and work closely with the Board of Directors as meaningful partners in the organization’s success. This leader will be driven by a passion for developing strategies to overcome disparities in college completion and inspired by the possibility of leading an organization that has achieved significant results but must strategically adapt for the future and seize opportunities to have an outsized impact.

The expected salary range for this role is $180,000 to $240,000. Based in Chicago, PCC currently maintains a flexible, hybrid work environment.

The Partnership for College Completion has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist with this search. Please direct all inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications in strict confidence to the following:

Jeff Kessner, Partner

Janette Martinez, Senior Associate

Jenny Rubin, Senior Search Coordinator

Isaacson, Miller

https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/partnership-college-completion/executive-director

The Partnership for College Completion is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to building a diverse team and to engaging the skills and leadership of people of color, individuals from low-income households, LGBTQ+ persons, differently-abled people, and others that hold identities that represent the significant diversity of college students in Illinois. People from these and other historically marginalized backgrounds and communities are strongly encouraged to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!

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