Executive Director

Job Description

About the Organization

Short Summary

Read Ahead’s reading-based mentorship program helps students develop the literacy and social-emotional skills essential for academic and life-long success.

Long Summary

Read Ahead is dedicated to helping New York City public school students in grades K-5 strengthen the literacy and social-emotional skills needed to thrive in school and beyond. Read Ahead’s vision is that our students have the opportunity to unlock their full potential through mentoring relationships based on a love of reading.

Since 1991, Read Ahead has connected public elementary school students with caring mentors from leading corporate and community partners. During weekly virtual sessions, mentors and mentees read together, discuss books and their lives, and engage in fun and educational games and activities. Through the over 19,000 lunch hours spent annually in Read Ahead, our students develop confidence, a love of reading, literacy skills, and other social and emotional skills crucial for success in life. Operating with a $2M budget, during the 2023 - 2024 school year, Read Ahead brought together over 1,000 volunteers to serve hundreds of students (90% of whom identify as BIPOC and 44% of whom speak a language other than English at home) across 8 New York City public schools, predominantly serving students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

With the recent development of our hybrid program and our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Read Ahead has an opportunity to deepen our impact for students even further. For more information on Read Ahead, please visit our website.

About the Position

What You’ll Do

The Executive Director of Read Ahead will serve as a visionary and strategic leader focused on fueling the organization’s growth and deepening its impact. Responsible for the development and execution of Read Ahead’s strategic plan as well as oversight of its program, operations, and partnerships, the Executive Director will lead a full-time team of 15 to support the literacy and social-emotional skills development of students in eight New York City public elementary schools. The Executive Director will also serve as the primary face of the organization and will devote significant time and effort to building and deepening partnerships and fundraising. This is an ideal opportunity for a highly compassionate, collaborative, and strategic leader to support elementary-aged public school children across New York City to learn, grow, and thrive through the power of reading.

Key Responsibilities

External Leadership & Fundraising

• Serve as the face of Read Ahead, speaking publicly about the organization’s work to the media, at conferences, and at other public/private events.
• Partner with the Managing Director, Development & Communications; Read Ahead staff; and the Board of Directors to create and implement an annual fundraising plan, including strategies for revenue diversification, sustainability, and growth.
• Collaborate with Read Ahead’s Development team and Board to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward individual donors and corporate partners; raise funds from these sources and act as “asker in chief” as appropriate.
• Maintain a strong presence at regular fundraising events including Read Ahead’s annual gala, holiday fundraisers, book drives, and the Junior Board’s semi-annual fundraising events.

Organizational Leadership & Management

• Develop, maintain, and engage a strong Board of Directors, including leading Board recruitment and development; supporting strong Board governance; partnering closely with Board committees; and attending and participating in quarterly in-person Board meetings and annual retreats.
• Manage, lead, and collectively empower team members at all levels of the organization; demonstrate a collaborative leadership model in partnership with the Managing Director, Development & Communications; Senior Director, Program & Impact; and Chief of Staff as a holistic Senior Leadership Team.
• Foster an inclusive, mission-driven organizational culture and a values-driven environment, leading with a strengths-based approach to management and a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; champion and support the staff-led Culture Committee to continue developing a strong organizational culture.
• Drive the development and support the execution of a new strategic plan for Read Ahead.

Programming & Outcomes

• Partner with Read Ahead’s program team to drive innovation and facilitate robust evaluation of the organization’s impact; manage and measure the growth, implementation, and continued excellence of Read Ahead’s programs.
• Drive toward data-driven results in service of achieving measurable impact; identify priority key performance indicators regarding literacy, mentorship, and social-emotional learning to inform programmatic decision-making.
• Establish Read Ahead as a thought leader in early childhood literacy; deepen Read Ahead’s brand and presence in the sector through a strong online presence, media & public relations, and thought leadership.
• Continue to champion Read Ahead’s diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments with respect to students served as the organization acquires new partners and expands its reach.

Who You’ll Work With

The Executive Director will report to Read Ahead’s Board of Directors and work especially closely with the Board Chair. Additionally, the Executive Director will directly manage a current senior leadership team of 4 and oversee a current staff of 15. Learn more about the Read Ahead team here.

Hiring Organization

Read Ahead

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

• At least 10 years of professional experience is required, including demonstrated management experience; a background in literacy, elementary education, early childhood and/or youth development is preferred.
• Demonstrated fundraising success, including a proven track record of cultivating and obtaining gifts across a wide variety of revenue streams; experience with corporate partnerships, institutional fundraising, and/or major gifts is preferred.
• Excellence in organizational and people management with the ability to coach staff, manage and develop high-performing teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget.
• Unwavering commitment to quality programs and data-driven program evaluation; comfortable and experienced in setting success metrics and tracking data over time.
• Compassionate, empathetic, collaborative leadership style with a strengths-based approach to management, exceptional communication skills, strong cultural competence, and a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Experience leading teams and programs in a hybrid work environment.
• Ability to travel around NYC and have a presence at program sites and events as needed.

We seek to build a diverse staff that is representative of the communities we serve. Even successful candidates may not have all of the preferred qualifications indicated above; if you are excited about the role and believe you can successfully fulfill its responsibilities, we encourage you to apply.

Industry/Service Area

Education

Level

Executive