Chief Executive Officer, Edward Street

Edward Street Seeks Chief Executive Officer

About Edward Street

At Edward Street, our priority is high-quality early education and care for all young children in Central Massachusetts. Through supporting early childhood providers and educators and by advocating for policies that benefit children and families, Edward Street seeks to improve the quality and impact of early education and care, enhancing the development of young children and strengthening families in Central Massachusetts. We collaborate with community partners to develop effective early childhood programs and serve as an educational resource and training center for early educators. 

Edward Street Day Care Center was established in 1883 as a day nursery. One hundred and forty years later, now simply named Edward Street, we are a voice for early childhood in Central Massachusetts, advancing the importance of accessible, affordable high quality early education and care and related early childhood supports. We convene and collaborate to solve problems, educate and train to support early learning and care, and advocate for community and government investment in high quality early education and care. We seek to raise awareness of and establish a comprehensive system of quality supports responsive to the needs of our youngest children and their families.

Our goals at Edward Street are to:

• Support a thriving early learning workforce
• Advance high-quality early learning environments
• Influence early education and care investments
• Lead cross-sector alignments for early learning

Examples of how we accomplish our work include:

• Leadership with the Healey-Driscoll Administration's Gateway to Pre-K agenda, participating in listening sessions on the essential role early education and care plays in driving the state’s economy and competitiveness forward.
• Our Master Teacher Coaching and Consultation program serves hundreds of local preschool children and early childhood educators with a year-long intensive reflective coaching experience administered weekly, providing educators with skill enhancement and advanced early childhood content knowledge. 
• Day of Play Family Festival in Elm Park, an annual event for thousands of families to experience the joy of play and learning together. Edward Street and our partners provide interactive activities and engaging performances for young children in the arts, health, construction, STEM, movement, literacy, and mindfulness. 
• Worcester Reads is a coalition committed to promoting early literacy and reading. Co-chaired by Edward Street and Worcester Education Collaborative, the initiative amplifies the important message of reading to a child every day. 
• Through specialized professional development offerings, provide early education and care educators with new resources to support social-emotional learning in young children. 
• Through participation with Together For Kids Coalition, support training on the impact of early trauma and protective practices, advocate for WIC, tax credit fairness, and supporting paid leave.
• Partner with Worcester Public Schools to bring school adjustment counselors to after school programs, where they modeled techniques for staff and connected with young students in need of additional support. 
• Raise educator and family voices as we advocate for bold early childhood legislation that will transform the lives of thousands of educators, families and young children by investing in a comprehensive structure of high-quality early childhood education and system supports. 

With a talented and longstanding staff of four professionals, Edward Street fosters a culture of respect, inclusiveness, and collaboration. We prioritize flexibility and a healthy work culture, ensuring continuous learning for staff, respect for work-life balance, and an equity-focused approach in all our work. Edward Street is overseen by a very engaged board of directors comprising 15 professionals. Operational funding for Edward Street, totaling approximately $800,000 annually, consists of a diverse combination of state and city grants and contracts, philanthropic grants, private donations, and earned income. 

Opportunity Going Forward 

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will have the opportunity to lead an organization that is at the forefront of advocacy within Central Massachusetts and is well respected in the Commonwealth. Our next CEO is expected to continue current momentum and move the organization into its next phase, relying on the infrastructure for sustainability that is in place. With the key focus of growing the organization's fund development with support from the Board of Directors, priorities for the next leader include: 

Learning and Immersion: Engage in a period of deep learning and immersion to understand the complexities and dynamics of Edward Street’s work and the early education and care field. Focus on active listening to fully understand family and community needs and how Edward Street can effectively and strategically support them.

Community Engagement and Relationship Building: Navigate the leadership transition and ensure that existing strong relationships with funders and donors, legislators, collaborations, and partners are maintained and grown. 

Operational Sustainability: Engage in active fundraising to ensure that all initiatives are sustainable in the long term. Plan for contingencies in government and institutional funding shifts and explore income diversification opportunities. Meet and nurture relationships with private and corporate donors, partners, and supporters. Tend to the staff succession of longstanding, skilled staff.

Strategic and Policy Leadership: Leverage and grow the current title wave of support for early education and care and facilitate and guide policy advocacy and seek big-picture solutions to early education and care workforce challenges, investment in care, and quality care environments. Do so in partnership with others, such as Together for Kids Coalition, Strategies for Children, Healthy Greater Worcester Coalition, and the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative. 

Hearing from the Community: Deepen ways to get feedback from families and provider communities and infuse their voice into policy, advocacy and practices.

Equity and Social Justice: Explore and address social justice issues within early education and care through advocacy, policy and partnerships. Continue to support a diverse Board and a Staff that respects the Edward Street workplace culture that values equity.  

Profile of the Ideal Candidate

The next CEO of Edward Street will be a seasoned organizational leader who will demonstrate many of the attributes, skills, and experiences listed below, and will be capable of leading an organization of Edward Street’s size and scope. While we understand that candidates may not have all these qualities, if you meet many and are passionate about our mission, we encourage you to apply.

Visionary and Strategic Executive

• Early education and care knowledge and/or experience is a plus
• Demonstrated ability to lead and implement a strategic organizational vision and plan 
• Proven success in bringing new ideas, innovation, and bold thinking to an organization and community 
• Skilled at championing a vision to leverage funding and partnerships, and create policy change and broader public awareness
• Able to navigate and adapt to changing circumstances and new challenges

Fundraising & Financial Acumen

• Practiced in the strategy of fundraising – foundation relationships, appeals, grant writing, and campaigns
• Experience with building and maintaining donor relationships including, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Business acumen in operations and management, with the financial fluency necessary to manage a budget, financial reporting, and planning
• Relational, Collaborative, and a Community Builder
• Proven track record of listening to and engaging with the community, assessing trends and aligning organizational values and work with community needs
• Highly collaborative, flexible, and patient with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders
• Brings strong, diplomatic verbal communication and storytelling skills
• Knowledge of Central Massachusetts is a plus

Facilitative, Authentic, and Open Leader

• Warm, compassionate, respectful, and approachable
• Good communicator, able to clearly articulate priorities and decisions and to bring people along 
• Displays emotional maturity and a sense of self; able to hold an independent voice and make effective decisions
• Has balanced leadership skills; listens well and is comfortable leading from behind
• Commitment to Equity
• A deep understanding of racial equity issues in the education field
• A track record of leading initiatives to promote equity within an organization
• Experience applying an intersectional lens to addressing complex problems
• Ability to engage effectively with diverse communities and foster an inclusive environment

A Seasoned Executive Manager

• Experienced with organizational and staff management, including excellent supervisory skills and the kindness and passion to develop, support and lead a small team
• A proven record of success in managing growth
• The ability to share decision-making power, work collaboratively, and provide clarity and transparency in decision-making processes
• Familiarity with nonprofit board engagement

Desired Credentials

A minimum of 7 years of experience as an organizational leader with increasing levels of responsibility, and at least five as an executive or senior leader. 

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position with a starting salary range of $120,000 - $130,000. Edward Street’s benefits package currently includes: 75% coverage for health care and dental premiums, long-term disability and life insurance, 1-4% matching retirement plan, 10 days for sick time, 14 holidays/floating days, 15 vacation days, and more. This is not a remote position; Edward Street’s office is located at 50 Portland Street in Worcester, MA. However, Edward Street honors flexible work options when the job activity is suited to such an arrangement. Occasional travel within the state for meetings and advocacy events will be required. Employment at Edward Street is on an at-will basis.

Application Process and Additional Information

Edward Street provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, service in the military or any other characteristic covered by federal or state law. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

Candidates must include a resume and a cover letter, both in PDF format, which describe how qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of Edward Street. 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 Nancy Jackson, Eos Transition Partners consultant. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential, and any questions can be submitted to Nancy at: njackson@eostransitions.com.