Director of Collaborative Action

Reports to: Chief Strategy and Impact Officer

FLSA: Exempt

Date: May 2022

ABOUT SEEDING SUCCESS

Starting from the time a child is born until they enter the workforce, there are many factors and systems that contribute to whether they are successful in life. Understanding these systems and how they interact is essential in creating a lasting impact and fundamentally changes how we work together to address the needs of children and families in Shelby County.

Seeding Success focuses our efforts in the cradle (promise) to career (opportunity) pipeline by encouraging collaboration among diverse stakeholders and building their capacity to make data-informed decisions. Seeding Success uses Results Count® and a continuous improvement framework to identify effective practices that improve outcomes for Shelby County families and drive students’ success both in and out of school. As a leader of systems-level change in Shelby County, the Seeding Success partnership convenes and invests in four key areas of focus:

  • Creating a system of support or children from prenatal to age 8

  • Unifying a student-centric K-12 learning environment

  • Reducing the rate of Opportunity Youth

  • Improving postsecondary enrollment and completion

To bolster better outcomes for students and families, Seeding Success manages systems change through four phases:

  • Design formal strategies and systems with institutions and community organizations that address current challenges and confront disparities within existing structures.

  • Build capacity, capability, and coordination of systems through trust and engagement around a common agenda.

  • Manage accountability and quality standards to address the root causes of underperformance and inequity.

  • Sustain improved outcomes to scale by diversifying funding sources, advocating for long term policy change, and aligning with adjacent sector work.

Students and families experience increased social and economic mobility because they are equipped with all the resources and support they need to reach their full potential, cradle to career.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Seeding Success seeks a Director with a successful track record of designing and managing multiple large scale initiatives and projects, leading efforts in growing and strengthening relationships, organizing engagement opportunities and managing diverse teams. In conjunction with the CSIO, the Director of Collaborative Action will manage the co-design process of high-priority organizational and community initiatives and will coordinate across various teams, stakeholders, and partners to ensure deliverables and goals are met.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Works collaboratively with the CSIO to design, structure, and manage complex organizational initiatives across a cross functional partnership and intersecting systems

  • Lead and drive the project management to deliver work that meets strategic goals, with clear communication of objectives, tasks, and decisions to ensure people are aligned within functions and across teams

  • Support development, coordination, and implementation of plans and projects to improve and expand the organization's mission

  • Establishes and maintains effective and strategic relationships for ongoing engagement opportunities with an ability to find common ground, build consensus, and strengthen collaboration among diverse stakeholders

  • Develop and cultivate relationships with community stakeholders, including leaders in education, business, faith, nonprofit, philanthropic, and civic sectors in Shelby County

  • Manages co-design processes with community awareness and astuteness

  • Create opportunities to engage and cultivate relationships to help meet initiative goals

  • Addresses strategic and organizational concerns with finesse and identifies new and better ways to support the partnership and achieve collective goals over the long term

  • Utilizes organization’s software and resources to manage projects, communicate with stakeholders and document outcomes

  • Other duties as assigned

Competencies

  • Extensive background in human centered design and management of complex organizational initiatives across multiple sectors in a fast-paced environment

  • Extremely detail-oriented, organized, and has demonstrated an exceptional ability to influence cross-functional teams to drive deliverables and project success

  • Excellent communication and presentation skills, both written and oral, with the ability to represent the organization externally across a wide range of stakeholders and constituencies

  • Superb follow-through; propensity to approach tasks and goals with an ownership mentality

  • Gifted storyteller who can build and sustain cross-sector relationships

  • Demonstrated success in working as a member of a team and developing effective working relationships with staff, diverse partners, and systems leaders

  • Goal-oriented, entrepreneurial spirit with ability to generate ideas and move forward with a well-designed targeted plan

  • Analytical skills, strategic thinking, integrity and impeccable work ethic

  • Experience in change leadership and change management

  • Demonstrated commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree, preferably graduate degree, and at least 5 years of leadership experience in human centered design, project management, business development, strategy, and/or planning with large-scale strategic initiatives and growing cross-sector partnerships.

FLSA: Exempt

Salary Range: $75K- 115K

Reports to: Chief Strategy and Impact Officer

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to careers@seeding-success.org with the subject line Director of Collaborative Action - Your Name by June 30th.