Director of Kindergarten to College

About Oakland Promise

Oakland Promise is available to young learners (from newborns to college students) and their families who reside in Oakland. OP offers every child financial resource, educational programming, mentorship, and a supportive community to help them and their families to seek out and thrive in higher education and the career of their choosing. The mission of Oakland Promise is to engage the Oakland community to advance equity and economic mobility through cradle to college and career achievement. Oakland Promise includes four programs: Brilliant Baby, Kindergarten to College (K2C), College Access, and College Completion. Our program strategies touch the lives of children and families in early childhood (ages 0-5), elementary, middle and high school; and culminate in multi-year scholarships and support for students in college.

Oakland Promise Kindergarten to College (K2C) helps K through 5th graders in Oakland think of themselves as college-and career-bound individuals. We provide scholarships, as well as technical support and incentives to families who open a family-owned college savings account. Additionally, we provide program support to build a college- and career-going identity within students, which includes Cal Day, college visits, family and student workshops, scholarship celebrations, and more.

Position:

Oakland Promise, an Oakland-based non-profit organization, is seeking an outstanding and exceptional Director of its Kindergarten to College (K2C) program. This team member is charged with the responsibility for all strategic and operational aspects of the K2C program. Under the direct supervision of the Chief Program Officer, the K2C Director formulates, implements, evaluates and communicates all aspects of the K2C program. The Director will be responsible for the operations of the K2C program including delivery of services and resources to families and students, leadership of the program staff and community partners, relationships with external partners, communications about the program, evaluation of service quality and impact, oversight of evaluative activities, as well as cross program collaboration and integration within Oakland Promise.

This role is an in-person/hybrid role, and we require you to be residing in Oakland/ Bay Area.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Kindergarten to College Implementation
• Lead the strategic direction of the K2C program
• Set program goals objectives and ensure alignment of program strategies and staff work plans to ensure progress per FY22-25 Strategic Plan.
• Ensure high quality implementation of programming.
• Monitor progress and impact of program; Set priorities for administrative data gathering and oversee analysis.
• Maintain relationships with current community partners and develop other relevant community partnerships/external relationships.
• Manage all program contracts collaborating with external service providers.
• Conduct site visits at schools to continue to cultivate relationships and support K2C team as needed.
• Prepare and manage a $1.3M program budget.
• Review and approve all program related payments.
• Support in program reporting (for grants, newsletter, etc.).
• Ensure program data and evaluation information is being collected and analyzed as needed.
• Advocate to ensure K2C programming is being represented.
• Work closely with the Development Team in regard to fundraising, including seeking new funding sources, maintaining K2C funder relationships, and assisting in the writing of grants and grant reports.

Staff supervision:

• Work with an exceptional team and be a creative thinker and a problem solver with a systems perspective.
• Supervise staff, set work plans, lead performance evaluation if needed
• Lead weekly K2C staff meetings to align priorities.

OP Organizational Leadership:

• Support OP strategic direction, internal capacity and overall organizational development as part of the Management Team.
• Facilitate programmatic collaboration between K2C and other OP programs.
• Represent k2C and Oakland Promise more broadly to external stakeholders and the media, present at conferences, panels, and other forums.

Other:

• Collaborate and learn alongside the national, state and local college savings program community, both informally and formally as part of the CA CSA Steering Committee.
• Generate written communications about K2C.
• Lead out infrastructure development as program needs evolve.
• Support with overall Oakland Promise events (annual report, fundraising, etc.)
• Other events/projects as needed.

Qualifications:

• Any combination of training/education and experience equivalent to a masters/graduate degree from an accredited college/university with an emphasis in public administration, nonprofit management, education, or related field.
• 5-10 years of successful experience in nonprofit management, program implementation and/or oversight.
• Exemplary communication skills and demonstrated ability to write and present orally.
• Experience supervising diverse staff, building team buy in. 
• Demonstrated strategic thinking and organizational skills needed to develop and execute strategic plans. 
• Experience setting up program operations systems, including piloting, assessing and improving systems.
• Knowledge of and experience related to childhood development, parenting, financial capability, building a college-bound identity, and/or asset-building through child/college savings accounts. 
• Strong interpersonal skills as demonstrated by the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with people both inside and outside of the organization.  
• Commitment to supporting a diverse, inclusive, transparent, and equity centered organization.
• Experience building relationships and leading across lines of difference.

Preferred:

• Knowledge of the educational environment in Oakland & experience as a teacher/educator in Oakland.
• Experience managing a budget of at least $1 million.
• Experience in fundraising and funder relationships.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Full time exempt position
• Salary for this role is $ 105,000 to $ 115,000 based on skill sets and experience.
• Oakland Promise offers a competitive benefits package, which includes dental / health/ vision, paid vacations and sick days and a 401k match up to 3%.
• Oakland Promise currently has a hybrid work policy.
• The ability to learn and grow within a supportive team environment.
• An opportunity to network and interact with leaders in the community. 
• Some evening and weekend hours may be required

Application Process:

We are looking for candidates with availability to start immediately and encourage you to apply if you are interested in and qualified for the position. The deadline to submit your application is Friday, Jan 27, 2023.

To Apply:

Send a single PDF (NOT a Microsoft Word document) of a resume and thoughtful cover letter to [email protected] with “Director, K2C – [Your Name]” in the subject line. Please use your last name and first initial (ex: Doe_J) as the filename of your PDF containing your resume and cover letter.

Failure to follow these instructions may delay the review of your application. Applications will be reviewed immediately and candidates with the best fit will be contacted for interviews. Unfortunately, the volume of applications will prevent us from responding to all applications received.

Oakland Promise is a place-based organization located in Oakland, California. Oakland Promise requires that employees work in person at various engagements. Currently, Oakland Promise staff are working in a hybrid model, with some work being done remotely and some work being done in the office or at specific locations in or around Oakland. It is a requirement that all staff reside within commuting distance to the main office, located at 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza #430, Oakland, CA 94612. Please note that at any time, a full in-person work plan may be required, and it is of utmost importance that all staff are able to meet this requirement.

Oakland Promise is an equal opportunity employer. Oakland Promise is committed to  providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and  disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on sex (including pregnancy,  childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sex stereotype, race, religion  (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, gender (including gender  identity, gender expression, and transgender), national origin (including language use  restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic  information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual  orientation, military, and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state  or local law or ordinance or regulation. It also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.