Position Overview:
The Site Director sets a powerful vision for student achievement and is responsible for ensuring that at least 90% of students matriculate to a four-year college and stay on track to graduate from college within six years. S/he leads a full time and part time staff of over fifty employees and builds and maintains the positive presence of College Track in the local community. Working under the leadership of the Regional Executive Director, this individual is responsible for driving high academic performance and the holistic development of students. S/he will have direct accountability for meeting the organization’s bottom line goals in the following areas: enrollment and attendance, retention, academic readiness, college eligibility and matriculation, financial readiness and college graduation. Additionally, the Site Director manages key external relationships with school district officials, school principals and local community based organizations.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Site Development and Implementation: Observe, manage and evaluate student services, ensuring that goals across the site are met. Work with the Strategy Team and site staff to continue the development and improvement of the College Track program.
- Staff Management: Recruit, lead and manage a team of four full-time employees and 50 part-time employees (paid and volunteer) to ensure the overall success of students. Build a collaborative team of individuals committed to achieving excellence and meeting site goals.
- Individual Student Planning and Monitoring: Work with Program Directors to assess student data continuously and ensure that students are on track to graduate from high school and thrive in 4-year universities. Focus relentlessly on delivering outcomes despite obstacles, ensuring students graduate from high school and receive a college degree.
- Fundraising and Development: Work in collaboration with the College Track development team, as the external leader of the site, to execute development activities that support long-term sustainability.
- High School and Community Partnerships: Develop strong and formalized partnerships with community based organizations, local schools and districts that result in additional resources for our students and improvements to our program model. Keep abreast of emerging trends and practices within the school system and community, and be active in the school district and political landscape.
- Student Recruitment: Build long lasting relationships with school administrators and teachers. Lead a strong on-campus and community relationship building effort, ensuring strong recruitment of students annually.
- Site Performance and Reporting: Lead site accountability practices, including Cycles of Inquiry, Program Walks and Goal Conferences.
- Financial and Resource Management: Lead the site budgetary planning process, and manage the site’s expenses to the agreed upon budget.
- Achieving Bottom-Line Goals: Ensure the site meets the organization’s bottom line goals in the following areas: enrollment and attendance, retention, academic readiness, college eligibility and matriculation, financial readiness and college graduation.
Qualifications:
First and foremost, the Site Director must embrace College Track’s vision and mission for transforming low-income communities into places where college readiness and college graduation are the norms. Additionally, candidates must possess the following qualifications:
- Minimum 4-year college degree (Masters Degree preferred)
- Minimum of 5-7 years of teaching and/or supporting students to excel academically; history of driving significant gains in student achievement
- Proven track record in successfully recruiting, hiring, leading and developing people and teams
- Results-driven; commitment to utilizing data to take informed action
- Exceptional organizational skills; keen attention to detail; time management and follow-up skills
- Ability to initiate, foster and leverage contacts from diverse networks to achieve outcomes
- Exceptional communication skills with demonstrable ability to effectively write, speak and listen
- High degree of flexibility and adaptability; can work within and thrive in an ambitious, fast-moving environment, while also driving toward clarity and solution
- Agility and the capability to think strategically while executing tactically within in a lean and resource-constrained environment
- Takes pride in self, work and organization leading such that every task is performed at a high level of aptitude
- Entrepreneurial, unflappable self-starter who has ability to effectively manage a wide range of projects
- Strong learning orientation (e.g. constant learner, exhibits strong self-awareness of and initiative to develop one’s growth areas, accepts and promptly incorporates feedback)
- High level of self-awareness, humility, and emotional intelligence
- Demonstrate the ability to meet and maintain federal, state, local and College Track guidelines
