Regional Executive Director, BUILD Boston

BUILD (Positively Partners)

Entrepreneurship is the hook. College and career success is the goal.

Job Description

BUILD helps students become CEOs of their own lives.  Our mission is to use entrepreneurship to ignite the potential of youth from under-resourced communities and propel them to high school, college & career success.

BUILD BOSTON seeks an experienced and collaborative nonprofit executive who cares deeply about young people and can inspire our staff, board members, school partners, mentors, volunteers, and donors to advance our ambitious mission.  The Boston Regional Executive Director joins BUILD at an exciting time in our organization’s development, with the recent launch of BUILDing Gen E, a $15M growth campaign to build a diverse new generation of entrepreneurial leaders and changemakers across America.  

Through our BUILDing Gen E Campaign, we will bring entrepreneurship education to every school in America through key core pillars: 

  • Digital acceleration:  reaching more students and educators
  • Geographic expansion: bringing our work to new communities
  • Systemic change: advancing racial equity by influencing public policy and reimagining education
Enhancements to our curriculum through digital and in-person offerings --- as well as business model initiatives such as satellite partnerships and Campus Without Walls --- positions BUILD Boston to expand and deepen our impact in greater Boston and beyond. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

As Regional Executive Director (RED), you will play a key role in leading our current work while spearheading the vision, strategy and execution of our Gen E campaign across New England, especially as it relates to geographic expansion. Your leadership as a BUILD regional executive will also greatly inform the national strategies for digital acceleration and systemic change.

You will lead BUILD Boston’s region and ensure excellence in serving our 300+ high school participants in six partner schools. The RED will lead the planning and execution of BUILD Boston education programs, fundraising, operations and strategic planning, while paving the way for regional geographic expansion. You will have the opportunity to forge strategic relationships with corporations, foundations, individuals and media outlets and deepen partnerships with community and school district leaders. Additionally, you will hire and manage regional staff to outcomes, develop a sustainable strategy to expand BUILD’s presence in New England and maximize our short and long-term impact. 

Reporting directly to the President, the Regional Executive Director will join a learning community of other Regional Executive Directors from the Bay Area, New York City and Washington, D.C. and serve as a member of BUILD’s National Leadership Team, working closely with BUILD leadership to influence the overall strategic direction of the national organization.

You will be successful in this role if you are an entrepreneurial leader who can cultivate new opportunities, plan and support implementation of our overall growth and fundraising strategy, build and lead a healthy and high-performing team, and predict and problem solve gaps to position the organization for growth. An ideal candidate is results-driven with demonstrated competence for guiding and managing an organization at a similar stage of development, size, complexity and trajectory.  Applicants should demonstrate a knowledge of and concern for issues of equity and justice and an understanding of how structural injustice impacts the experiences of historically marginalized students.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The RED has overall fiduciary and managerial responsibility for all of the BUILD Boston’s activities. BUILD Boston has an annual budget of $2 million and a diverse 14-person team who share a deep commitment to racial and social justice. The Regional Executive Director has 3 direct reports -- Program Director, Director of Philanthropy, and Executive Operations Manager. 

The RED will assume leadership of a highly-respected organization with significant strengths that include a team of high-performing professionals with many years of institutional knowledge, a track record of influence and impact achieved over more than 10 years of operations locally, and existing vendor relationships with the Boston Public Schools and our satellite partners across the state.  The Regional Executive Director will be responsible for the following core responsibilities:

Support Anti-Racist Activism

  • Facilitate regional efforts as part of BUILD’s national work to be an anti-racist organization
  • Actively participate as a learner and as a change agent as we work with urgency to meet the increased pressures placed on communities of color during the pandemic and throughout our nation’s history

Strategy, Scale and Programmatic Excellence 

  • Plan and execute BUILD Boston’s overall strategic direction, including growth plans for scaling across New England 
  • Ensure that the organization remains a trusted partner to the schools and districts with which it partners
  • Develop the annual regional plan and budget in alignment with national strategic plans/programmatic priorities 
  • Work with BUILD Boston’s Program Director and National Impact and Organizational Learning team to ensure the effective implementation of BUILD’s in-person four-year and digital/hybrid programming in the region
  • Oversee all regional operations including facilities and IT, working in collaboration with the national office and external IT team
  • Scout and select prospective school and other strategic partnerships for regional expansion, including gateway cities 
  • Work with corporate partners to create skills-based volunteering opportunities that serve BUILD students
  • Contribute to the organization’s National Leadership Team by providing input to strategy and priorities and executing organizational outcomes

Fundraising and External Relations:

  • With the development team and regional board, raise BUILD Boston’s annual operating budget by developing and executing a regional development plan that features corporate, foundation, individual, government and event funding streams
  • Partner with the Boston Director of Philanthropy to develop and implement a three-year revenue strategy
  • Coordinate with BUILD’s National Office for grant writing and event management support
  • Serve as the external spokesperson for BUILD with key partners in the school district, local government, corporations, nonprofits, individuals, philanthropic organizations, community groups, and the media to increase visibility and brand awareness of the BUILD program
  • Participate in community building activities and events to deepen relationships and connections

Partner with the Board to Advance Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency

  • Engage a highly effective Advisory Board to support with local and regional strategy, fundraising, while widening the circle of BUILD supporters

QUALIFICATIONS

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below.

  • Progressive senior-level leadership experience with a proven track record of successfully leading, managing, and growing a performance- and outcomes-based department, organization, or enterprise, preferably within the educational, nonprofit or philanthropic sectors
  • Commitment and experience to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging best practices and continuous learning 
  • Thrives in a lean, fast-paced, highly collaborative, and entrepreneurial environment; the integrity, wisdom, persistence, and humor necessary to address the practicalities of a growing, dynamic, multi-site organization
  • A management style that combines respectful collaboration with disciplined productivity; the respect and team orientation to effectively support staff and the continued growth and direction of the organization
  • Self-motivated and inspirational problem solver with maturity and tact to collaborate effectively with colleagues, Board Members, external partners and team members
  • Desire to play a key role in achieving an ambitious vision requiring cultural responsiveness, bold thinking and comfort with pivots to harness opportunity to strategically advance our work 
  • Track record of effectively leading and scaling an organization and staff; ability to point to specific examples of having developed and operationalized strategies that have taken an organization to the next stage of growth
  • Excellent strategic, analytical, and problem solving skills with the ability to overcome challenges through the development of thoughtful and creative solutions 
  • A proven track record and passion for fundraising that is demonstrated in a commitment to maintaining current funders, a zest for cultivating new donors, an ability to generate new revenue streams, and a history of successfully taking organizations to the next level of sustained philanthropic support
  • Exceptional oral and written communication, networking and public engagement skills, including the ability to adapt style and approach to diverse local constituencies and needs
  • Ability to build sustainable and productive partnerships with nonprofits, philanthropic partners, academic institutions, and city and state government. Comfortable and capable of speaking to these constituents and other stakeholders about the power and potential of BUILD’s model.
  • Ability to compel others to action as a key storyteller of our path to impact, priorities for growth and ongoing contributions to the communities and young people we serve
  • Working knowledge of current educational policies and practices; experience working in an educational, youth-based organization preferred 

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS AND LOCATION

BUILD offers a comprehensive benefits package. The salary range for this position is $130,000 to $160,000 and is commensurate with lived and professional experience.  BUILD is proud to offer up to an 8% annual bonus plus merit increase, based on a yearly performance review.  While the BUILD team is currently working remotely, the organization expects to return to the office when safe to do so.  This role is based in BUILD’s Greater Boston office and will require occasional travel to BUILD’s San Francisco-based national headquarters and other regional locations.  For candidates not currently living in the greater New England area, BUILD offers a relocation stipend.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply to this position, please have an updated resume ready and a thoughtfully written cover letter to the attention of BUILD’s Executive Search Committee.  For confidential inquiries or for assistance in completing the application, please contact us via email at search@positivelypartners.org and a member of our team will follow up.  

TIMELINE AND HIRING PROCESS

We will review and respond to all applications received.  While subject to change, candidates elected to advance throughout the process can expect two interviews with Positively Partners, an interview with members of the Search Committee (representatives of the Board and staff) and for finalists, an interview day with Board members and staff, including a robust and holistic reference check process.  Expected start date is summer 2021.  

BUILD is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to all. We foster a culture of inclusion that celebrates and cultivates diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, out of home care, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.