Fast Facts

Reading Partners seeks a passionate Executive Director for its Los Angeles office to lead and expand literacy programs, oversee regional partnerships, and drive fundraising initiatives.

Responsibilities: The Executive Director will manage staff and AmeriCorps members, lead fundraising efforts, oversee program operations, and ensure alignment with strategic goals.

Skills: Candidates should possess robust leadership experience in non-profit management, exceptional communication abilities, fundraising capacity, and a commitment to educational equity.

Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include 5+ years of senior-level leadership experience, proven fundraising success exceeding $1 million, and experience within K-12 education environments.

Location: This position is based in Los Angeles, CA, with some travel throughout the region and requires in-office attendance 1-3 times per week.

Compensation: $127547 - $170063 / Annually

Job Details

Job Location:   Reading Partners Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA

Position Type:   Full-Time

Salary Range:   $127547.00 - $170063.00 Salary/year

Travel Percentage:   Up to 10%

Job Category:   Executive Leadership

Description

Reading Partners is reshaping how students across the country access personalized, high-quality literacy support, regardless of background or circumstance. With the help of AmeriCorps members, volunteers, local schools, and community partners, we deliver individualized tutoring that’s research-based and proven to help elementary students build essential reading skills and confidence. We are a mission-driven team committed to expanding opportunity through education. Guided by data, collaboration, and a belief in the potential of every child, we work with schools and communities to create meaningful, measurable impact. If you're passionate about driving real change and helping more children succeed through reading, we invite you to join our team. Watch this video to learn more about the mission and core tutoring work of Reading Partners.

The high level:

Reading Partners is seeking a professional, dynamic, self-motivated leader to be our Executive Director (ED) of Reading Partners Los Angeles. The ED acts as the lead local fundraiser, external representative, strategist, and budget and regional operations leader. The ED spearheads the region’s partnerships with public schools, charter school networks, and other strategically aligned partners. The ED also sets the vision and the course for Powered by Reading Partners (PbRP) growth and expansion within the region. The ED directly manages two regional program managers, a community engagement manager, and AmeriCorps members to power program and community engagement functions. 

In close collaboration with a National Community Engagement Director, National Program Director, and the National Impact and Service Team, they will guide staff and AmeriCorps members to achieve regional goals, impacting over 750 students and 300 volunteers. They will lead programmatic and community engagement goals that are aligned with regional and national strategic plans. They will act as a coach, mentor, and inspirational leader to retain a collaborative and community-focused team.

They will be the primary face of Reading Partners Los Angeles, managing fundraising and community partnerships, and have full bottom-line fiscal responsibility for the entire region. The ED will be the on-the-ground face of Reading Partners in maintaining relationships with key funders. They will receive stewardship and strategy support from a Regional Development Director who is part of a small team of fundraising professionals working to support the development function across a portfolio of regions.

The ED will report to the Vice President of Regions. This position requires hybrid reporting. The Executive Director will work from Reading Partners' regional offices 1-3 times per week to oversee regional operations and engage with the team.

What you’ll do:

Lead and manage staff and AmeriCorps members toward highly successful program implementation, community engagement, and financial targets. Oversee growth strategy and all regional business operations.

• Drive toward the following programmatic and other goals aligned with regional and national strategic plans:750 students enrolled and served
• Maintain a base of 300 tutors
• Procure $222,475 in fee-for-service from school program partners
• Exploration of Powered by Reading Partners partners
• Build fundraising, regional infrastructure, and capacity to support future growth.
• Provide executive oversight of all program operations: budgeting, compliance, quality assurance, and program efficacy.
• Oversee day-to-day regional operations with support from the Regional Operations, National Accounting, HR, Talent, and IT departments.
• Partner with the regional team to drive resources (both funds and volunteers) to the region.
• Collaborate with other executive directors and members of the national team to develop and implement a system for sharing resources and best practices across all Reading Partners locations.
• Oversee the recruitment, selection, coaching, management, and support for 25 Reading Partners AmeriCorps members toward successful program implementation across Los Angeles and Pasadena schools and partner platforms.

In partnership with the Regional Development Director, lead all fundraising for the region to exceed the revenue goal of $2.4M

• Ensure appropriate funding diversification to meet the revenue goal
• Appropriately steward individual and high-net-worth donors
• Oversee key annual campaigns
• Develop and manage the regional board to provide effective local leadership and ambassadorship.
• Collaborate with development staff and board members to identify, cultivate, and steward potential funders.
• Work closely with the national grants team to ensure proper implementation of the state or national AmeriCorps grants, and to steward the relationship effectively to continue our strong relationship with all state and national AmeriCorps agencies.

Drive all external partnership-building in the region to grow and scale the region.

• Partner with 2 program managers to recommit current schools and recruit new schools by late spring to ensure Reading Partners Los Angeles will meet its schools served each year.
• Partner with other nonprofit, for-profit, and governmental entities to affect students’ reading success.
• Engage and manage relationships with elected officials and public sector partners to support the advancement of Reading Partners as a key partner in the educational system in the Los Angeles area. 
• Build and grow relationships with school district-level leaders to ensure Reading Partners’ success as an evidence-based literacy program that is proven to help students learn to read.
• Support Reading Partners’ role in the policy dialogue around literacy, education, and national service.
• Increase organizational visibility and profile in local media markets through the successful creation and implementation of a regional communications plan.
• Serve as the primary local public spokesperson for Reading Partners, acting as the public face of the organization within the region.
• Develop strategic partnerships to support Reading Partners’ community engagement and volunteer recruitment efforts in partnership with the community engagement manager

Other duties as needed.

How you’ll do it:

Mission and Culture Catalyst: 

• You are highly motivated by Reading Partners’ work and authentically represent this mission externally. You demonstrate a sincere passion for enriching the lives of systemically under-resourced students through literacy development and embody Reading Partners’ mission, core values and approach. You are energized by working amid ambiguity and will bring a patient and solutions-oriented outlook to the work. You are a leader who is strategic and dynamic, with a track record of establishing meaningful and trusting relationships with colleagues and stakeholders. Finally, you bring an understanding of how to partner with schools and communities, ideally within the context of K-5 education.

People & Operations Management: 

• Lead, motivate and manage a team of three direct and three indirect reports, along with 25 AmeriCorps members to achieve results, while coaching and developing the capacity of the people on the team. You oversee and deliver professional development and management training for regional staff. You demonstrate an advanced ability to plan and implement efficient internal operations to support future growth. Demonstrate experience serving as an inspiring mentor to staff members, either in a formal management structure or informally through influence. You also can develop a strategic vision and motivate teams to achieve measurable goals, while maintaining a results-oriented, collaborative, and healthy organizational culture. You bring a strong track record of establishing the metrics, processes, and protocols needed to effectively move from vision to implementation. Finally, you have experience juggling multiple work streams concurrently, managing complex and competing priorities, and executing ambitious goals effectively.

Relationship Development & Communications: 

• You establish deep relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including staff, community constituents, elected officials, media outlets, nonprofit and business leaders, as well as board members. You can open doors, make connections, tell a compelling story, build consensus and create opportunities to both generate revenue and support advancement in literacy education, across the region and within a very competitive market. You have experience identifying, building, and maintaining strong relationships with a diverse array of nonprofit, government, community, private sector, and high-net-worth stakeholders. You are someone who is an effective communicator, a natural “connector,” and you have a track record of successfully increasing revenue and cultivating donors and community support.

Strategic Leadership and Execution: 

• You develop and design new strategies and approaches to meeting programmatic growth goals and then lead the implementation of those strategies. You bring a systems perspective to organizational challenges, with the ability to effectively move from vision to strategy to plan to execution while managing multiple work streams and demonstrating exceptional project management instincts. You are creative, a thoughtful decision maker, and are comfortable partnering with others to problem-solve and use clear and strategic processes in making decisions. In addition, you have professional experience both developing and executing strategies to optimize organizational processes and achieve ambitious goals.

What we offer:

Reading Partners’ compensation and benefits programs are designed to attract, motivate, engage, and retain top talent to propel our mission forward. We aim to set salaries based on objective, external, high-quality market data. Our salaries are adjusted for candidates in different geographic regions. We do our very best to ensure that we’re bringing our best offer - therefore we do not engage in salary negotiations.

• This is a full-time, exempt, and salaried position. The pay range for this position is $127,547 - $170,063 per year.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and currently a 403(b) match option.
• Unlimited or Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits for regular employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week. In addition to paid holidays, we close our offices for one week in early July and between Christmas and New Year's Day. 
• We offer well-being benefits like Spring Health which provides easy access to therapy, coaching, and wellness resources. We also offer Carrot to help staff navigate inclusive hormonal health, fertility, gender-affirming services, and family-building benefits.
• We offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and we commit to investing in and supporting our amazing people to grow their careers with us.

The other things you need to know:

• This role is hybrid (in-office reporting 1-3 times per week) and may require evening and weekend event attendance. 
• Travel: This position travels periodically throughout Los Angeles. This position may also involve occasional travel to other regions and locations for retreats and convenings.

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role. 
• Resume

Qualifications

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Have 5+ years of robust senior-level leadership experience working with nonprofits, school districts, government officials, and philanthropic organizations in the Los Angeles area
• Are a builder of authentic relationships with community partners, policymakers, funders, and other supporters, able to engage with a variety of individuals and speak clearly and compellingly about the organization’s goals and priorities.
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing fundraising strategies.
• Proven accomplishments in front-line fundraising, including demonstrated success in fundraising one million dollars or more.
• Proven track record of accomplishing programmatic goals in an educational setting in collaboration with internal and external partners.
• Demonstrated success in staff recruitment, leadership, management, and development.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage large and complex operating budgets.
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated creativity when addressing challenging situations with limited resources.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly adaptive environment. 
• Demonstrate a commitment to fostering an inclusive and collaborative work environment.
• Display a deep belief in our mission and root your work in our core values.
• Ability to prove eligibility to work legally in the U.S. and that you are at least 18 years of age.

Bonus Points if you:

• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alumnus/alumna
• Have experience working in launch or growth phases of organizations