Organizational
Overview:

Founded in
1999, the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools (PCCS) is a membership
organization that historically has represented the state’s charter schools through
advocacy, communications, networking, and services for membership. In 2009, the
PCCS went through a comprehensive strategic and business planning process in an
effort to vastly ratchet up its ambitions and impact. The PCCS is now planning
to implement changes needed to build a movement-leading organization with
increased influence, activities and effectiveness to improve education for all
of Pennsylvania’s
public school students through the power and example of charter schools.
Specifically, the PCCS will mobilize a broader group of stakeholders in support
of the state’s charter schools, add programs and services to build a sector of
high-performing charter schools, and build itself into a strong and
high-performing organization. Please visit www.pachartercoalition.com for more information about the organization.

Position
Overview:

The
Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools seeks a highly motivated and dynamic
Executive Director to lead the organization in working toward its new
vision.  The Executive Director will be
responsible for building a broad-based coalition to support the charter school
movement, supervising the development and implementation of all programs, and
leading PCCS’ transformation into a high-performing organization.  The Executive Director will draw on
experience in state-level advocacy work to design and drive efforts to improve
the charter landscape in Pennsylvania
and fuel the overall growth of a high-quality charter school community.  With strength building and transforming
organizations, the Executive Director will realize the goals of the newly
developed Strategic Plan and will engage with the membership to develop and
implement a range of services that will strengthen schools across the
network. 

Responsibilities:  The primary responsibilities of the Executive Director
correspond to the three aspects of the Strategic Plan: Building a Movement
Leader, Building a Network of High-Performing Schools, and Building a
High-Performing Organization. 
Specifically, the Executive Director will:

Building
a Movement Leader

·       
Influence
the policy environment to allow charter schools to grow and thrive

·       
Increase
support among legislators

·       
Develop
relationships at both the state and district level to facilitate charter
applications

·       
Mobilize
movement constituents to focus on key policy and issues at the state and local
level

·       
Develop
a broad grassroots coalition with a range of stakeholders that can be mobilized
in support of key charter movement objectives

·       
Communicate
the value of charter schools to key influencers, the media, and the public

·       
Use
external and internal communications, PR, and polling to highlight
high-performing schools, counter charter opponents, and change public opinion

·       
Communicate
to movement members by developing a system of communication products
(e-newsletters and email blasts) focused on a range of participants

·       
Promote
effective evaluation of school success and the gathering of critical school
data in order to build support for the charter school movement

·       
Conduct
legal activities that defend the state charter movement

Building
a Network of High-Performing Schools

·       
Develop
and/or supervise programs and services that improve school operations by using
collective power to obtain less expensive or better services for PCCS members.

·       
Develop
and/or supervise programs and services that maximize school performance, for
example, through professional development

·       
Hold
events to support membership and movement constituents in networking, best
practice sharing, and training.

Building
a High-Performing Organization

·       
Increase
philanthropic investment via foundations, corporate and individual donations

·       
Manage
the tracking, modeling, and reporting of financial progress to inform and drive
the launch of new programs and staff hiring

·       
Direct
and leverage the work of existing staff and consultants

·       
B

·       
 

·       
uild
and develop team to lead key functional areas as outlined in the 3-year
Strategic Plan

Qualifications:

·        
 

·        
At
least 7 years of experience leading and managing organizations during
significant periods of growth and transformation

·        
Extensive
legislative, advocacy, and/or public policy experience combined with the
political savvy to navigate the complexity of the Pennsylvania charter school movement
including the legal and political landscape

·        
Demonstrated
success in managing and developing staff, consultants, partners, and advocates

·        
Excellent
relationship-building experience, with superb communication skills including
the ability to tailor and convey ideas and positions as a spokesperson for
charter schools to a wide range of constituent groups

·        
Professional
maturity and sophistication to act as the public face of PCCS

·        
Knowledge
of issues and challenges facing education reform and school choice, the
national charter school landscape, and K-12 education circles in Pennsylvania preferred

·        
Bachelor’s
degree or equivalent experience required, advanced degree preferred

To Apply:

Please
upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and
experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard
about this opportunity, both in Word format and addressed to Karen Del Guercio
at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1469 .  Qualified candidates from outside of the Pennsylvania area are welcome
to apply.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling
basis. 

The Pennsylvania Coalition of
Charter Schools is an equal opportunity employer

and welcomes a diverse pool of
candidates.

About
Commongood Careers:  The Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter
Schools has partnered with Commongood Careers to
conduct the search for an Executive Director.  Commongood Careers is a nonprofit search
service that connects talented individuals to organizations that are dedicated
to creating positive social change. Founded and staffed by nonprofit
professionals, Commongood Careers offers personalized, engaged services to
jobseekers and organizations throughout the hiring process, as well as access
to a wealth of knowledge about nonprofit careers.  Learn more about nonprofit jobs at Commongood Careers.