Director of K-12 Initiatives, Steans Family Foundation
Alma Advisory Group, United States
Job Description
Who We Are:
The Steans Family Foundation (SFF) concentrates its grant making and programs in North Lawndale, a community on Chicago’s west side; North Chicago, a city forty miles north of Chicago; and on aligned policy and ecosystem initiatives. By dedicating time, resources, and skills, SFF works in partnership with residents and institutions to build and enhance both communities. SFF’s work supports the idea that effective revitalization can occur within the embedded social and economic networks that create and sustain communities.
The Steans Family Foundation observes the model of place-based giving. This means that rather than focusing on a particular set of issues, SFF focuses on communities, engaging with those communitieslistening to their concerns and needsand then pursuing opportunities to further the interests of the communities, always in close partnership with on the ground stakeholders. In addition to substantive place-based work, SFF also supports aligned policy initiatives that advance innovation and address local and statewide systemic issues that impede or support the healthy development of individuals and communities.
For more information on the Steans Family Foundation, visit http://www.steansfamilyfoundation.org/.
What You'll Do:
The Director of K-12 Initiatives North Chicago will lead SFF’s efforts to help North Chicago’s K-12 schools improve academic outcomes for students. Currently,North Chicago elementary and middle schools have low rates of reading and math proficiency. The North Chicago high school similarly struggles with college and career readiness. In response to these needs, the Director of K-12 Initiatives North Chicago will work with local leaders and stakeholders to develop and implement new strategies to increase academic achievement across all grade levels, channeling the resources, expertise, and connections of SFF into the effort.
Throughout, the Director will report to and be supported by the Managing Director North Chicago. The Director will also work with and be supported by other members of the SFF’s North Chicago team, as well as SFF’s Operations Team and other program officers and staff working across the foundation.
Primary Responsibilities (the What)
The Director of K-12 Initiatives will be accountable for the following areas of responsibility:
Help Drive Improved Student Academic Outcomes
- Learn.Visit and observe North Chicago schools and classrooms. Cultivate strong relationships with school leaders. Analyze existing data and identify evidence-based options for improving academic outcomes. Stay current on the latest research and trends in K-12 education.
- Plan. Engage with school leaders to decide on programs and interventions to be implemented, and the outcomes they hope to achieve. Help school leaders to secure broad support for the work they have decided to pursue, as well as plan an effective implementation of the work. Problem-solve with the school leaders to obtain the resources needed to implement the work.
- Execute. Monitor the progress of the work along the way, recommending adjustments and modifications that might improve implementation. Prepare written and oral summaries for the North Chicago team and the Foundation board on the status of the work. Identify and manage any Foundation-retained consultants or contractors needed to perform the work.
- Evaluate. Assess the extent to which the work has reached its goals. Develop recommendations on how to improve the work going forward and discuss with school leaders whether and how to implement such recommendations.
- Collaborate. Throughout the above, meet regularly with the Managing Director - North Chicago, the North Chicago team’s Research Director, other members of the North Chicago team, and relevant members of the SFF staff - to discuss and receive suggestions and feedback about the plans being made or the status of the work being implemented.
Manage All Aspects of the Grantmaking Process
- Propose. Collaborate with school leaders and potential grantees to develop written proposals that explain what type of support is needed, and why. Advocate for such proposals to SFF’s board.
- Formalize. Collaborate with SFF’s grants management team to develop grant agreements for all approved grants, and address questions grantees may have about such agreements. Collaborate with grantees to complete any special conditions contained in their grant agreements.
- Monitor. Communicate with grantees on a regular basis concerning the progress of the work covered by each grant. Conduct site visits of grantees to observe the work in action.
- Review. Prepa