Inspiring Minds Executive Director Job Description
Job Title: Executive Director
Range $100,000-$120,000
Location: In-office, Providence
Reports to: Board of Directors
About Us: Inspiring Minds is a non-profit education agency founded in 1963. We are a student-centered organization, ensuring our programs promote positive outcomes for the youth we serve.
Inspiring Minds Mission: Inspiring Minds empowers students to succeed and thrive in school and life by developing trusted relationships with community members who are knowledgeable of the culturally responsive, academic, and socio-emotional needs necessary for student success.
Vision: Inspiring Minds is an antiracist organization committed to closing equity gaps based on race, ethnicity, first language, and economic status that impact RI students and families. We believe in the power of relationships, and that caring and committed adults can empower our students to achieve with the right guidance, training, and support. Inspiring Minds delivers effective programs that build academic and social-emotional skills using a developmental relationships framework. We serve a diverse population of exceptional, intelligent, and resilient students. We believe all students deserve an educational environment that fosters a sense of belonging and purpose shared with everyone who is part of the school community and the community at large. We recognize the impact that systematic barriers such as racism, poverty, housing insecurity, and hunger have on learning, especially in under-resourced schools. Therefore, we partner with school districts, higher education institutions, civic groups, and the community to provide quality programs that empower students to succeed and thrive in school and life.
Values: Student-centered. Student success and well-being are the primary drivers behind our actions and decisions. Equity-motivated. Racial equity is the just path forward for the
organization, communities, and students we serve; therefore, we commit to antiracist practices. Asset-framed. The diverse lived experiences of our students and their families are
assets we acknowledge and promote. Relationship-focused. Students thrive when they are connected to and supported by caring and committed adults. Community-grounded. InspiringMinds values community and invites community members to help create a supportive village for schools. Expectations-driven. A critical strategy for closing the equity gap is to actively support a culture of high expectations, continuous growth, and improvement for students, schools, and Inspiring Minds. Evidence-based. We use qualitative and quantitative data and research to inform our organizational decisions and spark dynamic and innovative responses.
Programs: In-School Tutoring and Mentoring: Volunteers engage 1:1 or in small groups with students in grades preK-5 who have been identified as at-risk or in need of intervention. ResilientKids: Weekly mindfulness class to support students in cultivating compassion and overcoming obstacles. KidsBridge: A free 6-week summer learning program for rising Kindergarteners with little or no preschool experience. Explorers Program: A paid internship for diverse, multilingual youth ages 16-24 to gain experience on the path to becoming Providence teachers.
Extraordinary people work here. Our goals are ambitious but achievable. We have high expectations for ourselves, our students, and our volunteers. We do whatever it takes to achieve our mission ethically. Our ideal candidate is someone who works hard and will have fun while dreaming big.
POSITION:
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director (ED) will have overall strategic, operational, financial and leadership responsibility to execute Inspiring Minds’ mission. S/he will deploy deep knowledge of education, student needs, the impact of systemic racism, the organization’s core programs, staffing, and finances in service of the mission. S/he will develop a positive and close working relationship with the board of directors, key partners and funders. S/he will act as spokesperson for the organization.
Inspiring Minds has grown dramatically over the past five years in terms of its impact and budget. We are seeking an effective and visionary steward to continue this strong trajectory of service to students for the next era. The ideal candidate will have taken on increasing levels of leadership responsibility, while growing revenue, in their prior role.
The Executive Director will be responsible for a $1.3M annual operating budget, a core team of six staff, and several hundred volunteers.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
- A minimum of five years nonprofit senior leadership experience in a role that includes budget management
- Demonstrated commitment to anti-racist practices and personal development in diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Substantial experience running programs that directly serve BIPOC youth in partnership with a school district or other large government entity
- Commitment to the Inspiring Minds mission
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bilingual. Fluent in writing, speaking and listening in a language other than English (i.e. Spanish)
- Advanced degree in relevant field
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills
- Track record of clear impact leading a data-driven organization
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Unwavering commitment to quality programs and outcomes-based program evaluation
- Excellence in organizational management with the ability to manage and develop high-performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget
- Knowledge of working with a Board of Directors with the ability to cultivate board relationships
- Strong professional networker and relationship-builder
- A track record of success in fundraising from foundations, individuals, and/or government sources
- Strong marketing, public relations, and fundraising experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures
- Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to business planning
- Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people
- Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven
- Self-directed leader with excellent time-management skills
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership &Management:
- Work with management staff to develop yearly work plans, budgets, student needs assessments, and basic strategic planning
- Assist staff with the implementation of approved work plans and budgets
- Model and allocate staff time for ongoing development in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
- Lead, coach, develop, and maintain a high-performance team to ensure quality and effective programs, systems to track progress, and evaluations to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other constituents
- Establish and maintain operational excellence through the selection, training, compensation, motivation, and review of all personnel
- Develop, maintain, and support a strong Board of Directors; serve as ex-officio on each committee, seek and build board involvement with strategic direction for both ongoing
operations and programs - Maintain close contact with school district and schools to ensure needed services are provided
Fundraising & Communications:
- Build partnerships with current and prospective donors
- Establish a comprehensive and feasible fund development plan with the board of directors
- Expand revenue generating and fundraising activities to support programs and operations
- Deepen and refine all aspects of communications—from web presence to external relations— with the goal of creating a stronger brand
- Actively communicate with, engage, and energize volunteers, board members, community leaders, alumni, partnering organizations, and funders
Finance and Operations:
- Ensure ongoing alignment between mission, programs, and budget and adapt to change proactively
- Ensure all appropriate financial controls are in place, and finance team is supported in meeting reporting and auditing deadlines on time
- Refine data tracking and analysis capacity
To Apply:
Please email inspire@inspiringmindsri.org, with a resume and cover letter.