Job Description

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY

Elevate 215 is a catalyst for preparing students for the world of tomorrow by modernizing the learning experience in Philadelphia schools today. We do this by investing in schools and talent, collaborating with our partners, expanding access and resources for families, and advocating to create the conditions for success. Elevate 215 is seeking a Program Officer who will lead the organization in establishing a strategic vision to secure the financial resources needed for sustainability and growth.

JOB SUMMARY

The Program Officer reports directly to the Deputy Chief of Investments and will manage a subset of Elevate 215’s investment portfolio in new and replication schools, school improvement efforts, talent strategies, and/or conditions for success.  S/he will collaborate with members of the Investment Team at Elevate 215 to source new investments, conduct due diligence on potential grantees, propose new investments to the investment committee and board, and manage ongoing relationships with a set of portfolio members in one or more investment areas (e.g., new or replication schools/networks, school improvement efforts, talent development, or community engagement organizations). S/he will be a visible and tactical leader responsible for maintaining and enhancing Elevate 215’s relationships with grantees and in helping guide the organization toward high-potential investments.

 

In this role, the Program Officer will:

• Scan the local and national landscape for potential investments aligned to Elevate 215’s strategy and encourage potential grantees to apply for funding
• Solicit and propose grants to the investment committee of the Board
• Understand and be able to articulate the aims of different school and program model designs to the Elevate 215’s Board and appropriate stakeholder groups
• Manage relationships with portfolio members and monitor appropriate performance outcomes
• Work closely with portfolio member leaders as they strive to meet grant objectives aligned to Elevate 215’s goals for increasing quality educational opportunities for young people in Philadelphia

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

General

• Directly manage a set of portfolio investments for Elevate 215
• Source potential school, talent, and successful conditions-creating investments from local and national sources for expansion or improvement opportunities in Philadelphia; including meeting with entrepreneurs, support organizations, and/or school leaders/districts/networks
• Review applications from potential grantees and structure investment proposals for recommendation to the Elevate 215 investment committee
• Conduct intensive due diligence on investments including, but not limited to, visiting schools/programs, evaluating management teams and boards, analyzing financial projections and student outcomes data, and reviewing business/project plans
• Develop grant agreements
• Create investment memos and/or presentations for the board regarding proposed investments and portfolio member progress

 

Grantee Support

• Provide strategic and technical support to portfolio members, including serving as a thought-partner to school leaders and connecting them to resources that will accelerate their growth and/or achievement efforts
• Lead Communities of Practice and other learning initiatives to provide opportunities for our schools to collaborate and grow
• Manage the development and execution of citywide convenings and conferences alongside the Investment Team

 

Data Collection and Analysis

• Review and interpret annual data reporting from grantees
• Oversee data collection, tracking and reporting on portfolio member grants, including, but not limited to creating grant agreements, collecting, and tracking grantee data and payments, creating progress reports for the board, and managing the grants tracker
• Continuously assess current organizational practices on the investment team and improve services to portfolio members
• Perform additional duties

 

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Deep commitment to the mission and vision of Elevate 215 and providing leadership in achieving educational equity for all children in Philadelphia
• Experience working in the K-12 ecosystem both inside schools and inside or with partners supporting K-12 (talent providers, program providers, funders, other education non-profits)
• Experience in leading professional development and/or designing adult learning experiences for teachers and/or school leaders
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills, both oral and written, and a passion to develop relationships with stakeholders
• Ability to build strong relationships across diverse groups of internal and external stakeholders
• Superb project management and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate data insights into actionable solutions
• Evidence of background in interpreting multiple forms of data and creating honest and compelling stories about the progress and impact of investments using analytics
• A strategic and meticulous thinker with the agility to balance competing priorities, complex situations, and tight deadlines; comfort leading within ambiguity
• Ability to assess quality classroom instruction and school culture norms inside K-12 schools
• Possesses a self-motivated and entrepreneurial approach with a willingness to work as part of a team to meet tight deadlines

 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience required
• Experience working in K-12 education (public, public charter, or private) required, experience in two or more sectors preferred
• Leadership experience in K-12 schools or educational non-profit with deep functional expertise and a proven record of success in one or more of the following areas: instruction/academics, talent development, school leadership, finance, family/parent engagement, or school operations
• Experience managing and leading the investment process in schools and/or other education sector innovations preferred
• Knowledge of how to use data to determine trends and understand school or program progress and outcomes

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required such as:

• Traveling to offsite meetings – valid driver’s license and/or access to transportation when necessary
• Functioning in office space — reaching file cabinets, filing, faxing, scanning, coping, typing, mailing, making phone calls
• Must be able to sit for up to two hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard/mouse and typing

 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Email cover letter and resume to Molly Farley, Human Resources Consultant, at Molly@mfconsultantsllc.com.

 

Elevate 215 is an equal-opportunity employer with excellent benefits and an entrepreneurial, results- oriented work culture. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Bureaus: Philadelphia. Job Categories: Full-Time. Job Types: Operations / Administration. Salaries: 100,000 and above.