Senior Director, Higher Education Employee

Educate Texas Vision

All Texas students, especially African American, Latino, or economically disadvantaged students, earn a college degree or credential that leads to a living wage and thriving communities.

Educate Texas Mission

As a trusted change agent, we increase academic achievement and educational equity by leading programs, policy, and partnerships.

Educate Texas Values

Equity, Collaboration, Impact, Integrity, and Learning

Summary

The Senior Director of Higher Education and Workforce Programs will be empowered to lead efforts to transform Texas higher education by conceptualizing, developing, launching, and codifying programs that have the potential to drive student success, persistence, graduation, and career readiness. The Senior Director will lead a cross-functional team focused on supporting, monitoring, analyzing, documenting, and reporting the performance of the programs in the Educate Texas Higher Education portfolio. The Senior Director will work closely with Educate Texas staff, partner with higher education institutions, university system offices, state and local agencies, workforce development organizations, educational intermediaries, technical assistance providers, and philanthropic partners to ensure fidelity of implementation of programs.

The position will be based in Dallas, and the successful candidate must reside locally or be willing to relocate. Candidates must be willing and able to travel overnight (both in and out of state) up to 40% of the time.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and guide higher education strategy and resources for Educate Texas
• Serve as the primary relationship manager with higher education and workforce leaders
• Provide tactical and strategic leadership for a portfolio of programs within the higher education unit
• Monitor, analyze, document, and report on the growth and performance of our higher education strategy and portfolio of investments
• Deliver, document, and record technical assistance provided to colleges, universities, and related stakeholders by partners, technical assistance providers, and staff to build capacity for postsecondary education and workforce program design, implementation, and reform
• Consult with and support higher education and workforce organizations in continuous improvement processes centered on curriculum development, instruction, and general effectiveness
• Develop tools and protocols for the scheduling, support, and management of professional development opportunities (online and site-based)
• Participate in the assessment and evaluation of program components, organizational capacity, and results of initiatives
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships within the organization and with partner organizations (e.g., state agencies, institutions of higher education, employers, philanthropy)
• Manage the budget, staffing, and other organizational aspects of the higher education team in accordance with Educate Texas and Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) protocols
• Recruit, mentor, and retain excellent team members who are committed to higher education and the Educate Texas mission

Organizational Responsibilities

• Lead and manage day-to-day strategy, resources, and team
• Develop and enhance both organizational and department strategy in collaboration with Educate Texas leadership
• Provide management of budget, fundraising efforts, and communication plans for the area
• Lead and develop individual team members
• Collaborate across Educate Texas program teams to ensure program continuity and expanded impact of investments within regions and educational ecosystems

Qualifications / Skills / Requirements

• Master’s degree required; Doctorate preferred
• 7 to 10 years of project management experience with significant team and/or client management responsibility
• Knowledge of secondary and postsecondary education, workforce development, and related infrastructure and regulations in Texas preferred
• Knowledge and experience managing large-scale networks highly preferred
• Success obtaining and managing large grants ($3M or more) to support program development and innovation in higher education
• Experience leading and managing large projects and programs with multiple partners and key stakeholders
• Knowledge of supervising and coaching a team
• Demonstrated success with program management and evaluation of education projects
• Excellent communicator capable of clearly articulating Educate Texas’ mission and vision and effectively presenting initiatives to partners, stakeholders, and the public
• Creative individual who can work effectively with multiple constituencies and statewide networks, and shape solutions that will work for a higher education institution, workforce system, or community
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Strong project management skills
• Effectively model and demonstrate CFT’s core competencies, which include Collaboration, Impact and Problem Solving, Integrity and Accountability, Learning, and Internal and External Service
• Effectively model and demonstrate CFT’s leadership competencies, which include Leadership, People Management, Developing and Retaining Talent, and Team Building

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required of all employees within this class.

Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

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