About Breakthrough Greater Boston
Our Mission and Model:
Breakthrough Greater Boston (BTGB) inspires excitement for learning, creates paths to and through college, and promotes careers in education. With a unique dual mission, we prepare students with high potential – typically students who are people of color, low-income, and/or first-generation college students – for success in college, and we simultaneously train the next generation of diverse urban teachers using a Students Teaching Students model. Together, BTGB’s dual mission advances educational equity by improving outcomes for our students and ensuring that high-quality teachers enter the workforce.
Through our ten-year program, middle and high school students participate in intensive, tuition-free academic enrichment, social and emotional learning, and college preparation during the summer and after school, gaining a passion for learning and the perseverance and tools to succeed in college and beyond. A core part of our dual mission, our diverse group of Teaching Fellows gain meaningful, hands-on experience in the classroom, as well as research-based, expert training and 1:1 coaching from professional educators.
Founded in 1992 in Cambridge by MacArthur Genius Award Winner Angela Duckworth as the first member of the national Breakthrough Collaborative to be based in a public school system, we expanded into Boston in 2013, followed by Somerville in 2018. Each year, we train 150 Teaching Fellows and serve as many as 750 students (and counting!), representing 10% of seventh through twelfth grade students attending public schools in Cambridge and Somerville, as well as students in Boston attending our six partner schools.
As part of our current strategic plan, we recently expanded our service model from six years to ten years, working with our students as they enter college, persist, and graduate, providing baseline supports and individualized coaching to ensure their success. This expansion of our mission is driven by our understanding of – and expertise supporting our students through – the financial, academic, and social and mental health challenges they continue to face beyond high school.
In summer 2022, we established our central office at The Foundry, a newly renovated space dedicated to facilitating access for residents, especially underrepresented communities, to the dynamic working and learning environment of Kendall Square, Cambridge.
Our Impact & Growth:
Using an intentional, research-based model, BTGB has proven impact: 94% of our graduating students have matriculated to college and 82% of them have persisted through their undergraduate years. To date, we have trained over 1,500 college and high school students through our Teaching Fellows program. Each year, over 60% of our Teaching Fellows are people of color and 75% of our teacher alumni go on to pursue a career in education. Building on three decades of success, we have grown exponentially and once fully enrolled across our three campuses for all ten years of programming, we will serve over 1,000 students each year.
Our $5.2M budget is generated from a diversified funding portfolio, including support from foundations, individuals, and corporations as well as revenue from contracts with schools and school districts. In late 2021, we launched a three-year, $15 million-dollar Growth Campaign to increase our private funding in support of our continued expansion.
BTGB operates as an independent nonprofit and is an affiliate of The Breakthrough Collaborative, a national educational movement working to improve outcomes for youth across 24 cities.
To learn more about our unique model and our students’ and Teaching Fellows’ stories, please visit http://breakthroughgreaterboston.org/.
Our Leadership Structure:
Breakthrough Greater Boston is excited to be embarking on a Co-Executive Leadership model. We are thrilled that our experienced Managing Director of Operations has assumed one Co-Executive position effective June 1, and the Board is engaging in a national, external search to hire an outstanding leader to work in partnership with her.
The Board has committed to this new leadership model for a variety of reasons:
- Shared leadership aligns with our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and will allow us to center more perspectives.
- This model will provide greater sustainability and stability for our leaders and for our organization. We want our leaders to be energized, supported and set up for success and we want the organization to be in a strong position when future transitions occur.
- We recognize that the nonprofit sector is moving slowly but surely in the direction of shared leadership and of prioritizing leaders’ effectiveness and wellbeing. We are pleased to have the opportunity to move in this direction alongside many strong peer organizations.
The Board recognizes that this shift in structure will require a great deal of thoughtfulness, intention, challenging conversations, and complex decision-making, as well as an evolution of our organizational culture, norms, and practices. We are committed to supporting the organization and the Co-Executive Directors during this time of transition and are excited about the collective expertise, perspective, and leadership that this model will provide. We are seeking a Co-Executive Director who will build on the bright potential and opportunities created by this newly adopted structure. The successful candidate will bring a flexible mindset and will be open to the ambiguity involved in exploring how to best position both Co-Executive Directors for success, individually and jointly, based on the strengths they bring to the organization.
Our Values:
In all of our work, we strive to live out our core values for every member of our community:
- Spirit: We cherish and embody the youthful energy and spirit of our students and teachers.
- Continual Learning: Everyone in our community has something to learn and something to teach.
- Team Together: We all chip in to accomplish whatever is needed for our teammates and the broader organization.
- Student Centered: Our students are our first priority and our decisions center around what benefits our students.
- Equity and Opportunity: We value diversity of identity, background and thought. We treat everyone with dignity and respect.
- Excellence in Everything: We maintain high expectations for ourselves.
Breakthrough Greater Boston encourages individuals of all backgrounds to apply for this position, and we do not discriminate on any basis prohibited by applicable law. We celebrate the diversity of our world and our community, and we seek to build a team that reflects that diversity in every way. We welcome and encourage all qualified applicants who share that same vision, as we wish to engage all those who can contribute to our work and this mission.
The Co-Executive Director Opportunity
We are seeking a Co-Executive Director to partner with our newly appointed Co-Executive Director to lead our continued growth, engaging and inspiring all of our community members – students and families, Teaching Fellows, school and district partners, funders, staff, and Board members – around our mission and the values that drive our work. This is an exciting opportunity for a visionary and strategic leader to join an organization with proven results, strong community relationships, stable finances and dedicated funders, and an engaged and committed Board. The Co-Executive Directors will build from a strong foundation to drive our impact as we both increase the number of students we serve in middle and high school and expand the BTGB program to ten years.
The Co-Executive Director will bring well-developed leadership skills, ensuring the successful implementation of our current strategic plan through effective alignment of staff and Board members while positioning BTGB for opportunities that lie ahead. With specific focus on programmatic leadership, growth, and excellence, the Co-Executive Director will work closely with the Senior Directors of Program to ensure programmatic results aligned to our strategic plan and create impact for students and Teaching Fellows. Acting as our primary external champion, the Co-Executive Director will also lead our partnership-building strategy to grow our presence. They will partner with the Managing Director of Development to expand our donor base and deepen our engagement with supporters, with a particular focus on relationship-building and overall development strategy, where their peer Co-Executive Director will bring a deeper focus on aligning development and financial plans and supporting development operations. Jointly, the Co-Executive Directors will embody and drive our values-driven organizational culture and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with our existing Co-Executive Director providing leadership on internal organizational culture initiatives.
Key Responsibilities:
Organizational Leadership (in partnership with the Co-Executive Director)
- Lead our staff team and Board in implementing and refining our current strategic plan through 2024 and developing and implementing our next strategic planning cycle
- Collaborate to ensure effective and relevant programming to meet the needs of our constituents and achieve our mission
- Promote effective Board governance through ensuring active Board involvement, providing information necessary for the Board to make informed decisions and fulfill its responsibilities, and ensuring continued Board recruitment and development
- Embed our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of our work and values, both leading and allowing others to lead through this journey
- Support the Co-Executive Director in their work with the Board and functional area leads to develop budgets, human resource strategies, and other operational management tools and resources
- Foster a supportive and empowering work environment for our diverse team of mission-driven staff, ensuring each team member sees their connection to BTGB’s impact, upholds our equity-driven, student-centered approach, and has opportunities for continued growth and learning
Programmatic Leadership
- Lead the program team as we continue to build upon our highly effective programming to deepen our impact on individual participants as well as the communities we serve
- Supervise the program team leaders, currently 4 Senior Directors, providing appropriate guidance, mentorship, and modeling to develop their leadership
- Build on expertise in college access and success and/or teacher training programming and keep current on trends and innovations in this work to inform the continued improvement and relevance of our programming
Development, Partnerships, and External Relationship-Building
- Represent and promote BTGB in a wide range of networks, leveraging strong relationship-building skills and knowledge of relevant players within the area’s philanthropic, K-12 and higher education, and nonprofit communities
- Collaborate with the Managing Director of Development and Co-Executive Director on overall strategy and goal-setting for development, with a particular focus on providing leadership and guidance around relationship-building strategy and approach
- Play a leading role in donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship across a variety of types of funders, collaborating with the Managing Director of Development, other development staff, and Board members to build donor relationships
- Support the completion of the BTGB Growth Campaign in partnership with Board and key staff members
- Maintain and build deeper relationships with key partners in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston, including schools, school districts and committees, and city councilors
Candidate Profile
Strong candidates for the Co-Executive Director position will demonstrate many – though perhaps not all – of the following skills, experiences, and characteristics:
- You demonstrate passion for our mission of closing opportunity gaps and preparing the next generation of urban teachers. Prior exposure to working within or adjacent to K-12 education, college access and success programs, or teacher preparation programs is strongly preferred.
- You come to this role with a strong connection to our mission and the student community we serve. This may be demonstrated by lived experience held in common with our students and/or through personal or professional experience working with similar populations.
- You have a proven record of success in leadership, with experience building and implementing strategic plans and managing teams. You have led successfully in nonprofit or education organizations. Prior experience within a multi-site organization or program is considered a plus.
- You are energized by shared leadership; you value its benefits and welcome the opportunity to build this model at Breakthrough Greater Boston, and you demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability necessary for evolving roles within a co-leadership model.
- You are a skilled relationship-builder, advocate, and networker, with experience representing an organization to donors, partners, and community members. You are a persuasive and engaging communicator who can connect with and inspire a wide range of audiences.
- You are a strategic thinker who can guide a team from vision to results, establishing appropriate goals and work plans and providing resources to fulfill them, addressing barriers to success, adapting to change, and sustaining positive morale.
- You bring experience in fundraising and/or partnership-building, including success in securing philanthropic gifts and/or partnerships.
- You are a team-oriented leader and manager, with past experience fostering a supportive and cohesive culture that welcomes team members, encourages their success, and empowers them as leaders. You lead by example to create an environment oriented toward collaboration, trust, ongoing learning and feedback, and work/life balance.
Compensation & Location
The salary range for this position is $139,000 -$188,000. Please note that BTGB will make an offer commensurate with experience and does not negotiate salaries. BTGB offers a comprehensive benefits package.
This position is based out of BTGB’s office in Cambridge and provides the option for a hybrid schedule.
Contact
Cassie Scarano of Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. To express interest in this role please submit your materials here. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
About Koya Partners
Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
For more information about Koya Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.