Director, Network Engagement and Growth

Job description

Position Summary

Teach For All is looking for a dynamic and experienced strategist and relationship manager to enable the growth of the Teach For All network in the Americas region, with particular focus on the Caribbean and Central America. In this role, you will develop extensive external relationships, engaging key stakeholders across sectors and nations to build awareness of Teach For All’s approach and inspire leaders and champions to carry it forward and adapt it locally.  This  work includes two key workstreams: 1) Generate a robust pipeline of prospective partners in new contexts and 2) Enable the successful launch of new partner organizations, described further below.

About the Team

This role is a key member of the Americas regional team, which is responsible for Teach For All’s engagement with current and prospective partners across the Americas and the Caribbean, as well as building awareness and support among external stakeholders for our collective work in the region.  This role reports to the Head of Region, Americas, and will also collaborate flexibly across global teams.

Responsibilities

Generate a robust pipeline of prospective partners in new contexts

Stimulates an active ecosystem of stakeholders and leaders in the Caribbean and Central American regions who are inspired by Teach For All’s approach and the prospect of starting and/or supporting a local independent organization that would track toward joining the Teach For All network.  Generate interest among these groups to support the enabling conditions for a leader to emerge and decide to begin the process of founding their organization.

• Deepen understanding of the regional landscape through comprehensive stakeholder mapping, ecosystem analysis and dialogue, identifying key actors, opportunities, and challenges within the Caribbean and Central American educational ecosystems.
• Catalyze a groundswell of support from local champions who subsequently actively advance the foundation of a local organization in different ways, including as potential future funders, board members, connectors, and CEO candidates.
• Inspire the commitment of visionary, talented, values-aligned leaders to step into  the CEO role, through outreach efforts and engagement with local stakeholders.
• Collaborate with local stakeholders and Teach For All specialists to understand the teacher hiring and certification legislative landscape alongside emerging political and educational priorities, with the objective of identifying possible channels for placing Fellows from diverse academic backgrounds as classroom teachers.
• Represent stakeholder groups and Teach For All in high-level regional and national spaces where appropriate to support fundraising efforts and general awareness-building of the network and prospective partner organizations.

Enable the successful launch of new partner organizations

Lead the network’s engagement with current and future entrepreneur groups through their efforts to launch their organizations and join the Teach For All network as new partner organizations.  Serve as their primary support specialist and advisor, and marshal network resources across functional areas to lay the foundations for programmatic and organizational strength.  This includes:

• Coach and advise CEOs and other key stakeholders to fully understand and define their role and priorities; explore and maximize their leadership; and respond ongoing to challenges and opportunities along the path to launching.
• Thought partner with  CEOs in developing a nuanced and iterative understanding of the theory of change and their commitment to building a robust strategy in alignment with the network unifying principles, purpose, values, and intended outcomes.  Accompany the process of their building out their key programmatic strategies leveraging network insights and resources.
• Advise CEOs around establishing organizational foundations, including legal incorporation, governance and financial management, in the context of local legislation and global best practices.
• Actively support CEOs in securing cross-sector partnerships and funding.  Advise them to develop their strategy to meet immediate needs and build a path to longer-term sustainability with actively engaged, meaningful partnerships.  Actively participate in their stakeholder research and external representation.
• Support CEOs to understand and embrace the network’s values and culture, and to model a spirit of active engagement and contribution to the global network
• Orchestrate Teach For All’s early stage support by diagnosing current and future organizational needs; identifying opportunities for cross-functional cohesion and regional/global learning; and mobilizing resources from the global organization and the broader network in order to address key priorities
• Manage the network partnership and onboarding processes, reinforcing the bases for strategic clarity, network alignment, and strong partner engagement for the future.

Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of full-time professional experience, with substantial work and lived experience across Central America/Caribbean, required.
• Fluency in English and Spanish is essential.
• Prior involvement with our network partners is an added asset.
• All applicants must already have the legal right to work in their country of hire. Willingness and ability to reside and work (authorization) in the region long-term is required.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Mission Alignment: Deep personal commitment to and nuanced understanding of Teach For All’s purpose, theory of change, Unifying Principles, and Core Values, with the ability to foster understanding and investment of these among diverse stakeholders.
• Strategic Problem-Solving: Highly strategic and analytical thinker with exceptional systems thinking, diagnostic abilities, and solutions orientation. Proven capacity to identify organization-wide opportunities within ambiguous, complex, and high-stakes situations, and exercise sound judgment in response.
• Relationship Building and Influence: Exceptional ability to cultivate and leverage relationships across cultures, spaces, and lines of difference, driving results through informal authority. Strong network development skills, with the ability to mobilize others, demonstrate sound judgment in relationship-building, and possess proven communication skills.
• Entrepreneurial: Ability to work entrepreneurially within a fast-paced, collaborative, and results-oriented culture, demonstrating strong self-management and organizational skills.
• Highly collaborative:  Can hold ownership for making informed decisions through active collaboration and seeking diverse input within a distributed leadership model based on shared purpose.
• Fundraising/Management (Preferred): Prior experience in fundraising and/or management is highly desirable.

Travel and Hours

Travel expected, up to 30% at times during the year, mostly within the Americas region, but also some travel out-of-region to attend conferences etc. Due to the global nature of our work, this role requires flexibility to accommodate early morning or late evening calls across various time zones.

Compensation

Salary for this position is competitive and depends on prior experience and includes a comprehensive benefits package.

What Teach For All Offers:

• Commitment to cultivating a culture in which all staff members feel they belong, are valued for their contributions, and have an impact on our organization’s progress
• Professional and personal development experiences and ample opportunities to make a positive impact on the work of Teach For All and beyond
• Comprehensive benefits package designed for your well-being and work-life needs
• All roles are 100% remote; in some locations we offer the option for in-office collaborations
• Generous time off and flexible work arrangements
• And much more!

Application Instructions

If this opportunity sounds like the next best step in your career, please submit your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) and a one-page letter of motivation (in English) directly online. Your letter should summarize motivations for your application and how your skills and experience align with the terms of this opportunity. We look forward to learning about you and your passion for ensuring educational opportunity for all!

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Therefore, candidates are encouraged to apply at their earliest convenience.

About Teach For All

Teach For All is a global network of 64 independent, locally led organizations and a global organization united by a commitment to developing collective leadership to ensure all children can fulfill their potential. Each network partner recruits and develops promising leaders to teach in their nations’ under-resourced schools and communities and, with this foundation, to work with others, inside and outside of education, towards a world where all children have the education, support, and opportunity to shape a better future. Teach For All’s global organization works to increase the network’s impact by supporting the development of new organizations; fostering network connectivity and learning; providing coaching and consulting; and enabling access to global resources for the benefit of the network.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusiveness

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization that inspires individuals of all backgrounds – across nationalities, races, ethnicity, religions, political views, economic backgrounds, sexual orientations, physical disabilities, languages, ages, genders and prior experiences – to bring their full selves to the work of ensuring educational opportunity for all.

In order to maximize our effectiveness in fulfilling Teach For All’s mission, we also feel it is important to focus on increasing representation and inclusiveness with respect to two dimensions in particular: we prioritize diversity of geography because this can help us quickly understand and connect with the diverse cultures and geographies of the world. We also prioritize increasing the representation and inclusiveness of team members who themselves have experienced the inequities we’re working to address by nature of sharing the background (e.g. economic, racial and ethnic, religious) of the most disadvantaged groups in their countries.