Single Stop USA Regional Director Louisiana One of the fastest growing and most successful organizations promoting economic mobility in the nation, Single Stop USA (SSUSA) uniquely combines the power of technology and the ingenuity of community organizations to help low-income families draw down billions of existing tax credits, work supports and services that go unused each year. Single Stop’s “one-stop shop” model connects students to thousands of dollars of untapped supports—taking existing resources and turning them into a new form of financial aid. Founded in 2001 in New York City, Single Stop sites have already helped over 700,000 families access $2 billion in benefits, services and financial aid for themselves and their communities. Single Stop’s national expansions are fueled by its community college initiative. The initiative harnesses two of the country’s most effective tools for achieving dramatic change in economic mobility in the United States: coordinated access to America’s safety net and a post-secondary education. The initiative has won two White House Social Innovation Fund Awards and is rapidly expanding on campuses across the country. Additional supporters, such as Bank of America and Kresge Foundation, have committed to multi-year funding. The Louisiana-based Regional Director (RD) will join Single Stop at a critical inflection point as the organization embarks on an ambitious growth plan, building on its proven model and following successful expansion pilot sites across the country. Single Stop seeks an articulate spokesperson and a credible voice in the region who displays unwavering commitment to radically increasing economic mobility. Single Stop has established effective partnerships with key regional stakeholders based in Louisiana, including the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. The RD will forge a close working relationship with these partners to work collaboratively to establish a strong presence not only in Louisiana but throughout the South. S/he will establish a local Advisory Board and will foster strategic partnership with a wide array of stakeholders needed to advance Single Stop’s vision including existing funders, prospective funders, college presidents, administrators and trustees, state officials, and community based service providers. Additionally, s/he will be responsible for ensuring high quality program delivery that can be replicated at planned expansion sites starting with other community colleges in the region starting in January 2014. The ideal candidate will have demonstrable expertise in programmatic leadership, fund development, strategy, multi-site management, organizational design, and strong communication and ambassadorial skills both internally and externally. S/he will be an innate relationship builder who demonstrates the gravitas and capacity to quickly engender trust with high-level leadership across philanthropy, higher education, government and other stakeholders. The RD will be an innovative strategist who can envision the organization’s future state and devise flexible systems, policies and protocols that can grow along with Single Stop. S/he will also be driven, self-directed, and palpably passionate about building broad, sustainable change, with an inspirational style that compels others to deliver peak performance. Opportunities and Challenges Facing the Regional Director The RD will join a fast moving team of entrepreneurial and highly dedicated professionals working to change the face of economic mobility in the United States. S/he will report to the Chief Program Officer in the national headquarters and will be located in Louisiana. As the first SSUSA employee on the ground in the Gulf Region, the RD will lead and spearhead SSUSA’s expansion in this key market, ensuring the quality of currently operating programs and building new partnerships to expand its footprint in the region. Specifically, s/he will: Lead, evaluate, refine, and expand existing programs. SSUSA is currently operating programs in the region, including a key partnership at Delgado Community College. Staying true to SSUSA’s culture, which values rigorous evaluation, data-driven performance management and demonstrable impact, the RD will partner closely with staff at headquarters to ensure the strength of current programming as well as securing new partnerships and geographic sites that serve the needs of the region. Expand on current funding to ensure broad-based sustainable support for Single Stop programs. SSUSA has received generous multi-year challenge grant to expand into the region. The RD will partner closely with funders and will also need to establish new relationships and partnerships with other foundations, corporations, and high net worth individuals who will adopt the same passion for building economic mobility in the Gulf Coast area by comprehensively removing the financial obstacles that too often force students to give up on their college education. Through this regional expansion, SSUSA seeks to continue its tradition of enhancing local service offerings while ushering in tried and tested programs that improve the skills of the work force. Build a local team and engage an Advisory Board to ensure a systematic and thorough expansion into the regional market. The RD will be charged with instituting the scaffolding and infrastructure that furthers SSUSA’s bold vision for increasing economic mobility in the Gulf. To that end, establishing an Advisory Board of local leaders aligned with SSUSA’s mission will be critical. The strategic plan calls for two staff to support the RD in program management and development. Establish partnerships with community colleges. SSUSA’s multi-faceted programs are operating in community colleges where evidence shows the student population is characteristically low-income and facing economic barriers to persistence through graduation, which is the primary pathway to sustainable economic independence. The RD will engage with college presidents, trustees and other senior staff to clearly communicate the value proposition of SSUSA’s presence on their campuses, structure and close deals to bring Single Stop to campus. S/he will also support capacity-building efforts in local community colleges, working closely with partners to enhance and coordinate available services on the ground and create conditions that foster success. Become the local face of Single Stop. This role calls for the utmost in gravitas, sensitivity, ambassadorial presence, and integrity. The RD will serve as SSUSA’s chief spokesperson in the region, articulating and communicating the mission, vision, and specific objectives effectively to leaders in the political, philanthropic and educational spheres as well as other potential partners and champions. S/he will build public/private partnerships in Gulf region markets, establishing relationships with prospective partners, funders, and political and community leaders in a 4-state area (LA, AL, MS, and FL) to start and potentially additional Southern states. Qualifications The Regional Director will have a proven record of leadership and measurable accomplishment, success building lasting relationships, and a passion for service and the mission of SSUSA. While no one person may embody all of the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following abilities, attributes, and experiences: • Sophisticated leadership skills and presence developed through a minimum of 8-10 years of progressive management experience, preferably in a mission-driven organization that is scaling regionally and/or nationally; ability to point to specific examples of having developed and operationalized strategies that have taken an organization to the next stage of growth and excellence; • A demonstrated and long-standing commitment to the mission of increasing economic mobility and removing barriers to achievement; the firmly held belief that all people have the capacity to achieve economic independence; • Broad, deep regional networks and relationships; strong knowledge of higher education systems and financial aid, particularly in a community college setting, preferred; • A proven record of successful fundraising and development that includes a passion for initiating and building relationships with institutional, corporate, and individual donors; a strong history of taking institutions to the next level of sustained philanthropic support; • An action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative leader with savvy for business, sales, and marketing best practices; • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate complex data effectively for a spectrum of audiences; • Unwavering commitment to quality programs as well as experience managing in a data-driven environment with an emphasis on rigorous evaluation; • A management style that embodies respect, teamwork, and transparency; proven capacity to coach, manage and develop high-performing teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget; an effective manager by indirect influence, who can build and reinforce buy-in and mutual accountability even when geographically removed; • Passion, idealism, integrity, and the highest levels of professionalism combined with a sense of humor and perspective; and • Advanced degree, especially an MBA. Applications and Nominations This search is being conducted with assistance from Allison Kupfer Poteet, Julie King, and Nureen Das of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group. Additional information about Single Stop USA can be found at: www.singlestopusa.org. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, and applications will be reviewed as they are received. Please use the apply button below to submit nominations and/or applications including cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), salary history, and where you learned of the position. Single Stop USA is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Click here to apply: https://searchlight.cluen.com/E5/(S(p04pbanq0wd5br55mslqy0fe))/JobDetails.aspx?URLKey=drzfd2f1 If you encounter technical difficulties when submitting your application, you can email your cover letter, resume, and salary history directly to Allison Kupfer Poteet at akp@nonprofitprofessionals.com.