Executive Director, La Cima Elementary Charter School

La Cima Elementary Charter School currently serves 363 students in grades K - 5 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Founded in 2008, the mission of La Cima is to prepare students for academic and life-long success through a rigorous and relevant academic program. The La Cima vision is to develop scholars who have the intellectual capacity, emotional strength of character and the social capital to be individually successful and to act as effective change-makers in their communities.

La Cima's curricular program is grounded in the New York State Learning Standards and a belief in developing the mind, body and character of students. The school emphasizes creating innovative opportunities that support and develop the wider community and working together as a team of adults in order to best support scholars' learning and development. For more information about the La Cima model and La Cima Elementary Charter School, please visit its website: http://www.lacimacharterschool.org.

La Cima is seeking a highly-motivated, strategic and innovative Executive Director who will drive the implementation of La Cima's mission and support the future growth of the organization. This key leader will be responsible for shaping community engagement efforts, creating and implementing strategic plans, and fostering a supportive working and school environment.

This is an ideal opportunity for a dynamic leader with a commitment to social justice to play a critical role in shaping La Cima's role in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community and driving high levels of academic achievement.

The Executive Director will report to the La Cima Board of Directors and will directly manage the school's Principal, Director of Operations, Director of Finance and any additional staff members thereby determined necessary and hired by the organization.

The Executive Director will be responsible for:

- Building and managing a high-performing team that is able to support La Cima in its drive to deliver transformational educational outcomes for students
+ Develop internal senior leadership talent and continue to recruit and retain strong performers invested in La Cima's mission
+ Collaborate with school leaders to actively maintain and refine a strong, cohesive school culture that reflects La Cima's values
+ Provide key supports that drive academic achievement, social-emotional growth and community engagement
+ Promote collaborative decision-making processes

- Strategically refine and execute on the vision for La Cima Elementary Charter School
+ Partner with the La Cima School Board and leadership team to develop a strategic plan for implementation of La Cima's mission
+ Set clear academic, growth, operational and financial goals and effectively manage toward them
+ Administer strong public transparency systems including public compliance and internal and external reporting

- Community Engagement and External Relationship Building
+ Manage key stakeholders, including community and political leaders, parents, charter authorizers and donors
+ Cultivate external relationships to provide opportunities for stakeholder participation and to raise the organizational profile within the surrounding community

- Fundraising and Sustainability
+ Create and execute on a fundraising strategy to secure private revenue for the school through individual donors, foundations and corporations

Candidate Requirements:

Skills, Traits and Beliefs:

- Passion for the mission of La Cima and a deep personal belief that all students regardless of home language, culture or special needs status can succeed
- Ability to build and lead an effective and successful team, playing a role in team members' long-term professional development and driving results by managing through others
- Proven ability to set an inspiring vision and motivate others to reach ambitious goals in support of that vision
- Belief that bilingualism is an asset in an increasingly global economy such that students should have the ability to speak, read and write in more than one language
- An emphasis on culturally responsive methodologies and content to give schooling a deeper, more meaningful, relevant place in student lives
- Desire and ability to build strong relationships with families and the broader school community as partners in the education process, so that each home and heritage culture is thoughtfully and appropriately integrated into the school setting
- Strong multidisciplinary project management skills ; ability to balance competing initiatives and priorities concurrently
- Robust data driven analysis skills to drive student achievement and organizational effectiveness
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and inspiring communication style
- Exceptional interpersonal skills with a genuine interest in the growth and development of staff, teachers and students

Education and Experience:

- Bachelor's degree required, Masters' degree in Education or Public Administration preferred
- A minimum of 5-7 years of experience in managerial or relevant roles
- A proven track record of success in building and/or managing a complex organization or enterprise (e.g., a high-performing school or network of schools, a successful non-profit or for-profit organization)
- Experience working with community stakeholders, and, in particular, working with students, educators and staff to achieve exceptional results