Executive Director, iMentor NYC

iMentor is seeking an exceptional Executive Director to lead its flagship New York City region. The NYC ED will continue the development and growth of iMentor’s original direct service region, a key component of iMentor’s strategic plan and national growth. Reporting to iMentor’s national CRO (Chief Regional Officer), Derek Smith, the NYC ED will set the strategic vision for iMentor’s work in New York City while building and leading a high-performing team of 50 professionals. iMentor NYC serves over 3,700 students and has a budget of $5.6 million. The NYC ED will continue to support and grow school, district and post-secondary partnerships, manage and expand the NYC Advisory Board (currently 11 members), lead fundraising efforts to meet regional goals ($4 million in 2021-22) and oversee program implementation.

The ideal NYC ED candidate will be a motivational, experienced, and effective leader – able to set and drive progress toward ambitious goals. They will be skilled in fundraising, nonprofit management, program implementation, and partnership development. They will be analytical, highly collaborative, and have a proven track record of establishing buy-in across stakeholders, including influencing diverse groups of individuals and networks to achieve desired outcomes. They will be quick, entrepreneurial, and flexible, with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and opportunities. The ED NYC will have the opportunity to lead a talented team that is mission-focused, results-oriented, passionate, and fun.

Responsibilities

Fundraising & Board Development

• Set and meet annual fundraising targets to support the growth of iMentor NYC. ($4 million in FY2022).
• Grow and manage a high-impact local Advisory Board (currently 11 members).
• Grow a sustainable, diversified local funding base (e.g., individuals, corporations, foundations, public funding etc.).
• Ensure the ongoing engagement and stewardship of an ever-growing portfolio of influential individual, corporate and foundation partners.

Leadership & Management

• Lead a layered team of 50 individuals
• Foster a highly effective work culture with strong leadership development to all staff through quality coaching and feedback.
• Manage the site towards ambitious goals, using data-driven decision making to monitor and address problems, improve performance, and increase sustainability.
• Cultivate internal and external talent required for the long-term success of the region.
• Become one of the NYC region’s strongest advocates for DEI and core values
• Represent the NYC region on iMentor’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT)
• Set the vision and priorities for the NYC region, in collaboration with the ELT

Programs

• Manage and grow iMentor’s high school partnerships (currently 13).
• Oversee a high-quality execution of the iMentor model in NYC
• Work closely with iMentor’s national team to adapt program offerings where necessary, with the goal of improving both efficacy and impact.
• Share best practices and key insights from the NYC region with national team and future iMentor sites.

Partnerships & Communications

• Serve as the key external voice and representative of iMentor in NYC, demonstrating an exceptional and compelling articulation of iMentor’s work.
• Steward an effective partnership with local school districts and individual school partners to support progress towards iMentor NYC goals.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across the public and private sectors. This will include corporations, public officials, peer organizations, institutions of higher education, collective impact groups and networks, and affinity groups.
• Cultivate a local identity that is reflective of iMentor’s core values and culture.

Sustainability & Growth

• Achieve the financial sustainability goals for the NYC region in iMentor’s 5-year strategic plan and play a key role in drafting the next plan.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in a senior leadership position in an education nonprofit organization, school district, foundation, government agency, or for-profit organization.
• Demonstrated success designing and executing high level fundraising strategies and strategic partnerships.
• 5+ years managing a layered team. Proven track‐record of managing, mentoring, and inspiring a high performing team to reach ambitious goals.
• Knowledge of and relationships within the NYC educational, civic, philanthropic, and political landscapes.
• The ability to critically assess challenges and identify effective solutions.
• Outstanding inter-personal skills and the ability to build strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated alignment with iMentor's mission, values, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Views differences between individuals (race, gender, age, cultural heritage, physical ability, education, beliefs, and lifestyle) as an asset and demonstrates an appreciation of the diversity across the iMentor community.
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Our organization works in partnership with district public schools across the country. In doing so we must meet all compliance requirements of those districts: these include background checks and proof of COVID vaccination.  

About iMentor 

iMentor builds mentoring relationships that empower students in low-income communities to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions. Students work with their mentors one-on-one, in-person and online, to develop strong personal relationships, nurture a college aspiration, navigate the college application process, and build critical skills that lead to college success. In New York City, Chicago, and the Bay Area, iMentor partners with public schools to ensure every student in the schools receives a mentor. iMentor also provides its curriculum, technology, and best practices to help nonprofits run effective programs in the iMentor model. 

This year, iMentor NYC will serve over 3,800 mentor-mentee pairs at 14 public high schools throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, where a majority of students served will be first-generation college graduates. Since 1999, iMentor has connected more than 33,000 students with mentors and this year, iMentor is serving 10,000 students across the country. 

iMentor has been recognized through funding from many of the leading education funders in the country, including the Ballmer Group, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the Robin Hood Foundation, the Bezos Family Foundation, New Profit Inc., and the Kresge Foundation. iMentor is one of the nation’s most innovative and quickly growing college success organizations. As a team, we are collaborative, fun, bring passion and joy to our work, and deeply believe in human potential. iMentor was recently named one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For by The Nonprofit Times. Read more about our work and values at:http://www.imentor.org 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

We believe that people of all backgrounds deserve equal access to educational opportunities. Recognizing that our country’s history of racism and systemic oppression continues to drive educational disparities for students of color, we give special focus to addressing the economic and racial divides that impact the communities we serve. We are committed to the collective work and intentional investment necessary to consistently move in the direction of educational equity and inclusion.