Reach Out and Read

The Opportunity

Reach Out and Read seeks an experienced senior leader to lead the organization’s overall strategy to grow with quality and equity, through a focus on launching new Affiliates and supporting the expansion of existing Affiliates throughout the country. As ROR seeks to sustainably expand as a public health intervention and make systems-level change at scale, this key role will solidify and extend the organization’s strategy to grow our footprint and accelerate our progress to serve all children under five in the country. This position will work in close collaboration with the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer, and across the ROR National and Affiliate network.

Reach Out and Read is most successful in spaces where there is strong local Affiliate infrastructure, to steward our model and brand. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and with a dotted reporting line to the Chief Executive Officer, the National Senior Director of Growth leads Reach Out and Read’s strategy to grow, both in spaces where ROR has existing Affiliates and in spaces where there is a need to build an Affiliate presence. The National Senior Director of Growth ensures that Reach Out and Read maximizes the opportunities in the early childhood ecosystem to expand our work, partner with others, and expand in sustainable ways focused on quality and fidelity. The National Senior Director of Growth creates and executes a comprehensive strategy that guides growth across the organization and ensures cross-functional collaboration to support this, through partnership with senior leaders in all Reach Out and Read departments and with the Affiliate network.

Role Summary

You will tackle several key pieces of work, as a seasoned leader with experience in strategy development and implementation, growth and expansion, and the ability to collaborate successfully with a variety of stakeholders. You bring experience in running and supporting local Affiliates/chapters. You will build upon an existing strategic framework around expansion to develop strategy, goals, and a pipeline; implement on the different components of the strategy in close collaboration with key stakeholders; centralize growth leadership and project management; develop new resources and fine-tune existing ones; share best practices; and bring direct experience championing and incorporating equity into organizational growth.

Roles and Responsibilities Include:

Drive national strategy for growth across the organization:

  • Collaborate across ROR National departments to ensure coordination of resources, consistent communication flow, and inclusion of all functional work streams
  • Ensure that the National office and Affiliates have the systems, resources, and capacity in place to grow
  • Build and steward an overall strategy for growth for existing and new Affiliates as they expand ROR’s footprint and support ROR sites with quality and fidelity
  • Identify key innovative approaches to grow with quality, including targeted saturation of large metropolitan areas, and ways to meet the needs of our rural, tribal, and military communities
  • Project manage ROR’s growth work in a matrixed organization and serve as the main point of contact
  • Develop and support a staggered pipeline of new affiliates in geographies that have been strategically identified
  • Support existing Affiliates to expand and grow with quality
  • Share best practices, learnings, and resources to support growth throughout the network
  • Serve as a senior leader, inspiring and motivating others to engage fully and collaboratively in stewarding and executing the mission and vision of ROR
  • Work to meet strategic goals with clear communication, integrated workplans and implementation with coordinated accountabilities, objectives, and associated budgets
  • Assist in identifying and assessing progress to execute strategy and increase impact/service to the communities that ROR serves

Launch New Affiliates:

  • Serve as a main point person to hire and manage locally-based Strategic Consultants in areas of new expansion
  • Leverage existing ROR processes and tools, and continuously improve these, to launch new Affiliates
  • Collaborate with all ROR National teams to ensure ROR brand awareness, leveraging of public policy and advocacy opportunities, building of external partnerships, and incorporating research opportunities; collaborate closely with the ROR PROPS (Programs and Operations) team and local Strategic Consultants to develop strategy and identify key local stakeholders to engage; collaborate closely with ROR Development team, who generate funding pipelines and work to secure seed funding for new Affiliates
  • Lead and project manage the launch of new Affiliates, own communications with multiple stakeholders, and run team meetings
  • Hire and manage locally-based temporary strategic consultants (contractors) in relevant geographies where ROR is launching new affiliates, using existing processes
  • Participate as a member of the hiring teams for all new Affiliate Executive Directors, as part of existing Human Resources protocols and structures
  • Collaborate closely with the Chief Operating Officer to onboard new Affiliate Executive Directors when they are hired

Support Growth/Expansion of Existing Affiliates:

  • Work collaboratively with ROR’s network of 29 existing Affiliates to help grow ROR’s footprint to serve every child under five years within their geographies
  • Develop relationships with Affiliate Executive Leaders and their teams, and cultivate a culture of shared understanding in the service of ROR’s mission
  • Provide guidance and support on how to ensure that mapping of need through an equity lens is core to our expansion strategy
  • In collaboration with colleagues, lead network, cohort-based, and 1:1 resource creation and professional development, to support the network’s growth with quality and equity (e.g., in the areas of organizational development, Advisory Board development, Strategic Planning, etc.).


Qualifications and Experience:

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We will honor your lived and professional experience as key aspects of your candidacy for the role and prioritize applicants with experience dismantling the structural inequities that disproportionately impact children and families with traditionally marginalized identities. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

  • At least 10 years of experience in senior leadership roles, with increasing levels of responsibility, in non-profit, for-profit, and/or early childhood sectors
  • Prior senior leadership experience at an Affiliate/chapter or National level supporting Affiliates/chapters, and direct experience supporting implementation/growth of new Affiliates/chapters is strongly preferred
  • Experience collaborating with, coaching, mentoring, and supporting Executive Directors is preferred
  • Experience with new business or implementation strategy development and organization-wide strategy development recommended
  • Experience working with BIPOC communities and depth of experience working to end the systematic inequities experienced by people with marginalized identities
  • Demonstrated ability to examine personal biases and foster inclusive spaces for individuals of all identities and backgrounds
  • Ability to use data to inform decision-making by identifying prospective solutions based on analysis and an understanding of the risks and rewards associated
  • Willingness to speak promptly, directly, and with compassion to colleagues who are both junior and senior when disagreements arise or there are opportunities to provide positive or constructive feedback
  • Desire and capacity to work in collaboration with colleagues and departments across the organization in support of shared goals and a common vision for success
  • Experience inspiring and mobilizing internal and external stakeholders by sharing an ambitious, inspiring or otherwise compelling pathway to greater impact or sustainability
  • Capacity for leading change and introducing new resources and systems across an organization
  • Strong, calm presence and ability to synthesize information quickly and respond and problem solve
  • Ability to deliver on ambitious goals and benchmarks
  • Proactive attitude, out-of-the-box thinking, and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment


Position Specifications

This is a 40-hour/week, exempt position, with a flexible location working from a home office anywhere in the country. National travel is required 30% of the time (to new and existing Affiliate geographies, and to 1-2 National meetings annually).


Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $125,000 - $135,000, and is commensurate with experience. You will also be eligible for ROR’s robust benefits package which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with match, paid vacation, and more.


Commitment to Diversity

Reach Out and Read is committed to building an organization that embraces diversity, pursues equity, and fosters an environment of inclusion. ROR sits at the intersection of health and education, uniquely positioned to play a critical role in addressing systemic disparities and inequities in the public health framework. ROR strives to be an antiracist organization, using its influence to fight against social injustice by supporting a culture of learning, empowerment, equity, and a deep appreciation for the unique experiences that we each bring to our communities. And, we believe that changing the world begins with holding ourselves and our workplace to that same standard.


About Reach Out and Read

For more than three decades, Reach Out and Read has demonstrated the impact of its approach to early childhood development by making books, resources, and guidance available to families during visits to doctors. Reach Out and Read partners with more than 6,000 clinics, safety net hospitals, medical systems, and other healthcare settings across the country, currently serving more than 4.2 million children. Our model helps families across our communities access books, guidance, and services through their existing relationships with pediatric healthcare providers, who promote foundational relationships as key to long-term health and positive outcomes.

------------------------------EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER------------------------------

Reach Out and Read is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. Reach Out and Read is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please notify us and our HR team will work to accommodate your needs.

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