PENCIL, Vice President of Growth (Hybrid)

Description

New York City schools are filled with students who have potential and ambition to go far and we envision a city filled with students whose opportunities match their ambitions. Since 1995, PENCIL has played a critical role in bringing together business professionals, educators, and students to open minds, open eyes, and open doors. PENCIL makes it easy for business professionals, educators and students to work together—in schools and the workplace. Our hands-on programs, including in-school partnerships, mentoring, internships, and immersive experiences like Principal for a Day®, create targeted opportunities to make a real difference in the classroom and beyond.

PENCIL is committed to creating a workplace that respects and values diversity, and to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We strongly encourage candidates who represent the communities we serve to apply. PENCIL is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will make employment decisions without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

PENCIL seeks a Vice President of Growth to lead strategy development and implementation of the organization’s current and future revenue development and brand awareness efforts. This is an opportunity for a person who has deep expertise in fund development or sales, marketing, and private-public partnerships, to assume a broad and significant role in shaping PENCIL’s work connecting students to success.

As a member of PENCIL’s leadership team, the Vice President will partner with the organization’s President, other Vice Presidents, as well as PENCIL’s CEO and Board of Directors to further PENCIL’s mission. They will directly supervise two Associate Directors of Development and one Communications Manager. The Vice President of Growth reports directly to the President.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Vice President of Growth is responsible for continued growth and innovation in PENCIL’s fund development and brand awareness efforts. Currently, PENCIL’s annual revenue target is $3.6 million spread across corporate, foundation, individual and government sources. The VP of Growth will ensure successful execution of fund development strategies that provide resources for PENCIL to effectively execute its mission and contribute to a city where every young person graduates with a pathway to a rewarding career. The VP of Growth will manage and enhance existing strategies as well as develop new opportunities to expand PENCIL’s pipeline and bottom line. Specific responsibilities include:

Revenue Development Strategy:

• Set priorities for revenue growth and campaign improvement as a part of the organization’s regular strategic planning.
• Create and lead strategies to support total annual revenue growth of 5-10% year over year.
• Ensure successful execution of PENCIL’s three key revenue development strategies: Principal For A Day®, The Great Give, and the Celebration of Success.
• Collaborate with the President and VP of Programs to operationalize new initiatives and offerings aligned to major government or foundation grant opportunities.
• Support Associate Directors of Development to meet campaign and portfolio renewal targets.
• Identify and expand pipelines for corporate, individual and foundation gifts.
• Develop new, innovative campaigns and strategies aligned with growth goals in the strategic plan.
• Steward relationships with key supporters, keeping them aware of PENCIL’s progress and plans, exciting them to be more involved, and maintaining or increasing their annual gifts.
• Collaborate with the Chief of Staff to engage Board Members in all major fund development efforts.
• Manage all facets of the Celebration of Success including event logistics, invitations, branding, sponsor outreach and recognition, and day of leadership.
• Assess level of effort and return on investment for fund development activities to ensure effective and efficient use of time and resources to achieve goals.
  
  

Brand Awareness:

• Refine and monitor PENCIL’s communications and marketing strategies and goals.
• Support the Communications Manager in her management of all social media platforms and creation of external facing materials ensure consistent, compelling brand representation.
• Expand PENCIL’s visibility to relevant audiences including potential corporate partners, foundations, volunteers, and young people.
• Develop and implement a celebrity and influencer engagement strategy to align with and bolster existing campaigns.
• Develop and leverage opportunities for story placements or interviews in local, national and trade media.
• Ensure all communications deliverables for corporate and foundation partners are fulfilled.
  
  

Organizational Leadership:

• Provide effective and inspiring leadership to ensure all development and communications team members embrace and model the mission and values of the organization.
• Supervise and support two Associate Directors and a communications manager.
• Ensure all development and communications team members are equipped with the training, support, and information to achieve goals as well as develop professionally.
• Monitor team capacity as aligned to growth and new opportunities.
• Contribute to annual budget development and revenue projections to ensure resources and expenses expectations align.
• Engage as a thoughtful member of the leadership team by collaborating across departments, advocating for team needs, and translating decisions and direction to team members.
• Partner with the President and the CEO to represent PENCIL with external constituency groups, especially corporate and foundation partners.
• Ensure high visibility of development and communications updates and progress for the full staff and Board of Directors.
• Serve as the staff liaison to the Board Resource Development Committee.
• Serve as the staff liaison to the Board Communications Committee
  
  

Thought Leadership:

• Contribute to the vision and agendas for high profile events/convening to share the impact of our work and garner new support such as Principal For A Day®.
• Effectively distribute thought leadership products to key funders and constituents.
• Stay abreast of field-wide context to support scale of our models through strategic leveraging of opportunities and exposure.
  
  

Requirements

• At least 12 years of professional experience overall, with a minimum of five years supervisory experience.
• Experience developing organization-wide strategies and vision for revenue growth excellence while engaging and exciting staff, community partners, and Board Members.
• Experience with building an organization's brand and visibility across a variety of communication and marketing channels.
• Strong relationship builder and communicator with experience leading diverse work teams.
• Passionate about PENCIL’s mission and values.
• Experience collaborating as part of an executive team in strategic decision making.
• Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities, assessing team capacity, and identifying necessary resources for success.
• Strong team management skills and the ability to provide supportive and constructive feedback.
• Strong and creative decision making and problem-solving skills.
• A desire and willingness to collaborate in an honest and transparent manner.
• Demonstrates integrity, strives for excellence in their work, and has experience of leading others to new levels of effectiveness and impact.
• Prior experience working in a K-12, nonprofit, foundation, and/or social impact organization preferred.
  
  

COVID-19 vaccination is required for hire. The position is hybrid but will be required to be in-office or in-person at times based on the work and team’s needs.

Benefits

COMPENSATION

Salary for this position ranges from $140,000-$150,000.

PENCIL also provides a generous benefit package which includes:

• Medical, prescription, dental and vision insurance for you, your spouse or domestic partner and dependents.
• A retirement plan with employer matching.
• Commuter benefit and flexible spending plans.
• Professional development stipend.
• Annual paid time off for holidays, vacation and sick time.
• Short and long-term disability and paid family leave.
  
  

For additional questions about this position or to speak with someone about your interest, please contact Brett Kunsch at [email protected].

PENCIL is an equal-opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.