Description
GENERAL STATEMENT ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
Reach Out and Read, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations, is an evidence-based school readiness initiative that serves 4 million children and families nationwide. Our team is comprised of highly-skilled professionals who have a deep commitment to excellence and to the children and families we serve. Every member of the organization is critical to fulfilling our mission. Employment at Reach Out and Read means joining a dedicated and diverse staff committed to helping children arrive at school prepared to succeed. We strive to provide a pleasant and productive work environment and want all of our staff to have satisfying and fulfillingjobs.
REACH OUT AND READ MISSION:
Reach Out and Read preparesAmerica's youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together.
Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals incorporate Reach out and Read’s evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups, by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children. The program begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities. Families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental edge.
THE REACH OUT AND READ MODEL:
Pediatric healthcare providers (including pediatricians, family physicians, and pediatric nurse practitioners) are trained in the three-part Reach Out and Read model to promote early literacy and school readiness:
- In the exam room, doctors and nurses speak with parents about the importance of reading aloud to their young children every day, and offer age-appropriate tips and encouragement.
- The pediatric primary care provider gives every child 6 months through 5 years old a new, developmentally-appropriate children's book to take home and keep.
- Parents adopt advice received through pediatric visits and make reading aloud part of their daily routine. Our families read up to 350 hours with our children prior to kindergarten.
- Reach Out and Read Programs are located in more than 4,900 hospitals and health centers in all 50 states, Washington, D. C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; including 55 U.S. military bases.
- Reach Out and Read serves more than 4 million children and their families annually.
- More than 6.5 million new, developmentally-appropriate books are given to children annually.
- More than 28,000 medical providers currently participate in Reach Out and Read.
- Community volunteers dedicate more than 270,000 hours of service to Reach Out and Read annually.
- Fifteen independent studies demonstrate that our parents are four times more likely to read regularly to their children and, as a result, our children enter school with larger vocabularies, stronger reading comprehension skills and a 6-months development edge
The employees of Reach Out and Read are guided by the following core values:
PASSION - We believe in the transformative power of books and reading to strengthen families and positively affect the development of children. Our shared mission binds us together as one organization and is the motivation behind everything that we do.
EXCELLENCE - We deliver the highest quality, evidence-based program, expect greatness from ourselves and each other, and are accountable to the communities we serve, so that children grow up better prepared to achieve their potential.
RESPECT - Our success depends on the positive relationships we build with colleagues, partners, the medical community, and families. We embrace diverse ideas, talents, and backgrounds.
INNOVATION - Resourcefulness and a revolutionary model make us one of the most effective, efficient school readiness initiatives in the nation. We make strategic decisions to facilitate growth and long-term, sustainable impact.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION:
The Assistant Director is a results-oriented, experienced, entrepreneurial professional who works closely with the Executive Director to provide overall leadership for Reach Out and Read in Washington State, with a focus on partnerships and strategy implementation. The Assistant Director oversees staffing in the Washington State office, and develops and implements internal systems and policies that are needed to achieve our goals. The Assistant Director is a member of the Leadership Team and helps shape organizational and growth strategies at a critical time in the history of Reach Out and Read and Early Learning Systems development in Washington state. As a national, evidence-based, highly scalable program that is highlighted in the Washington State Early Learning Plan and Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant, Reach Out and Read has the potential to significantly influence child and family outcomes across the state of Washington. The Assistant Director develops and supports partnerships in both the public and private sector to help achieve our strategic goals:
1) Organizational Excellence: Develop and maintain characteristics of a high-performing, mission-driven organization
2) Early Literacy Services for Young Children and Families: Deliver the Reach Out and Read Program within medical practices so that parents are supported as their child’s first teacher, and children develop the early literacy skills that help them be ready for success in school
3) Program Support for Medical Providers and Practices: Provide professional development to medical providers and technical assistance to medical practices to enable them to consistently deliver high-quality Reach Out and Read programs to the children and families they serve
4) Statewide Network Aligned with Educational Outcomes: Support a statewide network of high-quality Reach Out and Read programs that are aligned with early learning and K-12 education strategies to improve outcomes for children
The Assistant Director is a proven leader who embodies Reach Out and Read’s core values of passion, excellence, respect and innovation, and who will be part of collaborative Leadership Team that is mission and outcomes-driven. This position is an excellent opportunity for a passionate individual to bring their skills to a high-performing team in a rapidly growing non-profit organization that has a significant impact on outcomes for children and families in Washington state.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
Reach Out and Read Washington State Executive Director
SUPERVISION EXERCISED:
Program Assistant and other staff as assigned
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The primary functions of this position consist of the following:
Organizational Strategy, Management, and Operations:
- Serves on the Executive Director’s Leadership Team.
- Supports and advises the Executive Director in ongoing strategic planning and organizational development.
- Collaborates with the Executive Director to implement tools and systems to measure progress, determine organizational impact and success, and set annual goals.
- Collaborates with the Executive Director to develop the Washington State Advisory Council. Provides ongoing support and staffing to the Council.
- Oversees the internal operations of the Washington State office. Designs and implements effective and efficient systems and processes.
- Directs and oversees the work of Washington State staff as assigned, including recruitment, hiring, day-to-day supervision, and performance evaluation. Initially supervises Program Assistant; provides some oversight to Program Specialist (who is primarily supervised by off-site Program Director). Will work with Leadership Team to continuously evaluate supervisory structure and processes; and will supervise more staff as the organization grows.
- Assists Executive Director in strategizing, developing, implementing and sustaining public and private partnerships at the state and community levels to help Reach Out and Read achieve its goals, including systems, policy, advocacy, program, funding, and communications strategies.
- Represents Reach Out and Read and the Executive Director as requested in meetings, on committees, through presentations and other means intended to facilitate awareness and achieve organizational goals.
- Leads implementation of systems, policy and/or partnership strategies as assigned.
- Supports Executive Director around fund development and communications efforts as requested; provides oversight of staffing to support implementation of associated strategies.
- Works with the Program Director to facilitate community-based Early Learning--Reach Out and Read partnerships, and the provision of related information and technical assistance to Reach Out and Read programs.
- Works with the Executive Director and Medical Director to use pediatric input to inform strategy and partnerships, and to engage doctors as needed to achieve goals.
- Collaborates with the Executive Director to develop initiatives and partnerships to facilitate growth.
- Partners with the Leadership Team to develop annual program growth goals, and implement efforts to achieve them.
- Collaborates with the Program Director to oversee support and technical assistance to prospective programs during the recruitment, application and start-up processes; and to facilitate transitions to program staff for ongoing support.
The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job. The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required.
Regular travel, approximately 30% time throughout Washington, plus attendance at one–two national meetings per year is required.
Other duties as assigned
A valid Washington State Driver’s license and use of a private vehicle for travel within Washington is required.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor’s Degree required, Master’s Degree or other advanced degree preferred
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:
None required
EXPERIENCE
- Experience working with diverse populations and low-income communities
- Experience with websites, electronic contact management, and/or newsletter programs (e.g. Sales Force, Constant Contact)
- Spanish fluency
Qualifications: The ideal candidate is a mission-driven, passionate, high-performing, collaborative individual who wants to help lead a rapidly growing organization, and has the following skills and experience:
- Demonstrated non-profit leadership and program/project management experience, or the equivalent
- Relevant experience in the fields of early learning, health care, education, and/or related policy and systems.
- Demonstrated success cultivating and sustaining partnerships and relationships among diverse people and organizations.
- Experience with strategic planning, goal setting, and creating organizational processes and procedures.
- Experience with technical assistance, professional development, and/or statewide systems related to early learning, health care, parenting support or related fields.
- Experience with data and an outcomes-driven approach. Strong analytical skills with intent to use data to inform strategy and decisions.
- Desire to understand and effectively support partnerships with doctors, health systems, and the health care community.
- Demonstrated phone and face-to-face interpersonal and communication skills, with the desire and ability to effectively perform the roles of coach, mediator and facilitator.
- Excellent written skills, including strong editing skills. Experience writing agendas, correspondence, presentations, reports, and other professional documents.
- Demonstrated success in public speaking, including meeting facilitation and formal presentations.
- Excellent web-based and desktop computer skills including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One Note, and Outlook) and web-based applications. Aptitude for learning and applying new computer/technology skills. Experience with database programs preferred.
- Self-motivated, independent worker who sets and achieves individual goals, while being an enthusiastic, collaborative team member.
- Demonstrated ability to continually prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment, maintaining a flexible, adaptive approach.
External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled as defined under the Americans With Disabilities Act, must be able to perform the essential job functions (as listed) either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation to be determined by management on a case-by-case basis.
POSITION SPECIFICATIONS:
Full Time
Exempt
Position will require a background check
How to apply
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Apply to jobs@reachoutandread.org
Please, include salary requirements with application and let us know where you heard about the job.
Please, include the job title in the header line of your email.
No phone calls, please.
www.reachoutandread.org
