The Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation is seeking a District Director for their ElevateEdAZ initiative, which aims to align education with workforce needs in Arizona. ElevateEdAZ is expanding its impact into additional schools next year, including new school districts.
Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation
The Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation (the Foundation) convenes and catalyzes business, education, and community to enhance college and career readiness, develop a stronger workforce, and build healthier communities throughout Arizona. The Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, leads the charitable and education initiatives of the Greater Phoenix Chamber under the four pillars of education, workforce development, wellness, and research. The Foundation prepares individuals for college and career and serves as an intermediary to convey workforce needs and champion scalable workforce solutions. In addition, the Foundation makes Arizona and the Greater Phoenix region known as destinations for healthy talent and healthy communities through workplace wellness efforts and publishes data-driven research to inform policymakers, business leaders, and the general public.
Greater Phoenix Chamber
The Greater Phoenix Chamber (the Chamber) is the leading business organization for the Greater Phoenix region. The Chamber catalyzes regional prosperity with forward-thinking public policy, intentional economic growth, and diverse, prepared talent. For more, visit: phoenixchamber.com
ElevateEdAZ
An initiative of the Foundation, ElevateEdAZ prepares Arizona students for college and career through stronger alignment between education, business, and the community. ElevateEdAZ is focused on aligning education to workforce learning pathways with the needs of Arizona’s leading industries. Our strategic objectives include increasing the number of students enrolled in and completing high-wage, high-demand career pathways, increasing student attainment of industry-recognized credentials and early post-secondary credit, providing more students with work-based learning experiences, and empowering educators to reimagine classroom learning through educator externships.
Candidate Profile
You have a strong desire to make the Greater Phoenix region a great place to live, work and play. You have a knack for building relationships and driving performance to ensure students have equitable access to college and career opportunities that strengthen local communities through economic mobility. Details matter to you as does the big picture, and you enjoy leading at both levels.
Position Summary:
The Foundation is looking for a District Director (Director) to lead district-level strategies for ElevateEdAZ and represent the initiative and the Foundation throughout the community. The District Director will join the ElevateEdAZ team to support a school district. The District Director will supervise a team of College and Career Coaches (Coaches), collaborate with the ElevateEdAZ Business Partnership Team, and district and school administrators to achieve the strategic objectives of this initiative.
Primary Responsibilities:
The ElevateEdAZ District Director is a vital liaison between the school district and ElevateEdAZ staff to establish a robust and collaborative partnership between the two entities. Alongside the ElevateEdAZ Vice President, the District Director will advance the strategic objectives of ElevateEdAZ and the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation. The Director ensures clear, timely communication between the district and ElevateEdAZ, proactively manages district relationships to advance ElevateEdAZ objectives and closely supervises the Coaches serving district schools and ensuring progress toward the ElevateEdAZ metrics. Primary responsibilities are:
Ensure a collaborative partnership between the school district and ElevateEdAZ, serving as the liaison between district administrators and ElevateEdAZ/Foundation staff.
- Mission driven. Conduct regular meetings with district administrators to ensure adherence and alignment to the ElevateEdAZ strategic objectives.
- Blocking and tackling. Collaborate with district administrators to break down barriers impacting student attainment of dual enrollment, industry-recognized credentials, work-based learning, and related priorities.
- Thought leadership. Provide district administrators with data-driven insight to support the addition and expansion of high-wage, high-demand Pathways. In collaboration with the Director of Pathway Alignment, develop pathway improvement plans with district and school administrators to elevate current pathways.
- Proactive problem-solving. Provide timely reports to ElevateEdAZ leadership on district and school progress and obstacles that may impede success, including tracking and completion of KPI’s. Provide district administrators with regular updates on ElevateEdAZ initiatives and issues or challenges at district schools that require intervention.
- Administrative leadership. Work with district administrators to provide ElevateEdAZ with accurate and timely data as outlined in the district MOU. Hire, onboard, train, and represent Coaches at the district level to ensure they are well-supported at each school and have an appropriate workspace, access to school resources, and other components articulated in the district MOU.
Supervise College and Career Coaches in each partner high school within the district.
- Monitor Coaches’ progress toward success indicators in alignment with ElevateEdAZ’s strategic objectives and metrics:
- Increase the number of students enrolling in and completing CTE pathways aligned to occupations in High-Wage, High-Demand industry sectors as defined by ElevateEdAZ.
- Increase attainment of industry-recognized credentials and early post-secondary credit.
- Increase the number of students completing capstone work-based learning experiences including job shadows and internships.
- Empower educators to reimagine classroom learning through employer-led educator externships.
- Conduct regular on-campus check-ins with each Coach to ensure prioritization of key objectives in day-to-day activities and to measure the progress of ElevateEdAZ’s leading indicators.
- Provide Coach with timely, constructive feedback, problem-solve challenges, and remove obstacles that impede Coach’s success.
- Attend regular meetings with Principals and school administration alongside Coach.
- Manage Coach performance evaluation process under Foundation HR requirements and expectations.
Facilitate relationships between district and school leadership and participating businesses.
- In collaboration with the Business Partnership Team, facilitate opportunities for district leaders to establish relationships with businesses aligned to high-wage, high-demand CTE pathways.
- Galvanize community and business support for ElevateEdAZ. Represent ElevateEdAZ at meetings and events, promoting the importance of high-wage, high-demand pathways.
Candidate Qualifications:
The ideal candidate must have strong leadership skills with the ability to drive team performance to achieve metrics. The Foundation is looking for candidates with the following knowledge, skills, and abilities desirable for job success:
- Minimum three years of business administration or education administration experience
- Experience in project management and/or managing a small to medium-sized team in a hybrid or remote setting is preferred
- Must have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to establish and maintain professional relationships
- Must possess the analytical ability to solve problems, anticipate challenges, and identify opportunities and solutions
- Must be able to interpret data and analyze graphs regarding industry research
- Must be able to provide superior customer service to both internal and external customers at all levels of an organization
- Detail-oriented with the ability to stay organized while handling multiple tasks. Able to work independently with minimal supervision
- Highly motivated to learn, grow professionally, and work in a team environment
- Proficient in all MS Office products
- Must maintain a neat and professional appearance
- Must be able to travel to schools and other partner sites regularly; reliable transportation is necessary
- Must be able to pass a background check, fingerprint clearance, and a drug test
The Director is an employee of the Greater Phoenix Chamber and is therefore expected to work collaboratively with other departments and be a team player to help accomplish the Chamber’s organizational mission. This is a hybrid position working from multiple locations, including at the Chamber office located in Phoenix, school district offices, participating schools, and remotely. A typical workday is 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on campus and district and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on office and remote days.0
Reporting Structure
The District Director reports to the Vice President of ElevateEdAZ.
Benefits and Culture
- Medical, Dental, Vision, and 401(k) with company match
- Life Insurance, Health Savings Account, and Employee Assistant Programs
The Greater Phoenix Chamber and the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation foster a collaborative and inclusive company culture focused on community engagement, economic growth, and workforce development. We prioritize professional development by offering numerous networking opportunities and actively support initiatives that drive regional prosperity. Our culture is characterized by a commitment to diversity, continuous learning, and making a positive impact on the Greater Phoenix community.
