Reports to: Vice President of Community Impact
Direct Report: Director, Education
FLSA Status: Exempt, Full-Time
WHO WE ARE
Greenville County continues to draw national attention as a popular destination for visitors and a magnet for new development. Despite our success, many people experience a different Greenville. Right now, nearly 60,000 people are experiencing poverty in our county. As the largest poverty-fighting organization in South Carolina, United Way of Greenville County’s unique ability to take on challenges like affordable housing, education, job training, transportation, and other complex community issues—all at the same time—is unmatched.
WHAT WE DO
We mobilize individuals and convene partner agencies, corporations, and community leaders to make broad, systemic change like no other organization can on its own.
United Way values the abilities and perspectives that make each person who they are, empowering our employees to reach higher, think differently, act innovatively, and work collaboratively. People who work here provide the energy, expertise and creativity that is critical to creating the lasting change our community needs—and the opportunities to succeed that everyone deserves.
Vision: A Greenville County where all people have access to the opportunities to achieve their full potential.
Mission: We mobilize people and resources to improve lives, strengthen the community, and advance equity for the benefit of all.
Impact: As a funder, partner and convener, United Way of Greenville County works with the entire community to build resources, focus investments, and foster partnerships that create lasting solutions to big community problems.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Director of Education is a key member of the Community Impact Team with responsibility for strengthening and managing relationships with community providers working to achieve the United Way Theory of Change. The Director of Education also strives to achieve positive outcomes by leveraging individual and organizational relationships.
Key Relationships:
External: United Way funded partners, strategic partners, foundation staff, Greenville County’s corporate, civic, volunteer, community, and religious leaders. Local, state, and federal agency leaders and key staff. United Way national network leaders.
Internal: Volunteer groups associated with Education, including Community Impact Committee volunteers, United Way staff, OnTrack Greenville staff, Greenville Racial Equity and Economic Mobility (REEM) Commission staff.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITES
Investment and Impact Management
• Serves as a strategic community liaison providing leadership to UWGC strategic community partners funded in education, including participation in the investment process.
• Manages education initiatives, executes detailed project plans, and ensures resource accessibility/availability to achieve equitable outcomes.
• Serves as a thought leader in the areas of education, identifying and championing strategies and processes for furthering UWGC’s community impact.
• Researches, collects, and utilizes best practices and relevant data to identify and address disparities in education, as a primary factor of economic mobility.
• Works closely with OnTrack Greenville on strategic objectives to identify county-wide and location-specific needs and implement solutions.
• Cross-functionally, develops and oversees measurement framework to ensure documentation of targets and regularly scheduled review of data measuring Community Impact program efficacy. Evaluates progress and determines if recalibration is necessary. Ensures that problems are addressed quickly, and appropriate measures are taken.
Relationship Management
• Develops and builds relationships that bring partners and stakeholders together to influence systems change. Maintains knowledge of current and evolving community needs and resources, as well as community impact trends. Ensures frequent and ongoing input from community.
• Maintains a current understanding of and effectively articulates United Way of Greenville County’s How We Win, impact initiatives, and results. Participates in appropriate internal and external committees in support of United Way of Greenville County’s Community Impact work.
• Convenes and connects relevant influencers to develop strategic and tactical partnerships that increase the odds of upward economic mobility. Navigates often complex, multi-faceted relationships with public, private, funded, and unfunded partners.
• Proactively responds to and resolves issues regarding funding, staffing, capacity, local community need, and other barriers. As needed, appropriately engages senior leadership to respond to and resolve issues.
• Creates and maintains a culture of collaboration, trust, and accountability between community partners and United Way staff. Serves as an effective ambassador of United Way programs and initiatives.
Internal Leadership
• Advises fundraising teams in securing resources and aligning grant funding. Effectively communicates strategic direction, investment priorities, and community impact to internal and external audiences.
• Works with teammates to develop an annual line-item budget for education initiatives. Provides oversight and monitoring for initiative budgets.
• Performs other duties as requested by supervisor.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Minimum of five years of related professional experience.
• Experience in strategic thinking, program development, volunteer management, research, evaluation, and report writing.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Experience with meeting facilitation, public speaking, and training.
• Knowledge and use of current Microsoft Office and its applications. Database experience a plus.
UNITED WAY CORE COMPETENCIES FOR ALL STAFF
● Mission-Focused: Catalyze others’ commitment to mission to create real social change that leads to better lives and healthier communities. This drives their performance and professional motivations.
● Relationship-Oriented: Understands that people come before process and is astute in cultivating and managing relationships toward a common goal.
● Collaborator: understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community and can mobilize resources (financial and human) through meaningful engagement.
● Results-Driven: Dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good; creating, resourcing, scaling, and leveraging strategies and innovations for broad investment and impact.
● Brand Steward: Steward of the brand and understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation and results of the greater network.