Black Hills Reads Director

United Way of the Black Hills

Do you have a passion for education and helping children in our community achieve their potential? If so, this is your opportunity to create meaningful change for families in the Black Hills of SD.

This position provides strategic and program leadership for the Black Hills Reads initiative. The initiative is the umbrella for UWBH’s early education efforts as well as part of the National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. The goal is to improve early grade reading success for all Black Hills area children. The Director provides oversight of community-level solutions to improve school readiness, attendance, summer learning, parent engagement, healthy readers, and reading success. Through a collaborative process, you will work with a variety of stakeholders to maintain and expand the initiative and track results.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborates with community and partners to connect and align programs with the initiative’s goals.
• Communicates pertinent information supporting the initiative with the stakeholders and public.
• Develops community-level solutions with a focus on school readiness, summer learning, attendance, school readiness and third grade proficiency.
• Develops and manages grant processes to provide funding to partners to support the initiative.
• Coordinates events for Black Hills area communities to provide support for the initiative.
• Works with our evaluation partner to measure impact of the initiative.
• Provides leadership in the development and implementation of the initiative.
• Act as a spokesperson for United Way of the Black Hills as directed by the Executive Director.
• Represents the United Way of the Black Hills at community activities to enhance the organization’s profile.
• Develops appropriate and inclusive partnerships with civic organizations, community foundations, chambers of commerce, local governments, local media, and other human/health service organizations.

Skills Required:

• Experience working on collaborative projects
• Ability to plan and manage multiple tasks
• Ability to analyze problems and develop and implement creative solutions
• Understands systems-level change, community Impact, and/or collective impact concepts
• Experience facilitating meetings for large groups preferred
• Strong communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills
• Must have the ability to present information and data in written, electronic, and oral forms to diverse target markets
• Advanced computer abilities; Microsoft Office applications; internet literate
• Understanding and application of outcome measurement, program evaluation and planning
• Proven track record of building partnerships with diverse groups
• Ability to work under time and performance pressures efficiently and effectively
• Skill in exercising a high degree of initiative, flexibility, judgment, discretion, and decision making
• Self-starter with a high level of energy
• Passion for early literacy and the mission of the UWBH

Experience Required:

• Candidates should have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related field or 5 years extensive related experience.
• Excellent written, verbal, and communications skills that include proficiency in public speaking.
• A high level of discretion, ability, and accountability to perform tasks without direct supervision.
• Strong working knowledge of local community preferred.