President and CEO

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The Data Quality Campaign (DQC), a nonprofit policy and advocacy ... open communication about the measurement of financi
Position Specification Data Quality Campaign President and Chief Executive Officer

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Position Specification President and Chief Executive Officer Data Quality Campaign

The Opportunity The Data Quality Campaign (DQC), a nonprofit policy and advocacy organization, leads the movement to bring every part of the education community together to empower educators, parents, and policymakers with quality information to make decisions that ensure students excel. Over the past decade, DQC has driven national and state policy makers to adopt policies and programs that now provide the infrastructure for better outcomes. With these successes and enabling conditions, the next chapter of DQC will ensure the benefits reach schools and classrooms and have tangible impact. At this critical inflection point, following the transformational leadership of Founder, Aimee Rogstad Guidera, DQC is poised to unleash and amplify its mission. To this end, it now seeks to hire a President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to accelerate the organization’s capacity to enable student achievement. Our Client Launched in 2005 by 10 partner organizations, DQC is the nation’s leading nonpartisan voice on education data policy and use. As the go-to expert and trusted partner for the education field, DQC advocates to change the role of data in education so that every student not only is counted but also counts. Remarkable progress has been made in States over the last decade to ensure that useful data is collected, thanks to dedicated policymakers and advocates. However, in too many communities, those who most need information to help the students they care about, do not have it. DQC is guided by the ultimate belief that when students, parents, educators, and policymakers have the right information to make decisions, students excel. To make this vision a reality, DQC focuses on three goals:  Increasing public understanding of the value of education data.  Ensuring that everyone with a stake in education has timely access to the right information.  Improving the capacity of and conditions for teachers and school leaders to use data to ensure better student outcomes and achievement. All students deserve a great education; one that affords every opportunity for them to grow into knowledgeable and successful adults. But every student has a unique background, unique strengths, and a unique path to college and a career. DQC strives to ensure that everyone with a stake in education— especially families and educators—can access and use quality student data to raise achievement for all students. For more information about the DQC, please visit: www.dataqualitycampaign.org. The Role Reporting to and working with the Board of Directors, the President and CEO has responsibility for leading and managing the Data Quality Campaign’s (DQC) strategic direction and is ultimately responsible for all of the operations and outcomes of the organization. As the leader of an entrepreneurial, fast paced, nonpartisan advocacy organization with 21 employees and a budget of $4.4M, the President and CEO 1

Position Specification

President and Chief Executive Officer Data Quality Campaign

must ensure that the “whole is greater than the pieces” of the organization’s agenda and that DQC continues to be the “go to” resource for state and national policymakers around the effective use of data to improve student achievement and system performance. The President and CEO will:  Set a strategic, coherent vision for the organization; oversee all strategic planning and setting of goals and objectives of the organization.  Provide strategic leadership to policy, communications and operations leads to ensure the organization is on track to meet financial, staffing and advocacy goals.  Strengthen organizational structure, systems, and business practices to accomplish DQC’s mission.  Cultivate a strong and transparent working relationship with the Board of Directors and ensure open communication about the measurement of financial, programmatic, and impact performance against stated milestones and goals.  Provide inspirational leadership and direction to all executives, and ensure the continued development and management of a professional and efficient organization; establish effective decision-making processes that will enable DQC to achieve its long- and short-term goals and objectives.  Cultivate, nurture and maintain strong working relationships with potential and current funders and supporters of DQC to ensure the organization has the funding required to meet its goals.  Leverage DQC’s credibility in the field with partners and funders to take the organization to a higher level of effectiveness and prominence to achieve the organization’s goals.  Engage regularly in education policy discussions with executives and elected and appointed officials to identify trends, efforts and identify opportunities for leveraging the work of the organization.  Build a complex coalition of diverse stakeholders to achieve the organization’s vision.  Identify strategic opportunities for DQC to have a leading role and add value to the field.  Provide intellectual leadership and foster an entrepreneurial environment of creativity and innovation.  Support a culture focused on results-orientation and accountability, so that organizational objectives and defined goals are accomplished and celebrated. Candidate Profile The Data Quality Campaign is seeking a visionary leader of unquestioned intellectual breadth, convening power, and strategic experience. The President and CEO will have outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to represent DQC effectively across a diversity of audiences and communities. S/he will bring demonstrated diplomatic and interpersonal skills in order to credibly manage high profile relationships, including those within government, academia and the private sector, and to raise funds to support the mission and programs of DQC. An accomplished leader of people, the candidate must have the charisma and intellect needed to recruit, retain, motivate, and inspire professional staff, members, and current and prospective partners. S/he will 2

Position Specification

President and Chief Executive Officer Data Quality Campaign

be an active listener, demonstrate respect for others and, in turn, gain their respect. The candidate will be able to decisively build consensus and navigate complex situations with grace and flexibility. S/he must be able to both shape and lead innovative strategies to support visionary ideas and execute against them. The ability to be nimble and manage change to meet the needs of the continuously evolving education policy environment is important. The successful candidate will be expected to enhance and further develop DQC’s relationships with all relevant constituencies, including state offices, related organizations, coalitions, legislators, and policymakers, to enlist support for the effective use of data to improve educational outcomes and should possess proven experience advocating before diverse audiences to build support from constituencies that often have divergent ideological positions. S/he must remain committed to a non-ideological and non-partisan position in order to maintain the credibility DQC has built over a decade across the political and policy spectrum. Correspondingly, s/he must maintain the focus of the organization on evidence-based advocacy, which is a major strategic differentiator and which underpins the credibility of DQC across the ecosystem. S/he must be able to proactively cultivate the relationships needed to ensure DQC’s strategies and ideas are effectively communicated and considered by leaders at the U.S. Department of Education, Capitol Hill and in State governments as well. The successful candidate must exhibit a commitment to the mission and values of DQC and a passion for empowering educators, parents, and policymakers with quality information to make decisions that ensure students excel. S/he will have the credibility to be an inspirational, facilitative, and motivational leader to accomplished and committed staff and partners. In terms of performance and personal competencies, we would highlight the following:  Setting Strategy: The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated record of setting priorities and leading organizations to success. S/he will partner with the Board of Directors to set a strategy for the future of the organization, the direction of programs and partnerships, and plans to reach and exceed strategic goals. S/he will be capable of working with others to develop strategies with differentiated approaches to address disparate audiences, and will demonstrate an awareness of and experience with responding to changing political climates. The successful candidate will be a financially savvy and politically astute leader with the ability to set clear priorities, delegate and guide investment in people and systems.  Evidence-Based Advocacy and Public Policy: S/he will possess a proven ability to develop a comprehensive public policy vision and strategy for an association, academic institution, corporation and/or government entity, and then deliver results. In addition, the candidate should have a strong grasp of the federal, state, and local policymaking processes, including the ability to identify emerging issues and opportunities and to formulate appropriate strategies. S/he must be a creative and independent thinker who can develop and persuasively articulate public policy ideas and solutions that may be different from the prevailing or conventional view. Ideally, the successful candidate will have an in-depth knowledge of education policy and an understanding of how the effective use of education data can transform the education sector. 3

Position Specification

President and Chief Executive Officer Data Quality Campaign

 Above the Partisan Debate and Rhetoric: The ideal candidate will think through issues on the merits, evidence and data, wholly independent of ideology. S/he should view DQC’s work from a non-ideological and nonpartisan lens, seeking out opportunities where there is potential for bipartisan agreement while remaining unafraid of taking unpopular positions.  Leading through Influence and Building Relationships: S/he will have the ability to connect with and work collaboratively with DQC’s partners and stakeholders. S/he will possess the ability to influence internally and externally through informed vision, political skill, and understanding of how to diplomatically influence others. S/he will actively promote DQC to advance the development of appropriate partnerships, locally, nationally, and internationally, in support of its mission.  Resource Development and Communications: S/he will be an inspiring communicator who can articulate and market DQC’s vision, narrative, and direction to a wide audience, including the media, and also be effective in one-on-one settings. The successful candidate will build upon DQC’s current funding base to increase and diversify financial support from foundations, corporations, and other stakeholder groups. S/he will demonstrate the ability to attract and persuade institutions to support the work of DQC with the resources they need to thrive and have an innate understanding of the nuances of partnership, collaboration, and politics.  Management of Teams & Resources: The ideal candidate will demonstrate the leadership necessary to be effective in an organization of highly motivated professionals with a diverse set of skills and perspectives. S/he will foster a culture of accountability and empowerment, convening and leading constituencies from across the organization and partners to achieve excellence. The candidate will have the ability to set priorities decisively, delegate responsibilities, assure accountability, and allocate resources to ensure results. S/he will have a strong commitment to the professional development of staff and a successful track record of recruiting and retaining a diverse team to implement the organization’s vision.  Passion for Education and Shared Values: S/he will have the capacity, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to exemplify DQC’s core mission to bring every part of the education community together to empower educators, parents, and policymakers with quality information to make decisions that ensure students excel. The successful candidate will have a passionate belief in the power of data to improve student achievement and the education system.. Above and beyond the specific background and experience of the President and CEO, s/he will be consistently described by current and former colleagues as follows:  Leadership: A person who carries the mantle of leadership with dignity and humility, who is respectful, who embraces diversity, and who remembers that everyone is important. S/he will be a leader who has the capacity to work well under pressure and in a rapidly changing environment. S/he is equally comfortable in the boardroom and in the field in urban, suburban and rural 4

Position Specification

President and Chief Executive Officer Data Quality Campaign

communities, and should be viewed as approachable and appreciative of the views of others. A person who accepts accountability and who delegates responsibility to empower employees at all levels. A leader who inspires confidence, fosters performance excellence, and generates energy and personal commitment to the organization’s vision, mission, and values. S/he will person with a demonstrated commitment to working with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Finally, the President and CEO should have a demonstrated track record of successfully developing his/her team, creating succession opportunities across an organization.  Intellectual Curiosity, Judgment and Action Orientation: An executive experienced at making sense of ambiguity and in leading transformational change. A creative thinker with business instincts and judgment, who quickly develops an understanding of the organization’s key success factors. A leader who focuses time and attention on the most important issues and priorities, and who knows when to act and then has the will to act. An entrepreneur who sees new possibilities and is willing to take reasonable risks.  Integrity and Self-Awareness: Someone with unquestioned integrity and who is, or will be, respected amongst DQC’s constituencies. A person who can be expected to do the right thing, and whose reputation will contribute to DQC’s reputation. An individual who projects confidence and builds trust from employees to the boardroom table. A person who possesses the emotional intelligence, ability, and inclination to build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. A leader who can listen and communicate with authenticity and humility.  Bridge-Builder: A leader who possesses the ability to communicate DQC’s vision and strategies in a manner that promotes a broad base of understanding and support among internal and external stakeholders. A collaborative problem-solver who understands the nuance of finding common ground. A leader with excellent bipartisan convening and influencing skills.  Results Oriented: S/he will be an executive who sets high standards and objectives for himself or herself, for the leadership team, and for all of DQC’s employees. S/he will be a leader who knows that people are an organization’s biggest asset and that engaging them appropriately will result in better business outcome results. S/he will be outcomes-driven and measures performance through quality metrics. S/he will be a person who believes that the end result is to meet the diverse needs of DQC’s stakeholders and ensure the effective use of data in education to and raise achievement for all students. To Apply Review of nominations and applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. All inquiries, nominations/referrals and applications (including curriculum vitae and letter of interest) should be sent electronically and in confidence to: [email protected].

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