Phoenix Union High School District Partnership

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. Through strong alignment between education, business, and community, 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 (Chamber) is the leading business organization for the Greater Phoenix region. We catalyze regional prosperity with forward-thinking public policy, intentional economic growth and diverse, prepared talent. We accomplish this by building a policy environment where businesses thrive, serving as a resource and voice for AZ economic data and policy, and developing and attracting a skilled, talented, diverse workforce to meet demands of growth industries.

ElevateEdAZ
ElevateEdAZ is an initiative of the Foundation, in partnership with public school districts, high schools and charter schools, intended to increase the number of students completing high-quality education-to-workforce learning pathways and improve student outcomes, better preparing them for college and career.

Who are we looking for today? We are interested in hiring people with a passion for Phoenix and a desire to make the Greater Phoenix region a great place to live, work and play. Ideal candidates will also have a passion for education and working with businesses to define and integrate viable career pathways into Arizona’s education system. Position Summary The Foundation is looking for a District Director (Director) to lead district-level strategies and initiatives for ElevateEdAZ and represent the program throughout the community. The District
Director will join the ElevateEdAZ team to supervise a College and Career Coaches (Coaches) team within Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) and collaborate with the ElevateEdAZ Business Partnership Team and district and school administrators to achieve the objectives of the program.

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 Foundation leadership, the District Director will advance the strategic plan of ElevateEdAZ and the Greater Phoenix Chamber and Foundation. The Director ensures clear, timely communication between the district and ElevateEdAZ, monitors district support and progress in advancing ElevateEdAZ initiatives, and supervises the College and Career Coaches in schools throughout the PXU partnership.

Primary responsibilities are:

1. Ensure a collaborative partnership between the school district and ElevateEdAZ
a. Serve as liaison between the district administrators and ElevateEdAZ/Foundation staff.
b. Conduct regular meetings with district administrators to advance alignment to the ElevateEdAZ strategic plan continually and problem-solve as needed.
c. Collaborate with district administrators to break down barriers impacting student attainment of dual enrollment, industry-recognized credentials, work-based learning, and related priorities.
d. Provide district administrators with data-driven insight to support the addition and expansion of High-Wage, High-Demand Pathways
e. Collaboratively develop pathway improvement plans with district administrators and school administrators to elevate current pathways
f. Provide district administrators with regular updates on ElevateEdAZ initiatives and issues or challenges at district schools that require intervention.
g. Work with district administrators to provide ElevateEdAZ with accurate and timely data as outlined in the district MOU and provide district with data-driven insight to enhance their school’s pathways.
h. Create and provide Monthly Goals and timely reports to ElevateEdAZ leadership on district and school progress and obstacles that may impede success, including tracking and completion of KPI’s.
i. Hire, Onboard, Train, and Represent College and Career 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.

2. Supervise College and Career Coaches in each participating high school within the district.
a. Establish and monitor the progress of Coaches’ annual goals in alignment with ElevateEdAZ’s key objectives:
i. Increase the number of students enrolled in and completing CTE pathways aligned to occupations in High-Wage, High-Demand industry sectors defined by ElevateEdAZ.
ii. Increase attainment of industry-recognized credentials and early post-secondary credit.
iii. Increase the number of students completing a capstone work-based learning experience (job shadows and internships).
iv. Empower educators to reimagine classroom learning through employer-led educator externships.
b. Conduct regular onsite check-ins with each Coach to ensure prioritization of key objectives in day-to-day activities and to measure the progress of ElevateEdAZ’s strategies.
c. Provide Coach with timely, constructive feedback, problem-solve challenges, and remove obstacles that impede Coach’s success.
d. Attend regular meetings with Principals and school administration alongside Coach
e. Manage Coach performance evaluation process under Foundation HR requirements and expectations.

3. Facilitate relationships between district and school leadership and participating businesses
a. Facilitate opportunities for district leaders to establish relationships with businesses in CTE pathways aligned to High-Wage, High-Demand pathways.
b. Demonstrate influential leadership with schools and districts to achieve ElevateEdAZ objectives.
c. 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 be able to work effectively with employers, teachers, school administrators, and Chamber/Foundation staff. The candidate will communicate in a strong, positive, and effective manner, both verbally and non-verbally, and be a self-starter with the ability to sustain and move work forward with minimal direction. The ideal candidate must be well organized with the ability to ensure continuous progress of various projects. The Director is a Foundation employee and is therefore expected to work collaboratively with other departments and be a team player to help accomplish the Chamber’s organizational mission. This position will work from multiple locations, including at the Chamber/Foundation office, School District office, participating schools, and remotely. A typical workday is 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on campus/district and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on office and remote days.

The Foundation is looking for candidates with the following knowledge, skills, and abilities desirable for job success:

• Minimum three-years of experience in school administration, project management, or community relations
• Experience implementing a strategic plan and project management
• Experience managing multiple remote employees is highly preferred
• Experience working in industry is highly preferred
• Understanding of and experience with embedding work-based learning, project-based learning, and/or experiential learning opportunities into the curriculum
• Must have excellent communications skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to establish 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 partners regularly; reliable transportation is necessary
• Must be able to pass a background check, fingerprint clearance, and a drug test

Successful candidates will also be expected to bring the following personal attributes to the position:

• Innovative by continuously looking for ways to improve processes, always for the best use of resources
• Able to think strategically while documenting and implementing plans and goals within their team
• Tenacious and innovative to drive towards solutions when challenges arise
• Takes a diplomatic approach to work and communications and an ability to easily establish credibility among a wide variety of stakeholders (i.e., business, nonprofit, academic, and policy/public sectors)
• Possess the ability to exercise mature judgment, tact, and professionalism
• Collaborates and builds bridges internally/externally; works with others to achieve common goals and possesses the ability to work with all levels of management and leadership both internally and externally
• Executes with excellence by consistently delivering on promises to the highest standards; appreciates and demands quality

Reporting The District Director reports to the Vice President of ElevateEdAZ.

To Apply
Please send your resume and cover letter to hr@phoenixchamber.com by February 28, 2022.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. GPC is an equal opportunity employer. No person will be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, color, age, national origin, disability, or other legally protected classes.