President and Chief Executive O?cer, MENTOR Texas
 

 

THE OPPORTUNITY ABOUT MENTOR

Potential is equally distributed; opportunity is not. A major driver of healthy development and
opportunity is who you know and who’s in your corner. 30 years ago, MENTOR was created to expand that opportunity for young people by building a youth mentoring ?eld and movement, serving as the expert and go-to resource on quality mentoring. The result is a more than 10x increase in young people in structured mentoring relationships, from hundreds of thousands to millions.
 
Today, MENTOR activates a movement across sectors that is diverse and broad and seeps into every aspect of daily life. MENTOR, in collaboration with its local A?liates, is connecting and fueling opportunity for young people everywhere they are, from schools to workplaces and beyond through:

• Providing training and technical assistance to mentoring programs
• Elevating the mentoring ?eld and leading national recruitment efforts
• Advocating for increased local, state, and federal investment in mentoring
• Leading research on the youth mentoring ?eld
• Fostering collaborations to transform systems.

 
MENTOR currently has 24 local A?liates across the country and three additional A?liates in development, including Texas.
 
Today, we are thrilled to launch MENTOR Texas, project of the United Ways of Texas, in collaboration with MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and a statewide Steering Committee of partners from US Dream Academy, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Antonio, Texas CASA, Boys & Girls Clubs in Texas, North Texas Disability Chamber of Commerce and Fluor Corporation. MENTOR Texas will be an advocate for the expansion of quality mentoring and a resource for mentors and mentoring initiatives across the state.
 
MENTOR Texas will work collaboratively across sectors to support existing and emerging organizations that provide mentoring services to youth by:

• Expanding the capacity of agencies to provide high-quality mentoring programs
• Ensuring quality standards in all mentoring efforts
• Signi?cantly increasing the number of youth in quality mentoring relationships
• Convening local mentoring providers, and promote networking, collaboration, and shared learning
• Leveraging and expand the human, ?nancial, and in-kind resources dedicated to mentoring initiatives

• Expanding the number and types of organizations – nonpro?ts, faith communities, corporations, schools, civic groups, and universities – that are equipped to start, manage, and expand a mentoring initiative
• Advocating for legislation, policies, and funding that support the mentoring movement locally and statewide.

MENTOR Texas will play an important role in building the state’s mentor base, coordinating and streamlining existing mentoring efforts where services are overlapping, identifying funding streams to reach youth in communities not currently reached, and connecting organizations to high-quality training opportunities delivered through an equity lens.
 
We seek a well-connected, experienced, visionary leader to launch MENTOR Texas. The President and CEO will be instrumental in developing the statewide strategic plan, engaging a broad cross-section of stakeholders to support the work, and building a sustainable and effective initiative. A successful President and CEO will build and strengthen mentoring and youth development networks and partnerships, lead fundraising efforts, and inspire a team of senior staff. Successful candidates will balance “big picture” strategic thinking with the administrative know-how of a results-oriented manager and a track record of building partnerships and community collaborations. The President and CEO will build a team over the next several years, adding at least two leaders within the state, as well as growing a team of staff and consultants to support the effective implementation of the strategic plan.
 
The MENTOR Texas President and CEO will report to the Chair of the MENTOR TX Board and work closely with the United Ways of Texas as ?scal sponsor.  As President, they will act as a key member of the Advisory Board. As Chief Executive O?cer, they will oversee the nascent organization as it moves towards greater autonomy in the next 3-5 years. To learn more about the need and opportunity ahead of MENTOR Texas, please click h  ere to read the feasibility overview.
 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

 
Strategy and Leadership

• Spearhead the strategic planning and start-up effort of MENTOR Texas in partnership with local stakeholders including philanthropy, nonpro?t organizations, corporate executives and government agencies to guide the organizational plan, benchmarks, and outcomes
• Develop, maintain, and support a strong governance committee of key donors; serve as ex-o?cio and seek and build committee involvement with strategic direction
• Develop, maintain, support and grow the MENTOR Texas Advisory Board

 
 

Fundraising, Advocacy, and Communications

• In partnership with MENTOR’s national fundraising team, create and implement a fundraising strategy that builds on existing relationships with philanthropy, supports the implementation of the strategic plan, and leads to organizational sustainability
• Create a marketing and communications plan that elevates the issue of mentoring, drives mentor recruitment, and positions MENTOR Texas as a key community resource
• Advocate and build public awareness, both individually and with partners, to mobilize leaders for support of youth mentoring at the local and state levels with MENTOR Texas and with MENTOR at the federal level

Programmatic and Operational Management

• Implement initiatives and projects that galvanize key stakeholders including mentoring program providers, corporations, government agencies, schools, institutions of higher education, and faith-based organizations and develop the appropriate services, trainings, or technical assistance needed by various sectors
• Hire, supervise, and support staff to deliver on strategic outcomes and maintain a positive climate that attracts and motivates a diverse staff
• Oversee and manage all aspects of day-to-day operations, including ?nancial management, o?ce administration, facilities management, human resources, compliance, and insurance
• Actively participate in MENTOR’s A?liate Network and engage in building competency related to the key core functions of a MENTOR A?liate
• Promote research-based best practices in Mentoring and Youth Development including awareness and practice of cultural competence

 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

 
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the quali?cations and experiences listed below:
 

• Track record of servant leadership with a generosity of spirit that seeks to learn from and understand others in an effort to achieve excellence
• Demonstrated ability to create an inclusive team culture by leveraging team members from diverse backgrounds and with diverse points of view
• Substantial leadership experience, including at least ?ve years of managing a team to reach challenging objectives. Experience working with or within both the Texas state legislature and private sector is a plus.
• Experience with and passion for leading an organization serving youth and/or promoting mentorship
• A proven ability to work effectively with a board of advisors and volunteer committees
• Knowledge of the Texas philanthropic community as demonstrated by a well-developed professional network that stretches into community-based organizations and the youth development space
• Proven fundraising experience (or clearly transferable skills) that can be leveraged to raise monies from corporations, foundations and individual contributors
• Entrepreneurial self-starter; capable of self-management in a complex environment with multiple stakeholders
• Excellent presentation, verbal and written communication skills that can be adapted based on audience
• Strong strategic thinking and organizational development skills with an ability to use data to make decisions and to translate strategy to action

 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

MENTOR Texas offers a comprehensive compensation package, with a salary range of
$140,000-$160,000, commensurate with lived and professional experience.  The President and CEO will receive support in accessing a learning community to support their ongoing professional development. Please click h ere for further information about bene?ts offered to United Way Texas employees.