Use your ability to develop innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems, your executive advising skills, and your strong organizational leadership skills to ensure that young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. 

We are seeking a Partner, Strategic Advising to guide executive teams in building compelling and actionable strategies that accelerate equity and excellence. In addition to providing day-to-day management of Strategic Advising projects and teams, the Partner brings a “business owner” mindset to the organization and supports Bellwether’s growth and strategy.

We are a remote-first team, and our work is national in scope, which means this role can be based anywhere in the United States. This enables us to hire the best person for the role, regardless of geography. We also offer a flexible office if an employee lives near our physical co-working space in Washington, D.C., and is interested in a hybrid work model. Travel up to approximately 20% to 30% may be required.

About Bellwether 

We are a national nonprofit that exists to transform education to ensure that systemically marginalized young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. We work hand-in-hand with a diverse range of education organizations to accelerate their impact, inform and influence policy and program design, and share what we learn along the way.

Our Strategic Advising team supports education organizations — districts, states, charters, nonprofits, and foundations — in developing ambitious plans to increase their impact and solve their most critical strategic challenges. We develop highly actionable plans in partnership with the leadership teams who own and implement the plans.

Responsibilities

This role will include the following key responsibilities:

Client Engagement

• Build, sustain, and cultivate strong relationships with our clients in partnership with project team members.
• Serve as a trusted resource and advisor, helping our clients solve organizational or strategic challenges and build strong ownership of plans across client teams.
• Lead iterative processes that enable joint problem-solving and inclusive decision-making with clients and teams.
• Ensure that clients’ needs are met from the beginning to the end of each engagement, and intervene if needed to course-correct during a project.

Team Leadership

• Foster a culture that supports our core values, including our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as well as viewpoint diversity.
• Guide Bellwether teams to help clients achieve outstanding results through rigorous, practical, and tailored advice.
• Supervise, manage, and develop the Strategic Advising team’s leaders and managers to ensure strong functioning of project teams, including the coaching, professional development, and mentoring of strong, mission-aligned staff.

Client Development, Fundraising, and Network Cultivation

• Tell Bellwether’s story in compelling ways, describing who we are, what makes us unique, and why our work is impactful to organizations.
• Collaborate with Bellwether’s partners on client development efforts, eventually increasing self-directed business development.
• Initiate, cultivate, and extend strategic relationships, with an emphasis on developing new partnerships.
• Leverage and expand your personal network with senior executives, funders, and other leaders in the field.
• Represent Bellwether externally (as appropriate to your expertise), including but not limited to speaking at conferences, participating on panels, and writing articles and opinion pieces.

Senior Leadership

• Serve as a key member of the Bellwether partner team, supporting the development of our own high-impact business strategies and the implementation of these plans with a focus on exceptional quality.
• Guide the strategic direction of the Strategic Advising practice area, including participating in annual planning and goal setting, leading critical internal initiatives, and engaging in hiring and onboarding to build a diverse team.
• Serve as a steward of the organization’s culture and shared values.

Qualifications

Bellwether is a good fit for professionals who possess strong personal drive and motivation and are resourceful, responsible, tenacious, independent, and self-confident.

In this role, you will bring the following skills with you:

Strategic Problem Solver and Learner

• You enjoy developing innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.
• You have an empirical mind, and you like to roll up your sleeves and work hard to understand what the evidence and data are telling you about the current state of your clients’ work.
• You are a self-starter who likes to have several things going on at once. You are able to balance competing priorities.
• You are always reflecting on your work and your development as a leader, assessing your own strengths and growth areas and openly seeking feedback.
• You are a learner first, seeking to fully understand clients’ issues, seeking out new areas in the field, and keeping abreast of challenges that people are trying to solve. You’re constantly on a journey to expand your knowledge base.
• You demonstrate excellent execution and leadership skills, including acute attention to detail, and can balance overarching goals with detailed steps to achieve your objectives.

Extraordinary Influencer and Connector

• Connecting purposefully and intentionally with others in various ways is clearly a strength in your repertoire of skills as an executive and leader. You express yourself with clarity, respect, and awareness in conversations and interactions with others.
• You build trust and credibility through transparency and authenticity in your communication with staff and clients.
• You listen compassionately with an open mind — seeking to fully understand clients’ needs before recommending any direction forward.
• Cultivating relationships has been a focus for you at every stage of your leadership journey. You recognize the power and exponential nature of connections.

Inclusive Leader

• You model cultural fluency and sensitivity to establish a culture and mindset of growth to help meet the needs of diverse staff and clients.
• Either through personal experience or empathy, you solicit, elevate, understand, and value the perspectives of a wide variety of stakeholders.
• You seek out and build authentic relationships across lines of difference (race, gender, age, political viewpoint, socioeconomic background, LGBTQ status, etc.) through self-reflection, empathy, and a clear personal identity.
• You are confident addressing matters of equity, race, and bias in decision-making with clarity, confidence, openness, empathy, and a historical context.

Culture Keeper

• As a leader, your words and actions are consistent. You demonstrate trust in and respect for others no matter what. You understand deeply that trust must be earned.
• You keep confidences, accept responsibility, maintain transparency, and lead by example.
• You astutely assess team strengths and challenges and foster a working environment where all voices are valued, team members’ strengths are elevated, and team members can enjoy work while making a positive impact.
• You are known for your impeccable work ethic, accountability, and follow-through.

Excited? We are too. You should apply if you have:

• Experience with the challenges and disparities in PreK-postsecondary education and workforce readiness in the United States, especially with regard to students historically denied opportunities based on race, ethnicity, or income.
• A minimum of 15 years of professional experience, including senior leadership experience in an entrepreneurial, innovative environment.
• A commitment to Bellwether’s core values, including diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as viewpoint diversity.
• A commitment to our work of addressing policies and practices that lead to inequitable outcomes for marginalized young people.
• A track record of problem solving, strategic planning, and experience in an executive leadership role (in business, education, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector). Bonus points for advisory or client services experience.
• Experience translating recommendations into action and well-developed persuasion skills, and are comfortable working with others.
• A strong network of relationships with senior executives of education organizations, funders, and/or policymakers in the field of education reform. Bonus points for experience in business or client development.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to tailor communication to the needs of various stakeholders.
• The ability to model a high degree of reflection and self-awareness, build trusted relationships across lines of difference and positional power, and seek out and respond to perspectives different from your own.
• A highly self-motivated work style and a willingness to proactively take on a leadership role within project teams and the organization.
• A learning mindset and the ability to seek out and synthesize new information.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $225,000 to $270,000 annually, with performance bonus potential of $35,000+ and the opportunity for compensation to increase over time commensurate with performance. While the final offer amount will be determined by multiple factors — including previous experience and content knowledge — and may vary from the stated range, Bellwether is committed to transparency, and all offers align with our compensation philosophy.

Bellwether provides competitive compensation and an attractive benefits package that includes a performance bonus based on individual and firm success, health care coverage, and a 401(k) plan with an employer matching contribution policy.

To Apply

Applications for or inquiries about the position should be directed to Rebecca Gifford Goldberg, Senior Partner and Strategic Advising Practice Leader, online. Use your application — a custom letter of interest and a current résumé — to show us you’ve got the skills we’ve listed or why the skills you have are the ones we actually need. This role has a priority application deadline of January 19, 2024. While we prioritize applications received on or before that date, we will review applications as we receive them until the position is filled. Note: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Bellwether is committed to building a team that reflects the varied backgrounds and experiences of the students we seek to serve. It is important to us that you use your application materials to clearly highlight ways in which your background and experience align with Bellwether’s core values, including our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as viewpoint diversity.

Bellwether is committed to providing equal opportunities. It is our policy to ensure that all individuals with whom we are in contact are not discriminated against based on age, race, ethnicity, color, disability, gender identity, gender expression, political viewpoint, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Further, as described above, Bellwether is committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply.