Chief Program Officer

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Pace Center for Girls (Pace) envisions a world where all girls and young women have power, in a just and equitable society. Pace provides girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training, and advocacy. Through a successful and proven evidence-based model, focused on the development of critical life, health, and academic skills, Pace has changed the life trajectory of more than 40,000 girls and is recognized as one of the nation’s leading advocates for girls.

Pace invites nominations and applications for a new Chief Program Officer (CPO). The CPO is responsible for the overall implementation and performance of the Pace program models and leads the development, operations, evaluation, and growth of these models. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the CPO is a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and is responsible for leading, developing, strengthening, and managing a comprehensive array of program services. The CPO leads a diverse team of program leadership staff in the delivery and oversight of the organization’s gender responsive program models across multiple states. The CPO fosters a culture of excellence, caring, purpose, learning, and results aligned with the organization’s nine values and guiding principles and collaborates with partners from the public, private, philanthropic, and non-profit sector to design, implement, evaluate, and scale proven strategies. In partnership with the ELT, the CPO is also responsible for developing new business markets for advancing the work with girls. The successful candidate will thrive in a multi-faceted role in a fast-paced, values-based culture and environment.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Founded in 1985 by Vicki Burke, the first Pace center launched with ten girls in Jacksonville, Florida in response to girls entering the juvenile justice system, often related to trauma. Pace has undergone significant growth in its almost 40-year history, currently with 21 Pace Centers across Florida and an additional 8 outreach sites in Georgia and 5 in South Carolina. Pace’s program model provides academic classes, counseling, and social services to middle and high school girls in center-based settings, schools, or in the local community. Pace works with each girl to build an individualized plan based around their personal goals and academic requirements. Pace helps younger girls progress to transition back to their prior school or a similar situation. Pace works with older high school girls to progress toward graduation and create a plan for continued education or career.

Pace Center for Girls upholds three pillars that lay the foundation for our approach to supporting and equipping girls throughout their journeys:

• Gender Responsive:  The way that girls learn and develop is unique. We create an environment that responds to the needs of the girls so they can feel safe to develop meaningful and trusting relationships and embrace their capability, strength, and autonomy.
• Strengths-Based:  Every girl brings something unique to the table. We focus on developing these unique characteristics, fostering a girl's talents and positive attributes to help her achieve her goals.
• Trauma-Informed:  Trauma can alter the course of a girl's life. Trauma-informed means acknowledging that trauma may be driving unhealthy behaviors and working to help heal and empower girls.

In addition to these three pillars, Pace Center for Girls is built on nine core principles that guide our work: Honor the female spirit; Focus on strengths; Act with integrity and positive intent; Embrace growth and change; Value the wisdom of time; Exhibit courage; Seek excellence; Create partnerships; and Invest in the future.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE NEW CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER

Grounded in program excellence and positive outcomes for girls, the CPO is an executive-level leader tasked with setting organizational and programmatic vision and priorities, strengthening program services, and building a strong and collaborative organizational and program team culture. Following many years of program growth and expansion and the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19, the CPO has a unique opportunity to catalyze its service offerings into the next phase of its journey and deliver the highest quality programming for girls. The CPO will be entrusted to:

Work in tandem with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to cross-collaboratively set and advance program priorities that are aligned with organizational goals.

As a member of the ELT, the CPO will serve as a critical systems thinker, collaborator, and bridge-builder across the organization. With skills in change management and complex decision-making, they will partner with the ELT members and the Board of Trustees to create Pace’s strategic plan and provide leadership and direction to implementing a programmatic vision. They will have an enterprise-level understanding of Pace’s work and actively pursue opportunities to partner and collaborate across the organization to deliver improved programs and services for girls. They will use and interpret financial, program, human resource, and other data to collaboratively make informed, organization-wide decisions and adapt as needed to ensure Pace’s success. They will collaborate with ELT to develop new business markets for expansion, work in partnership with external parties such as agencies, states, and funding partners, and foster effective partnerships, collaborations, and advocacy efforts. The CPO will also serve as an ambassador for Pace at public events, conferences, workshops, and media events.

Develop, refine, and continuously improve Pace’s program model and services to provide an unmatched experience and improved outcomes for girls.

The CPO will demonstrate a deep commitment to achieving the highest outcomes for girls as they lead the development and delivery of program models across multiple sites and states during a critical time in the organization’s history. They will develop and refine program components and services that reflect current and changing external factors, including the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on service delivery. They will work closely with the program team and partners from the public, private, philanthropic, and non-profit sector to design, implement, evaluate, and scale proven program models and strategies. They will translate organizational priorities into practice and remain regularly and meaningfully connected to the day-to-day practice, challenges, and opportunities at Pace’s program sites. They will stay current on research, literature and best practices in multiple fields and be knowledgeable on public policy issues impacting girls and young women.

Foster a strong, positive organizational and program team culture with an emphasis on caring, purpose, learning, and results.

The CPO will inspire and motivate all levels of staff, providing direction, vision, and a sense of possibility to the organization. The CPO will build and uphold a program team culture of caring, purpose, learning, and results that ultimately improves the experience and outcomes for girls. The CPO will supervise and manage a dedicated team of 6 senior program staff at the national office. The CPO will be equipped with an equity-informed approach to management and provide and seek feedback regularly, delegate tasks appropriately, measure staff progress, and provide accountability, support employee development, and recognize individual and team achievements. The CPO will refine the team’s structure and roles, as needed, and work with their team to develop solutions and clear decision-making processes to ensure improved program practice across delivery sites.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

Education and/or Experience and Technical Skills:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field with a Master’s degree strongly preferred or equivalent years of education and relevant experience.
• Previous executive/C-suite level leadership and management experience strongly preferred, preferably at a large-scale or multi-site nonprofit organization.
• Minimum 10 years progressive work experience delivering programs required.
• Experience with youth development required; experience with adolescent mental health, education, and/or gender-responsive programming strongly preferred.
• Experience with scaling program services and process improvement across multiple geographies preferred.
• Strong commitment to and knowledge of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles and practices.
• Advanced relationship management, influence, and collaboration skills required. A proven team player.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and ability to communicate effectively at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Strong quantitative/analytical skills and ability to interpret and use data to drive decision-making.
• Demonstrated business acumen, with a solid understanding of business practices and budget management across a large-scale or multi-site nonprofit.
• Ability to multitask and manage current and emerging issues in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• Ability to work independently under minimal guidance.

Abilities and Attributes:

• Strong collaboration and team orientation.
• Demonstrates empathy, discernment, and good judgement to meet the demands of different situations and the performance needs of all team members.
• Capable of big-picture thinking, able to quickly grasp and understand complex problems and lead teams to solutions.
• Enthusiastic and able to sell ideas and demonstrate a collaborative approach to problem solving.
• Constructively critical and able to confront and tackle conflict head on; can adeptly navigate conflict and ambiguity while remaining composed in the face of adversity.
• Committed to centering the voices and experiences of those most impacted by the issues that the work seeks to address.
• Demonstrated ability to use discretion and make swift and sound decisions when needed.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Takes accountability for decisions, actions, and behaviors.

Other Qualifications:

• Must adhere to Organization Values and Principles.
• Upholds the ethical standards of the Organization.
• Follows policies and procedures of the Organization.
• Must work evenings and weekends as required to fulfill workload requirements.

Location and Travel Requirements

This job is based in Florida and will be required to travel extensively in state and out of state via automobile, plane, or train. Relocation assistance is available.

Compensation

Base compensation for the Chief Program Officer role is low to mid $200,000s. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus with a historical range of 10% to 15% of base compensation, pending individual and organizational performance. Pace offers a rich benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life, mental health, PTO and wellbeing plans, as well as a 403b with a discretionary match.

Physical Demands

The physical demands of this job include manual dexterity; must be able to reach with hands and arms, talk, hear, see, and smell. Frequent standing and walking required. The employee may be required to sit and must occasionally lift and/or move up to fifty pounds.

Work Environment

The work environment can be stressful, fast-paced and requires alertness and flexibility. The noise level is quiet; however, noise can accelerate from moderate to elevated levels.

TO APPLY

More information about Pace Center for Girls can be found at:  www.pacecenter.org

This search is being led by Emily Wexler and Stephanie Guidry of NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s website.

Cultivating a diverse and inclusive team is an essential component of the Pace’s work to advance equity. Candidates of all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.