Executive Director

About the Role The Executive Director will collaborate with the Governor's Office to advance systems-change initiatives in partnership with the Office of Early Childhood, the Office of Workforce Strategy, and the Career Pathways Commission. Spearheading SIP's next stage of growth and accelerating its impact across Connecticut, the Executive Director will lead organizational strategy and execution while developing the playbooks to transform early childhood education, career pathways, and workforce development systems, advancing economic and social mobility.

What You'll Do

• Champion Advocacy and Statewide Systems Change: Serve as the primary external face of SIP, building deep, trusting relationships with leaders across government, education, nonprofit, and the private sectors, making connections that maximize impact.

• Lead strategic initiatives, including the redesign of early childhood education systems, the development of innovative education and workforce programs, and improving education and employment outcomes for Connecticut students and workers.

• Champion a vision for economic mobility through prioritizing high-impact opportunities and by incorporating emerging technologies, innovation, data analytics, and industry trends into our core work.

• Translate high-level ideas, strategic plans, and opportunities into concrete actions within a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment.

• Approach challenges with deep curiosity and an entrepreneurial nature, taking calculated risks, such as funding strategic investments or shifting programmatic approaches, to accelerate progress.

• Identify, pursue, and strengthen strategic partnerships that drive meaningful, lasting change in Connecticut.

• Support Nonprofit Innovation and Grassroots Solutions: Create and maintain strong connections with community-based organizations to ensure SIP's work is grounded in proven, grassroots solutions.

• Position SIP as a valued thought partner, influencing diverse cross-sector stakeholders to adopt a growth mindset and collaborate on shared goals.

• Apply effective consulting skills, proven frameworks, and a data-driven approach to drive economic mobility and workforce development outcomes through nonprofit partnerships.

• Recruit, train, and deploy a 200+ network of skilled volunteers who provide strategic consulting to local nonprofits.

• Mobilize Resources and Build Sustainability: Champion our sustainability efforts; develop, steward, and mobilize long-term relationships with investors and networks to unlock philanthropic, public, and private investments.

• Collaborate with the Board of Directors and Director of Development to identify and cultivate new funding opportunities in Connecticut and nationally that are aligned with our goals.

• Anticipate shifts in the philanthropic landscape and seize opportunities that align with our mission and strategic priorities.

• Cultivate an Inspiring, High-Performance Culture Model SIP's core.

What We're Looking For

• Led transformational systems-change initiatives at scale in education or workforce development at the city, state, or national level.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a track record forming effective cross-sector partnerships and building relationships with stakeholders across government, business, and grassroots organizations.
• Experience collaborating with government agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector to drive large-scale change.

Nice to Have Not specified in posting.

Compensation & Benefits Salary and benefits information are not specified in the posting.