Ready Readers
Position Description: Ready Readers Executive Director
Reports To: President of the Board of Directors
Job Summary
The Organization:
Our mission: Ready Readers prepares preschool-age children living in low-income communities to become readers by reading aloud to them, providing high-quality books, and offering literacy-related experiences.
Ready Readers is the premiere early literacy organization in St. Louis with a model program that provides children living in low-income communities with a strong foundation in early literacy so that they enter kindergarten ready to read. Research shows that access to high-quality books, as well as hearing books read aloud, builds a foundation for a young child’s future success in school. For 21 years, Ready Readers has provided an outcome-based early literacy program to preschoolers in in low-income communities throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. Each week, more than 500 volunteer Readers visit the classrooms of more than 10,000 children, ages 5 and younger. The Readers engage the children by reading quality books weekly and giving each child seven books to take home and keep throughout the year.
Services are delivered with a staff of 6 full-time and 1 part-time employees. The current annual budget is over a $1,000,000. To learn more about Ready Readers, please visit: www.readyreaders.org.
Position Overview:
Over the past 21 years, Ready Readers has had two successful Executive Directors, each working in the position for approximately 10 years. Ready Readers seeks an Executive Director with experience in fundraising, nonprofit administration, human resources including supervising employees, program oversight, and community outreach. The Executive Director must show a passion for the mission.
Primary Responsibilities:
1. Fundraising. The Executive Director manages the pursuit of funds from public and private sources to fund the budget as established by the Board of Directors and will:
- Proactively build and maintain positive relationships with current and potential funders, including private donors, charitable foundations, public funders and other community groups;
- Manage potential sources of funding, and prepare and present proposals and grant applications;
- Oversee fundraising efforts including events and a major giving campaign; and
- Assure that financial agreements with and commitments to all grantors are appropriately handled and fulfilled.
2. Administration. The Executive Director shall support the fiduciary, legal and ethical well-being of the organization by overseeing its administration and will:
- Promote the organization’s commitment to its mission and mission-related activities through volunteer recruitment, public speaking and appearances;
- Facilitate the organization’s strategic plan;
- Manage the fiscal year budget and strategic initiatives approved by the Board or the Executive Committee;
- Ensure that Ready Readers adheres to applicable federal/state/local laws, as well as the organization’s by-laws and committee charters;
- Adhere to approved accounting practices;
- Procure and manage administrative support resources including office space, supplies and equipment; and
- Provide necessary support for the Board of Directors, including:Identifying and cultivating possible new Board members;
- Organizing Board and Board committee meetings;
- Regularly communicating with Board members regarding program developments and Board-related activities; and
- Generating reports as requested by the Board and other authoritative bodies.
3. Human Resources. The Executive Director shall:
- Oversee the human resource requirements of the organization by developing and maintaining an effective human resource system, including Board-approved personnel policies and procedures.
- Assess personnel needs and recruit, hire, annually review, discipline and separate employees, in accordance with the organization’s personnel policies and procedures.
4. Program Oversight. The Executive Director shall guide the development, direction and support of quality programs and will:
- Assure that vision, mission and strategy are well understood at all levels of the organization;
- Assure that a high-performing, diverse “team” culture evolves based on goals related to quality and continuous improvement;
- Assure that mechanisms are in place to effectively develop staff at all levels;
- Supervise the execution of the program;
- Develop and maintain processes that ensure the provision of quality reading services and quality books to preschool children served by the organization;
- Ensure that the program is evaluated annually, or as deemed necessary by the Board of Directors; and
- Continue to explore additional strategic initiatives and programs that will improve the early literacy outcomes of the children served.
5. Marketing. The Executive Director will:
- Oversee marketing efforts including friend-raising events, strategic partnerships, awareness campaigns and promotional opportunities; and
- Participate in and contribute to region-wide early literacy organizations, initiatives, and outreach.
Required and Preferred Education, Experience and Skills
The successful candidate must:
- Demonstrate a passion for the Ready Readers mission, and a commitment to literacy through prior professional and/or personal time experience in the field of literacy. Previous experience in early childhood education is strongly preferred;
- Have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher (required);
- Have at least three (3) years of non-profit experience strongly preferred, showing experience and expertise with progressive leadership roles in non-profit management, including experience in managing staff, collaborating with a Board of Directors, implementing strategy, fundraising, and overseeing financial aspects of non-profits and program oversight;
- Demonstrate a commitment to diversity and outreach to underserved populations;
- Possess excellent verbal and written communication; pay strong attention to detail and follow-through; have exceptional organizational and time management skills; be a strategic thinker; have the ability to coordinate and prioritize multiple tasks, set deadlines; and complete projects in a timely manner while maintaining high levels of performance; and
- Be proficient in a Microsoft Office environment.
Work Environment
This is a full-time, exempt position and includes health care, vacation and holiday pay.
The Executive Director will be based in the Ready Readers office.
This position requires a time commitment outside of traditional work hours to meet with potential donors, attend fundraising events, attend local literacy events and attend Ready Readers fundraisers and other events. This position does not require frequent travel outside the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Interested? Please send resume with cover letter to:
Executive Director Search Committee Chair
10403 Baur Boulevard, Suite H
St. Louis, MO 63132
Or email: edsearch@readyreaders.org
Type: ED (your last name) in the subject line of the email
