Chief People and Strategy Officer

About MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership

For almost 30 years, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) is the unifying champion for expanding quality youth mentoring relationships in the United States.

We strive to (1) understand, elevate and unite the field, (2) build the evidence base and support for mentoring as a systemic solution, (3) generate, develop, and disseminate evidence-based standards, resources, tools, training and innovations, and (4) drive a larger movement of public and political support for the prioritization of the relationships young people need to strive and thrive - both through mentoring solutions and by aiming to instill mentoring mindset and skills across all who engage with youth. 

MENTOR has developed and supports Affiliates that provide regional, state and local leadership and infrastructure necessary to support the expansion of quality mentoring relationships. Together, we engage with the private, public and nonprofit sectors to address social capital inequities and ensure that all youth have the supportive relationships they need for healthy identity and skill development, navigation and resources, and ultimately striving and thriving in community, school and work.

MENTOR is committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion for all.  We embrace our differences and celebrate our common humanity in advancing the need and transformative power of supportive relationships for our young people. We believe that varied perspectives, experiences, and opinions are central assets in our mission to close the mentoring gap.

About the Position:

As MENTOR enters its fourth decade, the organization is poised to expand its services as part of its recent strategic plan, developed with Deloitte’s Monitor Institute. The plan codifies MENTOR’s focus following a period of growth and reinvention and reflects the evolution of field. It focuses on four pillars: Access, Quality, Public Will, and Systems Innovation. Key to future impact will be the addition of the organization’s first Chief People and Strategy Officer (CPSO). 

The CPSO will lead at the intersection of organizational strategy, staff development, internal communication and teamwork. He/she/they will build coherence across a rapidly growing organization by developing an integrated approach across people, processes and work. They will help drive empowerment and shared ownership and accountability through continuous internal education, communication, and systems enhancement. 

The CPSO will be fiercely focused on ensuring that MENTOR’s greatest asset--its staff--is best positioned to achieve ambitious organizational goals.  They will be responsible for ensuring that MENTOR’s efforts to maximize the talents and contributions of an engaged staff result in high retention, satisfaction and performance as well as to ensure that its infrastructure and systems are sufficient to keep up with the organization’s accelerating complexity and impact.

He/she/they will report to the CEO and work as a member of the Executive Team alongside the CEO, Chief Finance and Administrative Officer and Chief Program Officer.  The CPSO partners with MENTOR’s Executive and Leadership Teams to ensure that the vision for its staff is executed through progressive policies and practice and fully aligned with the overall organizational strategy and values.  The CPSO will supervise a team, including respective staff members who focus on operations, human capital, impact analytics and will work closely with external consultants and strategic partners.  This role is based in MENTOR's Boston-based national office.

Organizational Strategy, Vision and Execution:

• Serve an active, communicative, and present leader of the organization. Provide staff with a strong day-to-day leadership presence.
• Partner with the Executive Team and Board on strategic and human resource planning, allocation, and structure, organizational goal setting, including key performance indicators.  Create a sustainable, cost-effective operational model for near-term and long-term goals.
• Work closely with the CEO to implement, assess, and refine MENTOR’s new strategic plan, coordinating with the organization's leaders through driving cross-functional business processes and interpret long-term plans into short term projects
• Monitor and assess the organization's progress against its strategic goals on an annual basis, providing reporting that can be used by MENTOR’s leadership, Board and staff
• Collaborate with senior leaders to meet strategic goals via communication, workplans and implementation with coordinated accountabilities, objectives, and associated budgets. Identify opportunities to integrate across functional teams; leverage strengths to take advantage of new opportunities and/or to address organizational challenges.
• Collaborate with Chief of Staff in stewarding the planning and execution of biannual team retreats

Steward Organizational Culture and Employee Engagement

• Set the tone for MENTOR’s culture by leading by example, coaching others, especially leaders and managers, and listening deeply to the full team. 
• Execute and continually refresh a talent and HR strategy that is aligned with, and supportive of, MENTOR’s overall vision and goals
• Design and implement an approach to professional learning, including leadership and management practices that align with the organization’s goals and priorities, and the individual and team attributes essential to achieve them
• Design, recommend and implement service delivery strategies, including systems, staff responsibilities and outsourcing opportunities
• Oversee the organization’s total compensation policies and practices, including external benchmarking and calibration
• Ensure compliance with relevant employment laws and regulations

Be an Active Voice for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• Oversee MENTOR’s efforts to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion are primary in all decision making, organizational practices and culture
• In partnership with leadership and the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Action Team, provide vision, leadership, coordination and strategic oversight regarding equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives
• Lead internal work on diversity, equity and inclusion and implement systems and ongoing training designed to encourage sometimes hard but necessary conversations
• Apply a DEI lens to all job design, recruiting, staffing and transition processes and ensure that all systems support the organization’s goals in these areas

Affiliate Support and Engagement

• Create systems and processes across the network to share best practices, provide counsel, and support the ongoing development of strong talent leaders across the portfolio better understand performance, opportunities, and challenges

Qualifications:

We seek a mission-focused, seasoned, strategic, and process-minded leader with experience scaling an organization and being a solutions-oriented member of an executive management team.  The successful candidate will have proven experience leading and inspiring teams of diverse individuals and departments to meet shared goals.  We particularly seek candidates with a background in organizational, strategy, and people development, with the capacity to allocate resources strategically. Successful candidates will demonstrate experience designing and directing complex work projects across multiple service lines. 

The CPSO will have a strong “roll-up-your-sleeves” attitude and the ability to analyze data, have a bias toward action, and adapt initiatives appropriately to efficiently scale the organization while maintaining service levels.  The CPSO will demonstrate a strong sense of how to use technology, data, and systems to improve service and efficiency, reduce costs, drive data-informed decision-making, and enhance employee 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 qualifications and experiences listed below.

• Adept at Change Management + Continuous Improvement: The CPSO will bring a background of managing significant organizational change and staff development, with a focus on continuous improvement and insights into the impacts of these changes on the culture of an organization. They will have practical experience in communicating change to executive leadership and staff within the organization.  The CPSO will have demonstrated success in a fast-paced, collaborative, and learning-oriented environment.
• Experienced Talent Management and Human Resources Leader: The CPSO will be a proven leader with a strong acumen for all human resources and talent management functions.
• Experienced Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader: The CPSO will work to nurture a transparent and compassionate culture where staff feels able to bring their full selves to work, supported and cared for personally and professionally and able to productively and openly engage in critical conversations. This person will uphold the values of equity and inclusion in all systems and policies of the organization.
• Relationship Builder and Collaborator: Critical to success in this role, the CPSO will be skilled at building and sustaining excellent relationships both within and external to MENTOR. S/he/they will be a natural partner with demonstrated ability to connect, build bridges and work collaboratively. This person will be a culture carrier who models passion for the mission, a respect for people and a commitment to moving the organization forward.
• Strategic Partner and Communicator:  The CPSO will model adaptive problem-solving skills across the team, with a focus on strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to articulate a clear and compelling vision and generate buy-in for that vision.

Compensation + Benefits:

This is an outstanding opportunity to contribute to a highly effective nonprofit’s Executive team. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Full benefits include health, dental, 403b, generous vacation, STD/LTD/Life Insurance, pretax transit/parking, and paid professional development.

MENTOR is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Diversity of opinions, experiences, and backgrounds is a key asset.