The Context

Atlanta leads the nation in income inequality and has one of the lowest rates of social mobility in the entire country. In fact, recent research suggests that a child living in poverty in Atlanta has about a four percent chance of moving out of poverty and into a higher income bracket in his or her lifetime.

Despite these odds, Atlanta’s students have dreams for their futures and their families. In 2015, Achieve Atlanta (AATL) was launched by a group of local leaders determined to support these dreams. Coming together initially with the goal of dramatically increasing the number of Atlanta Public School (APS) students who earn a degree. Achieve Atlanta today, inspired by the power of strategic, coordinated action, and using data as the spark for change, has expanded its vision for the future to include eliminating the degree attainment gap in the city, and making Atlanta a place where race and income no longer predict postsecondary success or upward mobility. A new Strategic Plan deepens and augments the organization's programming and support and expands its geographic footprint in the Atlanta Metro area. The Achieve Atlanta team is now growing to lead this exciting next phase of work, and to help us scale organizationally. 

The Work                                                                                                               

In pursuit of its vision, Achieve Atlanta’s mission is to help APS students access, afford, and earn postsecondary credentials. To do this, Achieve Atlanta:

• partners with college advising providers with proven results to serve APS students while they are in high school;
• establishes strategic formal relationships with postsecondary institutions that can successfully serve APS graduates, especially those who are first generation or come from underrepresented populations;
• is progressing along a plan to mobilize broad community support by leveraging data to accelerate collaborations that further college access, persistence, and completion in Atlanta; and
• provides Achieve Atlanta Scholarships to students to reduce financial barriers to college enrollment and completion.

The Results

It’s clear that Achieve Atlanta’s endeavors are yielding significant gains; driving an increase in college enrollment and persistence, creating greater access to financial aid and scholarships, securing meaningful commitments from partners, identifying and removing barriers to college completion, and supporting APS to institutionalize a culture that raises awareness of and encourages the pursuit of postsecondary education, thereby enhancing individual students’ ability to realize their own potential.

The Opportunity 

Achieve Atlanta is seeking its first Vice President, Strategic Operations to oversee and manage the internal systems, financial processes, human capital, cross-functional project management, and data-informed insights that drive the organization’s success. As a key member of our senior leadership, the Vice President will play a critical role in shaping the strategic direction of our organization and driving sustainable growth and impact. Reporting to the President/Executive Director, the Vice President will scale Achieve Atlanta’s strong foundational approaches from start-up to maturity across functional areas to ensure that the processes for strategic planning, budgeting, goal setting, continuous improvement, and human capital are best-in-class and implemented with fidelity.

Primary Responsibilities  

Organizational Leadership and Management: 

• As a key member of Achieve Atlanta’s senior leadership, collaborate with leadership to execute the organization’s strategic vision, leading annual planning, facilitating leadership and team meetings and retreats, and aligning operations with organizational priorities to drive transformative outcomes

• Drive organizational effectiveness through the facilitation of cross-functional collaboration, integrated internal planning, and ownership of quarterly progress monitoring cycles 

• Work closely with the Executive Director to lead mission-critical cross-functional initiatives and ensure a strong approach to project management organizationally 

• Lead, coach, develop, and empower high-performing teams of 9 team members to start (growing to 11 in the coming years), including four direct reports 

• Collaborate across teams to provide aligned support and resources to partners and Scholars for effective service delivery 

Functional Leadership: 

• Oversee the strategy and implementation of the organization’s operations and critical internal functions (Systems/Operations, Finance, Scholarship Administration, Data Analytics & Insights, and Human Capital Management), driving operational excellence and optimizing workflows to enable the organization to grow from start-up to maturity 

• Oversee the full talent life cycle, ensuring it is best-in-class and implemented with fidelity, and particularly building on the organization’s culture of continuous improvement to scale coaching and development initiatives 

• Leverage Achieve Atlanta’s advanced data systems to bring data to life in actionable ways for the team both on a day-to-day basis and at the big-picture level 

• Oversee budget and financial management strategies, ensuring optimal resource allocation, fiscal accountability, long-term fiscal planning, and compliance with organizational and funder requirements 

The Profile 

The ideal candidate for the Vice President, Strategic Operations role will be a seasoned, entrepreneurial leader and people manager who can seamlessly balance big-picture strategy with tactical execution. They will have a proven track record of scaling whole organizations (or functions), fostering a data-driven, action-oriented culture, and optimizing operations. Strong in leadership, coaching, and relationship management, they will be committed to the organization’s vision, mission, and values. With deep expertise in operations, systems, people leadership, and financial processes, they will drive innovative solutions and lead complex projects while engaging stakeholders and making data-driven decisions for continuous improvement. 

Education, Experience & Knowledge 

• 10+ years of cross-functional experience in operations, project management, and strategic planning, with at least 5 years as a senior leader  

• Advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g., MBA, MPA, Education Leadership) 

• Demonstrated ability to scale functional areas or organizations operationally, transitioning from start-up to maturity, with expertise in leading change across finance, talent, and operations 

• Significant experience managing people and leading teams to achieve ambitious goals, including a track record of developing seasoned team members into the next level of leaders 

• Familiarity with the unique challenges of the education and nonprofit sectors, including an understanding of data, culture, and systems in education, and the drivers of postsecondary enrollment and persistence 

• Experience in developing and implementing talent systems for scale 

• Experience using data to drive continuous improvement 

• Previous experience engaging with and advising board members a plus

Skills & Abilities 

Strategic Leadership & Implementation 

• Systems thinker who is able to strategically anticipate future trends and develop innovative solutions with a flexible and entrepreneurial approach 

• Takes an analytical approach to complex problems, synthesizing diverse information and data to develop actionable strategies, with an ability to build organizational capacity to use data in actionable ways 

• Balances strategic vision with successful execution, including through strong cross-functional project management and tactical implementation of the details 

• Entrepreneurial self-starter who drives continuous improvement and is able to pivot as circumstances evolve 

People Management & Talent Development 

• Cultivates a high-performance culture of collaboration and continuous learning that empowers team members, and is able to systematize this at the organizational level 

• Develops talent strategically and builds robust leadership pipelines, aligning individual growth with organizational objectives to achieve ambitious results 

• Deeply understands how to build and lead diverse and inclusive teams, and can serve as an exemplar for other managers 

Relationship-Building & Influence 

• Strong relationship-builder who proactively solicits the views of others before making key decisions and communicates clear and compelling visions effectively, inspiring teams and ensuring strategic cohesion 

• Strong facilitator who is able to build consensus to make decisions, efficiently keep teams on track, and plan and lead deep and challenging discussions 

• Navigates challenging conversations with integrity, building trust and meaningful cross-functional partnerships

Organizational Competencies 

• Mission and Values Driven: Understands how job contributes to the greater mission of AATL; operates within the core values; supports and performs responsibilities with Mission and Vision in mind. 

• Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates awareness of one’s own and others’ emotions, attitudes, biases, belief systems, strengths, and limitations to adjust behavior and thus manage interactions successfully and create a psychologically safe workplace.  

• Strategic Approach: Understands and processes complex information for use in long-term planning and execution. 

• Partnership: Works collaboratively across internal and external boundaries to build relationships and achieve common goals.  

• Growth and Development: Actively seeks to improve skills and knowledge to meet the organization’s vision and commitments, to fulfill current job responsibilities and prepare for future career goals and opportunities.  

• Leading: Takes personal accountability for the organization’s success. 

Organizational Culture 

• Achieve Atlanta is a value-driven organization, grounded in principles that guide everything we do.

Salary and Benefits

• This is a full-time position offering a competitive salary, and comprehensive health, dental, and retirement benefits.

Location 

• Achieve Atlanta currently operates a hybrid model for all staff. Team members work in the office at our downtown Atlanta location for at least two days each week to allow for collaboration and in-person connections. Team members have the flexibility to work the remaining three days from the office, home, or another location. 

Achieve Atlanta is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of qualifications. Achieve Atlanta policy prohibits unlawful discrimination in any employment decision based on pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religious creed, color, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation.