Senior Director, College Programs

The Organization

Launched in 2002, Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) is a national nonprofit that is transforming the leadership pipelines of more than 120 leading organizations by driving breakthrough results for individuals and institutions. MLT equips and emboldens high-achieving women and men from underrepresented communities—African American, Latinx, and Native American—to realize their full potential, make a mark, and make a difference. MLT has convened a uniquely powerful and vibrant community of Rising Leaders—8,000 and growing—who propel change throughout our institutions, communities, and nation. Spanning college through mid-career, MLT’s programs empower a new generation of diverse leaders.

College Programs

Our signature college programs consist of the following:

Career Prep is an 18-month leadership development program that equips undergraduates to gain career-accelerating skills not taught in classrooms, cultivate personal clarity and connect with top employers for potential internships and full-time roles. Traditionally, 90%+ of Career Prep Fellows secure full-time offers by graduation.

Key Program Goals and Objectives:

• Provide students with tools to navigate a path to senior leadership
• Elevate the career and economic trajectory of college juniors and seniors
• Help students to understand and exceed the bar for obtaining trajectory-enhancing internships and full-time roles upon graduation through skill-building and leadership development

MLT Ascend is a college success and career preparation program for low-income and first-generation college students from underrepresented communities. MLT Ascend scholars are assigned a coach who provides guidance and accountability to remain on track toward college graduation and launch a fulfilling career.

Position Overview

The Senior Director of College Programs is responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction for the development, implementation, and evaluation of our comprehensive career readiness programs that prepare college students to enter and succeed in the workforce. The Senior Director will set programmatic goals, create the systems and processes for meeting the goals, and delegate work to team members and leaders on the implementation of these systems and processes to meet programmatic goals.

This position is responsible for the outcomes of two college programs: Career Prep and MLT Ascend. The Senior Director leads and develops a team of 5 program directors (4 for Career Prep and 1 for MLT Ascend) to execute the vision of the college programs. Each program director leads a team of coaches who guide students using MLT’s signature playbook for personal and career development. The Career Prep program has a goal of growing to 10K fellows by 2030. Currently, the program has an enrollment of ~1200 fellows up from 500 in 2020.

The ideal candidate is a strong operational leader who has managed both projects and people and is equally comfortable thinking strategically and diving into details. The successful candidate has the demonstrated ability to build and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels, excels in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment, and multi-tasks effectively. The right leader for this role will also have experience growing programs and/or organizations significantly.

The position is remote and reports to the VP of Campus Programs and Partnerships.

Responsibilities

The Senior Director of College Programs will:

• Develop and manage program budgets, ensuring financial sustainability of the program.
• Resolve problems between program teams and other internal stakeholders.
• Develop processes and procedures to ensure the delivery of consistent and high-quality program services.
• Provide leadership and direction to the college programs leadership team and cross-functional teams supporting operations
• Use data to continuously improve program outcomes and ensure the program is meeting the needs of the participants and our partners.
• Apply change, risk, and resource management principles when needed.
• Coordinate with program staff and other stakeholders to create detailed execution plans. This includes deadlines, milestones, processes, and risk mitigation protocols.
• Provide processes for monitoring performance and collaborating with program teams to determine ways to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Develop and oversee program evaluation activities, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Develop and execute the overall strategic vision and growth strategy for College Programs to achieve strong program outcomes and a consistent programmatic experience.

Competencies, Experience, & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in program development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Minimum of 10 years (15 preferred) in program/project management and organizational operations with experience in change management, organizational efficiency/process building and leading medium to large teams
• Must be able to travel and attend program events as well as occasional evenings
• Experience in budget management and financial sustainability
• Excellent presentation, communication (oral and written), and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work with key stakeholders including senior leaders both internally and externally
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exhibited ability to use data in decision making
• Ability to take responsibility for employees’ performance, by setting clear goals and expectations, tracking progress against the goals, ensuring feedback, and addressing performance problems and issues promptly.

MLT is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace, and to modeling the highest degree of health standards for our Fellows, our Partners, and the communities we serve. We expect all MLT employees and contractors to be fully vaccinated - including the booster regimen - against the coronavirus (COVID-19), in accordance with ADA accommodations. Visitors to MLT’s office in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) locations or remote work sites should also expect to comply with this requirement.

Please apply to a position with MLT ONLY if you are willing and able to prove that you are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, regardless of work location.