PENCIL Senior Director if Connecter Literacy

Senior Director of Connected Literacy

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Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
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Supervises: Connected Literacy staff, volunteers, AmeriCorps
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Schedule: Part time, seasonal; average 20 hours per week January through June 2023
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Wage Scale: $55 - $70 per hour
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FLSA Status: Non-exempt
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PENCIL’S VISION AND CORE COMMITTMENTS:
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PENCIL exists to create a world where Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) students and teachers have
equitable access to resources and opportunities, empowering students to succeed now and in the future. We
will do this by creating a community that respects the unique perspectives and experiences of all stakeholders
through proactive listening, continuous learning, and tireless advocacy for every student.
Our work is guided by the needs of MNPS, is student centric, and is achieved through intentional partnerships
and tangible engagements.

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As the PENCIL team, we will:
• Be collaborative and inclusive —By encouraging conversations that amplify and uplift the voices of all
students and communities, especially those marginalized by inequitable systems.
• Act with transparency and integrity — By striving to continually educate ourselves, intentionally
recruit and retain diverse staff and stakeholders, and encourage everyone to share their authentic
perspectives and experiences to our work.
• Demonstrate kindness and gratitude— By valuing the unique experiences that each student, staff, and
community member bring to our work.

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The Senior Director of Connected Literacy is responsible for guiding the full team to success by meeting the
requirements of the Connected Literacy grant provided by the State of Tennessee Department of Education
(TDOE), which supports literacy growth in elementary school students at Metro Nashville Public Schools. A
critical element will be to quickly identify all outstanding grant requirements and deadlines and create a
workplan to assure success at those elements within the required timeframe.
This leader will work very closely and collaboratively with MNPS leadership and staff, TDOE staff, and the
PENCIL team to assure program implementation, tracking the number of students served, and quickly working
to resolve challenges to connecting qualified tutors with students. Also, this leader will identify the key

Linking community resources to Nashville Public Schools to help young people achieve academic success and prepare for life.
elements necessary to successfully continue providing tutoring or other academic supports to students once
the TDOE grant ends.
This leader will build relationships with key community partners in order to recruit as many highly qualified
tutor candidates as possible, with a particular focus on education partners training future teachers who need
service/classroom hours as part of their certification program.

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Essential Functions

• Engage collaboratively and frequently with MNPS and TDOE leadership staff to understand programmatic
demands and implementation objectives
• Problem solve quickly in order to connect as many students as possible to qualified tutors
• Understand and creatively solve the challenge of getting students fully enrolled in the TDOE system to
document their participation in the program
• Track tutor completion of required literacy training
• Review service delivery data regularly to assure tracking toward identified service targets
• Weekly share a dashboard with key leaders (MNPS, TDOE, PENCIL) outlining volunteer and teacher
enrollment and student match statistics; outline key activities to grow the numbers of students served
• Build successful relationships within the community to grow a pipeline of tutor candidates with a specific
focus on teacher prep and education programs
• Create accessible documentation of all program process, points of contact, and best practices in order to
assure the program can continue to grow and evolve
• Document all external communications in the designated customer relationship management tool
(Salesforce) in a timely, accurate, and complete manner to assure a full picture of all partnerships, ensuring
that data is kept current at all times
• Manage grant budget in collaboration with the Chief Administrative Officer

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Qualifications:

• EDUCATION – Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree but a Master’s degree is a plus
• SKILLS –
o Proven ability to quickly process data and make decisions
o Outstanding organizational and leadership abilities
o Has demonstrated the ability to thoroughly document workflows and timelines
o Working knowledge of data analysis and performance/operation metrics
o Demonstrable competency in strategic planning and business development
o Excellent interpersonal skills

• EXPERIENCE –

o Minimum of seven years of senior leadership experience with strategic thinking and problem-
solving responsibilities

o Minimum of five years’ experience in creating, documenting, and managing key business or project
functions so all stakeholders can operate at their highest capacity

• CONFIDENTIALITY – ability to manage sensitive information in a professional and confidential manner as
outlined in PENCIL’s Confidentiality Policy
o Strong customer service and interpersonal skills are necessary.
o Able to work independently and proactively without daily instruction is critical but must work in a
team environment as well.

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ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
• Moderate physical activity performing somewhat strenuous activity during volunteer shifts.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to reach/handle items, works with the fingers, and perceives attributes of
objects and materials.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• The employee is required to stand, walk, climb and balance.

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WORK SCHEDULE & HOURS:
This is a part time, seasonal position. Work hours and location can be flexible as long as objectives are met.
DISCLAIMERS:
This job profile is not intended to be all inclusive of tasks required, it is to provide a general description of
essential job responsibilities.
PENCIL is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive
consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

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