Sr. Director, Organizational Health

Description

WHO WE ARE

In 2020, 11.6 million children in the U.S.—16% of all children nationwide—lived in poverty, and those children were disproportionately children of color. Students living in poverty often have physical and mental health, social-emotional, cognitive, and identity development needs that schools are not equipped to support. Rooted in community for more than 45 years, Communities In Schools (CIS) strives to bring community resources inside public schools, where they are accessible, coordinated, and accountable. CIS Co-Founder Bill Milliken said, “It’s relationships, not programs, that transform children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children.” 

Bill Milliken’s vision is alive through a strong network of trained CIS staff imbedded in schools nationwide building support and relationships inside schools. Today, CIS serves more than 3,500 schools, the overwhelming majority are Title I-eligible schools across two channels: (1) independent affiliates and (2) licensed partnerships. Grounded in the power of transformative relationships to unlock a young person’s potential, CIS has a national, research-based history of delivering local results that support improved student relationships with adults, better-quality relationships with peers, and increased engagement and sense of belonging. These outcomes lead to improved attendance, improved academic success, and improved on-time high school graduation rates. 

MISSION AND VALUES 

Communities In Schools (CIS) is “all-in” for kids. It is our passion—it is our mission. At the National Office, CIS collaborates with local affiliate organizations to provide resources and create communities of caring adults who work hand-in-hand with educators to make sure young people have the tools they need to stay in school and achieve in life. We are the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, and we achieve our mission by hiring bright, creative, and innovative team members who demonstrate a passion for what they do. 

‘Within the national office, we foster a culture inspired by our mission, our values of integrity, accountability, equity, collaboration, and excellence, and a commitment to Equity, and Inclusion. Our culture is centered on three core tenants:  

• We acknowledge contributions and perspectives. 
• We collaborate across roles and departments. 
• We honor a whole-person approach and encourage balance. 

We aim to create a psychologically safe environment where relationships matter, and mutual respect is paramount.  

ABOUT THE ROLE

Do you have experience building, aligning, and scaling systems that strengthen and sustain thriving affiliates across a complex national network?

The Sr. Director, Organization Health (Org Health), reports directly to the VP, Org Health, and leads the vision, strategy, and execution of organizational health across the national affiliate network by setting direction, building systems, and ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery of support through the Network Activation Team. Experience will focus on building, aligning, and scaling systems that strengthen and sustain thriving affiliates across a complex national network. This role is accountable for scaling organizational health practices, strengthening leadership pipelines, and driving alignment between national priorities and affiliate execution.

The Sr. Director enables Network Activation team members to deliver differentiated, high-impact support while ensuring consistency, accountability, and continuous improvement across the network and focuses on enterprise-level strategy, cross-functional alignment, and long-term capacity building to foster resilient, high-performing, and equitable organizations across the network.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Drive Network Activation Strategy and Team Leadership

• Lead the overall network activation strategy, ensuring strong alignment between affiliates and the national office. 
• Partner with internal departments to ensure coordinated, streamlined affiliate engagement and support. 
• Remove barriers and improve systems that impact affiliate experience and network connectivity. 
• Set the strategic direction, priorities, and operating model for the Network Activation Team. 
• Lead, manage, and develop Network Activation team members, ensuring clarity of roles, expectations, and measurable goals. 
• Design accountability systems to ensure consistent, high-quality support across regions. 
• Coach team on complex leadership situations, regional strategy, and executive-level engagement. 
• Oversee team resourcing, workload distribution,