Vice President- Education

DEPARTMENT: Education

REPORTS TO: Chief Operations Officer

COMPENSATION: 120,000-130,000

POSITION SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE:

Actively participates in the advancement of the foundation’s education strategic plan. Communicates the vision of the foundation’s leaders throughout the education department while communicating with all stakeholders. Oversees various aspects of funding and also to further established funding sources. Interacts with the community, local schools, and other potential patrons. Directs Education projects and works with Education team on curriculum design and development and on coordination of new education initiatives, as well as logistics for events and activities, and educational exhibits at traditional and new conferences. Ensures education programs grow in visibility and capacity. Prudently links our education programs to community and industry needs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following briefly describes representative responsibilities of this job, but it is not intended to be a complete or all-inclusive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of this position:

1.

• This is an executive position and will require flexibility and growth in responsibilities. The definition and delegation of these responsibilities will be a task of the position;
• Communicate the vision and goals from the foundation leaders throughout the education department and ensure that the department maintains and continually revisits these goals and vision;
• Responsible for guiding and directing of curriculum creation, teaching of activities, and the day-to-day operations for all Formal Space Education programs;
• Facilitate the relationship between the formal education department and all other departments in the Space Foundation;
• Oversee and delegate the monitoring of educator schedules;
• Design sustainable systems that support redundancy with educators in order to meet the needs of the philanthropy and sales departments;
• Supervise an on-boarding training program, empowering educators to train each other and develop themselves to meet the needs of future educational programs;
• Maintain and develop relationships with funding sources;
• Maintain and develop relationships with all stakeholders;
• Work closely with the those leading the sales process, including selling programming and monitoring steps of the sales and execution process;
• Work closely with the grant management team in identifying and preparing proposals, monitoring and reporting grant activities, and other donor program management;
• Communicate with project managers to support foundation programming and goals;
• Market the education programs, building relationships, establishing new sponsors, developing local and event funding;
• Supervise and delegate responsibilities during audits;
• Anticipate needs of the education department through continuous communication with all stakeholders inside and outside of the foundation;
• Developing/updating job descriptions and managing performance expectations;
• Approve final reviews of educators in the formal education department and other employees as needed;
• Clearly communicate expectations, objectives, and plans for improvement;
• Supervise development of educators to grow based on their career and leadership goals;
• Develop new organizational structures as the department grows;
• Understand the needs in human resources, supplies, and other logistics as they facilitate growth of the education department according to the vision of the foundation leaders;
• Flexibility to support educational programs as needed;
• Manage budget and forecasting needs for education department;
• Understand all aspects of formal and informal educational program provided by the foundation to meet the needs of education partners;
• Analyze data obtained by educator departments in order to improve and adjust programming;
• Present results of education department goals to foundation leadership;
• Valid passport or willingness to obtain a valid passport for potential international travel;
• May perform other duties as assigned

2.

• Supervises the creation of space inspired curriculum, teacher professional development, teaching of activities and the day-to-day operations for the following Space Foundation. Examples of current programs; however, new programs are being developed to meet the needs of the growing space ecosystem.
• Discover the Universe field trip program (Science On a Sphere)
• Missions in the Mars Robotics Laboratory
• Missions in the AGI Space Missions Simulation Laboratory
• Missions in the Battelle Underwater Drone Laboratory
• Space in the Community outreach program
• Space Symposium or other trade shows or conferences
• Explore Space Experience summer program
• Other education programs or projects for our education partners across the US or around the world as directed by the Vice President-Education

COMPETENCIES:

The following briefly describes knowledge, skills, abilities and characteristics associated with this position, including any required experience, education, licensure, certification, or combination thereof:

• A minimum Master of Arts Degree in an educational program focus and completion of an administrative program;
• If this requirement cannot be met, an MS may be considered based on experience;
• Preferred degree in curriculum development;

• A Doctorate in Educational Leadership or equivalent program focus preferred;
• Experience at the University/College level preferred;
• Experience in an education administrative role;
• Experience supervising and leading educators in curriculum development and evaluation.
• Have a working understanding with the NextGen Science k-12 Standards and have a vision to support going beyond these standards in order to grow the education department at an international level;
• Ability to delegate, oversee, and write grants on behalf of the foundation;
• Ability to communicate and support the vision of the Space Foundation’s leaders and work as a part of refining and expanding this vision;
• Ability to effectively delegate and make decision in a high-paced environment;
• Proven record of supporting STEAM educators;
• Must have an understanding of systems and large organizations in order to find leverage points for growth and a positive organizational culture;
• Ability to coach others, mediate conflict, model high-level leadership skills and integrity as required;
• Model a solutions mindset for dynamic and exciting problem-solving;
• Ability to analyze data and create strategies for continued improvement;
• Strong communication and cooperation skills, maintaining diplomacy under various and sometimes challenging circumstances;
• A flexible vision that will grow with the organization;
• Successfully delegates and manages multiple projects at a time;
• Strong cross-cultural communication skills in order to communicate with international clients.

This position requires a strong leader with experience in leading educators. S/he must possess the confidence to continue executing the mission and vision of the Space Foundation when working independently. S/he must have proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office 365 for the execution of job performance tasks. S/he must be able to set priorities and meet goals in several areas, simultaneously, be able to track and delegate an event from start to finish and provide after-action follow-up. This position requires a person who is forward thinking and has excellent verbal and written communication skills. S/he must diplomatically respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community. S/he must have the ability to compose written items for publication that conform to the prescribed style and format used at the Space Foundation. S/he must also be able to effectively present information to top management, public groups and/or boards of directors.

The elements of this position require an individual who is charismatic and outgoing when meeting people. S/he must be adept at effective relationship building and have good interpersonal and leadership skills. S/he must be organized and effective in managing multiple competing priorities and must have a thorough understanding of the National Education Standards as well as the ability to research and understand education standards of other countries. S/he must be able to quickly grasp new concepts and implement as directed. S/he must be self-disciplined, a self-starter, and must be flexible in adapting to changing schedules and deadlines. S/he must be able to attend to all details of a project, regardless of scope, and must be proactive in dealing with projects and be results-oriented.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Individuals in this position will generally work indoors, and will have a workspace designated solely for him/her. Necessary office furnishings, equipment and supplies will be provided by the Foundation. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may periodically be required to work outdoors and would be exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The employee may periodically be required to work in an offsite environment or at special events, and from time-to-time may be asked to travel on Foundation business (including international travel), at the Foundation’s expense. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

JOB STATUS:

• FLSA Classification: This position is exempt according to the guidelines of the Fair Labor Standards Act and, as such, an individual in this position is not eligible to receive overtime pay.

• Full- or Part-Time: This position is full-time in nature. An individual in this position will regularly work a schedule consisting of 40 hours per week.

• Work Location: This position’s primary work site is the office located in Colorado Springs, CO. The nature and responsibilities of this position are such that it is not eligible for alternative worksite arrangements, such as working from home or telecommuting, on a consistent or recurring basis.

• Work Schedule: Usual business days are Monday through Friday, holidays excepted, and usual business hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. in the time zone in which the position is located. The nature and responsibilities of this position are such that it is not eligible for flexible work scheduling, such as 4-day work week or alternate start/end times, on a consistent or recurring basis.* At times, weekend and evening events may occur and need your support.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time