Executive Director- MENTOR MD|DC

ABOUT MENTOR

Potential is equally distributed; opportunity is not. A major driver of healthy development and opportunity is who you know and who’s in your corner. 30 years ago, MENTOR was created to expand that opportunity for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement, serving as the expert and go-to resource on quality mentoring. The result is a more than 10x increase in young people in structured mentoring relationships, from hundreds of thousands to millions. 

Today, MENTOR activates a movement across sectors that is diverse and broad and seeps into every aspect of daily life. MENTOR, in collaboration with its local Affiliates, is connecting and fueling opportunity for young people everywhere they are, from schools to workplaces and beyond through:

•  Providing training and technical assistance to mentoring programs
•  Elevating the mentoring field and leading national recruitment efforts
•  Advocating for increased local, state, and federal investment in mentoring
•  Leading research on the youth mentoring field
•  Fostering collaborations to transform systems. 

MENTOR currently has 24 local Affiliates across the country and three additional Affiliates in development. 

About MENTOR MARYLAND | DC

Maryland MENTOR launched in 2018 out of the recommendations from Baltimore's Promise Mentoring Action Team and Baltimore City Mayor’s Transition Plan. The organization was incubated by the Maryland Out of School Time (MOST) Network. MENTOR And MOST are now sister organizations that share office space, administrative support and collaborate on projects including an annual conference. MENTOR Maryland | DC is fiscally sponsored by the Fund for Educational Excellence.   

In 2021, Maryland MENTOR made a thoughtful and intentional decision to formally expand its footprint and become the MENTOR Maryland | DC serving the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. This consideration was a key part of the planning process and included an opportunity to merge with MentorPrize, a DC based organization with a similar mission to add mentorship opportunities in Washington DC -  increasing the impact and ability to mentor in a broader geographical range. Recently, MENTOR MD | DC has made large strides in programming, events and impact, introducing a new Youth Advisory Leadership Council as well as an in-person Maryland United 4 Youth Conference including over +200 champions for youth across Maryland & DC and multiple mentoring events.

Today, with a budget of over $800,000 and a full time staff of 5 along with the support of AmeriCorps VISTAs, MENTOR Maryland | DC has investments from the Abell Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, T.Rowe Price Foundation along with a variety of other local and national organizations.  

ABOUT THE  EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROLE

MENTOR Maryland | DC seeks a well-connected, experienced, and visionary leader to lead the organization into the next phase of its organizational growth by creating sustainable initiatives to grow and expand the outreach of the work.  

A successful Executive Director will be skilled at and understand the importance of building a staff and board that reflects the socioeconomic and cultural diversity within Maryland and Metro DC area as well as be able to engage with all of its different types of constituencies- rural, urban, suburban and increasingly national. This role will also support determining the changing needs of our mentor relationships. This role will build and strengthen Maryland’s mentoring and youth development networks and partnerships, lead fundraising efforts, and manage staff including AmeriCorps members. While MENTOR Maryland | DC has a substantial footprint in Baltimore City, the organization operates programs statewide and within the District of Columbia. The Executive Director will interact and partner closely with MENTOR National and with other MENTOR Affiliate leaders across the country and serves as a thought partner, grant recipient and implementer for select MENTOR national initiatives.   

Responsibilities 

Vision, Strategy and Leadership

• Executing the current MENTOR Maryland | DC 4 year Strategic Plan (2021-2025) including the major goal of supporting mentoring programs and systems leaders across the Maryland|DC Metropolitan Area while continuing to be forward thinking
• Continue expansion strategy within the region including developing and maximizing current and new partnerships
• Activate a Board of Directors to advance organizational mission, vision, values and outcomes  

Fundraising, Advocacy, and Communications

• Implement a fundraising strategy that builds upon existing relationships with philanthropy and advances opportunities in the Metro DC area. Maximizes opportunities to create joint funding opportunities with partner organizations
• Expands upon existing fundraising strategy within Maryland and Baltimore City to reach new opportunities and continued growth
• Create and execute a marketing and communications plan that elevates the work of MENTOR Maryland | DC iand positions MENTOR Maryland | DC as a key community resource
• Advocate and build public awareness, both individually and with partners, to mobilize leaders for support of youth mentoring at the local and state levels 

Programmatic and Operational Management 

• Implement initiatives and projects that galvanize key stakeholders including mentoring program providers, corporations, government agencies, schools, institutions of higher education, and faith-based organizations and develop the appropriate services, trainings, or technical assistance needed by various sectors
• Hire, supervise, lead and support a diverse staff to deliver on strategic outcomes and maintain a positive climate that attracts and motivates a diverse staff 
• Oversee and approve the aspects of day to day operations, including: financial management, office administration, facilities management, human resources, compliance, and insurance 
• Promote research based best practices in Mentoring and Youth Development including awareness and practice of cultural competence 

Qualifications, Skills, and Attributes

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• Experience with and passion for leading an organization serving youth and/or promoting mentorship 
• Substantial leadership experience, ideally seven plus years in leadership/management capacity, including oversight of the budget process
• Authentic passion for the organization’s mission and desire to foster practices centering equity. A demonstrated commitment to social justice, and racial and gender equity in their work
• Passionate about  and experience centering equity and promoting racial justice in their work
• Knowledge of the Maryland|Metro DC area philanthropic community as demonstrated by a well-developed professional network that stretches into community-based organizations and the youth development space
• Proven fundraising experience (or clearly transferable skills) that can be leveraged to raise monies from corporations, foundations and individual contributors
• Experience working with the private sector a plus, especially experience working with staffing senior level executives
• An entrepreneurial spirit with leadership experience; capable of self-management in a complex environment with multiple stakeholders
• A proven ability to work effectively with a diverse board of directors and volunteer committees 
• Excellent communication, organization, and interpersonal skills including proficiency in public speaking and writing 
• Proven ability to effectively build and maintain healthy partner relationships

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

MENTOR Maryland | DC offers a comprehensive compensation package, with a salary of $120,000- $125,000, commensurate with lived and professional experience.  

The MENTOR Maryland | DC Executive Director must be based in the Baltimore, MD/Washington, DC Metropolitan Area.  The Executive Director will have flexibility to work from home, MENTOR’s offices,  and will travel regionally approximately 15%-20% of the time and nationally as needed.

MAKING THE DECISION TO APPLY

To apply to this position, please prepare a resume plus compelling cover letter and apply through the application portal run by our recruitment partners at Positively Partners. For confidential inquiries or for assistance in completing the application, please contact [email protected].

TIMELINE AND HIRING PROCESS

We will review and respond to all applications received. While subject to change, candidates selected to advance will progress through a process that includes initial conversations with Positively Partners and interviews with members of the MENTOR Maryland | DC Search Committee. Anticipated start date is Spring 2023.

MENTOR Maryland | DC is committed to recruiting and engaging individuals without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, national origin, disability or handicap, sexual orientation or veteran status.