Director of School and District Partnerships

About Pilot Light

Pilot Light is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 2010 dedicated to supporting and centering students as they learn and advocate for informed choices by bridging the lessons they learn in their classrooms to the foods on their lunch trays, at home, and in their communities.

We are looking for an individual who will join Pilot Light during this exciting time in our growth.

Pilot Light’s teacher-led model is game-changing: through our approach, Pre-K–12th teachers are provided with the support and resources needed to integrate food education into the core curriculum to engage students in classroom learning while also teaching them about food and its importance in their lives.

In 10 years, Pilot Light has grown from one Chicago elementary school to directly reach over 12,000 students. During the pandemic, the organization scaled its offerings nationwide through key partnerships in a virtual environment.

We currently have three major initiatives designed to define and grow the field of classroom-based food education: The Food Education Standards, The Food Education Fellowship (the “Fellowship”), and the Food Education Center (the “Center”).

Food Education Standards

In 2018, Pilot Light convened prominent stakeholders in the fields of food and education to create and publish the first national Food Education Standards, which provide a holistic definition of “food education” and are designed to serve as a framework to support K-12 teachers with lesson development.

The Food Education Fellowship, which launched in the 2019-2020 school year, is designed to build a pipeline of talented teachers providing leadership in food education. Fellowship teachers are committed to delivering weekly integrated food education lessons to their students and partnering with Pilot Light to evaluate its impact on student outcomes. In 2021-2022 the Fellowship will include ~30 teachers, with half in Chicago and half nationwide.

The Food Education Center is a digital platform of instructional materials designed to fully support K-12 teachers with the integration of classroom-based food education across all content areas. All resources are aligned to academic performance standards and Pilot Light’s own Food Education Standards (FES), providing a springboard through which any teacher, school, or district can embrace food education while meeting requirements. The Center now includes 130+ lessons and other resources across three curricula: classroom, Family Meal (for families), and Pilot Light Anywhere, a Pre-K-12th grade literacy-based curriculum that is scoped and sequenced to Pilot Light’s own Food Education Standards. Pilot Light Anywhere is designed to be plug-and-play for implementation in classrooms or e-learning. Since spring 2020, the curriculum has been accessed by 26,000+ users internationally.

Position

The Director of School and District Partnerships is a new full-time position at Pilot Light.

This individual will be primarily responsible for developing and maintaining key stakeholder relationships, including those with schools, districts, and policymakers, to support the wider implementation of Pilot Light programs. This individual will also lead the growth of Pilot Light’s Food Education Center and inform its strategic direction and growth through partnership discussions.

You will work closely with Pilot Light’s Education Director (who leads the Fellowship) to outline the strategic plan for educator, school, and district recruitment and lead its execution through a variety of channels, negotiate contracts with school and district leaders (with support from Pilot Light’s development team), and oversee the launch of new partnerships. Your marketing and outreach to teachers, schools, and districts will be often informed by the Food Education Center’s resources, activities, and analytics, as well as our network of current and former Fellows and teachers. You will collect data to inform your activities and draw on all programming outcomes to drive the strategy, development, and implementation of external-facing activities of the organization. You will also inform the policy goals of the organization through partnerships

As Director of School and District Partnerships, you will be skilled at inspiring, influencing, and engaging people. You will consistently and passionately demonstrate support of the Pilot Light’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values by striving for excellence and contributing to the team.

When it is safe to do so, travel may be required on occasion, as well as attending weekend and evening functions as needed.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Develop, manage, and implement growth and revenue generation strategies designed to position PL offerings for schools, and districts nationwide
Manage Pilot Light’s contract with a major existing national partner
Lead the Food Education Center and inform growth strategy for content and interface
Conduct landscape analyses and research and make recommendations
Support in providing vision and direction for PL curricula
Identify leads on K-12 schools and districts and execute outreach. Examples include: cultivating and prospecting to build relationships with teachers, school district leaders, and partners in food and education
Build rapport with teachers, partners, and school leaders to understand their interest in PL and barriers to implementation
Project manage to ensure the smooth launch of new partners
Leverage social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) and site analytics to engage current and potential teachers and partners in collaboration with Pilot Light’s Marketing Manager
Draw on partners and policy knowledge in food education, nutrition, and school food to inform strategic growth of Pilot Light resources, content, and curriculum
Develop and participate in workshops, press conferences, and public events designed to promote PL goals among educators, policymakers, and the public.
In partnership with Pilot Light’s Executive Director, develop, manage, and implement an advocacy plan designed to promote PL’s Food Education Standards and model; conduct policy analyses and dissemination activities
Advocate for policy priorities and positions, build consensus and implement change by conducting research and outreach
Represent PL within related coalitions at the local, state, and national levels
Contribute to the development of resources and marketing tools, including briefs, newsletters, website content, reports, and presentations

Overarching

Respond in a timely manner to all requests from the PL staff; collaborate on and occasionally lead projects in other departments to support organizational goals as needed.
Help to inform the strategic directions of the organization.
Manage Pilot Light’s Marketing Manager and marketing consultants
Work closely with the Executive Director to provide support with general operations and data management

Qualifications:

At least five years of experience working in K-12 education
Experience writing and executing standards-aligned, objective-driven curriculum
Superior verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex concepts and topics clearly, thoroughly, and succinctly
Experience building relationships, managing pipelines, and finalizing partnerships
Ability to turn data into actionable information and direction
Ability to prioritize tasks and manage concurrent assignments under tight deadlines
Is both a team player and a self-starter, including exceptional organization and time management skills
A high level of enthusiasm, energy, initiative, and drive
Ability to analyze data and effectively present findings to various audiences, including school leaders, teachers, external organizations, policymakers, and funders
Effective communication skills and the ability to engage with a variety of audiences
Experience utilizing social media platforms and site analytics to inform outreach
Experience in a startup environment and/or an understanding that Pilot Light is a small organization and sometimes requires a high degree of flexibility in terms of responsibilities and tasks
Respect and appreciation for the multidisciplinary expertise and talents of others on the Pilot Light team
A background that reflects those of students reached by Pilot Light to amplify their voices
A commitment to Pilot Light’s mission and values

Preferred:

Experience with design-thinking and systems development
Experience with WordPress and Google Suite.
Sales experience
Experience working in nonprofit organizations and/or knowledge of food and health policy

Pilot Light embraces a philosophy that recognizes, values, and actively seeks diversity among its team. We seek to attract, develop, retain and promote a talented diverse workforce in a culture where all employees will contribute to their fullest potential. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, pregnancy or maternity, national origin, status as an individual with disability, age, ancestry, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

Location: The role is open to candidates across the US who wish to work remotely however residence in the Chicago area is strongly preferred.

Position Type: Full-time. $70k-$75k depending on experience.

Start Date: Position currently available.

How to apply:

Interested applicants should complete the survey found at the link below. Please note that you will be required to submit your resume and cover letter through the form:

https://forms.gle/3F6Qk6dsUcr3nFjE9