Center for Education Market Dynamics, Chief Executive Officer

ORGANIZATION 

The Center for Education Market Dynamics (CEMD) is a leading nonprofit K-12 market intelligence organization dedicated to improving academic outcomes for underserved students by expanding the adoption and use of high-quality teaching and learning solutions. In support of this mission, CEMD gathers, translates, and amplifies critical market data - including proprietary district curriculum selection data - so that everyone in this market can make better, faster, more informed decisions about curriculum.

With a dedicated team of staff and consultants, a growing set of partnerships, and an annual operating budget of $4 million, CEMD has provided data and analysis to support decision-making in schools and districts nationwide that collectively serve more than 27 million K-12 students. Additionally, CEMD also helps State Education Agencies better understand curriculum selection within their state and drive an increase in the adoption of high-quality instructional materials.

 To learn more about CEMD, please visit https://www.cemd.org/.

OPPORTUNITY 

CEMD seeks a visionary, collaborative, and entrepreneurial leader to serve as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the organization in its next phase of growth. The ideal candidate will possess a deep passion for how data can drive educational outcomes, a proven track record of successful nonprofit leadership and organizational design, and the business acumen to build a scalable and financially sustainable organization.

The CEO will join CEMD at an opportune moment with significant, multi-year funding secured, a strong network of partners, and a first-of-its-kind dataset focused on curricular selection. With these significant assets in place, the focus is shifting towards developing and executing a long-term business plan to address how to best utilize CEMD’s assets to maximize impact and organizational sustainability. In doing so, the next CEO can have a large-scale impact on student outcomes by furthering CEMD’s mission to create a more transparent education market to benefit all students.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership of Scaling Nonprofit

The CEO’s mandate is to figure out a sustainable long-term organizational structure that enables the greatest impact and allows for scale. This will require a strong understanding of data-centered business models, a keen understanding of the K-12 educational market, and the strategic leadership acumen to align the organization’s leadership, fiscal sponsor, and funders with a shared organizational vision and mission. 

While a strategic plan exists, the CEO will implement and evolve a long-term strategic plan with clear KPIs and accountability measures in order to drive progress and impact. CEMD currently operates with a lean staff and startup mentality; the organization’s next chapter requires the CEO to build the necessary organizational structure to enable scale and increased impact. This includes leading the approach, timing, and execution of moving CEMD out of fiscal sponsorship through incorporation as an independent 501(c)(3) or through a merger with an existing nonprofit organization.  

Human Capital & Operational Leadership

The CEO will be responsible for managing, supporting, and developing a small and high-performing team of full-time and contract employees, ensuring that equity and diversity are central to that work. It will also require building a more focused and aligned team that supports the execution of the strategic plan. As with any organization preparing for scale, CEMD will need a CEO with the organizational development experience to design the necessary organizational infrastructure to support sound people- and process-centered operations as the organization grows and evolves. This includes establishing governance structures such as a board of directors to support the organization’s growth and strategic direction.

Product Impact

CEMD’s robust proprietary dataset provides myriad opportunities to support schools in their curriculum selection processes, thereby improving educational outcomes for all students. This includes implementing robust assessment frameworks to measure the impact of programs and incorporating data-driven insights for continuous improvement. In order to be successful, the CEO will provide inspirational and focused leadership to identify CEMD’s product-market fit - i.e., how CEMD’s dataset and data-related capabilities can best drive the organization’s impact and sustainability imperatives. 

Financial Sustainability

To achieve a broader scale impact, the CEO must lead the efforts to increase and diversify funding and partnership opportunities, especially at the district and state levels. This will also include identifying new earned revenue opportunities through building out products and services that align with the sector’s needs. The CEO will continue strengthening existing relationships with funders to ensure current grant funding while laying the groundwork for future funding opportunities, which may include expanding into government contracts.

Stakeholder Engagement & Brand Stewardship

The next CEO will be the organization’s chief spokesperson and salesperson. As such, the CEO will be responsible for nurturing and strengthening relationships with key stakeholders, including funders, our fiscal sponsor, Cambiar Education, and the founders of CEMD.

As the organization’s key thought leader, the CEO will champion CEMD’s mission, urging district leaders and educational partners to embrace data-driven strategies for improving student outcomes. In order to increase CEMD’s impact, the CEO will engage with media, policymakers, and influencers and extend the organization’s brand recognition.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS 

Ideal CEO candidates for the Center for Education Market Dynamics will have:

Organizational Leadership

• Proven track record of effective leadership and management, with experience leading and scaling diverse teams/organizations to inspire and motivate to achieve organizational goals;
• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills around product-market fit, with the ability to develop and implement long-term strategic initiatives to advance the mission and objectives of the Center for Education Market Dynamics;
• Demonstrated success in creating, developing, and implementing comprehensive fundraising and revenue-generating strategies aligned with the org’s mission and objectives, including experience in identifying funding opportunities, cultivating donor relationships, and diversifying revenue streams;
• Experience with incorporating a 501(c)(3), including recruiting and establishing a board of directors.

Mission & Product Alignment

• Effective experience in providing strategic oversight for managing datasets as a product, understanding their significance in driving organizational objectives and decision-making processes;
• Ability to anticipate future trends and challenges in the K-12 education market and develop innovative strategies to address them, positioning the Center for Education Market Dynamics as a continuing leading authority in the field;
• Knowledge of the K-12 education and instructional materials & services landscape, including current trends, challenges, and opportunities;
• Demonstrated commitment to DEI as a core value and a strategic priority for the organization, with the ability to lead by example and champion DEI initiatives at all levels of the organization.

Communications Approach

• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate complex research, ideas, and findings in a clear and compelling manner to diverse audiences, including staff, funders, policymakers, educators, and other key stakeholders;
• Confidence and experience serving as a compelling spokesperson and storyteller for an organization.

Benefits

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This position offers a competitive salary range that starts at $220,000 and robust benefits. More details can be provided upon request.

For additional questions about this position or to speak with someone about your interest, please contact Zachary Harr at zharr@edgilityconsulting.com.