The Commit Partnership (the “Partnership”) seeks a passionate systems leader, strongly committed to the Partnership’s mission to double regional living wage attainment in Dallas County by 2040 irrespective of race, to serve as the organization’s Managing Director of Analytics & Insights. Reporting to the organization’s Chief State Impact Officer, this critical role will also serve on Commit’s senior-level Executive Team, responsible for collectively making key organizational decisions within Commit’s distributed leadership approach.

This role provides an impactful opportunity for an individual with significant experience in consulting and/or data insights/research, coupled with strong management skills, to lead the organization’s analytical efforts to improve decision-making and foster innovation in advancing economic mobility across both Dallas County and the state of Texas. The individual will lead a team of 11 that supports both internal Dallas County-focused coalitions as well as four other regional educational Partnerships across the state along with the Texas Urban Council learning council. Together these entities involve 80 districts across Texas that collectively educate 2.1 million students (40% of all public PK-12 students in Texas).

To date the Partnership’s Analytics & Insights team has played a critical role in informing four state legislative sessions across the years 2017-2023 that collectively created over $7.0 billion of new and potential annual funding for a state that educates 10% of the country’s PK-12 students. Their work has also accelerated the adoption of numerous impactful practices such as: full-day PreK; extending the elementary school year to reduce summer learning loss; creating pathways to a B.A. in Early Childhood Education for less than $10,000 of tuition over four years; and paying educators based on their classroom effectiveness and where they teach (vs. their seniority).

Responsibilities of Managing Director, Analytics & Insights

Commit requires both expertise and passion, which means this role will require a leader who is energized by the opportunity to inform and empower Commit staff members, school system and campus leaders, community members, and elected officials with key insights to support continuous improvement in local and state educational and living wage attainment. Specific responsibilities include:

• Design and manage both local and state level research projects and analyses which identify and address the underlying, often complex root causes that hinder current student and young adult outcomes that the community wants to improve.
• Lead the preparation of high-impact charts, PowerPoint presentations, and memos which communicate key insights and potential solutions to school districts, community organizations, public agencies, legislators and investors. Present materials, both internally and externally, for more informed decision-making that changes behavior and resourcing in support of greater student achievement, including the wide democratization of data via easy-to-use visualization tools that can be accessed by parents and other interested stakeholders throughout the state.
• Provide strategy and analytics support to Commit’s Executive Team and partner-facing teams. Lead the development of analytical tools to support partner programs and the creation of specific analyses to support strategies on key education priorities. Engage in new, complex challenges with team and community members.
• Serve as a community, team, and organizational strategy thought partner, including convening and helping drive the agenda for periodic convenings of data directors throughout the County seeking to learn from each other to improve their own impact.
• Partner with diverse executives and managers internally and externally in supporting, facilitating, and developing robust analysis to tell the story of education in Dallas County and across Texas.
• Responsible for overall management and development of 11 team members, including setting and guiding department budget, goals, priorities, strategy, and culture.
• Manage district data relationships and data sharing agreements, including an understanding of FERPA, and work with internal team to identify appropriate data for analyses while overseeing the transfer, storage, and destruction of district data as needed.
• Work closely with each member of the Executive Team and the Director of Human Resources to recruit, retain, talent manage, and professionally develop the team to ensure that every Commit employee and contractor within their sphere of responsibility is having a consistent, high-quality experience; and
• Contribute to and help enhance an equitable, inclusive, and strengths-based organizational culture that values diversity and continuous improvement in support of the overall goals of Commit while embodying its core values.

This position requires both significant cross-group coordination and excellent written and verbal interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to drive collaborative discussions with key internal and external partners.

The Managing Director, Analytics & Insights role will be supported by two direct reports at the Director level. A candidate successful in the role will be viewed by their direct reports as someone who adds value to their strategic thinking and brings new ideas and potential innovative approaches to consider, but otherwise empowers them to be successful in their leadership roles of their respective teams while holding them appropriately accountable for their results. A successful candidate will also be viewed by the Executive Team as a collaborative teammate who contributes to strategy formulation, is respected internally by their team and externally by outside stakeholders, and is a thoughtful partner in the organization’s shared decision making.

Candidate Requirements

Who you are:

• Results focused and data-oriented: You own the outcome in whatever is under your responsibility. You use data (quantitative and end-user data) to understand current challenges and their root causes holistically while constantly adjusting your actions as needed.
• Continually curious with high integrity: You find yourself scoping an analysis to:
• better understand which insights could be most helpful in clarifying the root causes behind our educational and workforce challenges;
• determine and lift up any potential unintended consequences from potential solutions while also understanding the difference between correlation vs. causation and the critical importance of taking the extra time and effort to insure the data is always correct and appropriately sourced;
• Fail forward mindset: Can identify clear lessons from failed attempts that have led to effective solutions and new ideas and can help team members develop this skill.
• Strategic leadership: Systems level strategist who can think through with fellow E-Team members how Commit’s contemplated efforts impact partners, campuses, classrooms, parents and students.
• Motivated by working within an organization that values diverse backgrounds, perspectives and approaches and is mission driven to help create a community where race, place, and socioeconomic status no longer determine educational and economic outcomes.

What you bring:

• Entrepreneurial leadership: Listens to learn and is comfortable with ambiguity and risk.
• Ability to build strong, trusting relationships with key stakeholders: Builds authentic, trusting relationships internally and externally, with diverse stakeholders from grass tops to grassroots leaders, colleagues and staff. Creates structures and agreements to facilitate collaboration and consistently celebrates the contributions of others.
• Ability to communicate complex ideas and strategies so others understand: Creates and delivers motivating, aligned key messages. Effectively connects the 'why', 'how' and 'what' of the work. Connects effectively with different stakeholder groups.
• Commitment to helping the organization achieve its vision and mission: Helps think through mechanisms for gathering community insights; understands the role that racial and socio-economic discriminatory policies have played in creating inequities; demonstrates self-awareness of how one’s social identities can affect how one approaches others and solutions.
• Ability to use data to identify insights, priorities, build understanding and mobilize action: Identifies key quantitative and qualitative data sources, conducts thorough analyses and gleans insights to inform decisions. Establishes progress monitoring processes to evaluate effectiveness of solutions.
• Strong managerial skills and results that includes inclusive leadership practices: Builds and leverages the strengths of a diverse team, setting a clear vision and goals in collaboration with others. Considers staff success and external partner trust a key strategy for achieving results.

Location: Dallas, TX (Hybrid office)

This position offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. Experience in both for-profit, not-for-profit, and public education, as well as strong external relationships in the education field, will be a plus. For more information, read more about us or contact careers@commitpartnership.org with questions. Interested candidates should apply via our Applicant Tracking platform.

The Commit Partnership is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks to hire individuals with backgrounds and prior experiences similar to that of the stakeholders they serve. As an organization that embraces equity and inclusion, all employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

The Commit Partnership does not sponsor visas of any kind.

BIOS OF EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Commit is blessed to have a diverse leadership team with significant experiences in the education, legal, for-profit and not-for-profit sectors acquired in prior leadership roles throughout the United States. All have come together to work collaboratively in Dallas to drive economic mobility at scale within the 9th largest county and the second largest state in the country.

Todd Williams: Founding Chairman and CEO

Highly committed to public education, Todd Williams is the founding Chairman and CEO of The Commit Partnership. Todd served for eight years as the Education Policy Advisor to former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and has been appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to serve on (i) the Texas Permanent School Fund Corporation; (ii) the year-long 2018 Texas Commission on Public School Finance; and (iii) the 2021 Texas Commission on Community College Funding.

Prior to dedicating his efforts full time as a volunteer to public education, Todd served as a partner and global co-head of Goldman Sachs’ real estate private equity investment area, retiring in 2010 after a 20-year career in the firm’s New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas offices. Total assets under management purchased by managed real estate funds exceeded $100 billion in cost.

Todd earned an M.B.A. with distinction from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Austin College.

Erica Adams: Managing Director, Strategic Relationships

A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Erica was the Executive Director of Galveston Sustainable Communities Alliance prior to joining Commit, where she prioritized and sequenced a 10-point cradle to career plan to strengthen education on Galveston Island, focusing on transition points for students at kindergarten and high school. Erica also worked with New Leaders, a national entity focused on developing school district and campus leadership based in New York City.

Kate Greer: Managing Director, Policy and State Coalition

A University of Oklahoma graduate, Kate played a key role in Commit’s efforts to pass historic school finance reform in 2019, and she currently leads our policy, advocacy, and coalition building around teacher effectiveness, data accessibility, and accountability & assessment. Prior to Commit, she was a journalist covering criminal justice and inequitable incarceration in Oklahoma; she also worked with the Oklahoma House of Representatives co-leading communications strategies.

Katrina James: Managing Director, Dallas County Promise

A graduate of Cornell University and NYU Law School, Katrina served as the Senior Director of College and Career Programs at the Harlem Children’s Zone prior to joining Commit, where she managed the Career Services Team and college readiness efforts for HCZ’s charter high schools. Before joining HCZ, Katrina was a Senior Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York City. Katrina serves on the regional DFW advisory board for Teach for America and on the board of trustees for Cornell University.

Chelsea Jeffery: Managing Director, Early Matters Dallas

A lifelong Dallas County native, Chelsea graduated Southern Methodist University Magna Cum Laude before joining Teach For America in Dallas. Since leaving the classroom in 2014, Chelsea has worked at Commit across various roles focused on building strong early learning foundations to prevent the student learning gaps she experienced as a high school math teacher. She’s led Commit’s early childhood work including early math and literacy, pre-k and childcare access and enrollment, creating strategic plans with district and childcare partners for more effective and efficient systems, and supporting the statewide expansion of Early Matters.

Abby Mayer: Managing Director, Philanthropy

A graduate of Angelo State University with a Masters in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University, Abby has over 15 years' experience in public education and nonprofit management. Prior to joining Commit over 4 years ago, Abby led fundraising efforts for Genesis Women's Shelter and Reading Partners North Texas. Before joining Reading Partners, Abby worked in the Human Capital Management department in Dallas ISD focused on strategic educator staffing, data analytics, and central staff employee performance. Abby also has seven years of experience as a middle school and high school teacher.

Kris Oliver: Chief Operating Officer

A graduate of Abilene Christian University and the University of Texas Graduate School of Business, Kris was Chief Financial Officer of CitySquare, a non-profit which fights the causes and effects of poverty in Dallas prior to joining Commit. Before beginning his non-profit work, Kris had a long career in the private sector which included roles within Arthur Andersen, American Airlines, consulting, and the oil industry. Kris also served as a member of the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees for seven years and currently serves on the board of Leadership ISD.

Miguel Solis: Chief of Staff

A graduate of Lamar University with a Masters in Education from Harvard, Miguel has served the residents of Dallas since 2009 in the areas of education, housing, and transportation. Miguel began his career as a member of President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, then became a Teach For America middle school educator and Teacher of the Year in Dallas ISD. He later served as special assistant to the superintendent of Dallas ISD before co-founding the nonprofit Latino Center for Leadership Development and serving on the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees for seven years, including serving as the youngest board President in the district’s history. Miguel currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the national board for Teach for America and the local board for United to Learn.

Dr. Jeannie Stone: Superintendent-in-Residence

A 33-year educator who served as a teacher, principal and district leader before being named Superintendent of the Richardson Independent School District in 2016, serving for five years before retiring in 2021. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas A&M- Commerce, Jeannie was named Texas PTA Superintendent of the Year in 2019 and also currently serves as board chair for two non-profits - Leadership ISD and Economic Mobility Systems.

Bridget Worley: Chief State Impact Officer

Bridget taught elementary school in Louisiana and served as the Louisiana Department of Education’s Policy Director, Chief of Staff to the State Superintendent, and Chief Operating Officer before moving to Texas in 2019. Prior to her current role at Commit, she founded the Texas Impact Network, a newly launched joint venture between Educate Texas and the Commit Partnership focused on building capacity across school systems statewide to drive student achievement through successful implementation of research-proven initiatives funded by House Bill 3, the 2019 Texas school finance bill.

About The Commit Partnership:

Our Mission

We believe that through our actions, Dallas County – which educates 10% of Texas and 1% of the nation– can be an inclusive and prosperous region where economic opportunity is shared equitably. That’s why our true north goal is that by 2040 at least half of all 25-34-year-old residents of Dallas County, irrespective of race, will be provided the opportunity to earn a living wage.

To increase living wage attainment, we must equitably increase educational success aligned with high-demand jobs, maximizing the cumulative impact from early education all the way to college, career, and/or military readiness and accessing and completing a strong postsecondary education. Our staff aligns community stakeholders around this shared future roadmap – analyzing data to lift up strategic initiatives that improve policies, practices, and funding that grow our community’s capacity to serve every student more effectively.

Our Story

Founded in 2012, this partnership is the nation’s largest educational collective impact organization, composed of backbone staff and over 200 partners across Dallas County and the state of Texas working collaboratively to solve systemic education challenges. Our staff aligns community stakeholders around a shared future roadmap – analyzing data to lift up strategic initiatives that improve policies, practices, and funding that grow our community’s capacity to serve every student more effectively.

Together, we work to advocate for excellent and equitable public education that ensures all students – regardless of race, place, or socio-economic status – have the power to determine their future and earn a living wage. We do this work through several ventures including Early Matters Dallas, North Texas Tutoring Corps, Dallas County Promise, Texas College Bridge, Dallas Thrives, Commit’s Policy Team, the Texas Impact Network, and several coalitions.

Our Values

Our core values create a mission-driven environment and champion us to do our best work each day.

Integrity - To best serve students, families, and the community we will act honestly and ethically in how we make both internal and external decisions, present data, and communicate with partners.

Equity & Inclusion – We seek to help transform systems in ways that ensure every student has access to the resources they need. We do this by actively and explicitly working with others to create more equitable outcomes and processes.

Students First - Our decisions are guided by multiple stakeholders, but ultimately rest upon one question: What is in the best interest of students?

Systemic Impact – We are patient and persistent as we identify the most effective approaches to help create lasting systems change. Once identified, we prioritize and relentlessly attack systemic challenges with efficiency and excellence.

Humility - We embrace the fact that our community’s success depends on our ability to work cohesively with each other and to constantly learn.

Joy – It is important we bring a constant sense of optimism and have fun while taking on this difficult work.

The Commit Partnership is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks to hire individuals with backgrounds similar to that of the stakeholders they serve. As an organization that embraces equity and inclusion, all employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Commit does not sponsor visas of any kind.

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