1234 Home Reading Helper, Managing Director of Programs, Strategy and Operation

About The Organization1234! Home Reading Helper is a fast-growing, high-impact early literacy organization working to break the cycle of illiteracy - and its long-term links to poverty and incarceration - in underserved communities.Through its flagship 1234! program, the organization equips parents of children ages 0-6 with four simple, research-based practices to build early reading habits at home. The model combines behavioral design, community-based trust, and structured accountability: weekly scorecards, volunteer engagement at school sites, and milestone incentives that drive consistency.The organization has reached a critical inflection point:Active implementation across Oakland, Dallas, Philadelphia, and HarlemStrong partnerships with Head Start, school systems, and civic leadershipPublic launch of the Oakland Reads 1234! campaign led by Mayor Barbara LeeA proven model based on the work of Munro Richardson at Read Charlotte with early traction and clear demand for expansionYou can read more about the program here and hear directly from Jesse Brill in this video.With growing visibility and momentum, 1234! Home Reading Helper is poised to scale. The next phase of the organization's success will depend on building the operational rigor, systems, and leadership capacity required to deliver consistent results for families while expanding responsibly.OPPORTUNITY1234! Home Reading Helper seeks a founding Managing Director of Programs, Strategy and Operations to serve as the organization's sole employee and senior operational leader, working in close partnership with the Founder, Jesse Brill, to translate vision into sustained, measurable impact.This role is designed for a mission-driven, entrepreneurial operator who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution. The Managing Director will be responsible for driving organizational performance, ensuring that growth is supported by strong systems, disciplined execution, and measurable outcomes for children and families.The Managing Director serves as the organization's primary driver of execution, translating the Founder's vision into operational reality. While the Founder leads external strategy, partnerships, and growth, the Managing Director ensures that internal systems, teams, and programs deliver consistent, high-quality results.ResponsibilitiesKey responsibilities of the Managing Director of Programs, Strategy and Operations include:Organizational Leadership & Execution: Lead day-to-day execution across programs and operations, establishing clear priorities, managing workflows, and ensuring consistent program delivery through weekly Zoom calls with each region's leadership and volunteers; attend key meetings with the Founder, track action items, and ensure follow-through across all operational areasProgram Performance & Participation: Drive performance management across all regions, including weekly participation tracking, dashboards by school and classroom, scorecard submission, follow up with inactive families, and oversee overall engagement and progress for each child and familySystems, Data & Infrastructure: Build and manage systems, processes, and infrastructure, including dashboards, reporting tools, and data structures; determine required reports and data fields and oversee technical implementation and data integrityVolunteer & Regional Coordination: Manage cross-functional execution across volunteers and regional coordinators, including recruitment, onboarding, training, and ongoing engagement; ensure consistent weekly follow-up with teachers and familiesIncentives, Communications & Program Delivery: Oversee milestone incentives, communications, and training systems to ensure consistent, high-quality program delivery across all regionsExpansion & Capacity Management: Support scalable growth by ensuring operational readiness and disciplined expansion, including onboarding new schools or regions, leading trainings, and recommending staffing or system adjustmentsOPERATING MODEL & LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE1234! Home Reading Helper operates between vision and execution, designed to enable speed, accountability, and high-quality scaling:The Founder leads vision, external partnerships, and growth strategyThe Managing Director leads internal execution, systems, volunteer and contractor management, growth strategy and implementationThe Managing Director has full ownership of day-to-day operations, including program delivery, infrastructure, and team oversight and coordinationOnce new partnerships or regions are established, execution responsibility transitions fully to the Managing DirectorPRIORITIESA successful first year for the Managing Director of Programs, Strategy and Operations will include:Stabilizing Core Operations: Establish reliable systems for participation tracking, incentive management, and communication across all active regionsDriving Engagement at Scale: Launch and refine volunteer-led parent engagement systems that increase weekly participation and consistencyImproving Measurable Outcomes: Significantly reduce inactive families and increase scorecard completion ratesBuilding Scalable Infrastructure: Develop tools, processes, and training systems required to support growth without compromising qualityExecuting Disciplined Expansion: Expand within existing regions while ensuring readiness and capacity for future geographic scaleRequirementsIn order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal candidate will be:A proven leader with experience building and scaling operations in nonprofit, education, or community-based organizationsAn entrepreneurial builder who thrives in ambiguity and can create structure in a fast-moving environmentA systems thinker and data-driven operator, able to design and use dashboards, metrics, and performance systems to drive resultsDeeply committed to improving outcomes for children and families in underserved communitiesAn effective people leader with experience managing teams and/or multi-site programsA strong operator who excels at translating strategy into execution and resultsStrongly PreferredExperience in early childhood, literacy, or family engagement initiativesDemonstrated ability to build trust within Black and underserved communitiesBilingual (English/Spanish)IMPORTANT NOTE TO FITThis role requires a professional who is personally engaged in the day-to-day work of the program. Candidates who prefer to operate primarily through delegation, rather than direct hands-on implementation, will not be a strong fit. Equally important, this role involves a close working relationship with the Founder. The right candidate will see that as an opportunity — someone who is energized by learning directly from the person who built the program and who understands that earning trust over time is the path to greater leadership responsibility.BenefitsThis is a full-time independent contractor position. The annual rate range is $80,000 to $125,000 depending on experience.Performance-Based BonusThis role includes a meaningful performance-based bonus structure evaluated twice annually. Bonuses are tied to measurable outcomes including parent enrollment rates, scorecard completion, school-level engagement, and regional program performance. The bonus structure will be designed alongside the founder to reflect the year one goals of the Managing Director role in order to reward sustained results — not just growth.TO APPLYPlease submit a resume online at https://apply.workable.com/j/B66E79E383.Our Commitment to Diversity1234! Home Reading Helper strongly encourages applications from Black, Latinx, and other candidates of color, as well as candidates with lived experience in the communities the program serves. 1234! Home Reading Helper is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the families and communities at the heart of our mission.