Chief Executive Officer
Project Scientist - Remote
About Project Scientist
Project Scientist began in 2013 with a dream to increase diversity in STEAM by inspiring girls. We have grown from serving 5 girls in our founder's backyard to serving 20,000 girls and non-binary youth across the nation in over 26 states.
We created Project Scientist to change the world's view of "who" a scientist is and "what" a scientist does. We aim to transform the face of STEAM by nurturing today's future scientists who will lead the world in solving tomorrow's greatest challenges. Every second of a student's time with us is intentional and based on the latest research of what drives and sustains girls and non-binary youths’ interest in STEAM. We are determined to reach STEAM girls and non-binary youth and hold their hand through their PhD or as far as their STEAM dreams take them.
For more information on Project Scientist, please visit https://projectscientist.org/.
Our Opportunity for Impact
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic the Project Scientist programs and operating model consisted of in-person programs only, including a 6 week summer STEAM academy on university campuses and year-round expeditions to STEAM companies. We offered programs in a handful of states and our sources of funding comprised 50% paying customers and 40% corporate, foundation, and individual donations. The market we served was 50% sponsored students / 50% paying students. We served girls and non-binary youth aged 4-12 and ran an intern program for 18-24 year olds.
At the height of the pandemic, we pivoted quickly to a virtual model, hosting seminars and programs via Zoom. This new operating model allowed us to dramatically broaden our impact and serve students anywhere across the country and shift our focus to serving girls and non-binary youth in marginalized and underserved communities. We added a new program for students aged 13-15, a year-round after school STEAM club and expanded our programs to Mexico with Spanish language instruction. We introduced a free model where program costs were covered through fundraising and donations. And, as Project Scientist was no longer restricted to funding only in specific geographic locations, new funding opportunities became available. Today 100% of our students attend for free and the majority of our funding comes from STEAM companies and foundations, rather than from paying customers.
Project Scientist is at a critical inflection point in its growth trajectory. Now that we are able to serve girls and non-binary youth all across the country, it is more important than ever to have the right mix of talent and leadership to realize our goal to provide 1 million high-quality STEAM experiences by 2040. We will do this by:
• Serving 500,000 under-resourced and marginalized girls and non-binary youth in the communities where they live
• Training 5,000 elementary teachers in math, gender, and racial equity teaching strategies
• Engaging 4,000 STEAM professionals to serve as role models and STEAM advocates
• Partnering with leading companies and universities to create high-quality and relevant content and experiences
• Tracking outcomes and impact through pre and post-evaluations, longitudinal tracking, and third party oversight
The Position
To achieve these ambitious goals we seek an entrepreneurial and experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated track record of growing and scaling nonprofit organizations. They will share our passion for the mission of providing high quality STEAM education to marginalized and underserved girls and non-binary youth and have experience living within and/or working with those populations. The leader who succeeds our visionary founder will inherit a strong team, best in class programs and a committed board. Together with the board and staff, the new CEO will build out the vision and strategy for this next stage of growth, create the infrastructure and team to support the evolving operating model and build our brand awareness through partnerships and funder relationships.
Responsibilities include:
Strategic Planning
• In collaboration with the board and staff, lead the process to align on a vision and mission for Project Scientist that embeds organizational core values and best practices of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB).
• Develop a 5-year actionable strategic plan that breaks down how Project Scientist will achieve the mission at each milestone and defines how success will be measured.
• Draft new SMART goals for each business area, specifying how they contribute to the mission and vision and incorporate organizational core values and DEIB.
• Research and synthesize market and peer organization trends to inform our unique approach and priorities to elevate our brand and product.
Infrastructure Development
• Assess the current leadership team structure to identify gaps and devise a strategy to bring in additional talent and expertise, particularly around Operations, Fundraising, Marketing and Technology.
• Coach, mentor and develop leaders across the organization to focus beyond their own specific goals and internally align with others to work towards a broader, common goal.
• Evaluate the technology and operational infrastructure to identify gaps and propose solutions to support organizational growth.
Brand Awareness and Resource Development
• Broaden the target audience or market with respect to age group, subject focus (science, technology, engineering, math, arts), engagement method (virtual, in-person, hybrid, educators), and funding source (subsidized, out-of-pocket).
• In collaboration with the Chief Advancement Officer, develop a cohesive funding model that supports the mission, target audience, and geographic considerations that will be necessary to support progress towards the long-term target market and future geographic expansions.
• Identify, nurture, expand and manage relationships with corporate partners, institutional donors, major and individual donors.
• Evaluate options for resource capacity, such as volunteer and alumni, to elevate programs and enable expansion.
• Represent the vision and mission of Project Scientist through public speaking events, media interviews and conferences.
Product Development and Strategy
• Conceptualize the suite of Project Scientist products and the correlating partner ecosystem.
• Collaborate with curriculum developers and advisors to align the Project Scientist brand to the content, creating a go-to-market strategy using consistent language and branding.
• Conceptualize the product road map and how to align new types of content and partnerships.
Change Management
• Thoughtfully shepherd the organization through the change management process as new programs, operational structures, and approaches take root organization-wide.
• Review, restructure, and improve policies and procedures that will lead to achieving our mission objectives and ensure operational efficiency.
• Oversee the design of systems, processes, and support structures to accommodate the growth, operational and cost-effectiveness objectives of the organization.
• Ongoing board development to support board members to play a pivotal role and represent the passionate backbone of the organization
• Expand board roles and expectations to grow the partnership network and create new funding opportunities
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
• Previous experience leading the strategic effort to grow and scale an organization to achieve an ambitious vision and mission.
• Passionate advocate for expanded access and opportunity for girls and non-binary youth with a deep commitment to educational equity and closing the gender opportunity gap.
• Demonstrated track record leading organizations through periods of growth, change, and direction setting.
• Ability to think big while ensuring both organizational sustainability and operational excellence.
• Demonstrated ability to set clear expectations and accountability measures for deliverables while encouraging innovation and initiative.
• Adept at building and leading remote, regional, national and international teams with proven experience leading those teams to scale.
• High level of cultural awareness and competency and the ability to embed DEIB best practices to attract and engage a diversity of program participants, partners, donors and other constituents
• Strong process architecture, process implementation and improvement experience, and change management capabilities
• Ability to work collaboratively and collegially with high level donors, corporate partners, school districts, and professionals within the corporate, technology, science, and education sectors to drive long-term sustainability and build visibility, recognition, and awareness.
• Transparent and inspiring communication skills to represent Project Scientist in media relations, on public platforms and at conferences and events.
• Affinity for identifying and solving a variety of problems, accessing resources as appropriate to define the problem, generate alternatives, evaluate alternatives, and select/implement solutions.
• Bilingual ability (especially English-Spanish) is a plus
• Ability to travel up to 50%.
Compensation & Benefits
The salary range for this position is $200,000 – $225,000. Project Scientist also offers a comprehensive benefits package.
To Apply
The application deadline is April 21, 2023 and applications received by that date will be given priority but we will accept applications until the position is filled. Zoom interviews with the Koya team will take place through the end of April. Zoom and in-person interviews with the search committee will take place through May to mid-June and we anticipate making an offer by the end of June.
Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Karen Yetman Rea and Nikki Lynch of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit your materials here: https://talent-profile.diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/v2/19276. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Project Scientist is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
About Koya Partners
Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
At Koya, we don’t just accept difference—we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our team, our clients, and the communities we serve.
For more information about Koya Partners, visit https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/koya-partners/.