Deputy Director

Project Exploration creates transformative learning experiences, pathways, and a community for youth underrepresented in STEM, especially low-income students, students of color, and young women, allowing them to explore STEM careers and equip them with the necessary skills, practices, and mindset needed for lifelong learning.

Position Summary:  

The Deputy Director will serve as a senior leader within Project Exploration (PE), overseeing day-to-day operations and advancing PE's mission and goals. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Deputy Director will support organizational growth and sustainability while ensuring operational excellence across all departments. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with strong leadership, project management, and communication skills.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Leadership & Management:

• Oversee the PE's daily operations, ensuring alignment with the strategic plan and mission.
• Lead and manage internal teams, human resources, program operations, and communications.
• Collaborate with department heads to ensure efficient workflow and program execution, including reporting.
• Develop and implement organizational policies and procedures to ensure efficiency and compliance.
• Work closely with the Executive Director to create, monitor, and adjust the operational budget.
• Ensure the organization meets all regulatory and legal requirements.
• Supervise all staff and ensure strong internal communication and coordination among staff members via  regular cross-departmental sharing, bi-monthly staff meetings, work plan development, and weekly  individual staff check-ins;
• Maintain PE files in Google Drive, create policies and procedures to ensure ongoing organization and  accessibility for relevant team members; 
• Lead onboarding processes for PE in coordination with the Executive Director and staff; Build volunteer and intern programs to increase staff and organizational capacity; 
• Oversee and manage the development and execution of all programs and initiatives, ensuring alignment with and growth toward goals outlined in the strategic framework; 
• Develop organizational and individual work plans, including evaluation measures, in alignment with the strategic framework; 

• Partner with the Executive Director to execute the organization’s long-term strategy.
• Lead the development and scaling of programs and services to meet community needs and impact goals.
• Provide program delivery and evaluation oversight in partnership with the Program Director, ensuring measurable results and alignment with the organization’s mission.
• Identify and cultivate new opportunities for program expansion and partnerships.
• Ensure consistent evaluation of programs in alignment with best practices; 
• Identify strategic partners to increase program quality; 
• Research and develop processes for sharing best practices in delivering impactful trauma-informed STEM  education programs and 
• Ensure growth and retention of staff, facilitators, and volunteers via ongoing benefits assessment and improvements, coach/mentor approaches, ongoing training, and identification of professional development opportunities.

• Support fundraising efforts, including grant writing, donor engagement, and corporate partnerships.
• Represent the organization at community events, conferences, and meetings to increase visibility and foster strategic alliances.
• Lead the communication efforts to enhance the organization’s brand and messaging.
• Train staff, board, co-op members, and high-level volunteers in messaging to ensure clear and consistent  communication of PE’s work to all stakeholders; 
• Develop and steer PE’s marketing and communications strategy; 
• Ensure development and execution of editorial calendar to elevate PE’s brand and reputation among all  stakeholders; 
• Ensure maintenance and ongoing website improvement in alignment with PE messaging with optimized  SEO, Google AdWords utilization, and achievement of goals measured via Google Analytics; and 
• Increase organizational capacity via staff and interns to deploy clear, consistent, and impactful communications.

• Oversee human resource functions, including onboarding, professional development, and performance management.
• Foster a positive, inclusive organizational culture emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and equity.
• Provide mentorship and support to staff, including career progression and leadership development.

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to prepare reports and presentations for the Board of Directors.
• Assist in managing board relations and support the Executive Director in board meetings, planning sessions, and governance practices.

Qualifications: 

The Deputy Director must balance being a strong, hands-on operational manager with being creative and forward-thinking. 

• Commitment to social justice and Project Exploration mission
• Five years or more of experience in nonprofit leadership with a background in youth program delivery, education,  and/or STEM career leadership is strongly preferred; commensurate experience is welcomed; 
• Bachelor’s degree required;  
• Ability to direct diverse individuals and departments in the achievement of our collective goals and mission;  
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; 
• Experience in building and managing teams effectively, with a capacity to lead and inspire with a vision that attracts others; 
• Collaborative and approachable in style; self-confident, self-sufficient, and self-directed; and calm and resilient in the face of conflict and criticism. 
• Must demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, Google Drive, Docs, and Slide.
• Comfortable with data management systems for attendance and survey data collection
• Excellent writing, communication, and computing skills 
• Extremely detail-oriented and able to juggle several tasks simultaneously
• Work schedule includes occasional evenings and weekends
• Ability and desire to work both within a team and independently when necessary
• Self-motivation and resourcefulness are required