Executive Director, California College Guidance Initiative

Foundation for California Community Colleges•US CA Remote, CA

11d•$220,000 - $240,000•Remote

About The Position

The Foundation for California Community Colleges (FoundationCCC) is the official nonprofit auxiliary to the California Community Colleges, the largest and most diverse system of higher education in the nation. Founded in 1998, FoundationCCC has served as a catalyst for student success, workforce development, and community impact across California. The organization manages over 70 programs and initiatives that expand opportunity and accelerate pathways to economic and social mobility for all Californians — piloting new approaches, replicating promising practices, and scaling sustainable methods to support all 116 California community colleges and 2.2 million students. Since its founding, FoundationCCC has delivered hundreds of millions in grants, support, and cost savings to colleges, and 86% of every dollar that comes into FoundationCCC directly supports programs and services that benefit the colleges and their students. FoundationCCC plays a pivotal role in forging new partnerships and accelerating bold approaches to advance the California Community Colleges and the communities they serve. About CCGI The California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) manages CaliforniaColleges.edu, the state's official college and career planning platform. CCGI is a legislatively authorized service provider to all California school districts as established in California Education Code Section 60900.5. CaliforniaColleges.edu helps students explore college and career options, launch their college and financial aid applications, and access financial aid lessons, all on one site. It helps educators utilize data-driven guidance and streamline student support, while allowing parents and guardians to view and monitor their student's progress. By connecting information, planning, and application processes, CCGI strengthens college and career readiness and expands access to postsecondary opportunities statewide. CCGI partners with K-12 school districts across the state to give students, families, and counselors the tools they need to ensure that all California students, especially those who have been underrepresented in higher education, can move seamlessly from K-12 to college and career. The organization serves more than 650 local educational agencies, transmitting transcript data, powering transcript-informed tools, and streamlining applications for college admissions and financial aid. CCGI operates as a structurally embedded project under the fiscal sponsorship of FoundationCCC and is a Collaborative Impact Partner of the organization. This partnership allows CCGI to focus entirely on its data-driven mission to support California students while leveraging the robust administrative infrastructure of the community college system's official nonprofit partner. The fiscal partnership model reflects how FoundationCCC works across California's education landscape: incubating and scaling high-impact initiatives that strengthen the pipeline from K-12 into the California community colleges and beyond. The organization employs roughly 80 staff distributed across four divisions: Programs, CaliforniaColleges.edu, Data and Strategy, and Operations, with regional teams spanning the state. The Role CCGI's next Executive Director will guide the organization's strategic direction, strengthen its statewide relationships, and oversee a leadership team accountable for delivering its mission and statutory responsibilities. This leader will connect education policy, partnerships, organizational resources, and execution to reduce barriers and expand students' access to college and career pathways. The role reports to FoundationCCC as the most senior CCGI leader and serves as CCGI's most critical and influential advocate with leadership at the state's public educational institutions, the state legislature, the Governor's office, and the Department of Finance.

Requirements

Experience leading a distributed team of 50+ through an executive leadership structure.
Demonstrated ability to translate equity commitments into organizational policy, hiring, and partnerships.
Experience working with or within the Legislature, Governor's office, or Department of Finance on education policy or funding.
Deep familiarity with K-12, community colleges, CSU, UC, and the state agencies that connect them.
Track record of building alignment across institutional boundaries with competing priorities.
Comfort with data systems, student data privacy and related legal requirements, and using evidence to drive strategy.
Budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, and managing state funding relationships.
Understanding regulatory compliance, contracting, and the constraints of operating as a public-facing nonprofit.
Integrity and trustworthiness — Authentic, transparent, and consistent in word and action.
Relationship-first approach — Builds coalition through genuine engagement, not positional authority.
Humility and curiosity — Enters with respect for what the team has built; listens before acting.
Political sophistication — Comfortable in ambiguity; reads institutional dynamics and acts accordingly.
Courageous advocacy — Willing to champion CCGI's mission and its team in high-stakes settings.
Communication clarity — Can articulate complex intersegmental work to legislators, educators, and students alike.
Vulnerability and self-reflection — Models the feedback culture CCGI values, including Nonviolent Communication.
Long-term commitment — Sees this as a calling, not a stepping stone.
Collaboration and learning
Data-driven practices
Direct feedback
Documentation
Due diligence and preparation
Professionalism and kindness
Self-reflection
Strategic thinking
Vulnerability

Responsibilities

Provides executive leadership to position CCGI to effectively achieve its mission, statutory responsibilities, and long-term strategic objectives.
Establishes CCGI's medium- and long-term strategic direction in alignment with its mission, statutory responsibilities, FoundationCCC's mission, and evolving statewide education priorities.
Translates strategic direction into clear annual and multi-year priorities, outcomes, and resource commitments.
Holds executive leaders accountable for organizational performance and uses data, results, and changing conditions to assess progress and adjust strategy.
Anticipates changes in the external environment and positions CCGI to respond effectively to emerging policy, funding, technology, and educational priorities.
Champions innovative, scalable solutions that reduce systemic barriers, lessen administrative burden, and improve student access to college and career pathways.
Provides overall executive leadership, direction, and accountability for CCGI's strategy, operations, organizational performance, and impact.
Leads and supports CCGI's leadership team, providing direction and counsel to division leaders on strategic, financial, operational, and organizational decisions.
Establishes clear decision-making authority, accountability, and expectations across the executive team and organization.
Builds and develops a cohesive, high-performing leadership team capable of advancing shared priorities.
Ensures organizational structures, leadership capacity, systems, and resources support effective execution of CCGI's mission and strategy while maintaining alignment with FoundationCCC's mission.
Maintains an organizational culture grounded in CCGI's mission and values, reinforcing collaboration, accountability, innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
Proactively oversees legal, financial, operational, cybersecurity, compliance, and reputational risk and ensures appropriate controls and practices are in place.
Serves as a principal executive representative for CCGI with education leaders, state officials, policymakers, partners, funders, and other key stakeholders.
Cultivates and sustains long-term strategic relationships with leaders and organizations across education segments, state agencies, governmental entities, and other key partners.
Builds and sustains strategic coalitions that strengthen alignment across education systems and advance CCGI's mission and statewide impact.
Exercises diplomacy, political acumen, and executive communication to navigate complex stakeholder environments and strengthen CCGI's visibility, credibility, and influence.
Leads the annual and multi-year budgeting process in coordination with the Department of Finance, Legislature, and other appropriate stakeholders.
Ensures CCGI fulfills its statutory purpose and responsibilities as established in California law and applicable state requirements.
Maintains executive accountability for legislative reporting, funding requirements, governmental commitments, and other state oversight obligations.
Ensures the Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board and other appropriate state constituents are informed of CCGI's work, priorities, progress, and significant organizational developments.