Senior Director, Alabama

Braven • Birmingham, AL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Braven is hiring a Senior Director to lead the programmatic success of its work at a Higher Education Partner in Alabama. The role is accountable for ensuring that students who complete Braven’s Accelerator course gain the skills, confidence, networks, and experiences to secure a strong first job or enroll in graduate school within six months of graduation. The Senior Director maintains a strong presence at the Higher Education Partner and in the community, leads a team of 2–3 full-time employees and part-time interns, and collaborates with the volunteer recruitment team to select volunteers. Working with the Executive Director of the Alabama Region, the Senior Director builds and maintains strong relationships with the Higher Education Partner and the broader community.

The role owns overall program implementation and performance across recruitment, the course experience, and post-course support. It works with Braven’s Product and Central Accelerator teams on centrally owned program elements, while representing the Higher Education Partner and student perspective and identifying opportunities to improve delivery and outcomes. The Senior Director also develops formal partnerships with institutional leaders and faculty, employers, and community organizations; leads local stakeholder relationships and campus campaigns; and manages, coaches, and develops a high-performing team.

This is a full-time, regular, exempt, benefits-eligible position. The role is hybrid, with three in-office days per week (Tuesday through Thursday) and two remote days (Monday and Friday), and requires living within commuting distance of Montgomery or Birmingham, Alabama. The role is remote until office space is secured in the area. It requires travel to the Higher Education Partner campus at least 1–2 times per week, occasional travel to other Braven regions and the annual All Team Retreat, and non-traditional evening work 1–2 times per week. The position is scheduled to start in March 2027.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree.
• At least 7 years of leadership experience with a verifiable track record of successful outcomes.
• Proficiency in Google Suite, Slack, and Jira.
• Experience managing and developing people and teams while building and fostering a strong sense of culture.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to facilitate partnerships across a range of stakeholders.
• Flexibility and adaptability; ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment and comfort with ambiguity.
• Ability to create, operationalize, and manage project plans while meeting milestones and deadlines.
• Data-driven approach, using data and metrics to guide decisions and measure performance.
• Demonstrated commitment to building strong, welcoming cultures that help develop others.
• Experience that informs belief in Braven’s mission and prepares the candidate to work with or for Braven’s student Fellow population.
• Authorization to work in the United States; Braven does not offer employment visa sponsorship.
• Access to the internet.
• Ability to work in person in the Montgomery or Birmingham area three days per week and live within commuting distance.
• Reliable transportation or valid transportation arrangements and ability to travel between the hub office and Higher Education Partner campus.
• Ability to work non-traditional evening hours 1–2 times per week and attend regional cultivation events.
• Ability to travel 3–4 times per year to other Braven regions for team meetings or stepbacks and once per year to Braven’s All Team Retreat.

Nice To Haves

• Prior work experience in higher education.
• 7–10 years of experience in the nonprofit field.
• Experience in an early-stage environment launching an initiative, program, or team.

Responsibilities

• Shape a shared vision for the site in partnership with the Alabama Executive Director.
• Own program implementation and performance at the Higher Education Partner across recruitment, the course experience, and post-course support, ensuring established goals and outcomes are met.
• Lead local program elements and jobs campaign data collection, and partner with Product and Central Accelerator teams on centrally owned program elements, supports, and interventions.
• Represent the Higher Education Partner and student perspective by monitoring the fit and satisfaction of centrally delivered program elements, surfacing needs and gaps, and providing actionable feedback.
• Develop and steward formal partnerships with Higher Education Partner leadership and faculty, employers, and community-based organizations to bring additional resources to students and improve the program model.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with key Higher Education Partner stakeholders to foster collaboration and a healthy partnership.
• Own local relationships and campus campaigns, acting as Braven’s lead relationship-builder with the Higher Education Partner.
• Manage and develop a high-performing team of full-time employees, fostering an inclusive, supportive culture and modeling Braven’s core values and competencies.
• Coach and provide feedback to team members, create development plans, conduct performance reviews, and support ongoing learning and development.
• Recruit, hire, and onboard talent as needed to meet team priorities.
• Contribute to organization-wide strategy and decision-making by bringing insights from the Higher Education Partner and Fellows and recommending changes to strengthen program impact and sustainability.
• Lead team planning, including designing and facilitating team stepbacks and retreats.
• Collaborate with the volunteer recruitment team and select volunteers.
• Travel to the Higher Education Partner campus at least 1–2 times per week, attend regional cultivation events, and travel to other Braven regions and the annual All Team Retreat as required.

Benefits

• Discretionary time off in addition to organization-wide holidays and two week-long shutdowns in July and December, plus an additional week-long spring shutdown for regional staff; a minimum of 24 days per year.
• $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health.
• 401(k) contribution match up to 5% of base annual salary, starting the first full month of employment.
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premiums for the employee and dependents.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• One-month paid sabbatical after four years on staff.
• $75 monthly reimbursement for cell phone or internet.
• Access to funding for continued career development.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior