About Chattanooga 2.0
Chattanooga 2.0 is the cradle-to-career partnership for Chattanooga- Hamilton County, Tennessee housed under the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce Foundation. We serve as the community’s backbone organization, aligning leaders and partners across education, business, philanthropy, government, and the nonprofit sector to ensure every child, student, and young adult has the opportunity to thrive.
We are driven by a bold vision: a future where all young people in our community are prepared for kindergarten, succeed in literacy and math, graduate ready for college and career, complete postsecondary education, and launch into thriving-wage employment.
Chattanooga 2.0 is more than a local coalition. We are a member of StriveTogether and engaged in other national partnerships that elevate our community as a model for systems change. Our innovative approaches from career-connected pathways to career and college savings accounts have attracted national attention and investment. This momentum positions Chattanooga- Hamilton County as one of the country’s leading examples of how communities can work together to expand opportunity and economic mobility. For more information about Chattanooga 2.0 visit https://chatt2.org
Role Summary
The Executive Director will serve as chief strategist, convener, fundraiser, and advocate for Chattanooga 2.0. This leader will inspire and align diverse partners around a shared vision, guide bold community goals, and ensure resources and data are leveraged to drive measurable results.
The ED will lead an experienced and growing team (five directors and their staff) and will steward Chattanooga 2.0 through its next chapter, sustaining the momentum of the organization and its current big bets. The successful candidate will be a systems-level thinker, an inspiring communicator, a disciplined manager, and a courageous champion for children and youth of Hamilton County.
Key Responsibilities
Inspire & Align
- Serve as the one of the community’s chief conveners, building trust and driving positive change among leaders and partners across K-12, higher education, workforce, philanthropy, business, and government.
- Lead and support key coalitions (e.g., Children’s Cabinet, Early Childhood Out-of-School Time Alliance, postsecondary partnerships, etc.) that drive cradle-to-career outcomes.
- Elevate the voices of students, families, and communities in shaping priorities and solutions.
Drive Strategy & Innovation
- Advance community “Big Bets,” including early childhood, literacy and math success, education to workforce pathways through Viable Pathways to Prosperity and the Chattanooga Future Fund, a career and college savings account program for Hamilton County students.
- Identify gaps in systems, incubate innovative solutions, and support scaling of initiatives that demonstrate impact.
- Ensure opportunity and access are central to all strategies and decisions.
Lead with Data & Accountability
- Champion a culture of continuous improvement grounded in data, both internally and across our community and partners.
- Use data through dashboards, reports, and storytelling to catalyze evidence-based action across the community
- Support shared measurement systems that track community goals: kindergarten readiness, literacy and math success, college and career readiness, postsecondary attainment, and thriving wages.
- Share transparent dashboards and insights that inform action across the community.
Advocate through Coalitions
- Work collectively with partners to advance policy and systems change at local, state, and national levels.
- Serve as a respected, credible, and values-aligned voice in media, with policymakers, and at convenings.
Secure & Steward Resources
- Manage and grow a diversified budget through public, private, philanthropic, and grant sources.
- Build sustainable funding streams to fuel long-term impact, as well as sustainability and viability of the work and team.
- Provide strong organizational leadership, support staff development, and achieve operational excellence of a small, but mighty team.
- Managing a talented team of directors, supporting them in vision setting, implementation, and professional growth through ongoing evaluation and feedback.
Qualifications
Must-Haves
- At least 3 years of senior leadership experience in collective impact, systems change, or related sectors (e.g., education, higher education, workforce development, public policy, or philanthropy).
- Demonstrated ability, experience and knowledge leading successful and impactful initiatives for kids and communities
- Successful experience managing a team.
- Proven ability to convene and align diverse stakeholders toward shared goals.
- Demonstrated experience using data and shared measurement to drive outcomes.
- Strong fundraising record with diversified sources (e.g., individual donors, local and national philanthropy, competitive grants) with proven ability to adapt when funding landscape shifts.
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to inspire across sectors and audiences.
- Commitment to community voice and closing opportunity gaps.
- Deep knowledge of at least one partner sector (i.e., K-12, higher education, workforce development, or early childhood).
Strong Pluses
- Experience leading a 501c3.
- Experience in policy and advocacy through coalitions.
- Experience across multiple sectors (early childhood, out-of-school time, K-12, postsecondary, workforce, etc.)
- Success leading large-scale, sustained initiatives.
- Existing knowledge of the Chattanooga- Hamilton County landscape and children and youth ecosystem
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary commensurate with experience.
- Comprehensive benefits package.
- In-person role that requires some travel
- Opportunity to lead one of the nation’s most visible cradle-to-career partnerships at a pivotal moment of growth and transition.
To apply for this position, please submit a persuasive cover letter and resume, combined into one PDF file to:
Attn: Yolonda Hayslett, Vice President of Finance and Operations
