Executive Director, California College Guidance Initiative

About the job

Executive Director, California College Guidance Initiative
100% Remote within California; must reside in California

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.

What We Are Seeking

Strategic Direction and Execution
Sets clear priorities, articulates a compelling future for CCGI — expanding into areas like deepening platform adoption and leveraging data more powerfully — while simultaneously managing the practical realities of funding constraints, statutory compliance, and intersegmental coordination. Translates strategy into measurable outcomes and resource decisions and adjusts direction as student needs and statewide conditions evolve.

Statewide Relationship-Based Leadership
Builds and deepens trust across education systems and government partners — including 650+ K-12 Local Education Agencies, the California Department of Education, the California Community Colleges, California State University, the University of California, the California Student Aid Commission and the Cradle-to-Career Data System. Navigates competing priorities with diplomacy and develops coalitions that advance shared outcomes through influence rather than positional authority.

Team-Centered Stewardship
Honors the deep expertise of the existing team, provides clarity and resources so divisions can execute, builds strong retention, and enters the organization with humility. Leads through senior leaders, clarifies decision-making authority, strengthens accountability, and develops leadership capacity across the organization.

Financial and Organizational Stewardship
Accountable for both long-term financial sustainability through continued state funding, philanthropy funding opportunities, and cybersecurity and risk management

Student-Centered, Equity-Informed Judgment
Uses evidence and stakeholder perspectives to identify barriers and make decisions that improve educational access and opportunity — especially for students most harmed by misalignment between education systems.

Communication and Culture
Communicates clearly across audiences, welcomes constructive disagreement, provides direct and respectful feedback, and models collaboration, learning, and accountability.

• Essential Responsibilities
• MISSION AND STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT
• 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.

• ORGANIZATIONAL STEWARDSHIP
• Pr ovides 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.

• EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT
• 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.

• Experience and Knowledge
• Organizational leadership — Experience leading a distributed team of 50+ through an executive leadership structure.
• Equity-centered strategy — Demonstrated ability to translate equity commitments into organizational policy, hiring, and partnerships.
• Government relations — Experience working with or within the Legislature, Governor's office, or Department of Finance on education policy or funding.
• California education ecosystem — Deep familiarity with K-12, community colleges, CSU, UC, and the state agencies that connect them.
• Government relations — Experience working with or within the Legislature, Governor's office, or Department of Finance on education policy or funding.
• Intersegmental/Cross-Sector coordination — Track record of building alignment across institutional boundaries with competing priorities.
• Organizational leadership — Experience leading a distributed team of 50+ through an executive leadership structure.
• Data-informed operations — Comfort with data systems, student data privacy and related legal requirements, and using evidence to drive strategy.
• Financial stewardship — Budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, and managing state funding relationships.
• Equity-centered strategy — Demonstrated ability to translate equity commitments into organizational policy, hiring, and partnerships.
• Nonprofit and public-sector context — Understanding regulatory compliance, contracting, and the constraints of operating as a public-facing nonprofit.

• Leadership Qualities
• 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.

Cultural Alignment
CCGI's team culture is built on nine characteristics that are deeply embedded in how the organization works. The next leader must not only endorse these qualities but model them daily:
Collaboration and learning · Data-driven practices · Direct feedback
Documentation · Due diligence and preparation · Professionalism and kindness
Self-reflection · Strategic thinking · Vulnerability

The Executive Director sets the tone for this culture and is expected to model, provide, and receive feedback using the Nonviolent Communication framework.

• What we Offer
• FoundationCCC is fully committed to a “remote-first” philosophy, and recruits and hires talent across the state in fully remote positions, where virtual work is possible. Our headquarters are located in Downtown Sacramento, just blocks from California’s State Capitol.
• Benefits
• Competitive compensation, generous PTO, and paid holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision plans, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Wellness offerings
• CalPERS retirement program and optional 403(b) and 457 Retirement plans
• Carrot reproductive health and fertility support
• Tuition reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness certified employer

Working Hours, Location, and Travel
Hours: Full-time position, 40 hours per week, with additional hours needed to address the organization’s needs.
Location: California-based with the flexibility to work remotely (in California).
Travel: Regular daytime travel and in-person attendance at events and meetings within the state to align with the needs of the institutions in the state. Overnight travel (up to 20%) by land and air.

For the full job description, email jobs@foundationccc.org .

• Application Instructions
• Include both a cover letter and resume with your application.

Budgeted Annual Salary Pay Range:
$220,000.00 - $240,000.00

Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, skills relevant to the role, and internal equity.