Chief Impact Officer

Chief Impact Officer

Good Reason Houston seeks a knowledgeable, experienced and committed educational expert to join their team as Chief Impact Officer.

The Chief Impact Officer (CIO) is the chief architect and driver of Good Reason Houston's regional impact strategy—responsible for transforming bold vision into measurable progress across Houston's public education ecosystem. Reporting directly to the CEO, the CIO will design, lead, and continuously refine the strategic approach that positions Good Reason Houston as the backbone organization accelerating educational and economic mobility outcomes from pre-K through postsecondary completion and living wage attainment.

As a member of the executive leadership team, the CIO will ensure coherence, innovation, and execution excellence across three departments: District Impact, Postsecondary Impact and Research, Data, and Impact. The will directly manage three Managing Directors, leading a department of 20 team members.

Externally, the CIO will be one of Houston's most visible and trusted education leaders—representing GRH with superintendents, college chancellors, elected officials, and civic and business leaders. They will be responsible for forging deep institutional partnerships that align Houston's major education systems around shared goals, data, and accountability for results.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Impact Strategy (40%)

• Develop and execute GRH's Impact strategy, ensuring the division advances Good Reason Houston's role as Houston's regional education backbone.
• Set clear priorities for where the division will invest—and where it will not—to maximize regional impact, strengthen system accountability, and accelerate progress toward GRH's North Star.
• Translate enterprise strategy into a cohesive, integrated portfolio of district, postsecondary, and research and data strategic initiatives.
• Continuously evaluate regional needs, emerging opportunities, and organizational performance to refine strategic approach and priorities.
• Ensure every initiative within the division has a clear theory of action, measurable outcomes, and defined accountability.
• Partner closely with the CEO and executive leadership team to shape GRH's strategic direction and position the organization as a national leader in systems-level education transformation.
• Oversee GRH's fee-for-service revenue strategy and outcomes, ensuring offerings are mission-aligned, high-quality, and responsive to the needs of districts and partners
• Collaborate with the Advancement division to position and secure philanthropic investment that enables the division's long-term sustainability and impact.

Executive Leadership & Organizational Culture (30%)

• Serve as a member of the executive leadership team, sharing accountability for the overall organizational health, performance, and long-term sustainability of Good Reason Houston.
• Shape enterprise strategy, organizational priorities, resource allocation, and major organizational decisions beyond the Impact division.
• Ensure research directly informs strategic decision-making and organizational priorities.
• Own enterprise impact measurement, evaluation frameworks, and performance reporting.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing team of program, research, and partnership staff; strengthening organizational leadership capacity, and ensuring clear accountability for results.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement across the enterprise.
• Work closely with executive team peers to ensure organizational alignment and impact, using experience and expertise to identify opportunities beyond the Impact division to strengthen collaboration, efficiency and efficacy of the enterprise.

Partnerships & External Engagement (30%)

• Consistently cultivate executive relationships with superintendents, higher education chancellors, research institutions and other senior leaders in the education ecosystem; positioning Good Reason Houston as Houston's trusted backbone organization for improving educational outcomes.
• Convene executive leaders around shared priorities, accountability, and regional action.
• Represent GRH as a credible, compelling voice in media, high-stakes regional convenings, coalitions, and public forums.
• Position Good Reason Houston as Houston's leading source of actionable education insight through flagship publications and original research
• Represent Good Reason Houston on the Houston Economic Mobility Coalition Steering Committee, shaping regional strategy and ensuring education is fully integrated into regional economic mobility strategies and coordinating cross-sector action across workforce, housing, health, and social service partners.

Qualifications

We believe highly qualified candidates for this position could come from a variety of backgrounds. Some examples include leading at a CMO or district central office for a major urban district, managing a significant portfolio at a grantmaking or consulting organization in the social impact sector, and directing significant initiatives at a state education agency. We encourage you to reach out to our recruiting team if you have any questions about your alignment with the role.

• 12+ years of progressive senior leadership experience in public PK-16 US education, nonprofit, philanthropy, or other related sector.
• Deep understanding of education systems across pre-K–16 and their intersections with workforce/economic mobility.
• Record of results designing and implementing strategies that deliver clear, measurable outcomes at scale.
• Proven record achieving cross sector outcomes through shared vision, coalition-building and organizational trust.
• Exceptional relationship builder with a track record of cultivating trust among senior education leaders.
• Strong team leadership and management skills, with experience overseeing multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated success in aligning programs with philanthropic/public funding opportunities.
• Houston context is highly preferred but not required.

About the Organization

Good Reason Houston is the region's education backbone, aligning school districts, higher education, community partners, philanthropy, and civic leaders around a shared goal: ensuring every Houston student has a clear, supported path from the first day of pre-K to a living-wage career.

Our North Star is ambitious—to double the rate of Houston public school graduates earning a living wage by 2040. We believe that achieving this goal requires our region to work together; united around shared goals, measurable progress, and collective accountability, with parents and educators helping shape the decisions that matter most for students.

Good Reason Houston works alongside educators, families, school systems, and community partners to identify what students need most, align regional action, track progress and mobilize the resources and accountability required to improve outcomes for every child, in every neighborhood of Houston.

Today, Good Reason Houston partners with 25 public school systems serving more than 700,000 students across approximately 900 schools. Together with school systems, higher education institutions, employers, philanthropy, and civic leaders, we are building an education system that prepares every student for a future of opportunity, choice, and economic mobility.

You can read more about our impact and our team here.

Benefits and Salary

• The salary range for this role begins at $190,000, with offer commensurate with candidate experience.
• Good Reason Houston also has a 401(k) (automatic 3% employer contribution), life, medical, dental and vision insurance packages.
• Each employee accrues 35 paid time off days per calendar year in addition to the 19 paid holidays per year.
• Good Reason Houston is an office-based organization, but allows for virtual work on Mondays and Fridays.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, though we encourage candidates to apply by August 30. This search is being managed by Good Reason Houston's talent partners, Denise Smith Consulting and Mitchell & Mueller Consulting