Community Engagement Coordinator

  • Full-time
  • Hiring Start Time: Immediate Start (Home Office)
  • HO Team: External Affairs

Company Description

Uncommon Schools (Uncommon) Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing public schools that are increasing the academic achievement of historically under-resourced communities and preparing students for success in college and beyond. Uncommon currently manages 54 schools serving more than 20,000 students in six cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, Rochester, and Troy. We have achieved outstanding academic results based on internal assessments, statewide exams, and graduation milestones.

Job Description

External Title: Community Engagement Coordinator

Internal Title: External Affairs Coordinator

 

About the Role

The External Affairs Coordinator will organize and empower our parents and schools to ensure high quality schools for every family through local and state level advocacy! They will establish and cultivate relationships with key elected officials and community leaders to ensure that they know, support and protect our schools; as well as design and execute on programs and initiatives that deepen the relationships between the schools and the communities we serve. The Coordinator will also advance our external-facing communications and initiatives, including school tour management, website and social media oversight, logistical support of external events and board meetings, and other administrative responsibilities. The position will report directly to the Regional Senior Director for Rochester.

Essential duties & responsibilities

  • Analyze and navigate the education and political landscapes in Rochester and the state.
  • Develop and champion relationships with elected representatives at the local, county, and state levels.
  • Attend community-based events regularly.
  • Educate community leaders, advocates and elected officials about our schools through relationship building, school visits, community events, etc.
  • Lead and conduct outreach to Rochester Prep families and communities associated with our schools regarding opportunities for advocacy and involvement.
  • Lead non-partisan voter registration and get out the vote campaigns among families, in coordination with schools.
  • Coordinate events and activities that provide families with an opportunity to have their voices heard in their community and by city, state, and national leadership.
  • Identify and train parent leaders at each of our schools to engage with Rochester leaders and various elected officials, mobilize large groups of parents for advocacy initiatives and events, and lead school-based community engagement efforts.
  • Design, initiate, and execute events and other initiatives that deepen the connections between Rochester Prep and the communities our schools serve.
  • Manage stakeholder database, ensuring data entry and data integrity in databases
  • Track progress around all outreach efforts, analyze progress data, and design plans to adjust to real-time data.
  • Run monthly tour schedule for donors, educators and prospective parents
  • Handle regional website updates, social media, and school and Board of Trustees newsletters
  • Provide logistics support for events (e.g. advocacy rallies, professional development workshops for district partners, board meetings)
  • Execute actions step for board meeting preparation (e.g. monthly communications, information gathering, packet creation, meeting minutes, etc.)
  • Provide general administrative support
  • Manage purchasing and invoicing tasks and processes
  • Schedule meetings with various partners
  • Capture and disseminate meeting notes

Qualifications

  • Strong strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to build and maintain systems that improve organizational efficiency.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal).
  • Ability to initiate and build relationship with various partners.
  • Standout colleague who is an ambitious "go-getter," able to lead and motivate others.
  • Comfortable with ambiguity, flexible, and able to adapt quickly to changing priorities, and a sense of humor in the face of competing demands.
  • Knowledge of New York State and Rochester public education, charter schools, and political landscape highly preferred.
  • Self-awareness with the ability to reflect and adapt to diverse environments.
  • Cultural competency and experience working with families from diverse ethnic and class backgrounds.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Applications and Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
  • Flexibility of schedule for early morning, evening and weekend meetings and events.
  • Fluency in Spanish preferred.
  • Must have access to a personal vehicle to travel to our schools and community events.

Education and experience

  • Bachelor’s degree required.
  • Minimum three years of professional experience in organizing, community engagement or other relevant work with schools and families in communities similar to those we serve.
  • Prior experience planning and leading large scale projects.
  • Prior experience with grassroots field organizing, including experience in political or issues campaigns, or leading a field organizing team a plus.

Additional Information

Uncommon Schools offers salaries commensurate with experience and a very generous benefits and vacation package. All staff members receive extensive professional development, and are equipped with a laptop computer and all necessary supplies.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students.  As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.