Company Description

Uncommon Schools is a non-profit network of 53 outstanding public charter schools in grades K-12 across New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Our mission is to start and manage outstanding urban public charter schools that close the achievement gap and prepare students from low-income backgrounds for success in college and beyond. We are accomplishing that mission every day, with a college graduation rate that is well above the national average and thousands of stories of our students and alumni achieving their dreams.

Job Description

Summary of Role

The Senior Director of External Affairs (SDEA) is responsible for leading and managing the advocacy and community engagement strategy from the Home Office and across five of our regions! The SDEA oversees all five Regional Senior Directors (RSDs) who are responsible for the management of regional governance including the regional board of trustees, advocacy work, community engagement, and charter authorization and management. The Senior Director will partner with the RSDs to set the strategy and manage execution in each region. The SDEA also manages the Home Office external affairs team, focused on education policy advocacy, social justice advocacy, and sharing strategies with educators outside of our organization! The role reports to the Chief External Officer.

Core Duties & Responsibilities

Management and Development (50%)

• Manage five direct reports, ensuring they have the support and professional development needed to develop localized strategies engaging with key external partners
• Set the vision for org-wide strategies for advocacy, community engagement and board management
• Collaborate to identify issues in local, state, and federal policy that could benefit or harm Uncommon and advocate/address accordingly; determine how to strategically mobilize key constituencies to achieve desired outcomes

Strategy and Development (30%)

• Manage two direct reports working on our impact and national advocacy strategies
• Ensure development and execution of impact strategy to enhance Uncommon's dissemination work and external best practice sharing
• Serve as key relationship manager for district charter partnerships and with other high-profile external partners
• Lead impact strategy more broadly to support the dissemination of Uncommon's work through other mechanisms beyond PD, including the Uncommon Sense, Uncommon's blog.
• Oversee federal advocacy efforts, determining Uncommon's participation in federal advocacy and serving as external spokesperson for federal relationships
• Develop and oversee the organization's civic engagement strategy, including voter registration and turnout campaigns, as well as organization-wide campaigns around Census and related issues.
• Lead all aspects of the development of the External Affairs team budget

Project Management (20%)

• Lead, manage, and/or contribute to cross-functional special projects as needed

Qualifications

Required Skills & Abilities

• Strong management and leadership skills
• Strong prioritization skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ability to build and sustain relationships within and beyond Uncommon
• Knowledge of federal, state and local government and education policy
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Preferred Skills & Abilities

• Microsoft Excel/PowerPoint-- ability to present basic summary data in a polished and organized presentation
• Able to identify challenges before they become problems
• Able to simplify content to the core of its meaning
• Takes ownership and responsibility
• Identifies connections and opportunities for collaboration between and within teams

Educational Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required, Master's Degree preferred

Experience Requirements

• 8+ years professional work experience required, with 2+ years of management experience

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer

Travel Requirements

• Up to 1 day per month between NYC, Rochester, Camden, Newark, and Boston

Additional Information

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 important 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.