Connecticut Organizing Director (Families for Excellent Schools) (New Haven, CT)

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kitaro....@familiesforexcellentschools.org

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Dec 8, 2015, 12:06:03 PM12/8/15

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ABOUT US

At Families for Excellent Schools, our employees are passionate about their belief that all children should have access to great schools and education. We have diverse professional and personal backgrounds, and we don’t simply accept them - we celebrate them, we support them, and we thrive on them for the benefit of our employees, organization and the communities with which we work. We are an active and energetic group, who like to roll up our sleeves and get things done, which reinforces our culture and organization's core values of Collaboration, Results, Grit, and Respect.

THE ROLE

As Connecticut Organizing Director, you will develop and direct our Connecticut organizing program. Working closely with and reporting to the Managing Director of Organizing, you will directly oversee organizers and manage our field efforts. This is a great opportunity to have a chance to grow a relational organizing program with strong institutional support, access to philanthropic support, and an existing membership base as Families for Excellent Schools grows statewide.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

Manage Organizers and Lead Professional Development

The Massachusetts Organizing Manager will manage a team of organizers and support their growth by modeling, observing and providing comprehensive feedback on how to:

Build powerful public relationships with parents and community allies
Develop leadership capacity of parents
Lead parent meetings, workshops, and trainings
Grow and manage neighborhood chapters, advocacy committees, and town hall meetings
Manage data and systems

Drive and Manage Organizing Campaigns

The Massachusetts Organizing Manager will:

Lead and support campaign planning sessions with Massachusetts parent leaders, allies and organizers
Build consensus from multiple stakeholders, including parents and community groups on campaign plans, and ensure implementation and execution of plans. Document and support best practices for drafting and ongoing maintenance of campaign plans
Drive strategic decision-making throughout campaign implementation by offering strong advice and counsel and reviewing performance to date
With state-level leadership, guide organizers through check-ins, performance assessment, and field observations

Lead and Manage Stakeholder Relationships

The Massachusetts Organizing Manager will:

In coordination with state-level leadership, develop partnerships with community based organizations
Identify key prospective community allies and develop long term plan for building powerful partnerships
Organize coalitions of parents, community based organizations, schools, and various stakeholders to win campaigns

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

Candidates should enjoy working in a dynamic, results-oriented environment in which expectations are high for both the quality and speed of work. In addition, they should have the following:

Bachelor’s degree or sufficient relevant work experience in lieu of education requirement;
Three to five years of experience working in a senior organizing role, and at least one year of experience managing organizers;
A deep understanding of and appreciation for relational organizing, with a strong track record of managing organizers within similar organizing programs;
An understanding of or experience working in schools and/or charter management organizations and/or advocacy organizations is a plus;
Fluency in Spanish is a plus;
Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills;
An exceptional coach, with a proven track record of staff management, support, and development within a culture of accountability, metrics and regular feedback; A track record of leadership and change management in a scaling organization;
Successful experience working in entrepreneurial environments, with the capacity to be flexible, collaborative, and solutions-oriented;
Demonstrated commitment to education, low income communities, and communities of color;
Ability to effectively build relationships with senior management, employees, and external partners.

In keeping with the work, candidates must be able to travel and work off site often, particularly to different neighborhoods in Connecticut, and work moderately irregular hours when needed.

PAY AND PERKS

We provide competitive salaries and a full slate of benefits including health coverage, an FSA, a 401K plan with 5% matching and pre-tax commuter benefits. We have a generous vacation policy, and our office is shut down for a week at the end of the calendar year. Perks include a shiny new MacBook on your first day and open and collaborative office space at our offices in NYC, Boston, and New Haven.