Californians Together is Hiring a Policy Associate (Remote - Central Valley)
Vanessa Ramirez
Position: Central Valley Policy Associate, Non-Profit
Fully Remote in Central Valley
Exempt, Full-Time, Regular Position
Organizational Background:
Californians Together is a statewide advocacy coalition with the goal of better educating 1.2 million English learners by improving California's schools and promoting equitable educational policy.
Position Summary:
Californians Together seeks a dynamic, results-oriented professional dedicated to educational equity and who is interested in supporting the mission, vision, and ongoing development of the organization. The Central Valley Policy Associate will support the research, policy and advocacy work of Californians Together with a focus on the Central Valley. This position will be responsible for co-developing and launching a Central Valley consortium focused on dual language and English learner students and developing a Central Valley English Learner policy agenda with support from and in collaboration with the Californians Together policy team and external partners. This is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the Deputy Director and is fully remote with limited travel across the Central Valley.
Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Leadership for a Central Valley-wide consortium focused on dual language and English learner students
- Co-design, launch and support the new consortium
- Conduct outreach to build awareness and participation in the newly developed consortium
- Policy analyses and research related to all aspects of educating dual language learners and English learners
- Contribute to development of recommendations for state and local policy aimed at improving dual language/English learner (DLL/EL) outcomes and eliminating disparities in opportunity to learn
- Conduct extensive literature reviews, online research and interviews on various policy topics as well as leading development of policy briefs, report writing, and quantitative/qualitative analysis
- Design analyses that demonstrate how policy proposals may impact the field to inform the organization’s policy recommendations
- Develop materials (reports, briefs, PowerPoint presentations, web content, etc.) to advance our policy agenda
- Stay apprised of developments related to state and local policy and advocacy efforts
- Represent Californians Together and its policy agenda with various audiences, including key policy and advocacy stakeholder networks
- Attend meetings and inform members of stakeholder and policy bodies
- Deliver presentations at organizational meetings, conference workshops and
other meetings
- Support Californians Together strategic plan and goals
- Help set and implement strategic goals, policy and advocacy development for federal, state and local initiatives
- Participate in and help lead organization-wide planning, development, and communications activities, as needed, and ensure alignment with Californians Together strategic plan and priorities
- Other duties as assigned, dependent on organizational needs and employee skills
Qualifications:
- A bachelor’s degree is required; graduate degree is preferred
- 2 to 4 years of experience conducting policy and data analysis in education, preferably on issues related to equity and improving opportunity and outcomes for dual language/English learners; equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential job duties may be considered
- Deep passion for and understanding of education policy issues in California affecting DLL/ELs (English Learner Roadmap), including development of biliteracy, state and district accountability, and educator quality
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Demonstrated experience with using data to support policy development
- Ability to conduct policy analysis, research (qualitative/quantitative), and
analyze complex information/data for policy and planning - Knowledge of research methodology, evaluation, and statistics to be able to
understand and interpret the validity and significance of findings
- Excellent oral and written communication skills; Bilingual preferred
- Ability to translate and communicate results of complex analytic and research findings to diverse audiences and in a variety of formats and contexts
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in developing analyses, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings
- Must be able to travel locally and statewide for internal and external meetings
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:
- Mission Driven
- Commitment to the mission and work of Californians Together with the
credibility and persuasiveness to secure support from others - Passion for improving the educational experiences and outcomes for dual
language/English learners
- Commitment to the mission and work of Californians Together with the
- Results Oriented
- Highly self-motivated with the ability to work independently
- Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to develop and follow a prioritized plan of work, set and keep deadlines and work on multiple projects concurrently
- Ability to exercise sound, independent judgment
- Team Player and Coalition Builder
- Ability to work with diverse people, build and maintain strong working relationships with both internal and external partners
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to listen well
- Ability to contribute to a high functioning team environment
- Patient, personable and approachable
- Inclusive, flexible, creative, energetic and fair-minded
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Californians Together is an equal opportunity employer, welcomes a diverse pool of applicants, and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. Californians Together policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, military service, legally protected medical condition, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws.
Compensation:
Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Includes full health, dental and vision benefits, retirement investment plan with employer matching, holidays, vacation and sick days. Office closed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s.
To Apply:
Please send cover letter, resume and a policy-related writing sample such as Policy Briefs, White Papers, Policy Fact Sheets, Policy Memos to:
Human Resources at h...@californianstogether.org