About Leadership for Educational Equity
Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan leadership development organization dedicated to developing its members’ potential to ensure every child has the opportunity to receive an outstanding education. Our kids and communities need more leaders who believe that educational inequity is a solvable problem. We believe that when our members are organized and reach positions of leadership, they’ll serve as a transformative force for students, communities and the broader movement for educational equity.LEE is a diverse team of passionate and talented individuals committed to making a difference. We are a high-growth, results-oriented organization that operates in an entrepreneurial environment deeply invested in continuous improvement. If you would like to become part of our team and join the fight for educational equity, or if you would simply like to learn more about what we do, please visit educationalequity.org.
Position Summary:
The Communications team plays a vital role in advancing the mission of LEE through excellent storytelling that thoughtfully engages both external stakeholders and our membership base. A successful Vice President, Communications will lead this team with political savvy, strength in stewarding a nonpartisan narrative of LEE, and a belief in the urgent need for educational equity and the critical position of LEE in this work.
LEE seeks an entrepreneurial and innovative Vice President of Communications to oversee the development and execution of our communications strategy. This role may also include serving as the organizational spokesperson (to be determined). This Vice President reports directly to the Executive Director and strives to achieve three overarching objectives:
1) Engage external stakeholders (e.g., media, community leaders, and other organizations) by communicating the work and story of LEE in a way that is compelling and produces trust, interest, and support. This objective requires defining and building the LEE brand to meaningfully interact with a broad base.
2) Improve how LEE’s membership (>36,000 in 2017) views and understands the organization to increase both individual engagement with LEE and civic engagement within communities. This workstream includes a scaled, multichannel (social media, text, email, etc.) strategy with strong content showcasing the mission and work of LEE to end educational inequity. In addition, this engagement strategy relies on collaboration with staff across LEE to work toward connecting our members’ passion for social justice with appropriate LEE development opportunities.
3) Support members in civic leadership pipelines or positions in strategically engaging with the media and crafting their own story, brand, and communications strategy. While a lower priority in this department, communications support for these members presents an important chance to scale the impact of LEE members’ work in their communities.
In addition to these three main objectives, the Vice President of Communications ensures high-quality media activities and special events as needed.
The ideal candidate will be a values-oriented executive who approaches their work through a diversity and inclusion lens and will collaborate across the organization for the success of their team and LEE. This candidate will demonstrate the following competencies in their day-to-day work:
Production of Critical Communications: Lead creation of high-priority and high-quality communications, including crafting key narratives
Expand Practice through Professional Community: Identify and participate in professional communities and opportunities to examine effective communication strategies and build the practices and tools available to the Communications team and LEE
Set Vision and Direction: Establish a clear vision aligned with LEE’s goals and develop team and tasks in service of this vision
Synthesize, Integrate, and Develop Strategies: Innovate meaningful, actionable strategies or solutions for organizational and team needs
Manage Team Execution: Assign, track, and prioritize work to ensure excellent outputs
Collaborate to Achieve Outcomes: Effectively engage with others to achieve desired outcomes
Travel Requirements: up to 50%
Position Location Details: Flexible (Preference for LEE hub - New York, NY; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; San Francisco, CA or Los Angeles, CA)
Responsibilities:
Member Engagement and Strategy
Develop a strategic communications and marketing plan to support the organization's mission, goals and objectives
Drive strategy and message development work across the organization to develop various, meaningful ways to increase member engagement, recruitment results, and program attendance
Develop and implement communication programs focused on market awareness, thought leadership, demand generation, and branding
Media and External Relations
Act as communications advisor to the executive director and senior leadership team and, potentially, represent LEE as a spokesperson
Develop strategy and message positions for proactive media initiatives
Build relationships with key influencers, strategic partners and external constituencies
Ensure live events and special projects are successful and effective representations of LEE
Create a rapid response and crisis communications operation
Team and Organizational Stewardship
Lead team of communications professionals by assigning work, setting priorities, evaluating performance, departmental skills, and experience needs and recruiting and developing talent for present and future departmental needs
Support and promote consistency of messaging across the organization, including close collaboration with the legal, supporter relations, and internal communications teams
Develop annual budget and strategic goals for communications team that are aligned with organizational goals
Build an inclusive team culture that values diverse perspectives and inspires team members to produce high-quality outputs
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree
10 years of experience in communications and marketing roles with progressive responsibility (depth of experience may substitute for years of experience)
Strong passion for the education sector and the mission of LEE
Experience developing and managing a comprehensive strategic communications, media relations, and marketing program, including social media
Track record of developing and maintaining strong relationships with key media and industry representatives and/or the skill and drive to build new such relationships
Outstanding oral presentation and written communications skills
High level of diplomacy and tact, including an appreciation for confidentiality
Ability to engage effectively with internal influencers and stakeholders
Ability to tackle and overcome challenges
Curiosity and eagerness to learn
Proven ability to perform in a collaborative, team-centric environment with a strong customer orientation (internal and external)
A hands-on, “roll up your sleeves,” action-oriented approach and comfort working with a strong, multi-disciplinary communications team
Focus on results, with an honest and ethical approach to achieving these with intelligence, passion, and energy
Ability to motivate and positively engage staff and management in ways that build trust and enthusiasm
Deep interest and ability to support the definition of a burgeoning brand with a focus on innovation rather than “managing” an existing brand
Willingness to engage a diverse set of stakeholders while developing a brand presence steeped in our core values
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working for a 501(c)4 non-profit
Nonprofit experience preferred, especially related to education
Experience with politics
High comfort level with social media
Ability to build a network within traditional earned media
Master’s degree in relevant field (e.g., design, literature, art)
Public relations experience
Benefits and Salary
Salary for this position is competitive and depends on prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included.
An Equal-Opportunity Employer with a Commitment to Diversity
Leadership for Educational Equity is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we consider applicants equally of race, gender, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability, political affiliation and national origin. We reasonably accommodate staff members and/or applicants with disabilities, provided they are otherwise able to perform the essential functions of the job.
Affirmative action-equal opportunity employer.
The statements in this description represent typical elements, criteria, and general work performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the job.
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