Vice President, Communications

OVERVIEW

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (National Alliance) is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement.

When given the option, parents increasingly are choosing to enroll their children in public charter schools. In most communities, the demand for charter schools is far outpacing the supply. What began as a small movement in a couple of states has grown into a major force in education reform. Today there are nearly 8,000 charter schools in 42 states and Washington, D.C., educating close to 4 million students.

The work of the National Alliance and the charter school movement itself has never been more current, visible, and vital. With increased growth, public awareness, recognition, and parents’ increased appetite for school options, charter schools are poised to make a lasting, positive and measurable impact on the public education system. At the same time, the work to increase the number of high-quality is not easy; there are well-resourced opponents of charter schools that are organized better than ever before in their attempt to halt our progress. Fueled by a sense of possibility and recognizing the struggles we face, the National Alliance is seeking a leader who can make the most of this opportunity and fulfill its potential.

ORGANIZATION

The National Alliance occupies a critical role in the charter movement: as a leader in federal education policy, as a major force for improving state charter policy and advocacy, and as a prominent national voice in the policy and public discourse on public charter schools. In order to support the growth of a high-quality charter school community, we work to:

• Fuel the growth of high-quality public charter schools by advocating for increased public funding of charter schools;
• Improve the overall health and perception of the movement in order to increase our political influence with policymakers; and
• Shape federal and state policy to create the climate in which high-quality charter schools can grow.

The National Alliance speaks and advocates for the millions of students attending and hoping to attend a charter school. Through our advocacy efforts at the federal and state level, our legal activities, our research, and our national communications work, we ensure lawmakers, the media, opinion-shapers, public charter school leaders, thought leaders, and the general public understand what charter schools are, the promise they hold for our children, and how best to promote the growth of high-quality, innovative schools nationwide. Additional information about the National Alliance can be found at www.publiccharters.org.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

The National Alliance is currently seeking an experienced Vice President of Communications to join our team.

The Vice President of Communications will lead and manage all communications functions at the National Alliance. This leader will bring clear direction, energy and urgency to help us advance our goals and achieve our mission.

The Vice President of Communications will:

• Strategize: Craft and operationalize integrated communications strategies that further the Alliance’s organizational goals, maximize communications impact and support policy, regulatory and legal efforts at the federal, state, local and partner level.
• Lead: Guide a team of staff, consultants and vendors to efficiently execute against communications goals. Work cross-functionally to ensure all communications activities support the organizational agenda. Set implementation goals, create operating plans, provide oversight and manage budgets in support of the work.
• Execute: Drive tactics and strategies toward organizational goals, provide oversight of written content and outreach campaigns, manage media relationships, and represent the Alliance at external functions.
• Build: Fortify an external coalition of partners, including education reform organizations, charter school support organizations, public charter schools, donors and other stakeholders. Collaborate with partners to reinforce consistent messaging about public charter schools and create a positive policy and regulatory landscape nationally and at the state level.

WHO YOU ARE

• You are a senior-level communications professional who enjoys creating a healthy, sustainable, and thriving organization as it undergoes a transition.
• You have a successful track record in leading teams to meet ambitious goals.
• You understand how to navigate advocacy and political communications environments and know what it takes to grow political influence and achieve policy change.
• You have the ability to distill complex policy and research into digestible and intriguing content.
• You have sharp interpersonal and verbal communication skills and are at ease representing the organization to external audiences.
• You consider editing and writing as two areas where you excel, and you have demonstrable professional experience.
• You know how to prioritize and have the ability to manage a variety of initiatives concurrently.
• You are committed to the mission of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and will work collaboratively with our partners.