Position Summary:
We are searching for a director, regional communications to lead our media strategy in eight to ten regions. Our Communications team ensures Teach For America's external reputation accurately reflects its internal programmatic and organizational strength and quality, and strategically leads our media and public relations efforts.
About Teach For America:
Teach For America is the national corps of top recent college graduates who commit to teach for at least two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity. Our mission is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation's most promising future leaders in the effort.
In the 2010-2011 school year, more than 8,200 first- and second-year Teach For America corps members will be teaching in 39 regions across the United States. Since 1990, Teach For America corps members have reached more than 3 million students. More than 20,000 Teach For America alumni are working in education and many other fields, where they continue to advocate for students and families in low-income communities. While only one in six corps members say they were interested in the teaching profession before joining Teach For America, nearly two-thirds of our alumni remain in the field of education.
We are a high-growth, outcomes-oriented organization, with a $220 million budget and over 1,500 staff. We operate in an entrepreneurial environment, maintain focus on quantitative measures, and are committed to continuous improvement.
Team Overview:
The Public Affairs team manages Teach For America's government affairs, media and communications relationships, research and policy, and legal affairs. The team works to build support in the media, policy, academic, and nonprofit communities for Teach For America's ongoing efforts, ensuring that our external reputation accurately reflects our programmatic and organizational strength and quality.
The Communications team strives to leverage national and local media to drive broad public understanding of Teach For America's mission and impact and support key organizational goals.Teach For America's communications directors work closely and collaboratively with regional and national internal teams. They are responsible for developing and ensuring the alignment of communications tactics and messages with the regions' unique strategic priorities and assets. Communications directors also serve as the key liaison between Teach For America and all media outlets within assigned regions.
Responsibilities:
Ongoing:
Working closely with Teach For America's executive directors to develop and execute regional strategic plans that are aligned with organizational priorities
Working with executive directors to manage portfolios of critical regional relationships with print, broadcast, radio, and online journalists as well as district PR contacts
Developing and implementing response strategies for a variety of media requests, including crisis communications situations
Managing regional media events, such as press conferences, Teach For America Week, and regional alumni summits
Preparing Teach For America staff and corps members for media opportunities
Developing and implementing creative story ideas that support regional and national communications objectives
Working closely with the managing director, regional communications on the organization's broader regional media strategy and outreach
Qualifications:
Candidate Profile and Experience Prerequisites:
Education and skills:
Bachelor's degree is required
Formal communications/public relations
and/or journalism experience is preferred, but not required
Approach to Work:
Ability to set vision & direction, and to motivate and inspire team members
Ability to work through others to meet aggressive goals
Must be an excellent strategic thinker with the ability to prioritize tasks and effectively work toward deadlines
Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual project details
Ability to build and manage relationships with external parties and internal team leaders
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with a sense of possibility, high expectations and an entrepreneurial spirit
Technical Skills:
Must have exceptional written and oral communications skills
Advanced Excel skills
Benefits and Salary:
Salary for this position is competitive and depends on prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included.
Anti-Discrimination Policy and Commitment to Diversity:
Teach For America seeks individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort.