Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 53 schools serving 20,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

Team & Role Overview

The Regional Senior Director (RSD) will play a meaningful role in leading all external- and community-facing work for Brooklyn! The RSD will work to advance Uncommon’s reputation and influence as a leading charter management organization in New York City. They will build support for our schools by demonstrating a deep understanding of the community and ensuring that Uncommon Schools is working as effectively as possible with key external partners in the community! They will work in partnership with the Associate Chief Operating Officer, who leads all aspects of school operations for Brooklyn, and the central External Affairs team at our Home Office, as well as other school, regional, and Home Office leaders within Uncommon. They will report to the Senior Director of External Affairs at Uncommon’s Home Office, and will supervise an External Affairs team.

Responsibilities

We are seeking a mission-aligned, high-energy, detail-focused, people-centered, and community-embedded leader who will build and execute on the strategic plan for regional external affairs, and create deep and positive relationships with school, regional, and external community members and stakeholders (e.g., parent leaders, community leaders, elected officials, school Board of Trustees, charter authorizers, other charter leaders). Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Management of External Affairs & Partners

• Regional advocacy and government affairs
• Plan and implement elected official engagement strategy, including managing high-level key relationships, supporting the team to plan initiatives, and strengthen relationships with elected officials (e.g., school visits, community projects, meetings)
• Oversee the creation and execution of a parent advocacy strategy and successful coalition-building to support Uncommon Schools and education reform interests. Lead and implement Uncommon advocacy initiatives within the regional context (e.g., Get Out the Vote campaigns, voter registration, parent advocacy & organizing, etc.)
• Board management
• Serve as the key owner and liaison for the regional Board of Trustees, including long-term relationship management and facilitation of all board meetings and sub-committee meetings
• Partner with the central Uncommon External Affairs team on Uncommon Impact work related to supporting our district partnerships
• Build, implement, and manage a system for school tours/visits by external collaborators
• Plan for and support all other high-stakes relationships in the region (e.g.,

Strategic Planning & Execution

• Partner with regional and Home Office leaders to create and implement a robust external strategy for the region
• Manage and drive strategy for all charter and governance compliance, including managing authorizer relationships, managing the charter application and renewal processes, and ensuring adherence to all relevant government policies and procedures;
• Determine and drive strategy for core initiatives/relationships in the region, including but not limited to: relationship with local school district(s) and implementation of district/city policies; supporting student recruitment

Collaboration & Team Management

• Work seamlessly with Managing Director of Operations and other regional leaders, especially around projects involving school implementation and Board of Trustees management
• Work closely with External Affairs, Development, and Media/Marketing teams and leverage organizational resources for the region
• Invest deeply in supporting the development of team members and their capacity to learn, contribute and engage in the work of the team and organization
• Establish team and individual staff goals that contribute to organizational objectives
• This position will manage 3 FTE

• Bachelor's Degree required 
• 6-8 years of substantive work experience with growing responsibility in external affairs in a non-profit and/or educational setting.
• Ability to build effective strategic plans and project manage to execute that strategy.
• Excellent relationship- and coalition-building skills and ability to move and communicate seamlessly and effectively among and between varied audiences (e.g. board members, school/regional leaders, elected officials, school district leaders, Uncommon parents, etc.).
• Experience and background in the community, professionally or personally
• Ability to serve as an effective ambassador for Uncommon Schools
• Excellent organization, time management, and follow-up skills; ability to prioritize and demonstrate an appropriate sense of urgency.
• Ability to navigate within ambiguity and successfully drive decisions given current context and desired outcomes

Travel Requirements

This role requires local travel around the region as well as multiple overnight trips to the State Capital each year, as well as occasional travel between Uncommon regions.

Our people are what make us uncommon. It’s important to us that our compensation practices align with our values and enhance our ability to attract and retain talent.  Our compensation philosophy is focused on equity and fairness, retaining our talented staff and valuing their expertise, and transparency and clarity.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role based in New York is between $124,000 to $155,000 and generally, we expect that qualified candidates in this location will be made an offer between $124,000 and $139,500. The starting pay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, certification, and location. Because we value staff staying in their roles over time, we do not currently cap salary ranges.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students.  As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.