Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing charter public schools that are closing the academic achievement gap and preparing students from historically underserved communities for success in college and beyond. Uncommon currently manages 55 schools serving more than 20,000 students in six cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, Rochester, and Troy. Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at rates far higher than their peers. We believe that every child deserves an outstanding education, and we are committed to working beyond the walls of our schools to achieve that goal through our professional development workshops, books, and district partnerships. 

About the Role

The External Affairs Coordinator will organize and empower our parents and schools to ensure high quality schools for every family through local and state level advocacy! They will establish and nurture relationships with key elected officials and community leaders to ensure that they know, support and protect our schools; as well as design and execute on programs and initiatives that deepen the relationships between the schools and the communities we serve! The Coordinator will also advance our external-facing communications and initiatives, including school tour management, website and social media oversight, logistical support of external events and board meetings, and other administrative responsibilities. The position will report directly to the Regional Senior Director for Rochester.

Essential duties & responsibilities

• Analyze and navigate the political and educational landscape in Rochester and the state.
• Maintain relationships with elected representatives at the local, county, and state levels.
• Attend events regularly.
• Educate community leaders, advocates and elected officials about our schools through relationship building, school visits, community events, etc.
• Lead and conduct outreach to Rochester Prep families and communities associated with our schools regarding opportunities for advocacy and involvement.
• Lead non-partisan voter registration and get out the vote campaigns among families, in coordination with schools.
• Coordinate events and activities that provide families with an opportunity to have their voices heard in their community and by city, state, and national leadership.
• Identify and train parent leaders at each of our schools to engage with political officials and leaders, mobilize large groups of parents for advocacy initiatives and events, and lead school-based community engagement efforts.
• Design, initiate, and execute events and projects that strengthen the connections within the communities our schools serve.
• Handle partner database, ensuring data entry and data integrity in databases
• Track progress around all outreach efforts, analyze progress data, and design plans to adjust to real-time data.
• Run monthly tour schedule for donors, educators and prospective parents
• Handle regional website updates, social media, and both the school and Board of Trustees newsletters
• Provide logistics support for events (e.g. advocacy rallies, professional development workshops for district partners, board meetings)
• Execute actions step for board meeting preparation (e.g. monthly communications, information gathering, packet creation, meeting minutes, etc.)
• Provide general administrative support
• Handle purchasing and invoicing tasks and processes
• Schedule meeting with various partners
• Collect and disseminate meeting notes

• Strong strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to build and maintain systems that improve organizational efficiency.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal).
• Ability to initiate and build relationships with various partners.
• Standout colleague who is a self-motivated "go-getter" able to lead and empower others.
• Comfortable with ambiguity, flexible and able to adapt quickly to changing priorities, and a sense of humor in the face of challenging demands.
• Knowledge of New York State and Rochester public education, charter schools, and political landscape highly preferred.
• Self-awareness with the ability to reflect and adapt to diverse environments.
• Cultural competency and experience working with families from diverse ethnic and class backgrounds.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Applications and Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
• Flexibility of schedule for early morning, evening and weekend meetings and events.
• Fluency in Spanish preferred.
• Must have access to a personal vehicle to travel to our schools and community events.

Education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum three years of professional experience in organizing, community engagement or other relevant work with schools and families in communities similar to those we serve.
• Prior experience planning and managing large scale projects.
• Prior experience with grassroots field organizing, including experience in political or issues campaigns, or leading a field organizing team a plus.

Uncommon Schools offers salaries commensurate with experience and a very generous benefits and vacation package. All staff members receive extensive professional development, and are equipped with a laptop computer and all necessary supplies.

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.