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 more than 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.

The Manager, External Affairs is an essential member of the Uncommon NYC team that supports 23 schools in Brooklyn. They help ensure effective governance with the Board of Trustees and charter authorizer, help manage external partnerships and initiatives, and collaborate on team development, operations and annual planning. This role reports to the Regional Senior Director, External Affairs. 

Role and Responsibilities:

Governance

• Facilitate and coordinate Uncommon NYC Board of Trustees management including strategy, relationships and communications, meeting content, and new Trustee recruitment.
• Monitor and respond to changes in state, local, and charter authorizer policy.
• Oversee charter reporting and renewal process with Uncommon NYC’s authorizer.

Partnerships and Communications

• Manage partnership with NYC DOE, including collaboration on school space and Impact program that trains district teachers and leaders.
• Manage website updates and external visits to schools.
• Represent Uncommon NYC with key external stakeholders and partners as needed.
• Collaborate with internal Uncommon teams (e.g. regional operations, instruction, Home Office external affairs teams, and schools) on governance and external affairs projects.

Planning and Project Management 

• Support annual planning process for NYC external affairs team.
• Develop and manage accountability and project management tools to ensure goals are met.
• Monitor local SUNY and NYC DOE environment and make recommendations on issues or opportunities Uncommon NYC should prioritize.

Team Management and Operations

• Partner with Senior Director, NYC on professional development, and team building.
• Serve as project manager for key external affairs events and initiatives as required.
• Build team systems, including but not limited to formats for team meetings, codifying processes, and developing and implementing effective project management and other tools.

• 5+ years of professional experience 
• Bachelor’s Degree; Master’s Degree preferred

Required Skills:

• Strong strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent project management, implementation skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to create and maintain systems that enhance organizational efficiency.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to tailor communications to different audiences.
• Ability to build relationships with various stakeholders and a strong manager, who is adept at managing up, down, and across.
• Ability to learn quickly and take initiative, manage competing priorities, work independently, and respond to feedback.
• Enjoys working in a fast paced environment, is comfortable and flexible within ambiguity, and a sense of humor in the face of competing demands.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Prior experience in education and/or alignment with Uncommon’s mission.

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 Brooklyn, New York is between $91,300 to $107,400 and generally, we expect that qualified candidates in this location will be made an offer between $91,300 and $96,700. 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.