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 Coordinator of External Affairs 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 cultivate relationships with key elected officials and community leaders to ensure that they know, support and protect our schools; as well as design and complete programs and initiatives that deepen the relationships between the schools and the communities we serve. The Coordinator will also advance our parent engagement, leading our Parent Partners for Advocacy group as well as our campus-based Family Councils with direction from the Regional Senior Director for Camden. Other duties include website and social media oversight, logistical support of external events and board meetings, and supporting other team-wide initiatives for Camden. The position will report directly to the Regional Senior Director for Camden.

Community Engagement 

• Develop and cultivate relationships with elected representatives at the local, county and state level. 
• Attend community events regularly in the communities we serve. 
• Educate community leaders, advocates and elected officials about our schools through relationship building, school visits, community events, etc. 
• Maintain outreach to Camden Prep families and communities associated with our schools regarding opportunities for advocacy and involvement.
• Execute region-wide plans for non-partisan voter registration and get out the vote campaigns among families, in coordination with schools.
• Project manage 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 elected officials and community leaders, mobilize large groups of parents for advocacy events, and lead school-based community engagement efforts.

Administrative Tasks 

• Own meeting setup for board meeting preparation (e.g. monthly communications, information gathering, packet creation, meeting minutes, etc.)
• Collect and disseminate Board meeting notes
• Support Camden External Affairs, ensuring data entry includes real-time data with progress on outreach efforts, and data integrity in databases 
• Run regional website updates, social media platforms and school and Board of Trustee newsletters 
• Provide logistics support for events (e.g. advocacy rallies, professional development workshops for district partners, board meetings) 
• Provide administrative support for the External Affairs team by owning purchasing, processing vendor invoices and other administrative duties. 

• Bachelors Degree
• 2-3 years of professional experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• Proficient with Google and Microsoft Office Suite
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Strong organization skills and attention to detail

Travel Requirement:

• Frequently requires local travel 

Schedule

• Will work from Camden Prep Regional Office: in- person, 4 days out of the week.

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 is based in Camden, New Jersey and is between $20.24- $23.80 per hour and generally, we expect that qualified candidates in this location will be made an offer of $20.24 per hour. The starting pay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, certification, and location. 

Benefits: We offer comprehensive, flexible, and competitive benefits that support the personal health, wellness, and finances of our staff and their families.

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 an exceptional team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We also strive to ensure an inclusive community by 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. We also ensure that individuals with disabilities receive all privileges and benefits associated with employment and are provided reasonable accommodations for the interview process and to perform core job functions. If you would like to request an accommodation, please email [email protected].