Community Engagement Director - New York City

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Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging community volunteers in under-resourced schools.

Our diverse and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful, happy and confident readers in school and in life.

Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that works.

Join our stellar team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service.

The high level :

The Community Engagement Director’s main role is to develop and drive an ambitious volunteer recruitment strategy for more than 1,400 volunteer tutors in the New York region.

The Community Engagement Director (CED) is part of an energetic team of leaders working together to leverage Reading Partners’ mission in the community.

The Community Engagement Director leads a team of 3 staff members and 6 AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinators to recruit, train, onboard, schedule, celebrate, and retain a diverse portfolio of volunteers, interns, and Federal Work Study students to serve as literacy tutors in our reading centers.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Community Engagement Director is responsible for a core engine of our work, and will sit on the regional senior leadership team.

The Community Engagement Director is an expert relationship builder, a dynamic thought partner, and an inspirational regional leader.

What you’ll do :

Each year, create and drive an innovative and sustainable recruitment strategy in the region to meet and exceed volunteer targets of 1,400 tutors.

• Generate more than 3,000 new volunteer signups annually
• Maintain partnerships with more than 40 existing colleges, community-based organizations (CBOs), and corporations
• Develop 10 new partnerships annually and grow 50+ existing partners
• Regularly analyze referral, point of entry, and partnership data at the region-wide and neighborhood level to inform targeted recruitment strategy

Each fiscal year, lead a team of community engagement staff and AmeriCorps members toward successfully reaching or exceeding volunteer onboarding goals.

• Convert at least 30% (600-800) of new signups into active volunteer tutors
• Host 100+ orientations, information sessions, and content area trainings
• Ensure regional compliance with onboarding requirements set by Reading Partners, school partners, and community partners
• Provide consistent management, coaching, and mentoring of the team to ensure professional growth.
• Lead on creating, maintaining, and improving regional systems and protocols to track volunteer progress from signup to active tutoring
• Regularly analyze volunteer pipeline data to drive high conversion rates and inform team onboarding strategy

Each year, collaborate with the Program team to align tutor and student enrollment and meet volunteer satisfaction and retention goals.

• Work closely with Program Director to align Program and Community Engagement efforts, timelines, and tutor communications
• Retain at least 40% of volunteers year over year
• Achieve volunteer satisfaction of at least 90%
• Lead on analysis and internal sharing of biannual tutor survey data and create action plan based on volunteer feedback

Collaborate closely with the Executive Director and local development staff to drive Reading Partners’ external brand.

• Create opportunities for promotional amplification of the Reading Partners brand via social media, advertisements, TV, radio, print, and partnership opportunities
• Work with Development team to cultivate partnerships that generate both volunteers and revenue

Other duties as needed.

How you’ll do it :

Data-Driven Strategy :

Support regional growth strategy by forecasting volunteer recruitment and conversion. Identify trends in the data and adjust strategy to maximize resources.

Anticipate challenges and / or questions, and proactively execute solutions. Always act in accordance with larger strategic priorities and make measurable progress towards regional impact goals.

Analyze tutor survey results and make recommendations that drive towards a 90% satisfaction rate.

Leadership, Culture, & Management :

Lead the community engagement function at the regional level. Demonstrate a genuine interest in coaching, inspiring, and developing staff toward goals.

Manage the team’s budget. Demonstrate an ability to provide clear guidance and goals, to delegate, and to provide growth opportunities while supporting progress along the way.

Build a culture of collaboration and excellence on the community engagement team. Lead the team’s investment in race, equity, diversity, and inclusion work.

Partnership Development & Collaboration :

Demonstrate an advanced ability to build and leverage sustainable partnerships. Leverage existing relationships and proactively build new transformational relationships in the community.

Create transformational partnerships solutions in the face of competition for resources, time, etc. with a high degree of adaptability and flexibility.

Coach and motivate staff to deepen engagement with current and prospective partners.

Communication and Advocacy :

Externally, demonstrate the ability to genuinely promote Reading Partners and our mission through a variety of strategies.

Provide excellent customer service to partners and volunteers. Have a high level of comfort with public speaking and with crafting mass communications.

Be able to differentiate communication and deliver compelling messaging that is tailored to your audience.

Internally, work effectively with peers on the regional program and development team, and national community engagement team.

Demonstrate a strong aptitude for effective communication, remotely and in person, with direct reports and other Reading Partners staff and AmeriCorps members.

Be able to conduct difficult conversations with grace and ease.

What we offer :

Reading Partners’ compensation and benefits programs are designed to attract, motivate, engage, and retain top talent to propel our mission forward.

We aim to set salaries based on objective, external, high-quality market data. Our salaries are adjusted for candidates in different geographic regions.

We do our very best to ensure that we’re bringing our best offer - therefore we do not engage in salary negotiations.

• This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position. The pay range for this position is $98,007 - $122,508.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and currently a 403(b) match option.
• Professional development reimbursement fund up to $1,000 per year.
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits for regular employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week.
• We offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and we commit to investing in and supporting our amazing people to grow their careers with us.

The other things you need to know :

• This role is a hybrid role, requiring 2-3 days per week in the office or around New York City.
• Travel : This position travels regularly throughout New York City to meet with and pitch to partners. An annual community engagement retreat may take place in another region.

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting :

A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role.

Please include your salary needs.

Resume

At Reading Partners we respect and honor the diversity in our workforce, and we are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualifications

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you :

• Demonstrate knowledge of the New York City education landscape and broader community
• Have 5+ years of progressive experience in customer service, marketing, client management, community organizing or similar field
• Have 1+ years of people management
• Have direct management experience of volunteers, interns and / or emerging professionals
• Have database management experience and high level of comfort with Salesforce, Google Apps
• Have experience using data to drive strategy and decision-making
• Have access to reliable transportation to travel within NYC on a weekly basis
• Have flexibility and adaptability in work style and work schedule
• Demonstrate a commitment to race, equity, diversity, and inclusion in your leadership
• Display a deep belief in our mission and root your work in our core values .
• Ability to prove eligibility to work legally in the U.S. and that you are at least 18 years of age

Bonus Points if you :

• Have experience working in the launch phase of projects or programs
• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum / alumna

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