Director of Advocacy Campaigns
- Posted
- 22 days ago
- Employment type
- Full-time
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Closing date
About this organization
Launched in 2007, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools’ mission is to transform schools to revolutionize school systems, empowering all students with a high-quality education. The Partnership is a non-profit, in-district partner to LA Unified, not a charter network. As an independent nonprofit organization, the Partnership serves 13,200 students across 20 LA Unified schools in Watts, Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles. The Partnership works within the LA Unified School District context, which includes honoring all collective bargaining agreements for its teachers and school staff. To learn more about the Partnership, our mission, and how we approach our goals, please visit our website.
About this job
The Partnership is seeking a Director of Advocacy Campaigns to lead our advocacy strategy and campaign work with the goal of advancing education equity in Los Angeles and beyond. The Partnership works directly with 20 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools and leverages this position to influence policy and practice within LAUSD and at the state level, particularly with respect to high-need schools. The Director of Advocacy Campaigns will guide the development, strategy, and collaborative implementation of advocacy campaigns meant to change policy and support implementation of equitable practices at scale. Relationships are at the core of our approach, and this position will be responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships and partnerships with key players in the education policy world, including state legislators, LAUSD leadership, advocacy partners, and school community members. The position is one of the key leaders on the Partnership’s 5-member policy team, which spearheads systems change work across our organization. This is a full-time, year-round position.
The Partnership is committed to continuously building an anti-racist culture that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in classrooms and in our home office. The Director of Advocacy Campaigns will be someone who is committed to implementing these values in creative ways when executing day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.
Roles & responsibilities
Advocacy campaign strategy and leadership (60%)
- Provide direction for ongoing campaign development through campaign strategy development, tactical scenarios and plans, coordinating campaign activities, and organizing campaign actions
- Develop inclusive processes to center community leaders, Partnership staff and allies, and other stakeholders in campaign development and implementation
- Build a culture of learning and collaboration between school-facing teams and the Partnership’s advocacy work through communities of practice, data sharing, advisory groups, and more, all with the goal of infusing campaign priorities with instructional and in-school best practices
- Lead the Partnership’s state advocacy work through convening community partners and developing a collaborative and comprehensive advocacy strategy
- In collaboration with Communications Team members, develop communications and narrative change strategies for issue campaigns, and elevate the visibility and impact of the Partnership’s policy work
- Build a case for supporting and championing the Partnership’s advocacy work through cross-team and inter-community work
- Champion and amplify the Partnership’s system-wide change and advocacy work across teams, communities, and advisory boards comprised of students, parents, and educators
- Support policy research and analysis work, as needed
Relationship-building and advocacy partnerships (40%)
- Build and cultivate relationships with education policy leaders in Los Angeles and California, including state legislators, California Department of Education (CDE), Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) leadership, advocacy partners, and school communities
- Create active and reciprocal partnerships with grasstop and grassroot leaders, policy organizations, and education coalitions to advance the Partnership’s education equity agenda
- Provide strategic leadership in the Equity Alliance Coalition in partnership with Catalyst California, Community Coalition, and InnerCity Struggle
- Collaborate with Partnership schools to identify and develop students who are social justice advocates, leaders, and equity champions in their communities
Qualifications
- At least 5 years of highly relevant professional experience in policy, advocacy, and/or community organizing, with specific experience developing and executing an advocacy strategy and driving policy results
- 3+ years experience managing complex and cross-functional projects and/or teams
- Knowledge and understanding of communities served by the Partnership, including familiarity with education and other social issue campaigns alive in those communities
- Experience cultivating productive partnerships and alliances with diverse stakeholders and individuals, including advocacy partners and community members; experience building relationships and alliances with LAUSD or other education leaders is preferred
- Experience advancing equity within government systems, especially through issue campaigns surrounding education and other social issues
- Experience interfacing with elected officials and navigating political systems at the local, state, and/or federal levels
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Flexibility, adaptability, and readiness to deal with a changing landscape while also driving the work forward
- Ability to work on and manage multiple projects at any given time and pivot among priorities
- A deep belief in the Partnership’s mission, approach, and core values, as well as the power of our communities
- A commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment for all Partnership team members
- Fluency in Spanish is a plus with the goal of building relationships with Spanish-speakers in Partnership school communities
To apply
Please prepare your resume and a cover letter tailored to this position. You will submit your documents using our online application system here: https://bit.ly/director-of-advocacy
For technical assistance, assistance for applying with a disability, or questions, please email Melanie Liu, Senior Manager of Home Office Talent & Org Culture, at melanie.liu@partnershipla.org.