Community Impact Department

JOB SUMMARY:

Under the direction and guidance of the Director, Education Programs & Policy, the Program Officer, Education Policy & Advocacy will provide high quality strategic direction to the Education team in terms of grantmaking and non-grantmaking functions such as policy development, convenings, research, and evaluation. He/she will be responsible for leading essential aspects of United Way’s policy and advocacy efforts. This includes managing CLASS, a coalition of over 50 organizations that represent over 150,000 stakeholders including parents, teachers, and students. The Program Officer will work closely with cross-sector leaders including education advocates, school district administrators, elected officials, and other civic leaders to track and advocate for or against local, state and federal policy work related to our initiatives. The Program Officer will supervise a Program Associate who will assist the policy and advocacy efforts of the United Way. The Program Officer will work closely with a Program Coordinator managing the grants portfolio and providing strategic direction for the grantees whose efforts align with those of CLASS and other education organizing efforts.

How this Position Links to Our Mission: Our work in education aims to increase the high school graduation rate in LA County to a minimum of 85%, by 2020, and ensure all students graduate prepared for college and the workforce. The Program Officer will be working directly with community stakeholders to advance the work to increase educational attainment in Los Angeles County. We are seeking individuals who are highly motivated by the desire to increase educational outcomes for low income youth and students of color. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Education Coalition:
  • Facilitate the key functions of the CLASS coalition including managing relationships with the core leadership groups, as well as, the extended network of partners.
  • Facilitate the strategic direction of the coalition and guide the development and implementation of annual policy, advocacy and organizing goals.
• Policy:
  • Track and advise the Director, Education about relevant policy at the local, state, and federal level, including determining policy priorities, advocating for these policies, and mobilizing key constituents.
• Data:
  • Manage and track relevant data to: 1) inform our strategies and goals, and 2) resulting from our initiatives. This data will support the organization’s fundraising efforts to by articulating our impact via meaningful real-time impact statistics and stories at the end of each quarter, at minimum, and providing content support for the creation of collateral and presentations.
• Communication:
  • With the Director, Education and Marketing & Communications Department, develop key messaging for internal and external communications strategies for the Public to impact conversation and generate media attention for our initiatives.
• Maintain or build expertise in the areas of education policy and youth development.
• Strategically interface and collaborate across United Way’s departments to align education efforts with Community Impact, Development, and Marketing & Communications.
• Develop strong relationships with United Way’s grantees in the Education portfolio to align the organization’s funding and reporting priorities with those of the grantees, provide capacity building, and engage the grantees in policy and advocacy efforts.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience: Minimum 3 years of relevant work experience in Education policy and/or in organizing for strong accountability to community outcomes.  Proven ability to develop, manage, and evaluate initiatives. 
• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• Knowledge Base: Expertise and background in policy and systems change strategies.  Working knowledge of the root causes of and solutions to low-educational attainment.
• Relationship-Building Skills: Must be able to build and maintain relationships with community, business, education, district leaders, and stakeholders.
• Community Knowledge: Priority will be given to applicants with experience working with the L.A. Unified School District, key decision makers, and stakeholders (e.g. businesses, community, parents, and teacher groups, etc.) from the Los Angeles region.
• Leadership Skills: Strong leadership skills (e.g. committed, honest, positive, able to inspire, creative, sense of humor, etc.) with a proven track record in managing broad-based efforts with a diverse set of stakeholders and partners.
• Team Managing Skills: Able to work independently, yet is highly team oriented. Able to develop and maintain positive working relationships with business, community, and educational leadership as well as coalition members to meet collective goals.  Collaborative in planning, decision-making, and problem-solving.
• Organizational Skills: Proven ability to work in a participative and collaborative manner. Ability to organize and prioritize work and meet specific deadlines.
• Communications Skills: Superior interpersonal, oral and written communication skills. Must be able to speak and present to groups, as well as possess ability to prepare clear and accurate reports. Must be able to interact well with a diverse range of people, and to constructively give and receive feedback.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) required. 

Interested candidates please email a cover letter, resume, and salary history, with the “Program Officer, Education Policy & Advocacy” position title in the Subject line, to Hiring Recruiter at [email protected]

No phone calls please.

United Way of Greater Los Angeles is an equal opportunity employer.  We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, or status as a veteran.   Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs.