Advocacy Coordinator

Tennesseans for Student Success

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Job Summary

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Tennesseans for Student Success is a statewide network of teachers, parents, community leaders, and volunteers dedicated to supporting, championing, and fighting for Tennessee’s students and their futures. We are committed to building on Tennessee’s historic gains in education. Having been named the fastest improving state in the nation in education, breaking ACT records, graduating more students on time, and offering early opportunities for success is just the beginning. We work every day to make sure today’s students are more prepared and have even more opportunities for success than those who graduated before them. Our organization’s efforts, including legislative advocacy, grassroots organizing, and engagement across the state, and issue advance to support high-quality public education systems across Tennessee.

POSITION OVERVIEW
The Advocacy Coordinator is a collaborative and campaign-focused professional responsible for managing the organization’s advocacy goals, objectives, and activities. The Advocacy Coordinator will have a deep understanding of the Tennessee and national political landscape. You will work to implement strategies that identify and empower community leaders to effect change through engagement, organization, and action. You will utilize relational organizing and influencer strategies to educate community leaders in strategies to improve public education for every student in Tennessee. You have experience managing volunteers and have served on competitive political campaigns. You have sharp instincts, know how to read and apply quantitative and qualitative research to streamline decision making and understand how to use CRM and system tools to execute your strategies.  As an important member of our team, you will represent the organization at virtual and in-person meetings and lead advocate outreach efforts.

MISSION

The mission of the Advocacy Coordinator is to lead the organization’s advocacy and voter education programs, leveraging their understanding of the political landscape to organize advocates and community partners in influencing positive outcomes for Tennessee students. The Advocacy Coordinator is an essential member of the Tennesseans for Student Success team, working with senior leadership to influence debate, empower stakeholders, and ensure Tennessee voters are informed about how elected officials can and are supporting policies that will lead to a more effective education for Tennessee students.

Job Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES 

The Advocacy Coordinator will have the following primary responsibilities:

• Promote and enhance the organization’s programmatic advocacy and independent expenditure work
• Develop and implement a statewide pipeline for community leaders and advocates
• Coordinate and lead virtual and in-person events
• Utilize advocacy tools and platforms to empower parents and voters with resources and knowledge to become effective proponents for student-focused outcomes
• Build channels of direct communication, relational organizing, and influencer promotion using social media, personal outreach and email service providers
• Foster and maintain positive working relationships with coalition members and supporters, creating two-way channels of information and sourcing
• Represent the organization in external partner and coalition meetings, clearly articulating strategies, and reporting actionable information back to the organization’s team members
• Use voter contact tools and strategies to elevate the importance of education reforms as part of the statewide political discussion among voters and policy makers.
• Manage volunteers and influencers to take action and create conversations among peers and through social networks

Qualifications

COMPETENCIES

You are a proactive and persistent problem solver. You hold yourself personally responsible for results and are patiently persistent as you follow up and follow through. You find ways to get the information you need to meet your goal. You get the job done and are allergic to excuses. You do not wait to be told what to do. You’re adept at laying out a project plan that reflects the organization’s expectations as well as the team’s skills and then driving the team toward successful implementation, ensuring that key deadlines are met along the way and navigating unexpected challenges or changes in the environment. You think of the needs of other team members and their projects, constantly anticipating and problem-solving in advance of deadlines.

You are a “details” person. Your inbox and hard drive are well-organized, and you can find documents in just a few seconds. You also thrive on organizing others, creating and implementing systems to ensure every moment is well spent. You make sure things don’t fall through the cracks. You would be embarrassed to go into a meeting unprepared. You think five steps ahead, anticipating legislator, staff, partner, or stakeholder needs.

You are an excellent communicator.  You use clear and concise language without being overly verbose or talkative, your writing is concrete and actionable. You’re comfortable writing proposals and memos and building presentations from scratch. Others have said that your writing is concrete and actionable. You use examples to back up your claims. You understand the context in which you are communicating, and respond professionally and effectively, tailoring your message depending on the audience. You are skilled in communicating with a wide range of critical stakeholders and are comfortable drafting anything from a proposal to a PowerPoint presentation. You also know how to present data graphically, in a logical and visually appealing way, that allows those not as familiar with the data to understand the story behind the numbers. In responding to inquiries, you understand how to be honest and strategic, while navigating legal and political implications, as well as the news readers perception of your quote and how it will fit into the larger story.

You are innovative and have an entrepreneurial spirit. You understand that the only constant in life is change and you are able to adjust quickly to changing priorities or a new direction entirely. You are skilled at taking pieces of the original plan and molding them to the new one, remaining organized even in the face of change. You rise to the challenge of dealing with the unfamiliar, effectively coping and staying calm and composed. You find early-stage efforts invigorating and respond to challenges in a positive and proactive way. You are resourceful, have a creative approach to problem-solving, and believe in the continuous improvement of processes. You are excited to come in near the ground level and build something whose impact (if successful) will last well beyond your lifetime.

REQUIREMENTS:

Education: Bachelor’s degree required. Graduate-level degree preferred.

Experience: At least two (2) years of professional experience, ideally in education, campaigns, or government service. A history of volunteering or community engagement, social media talent, and CRM experience preferred – especially in data management programs like i360.

Physical: Ability to stand or sit for prolonged periods.

Job Type: Full Time, Salaried (with great benefits)

Travel: 25%

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply, please send cover letter and PDF of your resume via email to brooke@tnsuccess.org.

1. Cover letter and PDF of your resume.
2. A writing sample (memo, presentation, or other material) similar to that which may be produced in this job. The sample should reflect your analytical, research, and communication skills.

Details

• Date Posted: May 11, 2021
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Analytics / Evaluation
• Service Area: Other