Deputy Director of Advancement and Communications

Deputy Director of Advancement and Communications

This is a New York City based hybrid position which requires a blend of onsite work with schools and district teams across NYC, days at Urban Assembly’s central office in Manhattan’s Financial District, and work from home. 

Salary Range:  $95,000 - $105,000

Our target start date is August 1, 2024.   Special consideration will be given to candidates who apply by July 19, 2024. This position will remain open until filled.

ABOUT US

The Urban Assembly (UA) is a non-profit that promotes social and economic mobility by innovating in public education, both in its 22 New York City schools and in the solutions it offers to school districts nationwide. The Urban Assembly founded more than 20 small, career-themed high schools in New York City since 1997, pioneering career-connected education. Its school design and support enabled the Urban Assembly to develop high-impact learning solutions for schools and districts nationwide.

Under the mission of advancing students’ social and economic mobility by improving public education, the Urban Assembly partners with schools and districts to design and scale solutions that improve social-emotional learning, post-secondary readiness and success, and instructional quality. The UA values the uniqueness of every student, and our work honors the various social and cultural contexts from which they come. We acknowledge the historical barriers created by education systems to perpetuate the social inequities that keep students of color from accessing postsecondary and career opportunities - and commit to dismantling these barriers. 

ABOUT THE JOB

Job Title: Deputy Director of Advancement and Communications

Reporting To: Director of Advancement and Communications

Team: Advancement and Communications Team (comprising three passionate members)

Role Overview:

The Urban Assembly seeks an energetic and motivated individual to join our amazing team as a Deputy Director of Advancement and Communications.

The Deputy Director of Advancement and Communications reports to the Director of Advancement and Communications and serves as a specialist in external relations, donor cultivation, marketing, and branding, focusing on expanding the UA’s visibility in New York City and nationally.  The Deputy Director of Advancement and Communications will, in due course, assume supervisory responsibilities for the Institutional Giving Manager.  The ideal candidate will have a passion for education and youth development, a talent for sharing compelling and visually appealing stories with various audiences, and an ability to identify opportunities for the UA to showcase its work in front of high-profile individuals to generate revenue streams.

Key Responsibilities:

Development (40%)

• Identify prospective individual donors to cultivate through research and networking
• Write grant proposals and reports to major individual donors
• Support the development and execution of the annual online fundraising campaign
• Develop solicitation materials for the annual giving campaign
• Develop tailored written materials (e.g. pitch decks, concept notes, and briefs) for sharing with prospective partners, funders, and elected officials
• Support the Director of Advancement and Communication and CEO with funder relations and donor meetings and visits
• Play a key role in supporting direct grants to schools and setting up school fundraisers
• Oversee a portfolio of special grants

External Relations and Outreach (30%)

With the Director of Advancement and Communications and government relations firm, support advocacy, relationship-building, and outreach efforts to elected officials, donors, and schools:

• Support the scheduling, planning, and tracking of school visits with elected officials, donors, partners, and board members
• Identify visit opportunities by staying up to date with school events 
• Support the development of materials and outreach to elected officials
• Attend networking events to develop relationships with donors, elected officials, and other key stakeholders when the CEO or Director is not available
• Develop a small quarterly donor cultivation events calendar; Plan and execute events with the advancement team
• Assist in the planning and execution of other large-scale fundraising events

Marketing and Content Development (10%)

• Broaden and strengthen UA’s brand identity among key stakeholders, including students, families, thought leaders, donors, officials, community partners, and alumni.
• Assist with event publicity and execution.
• Create and distribute newsletters for the Advancement team.
• Update website content and design with input from external partners and UA staff.
• Manage UA’s visual content library, including photos and videos.
• Maintain UA’s online presence through weekly social media updates.
• Manage contact lists and marketing platform for advancement and CEO.
• Design marketing materials with the Director of Advancement and Communications and consultants.
• Ensure consistency across all marketing and communication platforms.
• Review all external-facing documents.
• Establish and maintain internal communication norms, including a UA style guide.

Press Relations (5%)

With Advancement and Communications Director and PR Firm, support the organization’s media interactions, with a focus on promoting the UA’s impact and highlighting our schools:

• Identify possible media opportunities by scanning the news and staying up to date on school events
• Strategically prioritize media opportunities, including support for UA and school leadership and staff in preparing talking points, speeches, presentations, and other supporting material as needed
• Support the scheduling and tracking of press visits to schools

General (15%)

• Supports the development of clear and ambitious team goals aligned with organizational strategic priorities annual team goals
• Supports the development of team reports, and presentations
• Support the development of efficient team systems and processes, including Asana project templates, reporting and proposal development processes, and information management.
• Provides co-supervision of Institutional Giving Manager as needed

Preferred Qualifications 

• At least 5 years experience with fundraising, donor/external relations, or marketing/PR in the nonprofit or education sector
• History of securing revenue and/or meeting fundraising goals for a project or organization
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with event management and relationship-building in a professional setting
• High level of professionalism
• Strong attention to detail
• Proficiency in Google Suite 
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g Asana), preferred
• Experience with WordPress and/or HTML, preferred
• Experience using content management systems and Google AdWords and Analytics preferred
• Ability to manage multiple tasks with deadlines and adapt to changing priorities as needed
• Self-starter who can work independently or as part of a team
• Awareness of local and national education issues and passion for mission-driven youth development and school support work
• Ability to prioritize and follow through effectively

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

This is a full-time, exempt position with a salary of $95,000 - $105,000. The UA also offers an excellent benefits package, including employer-funded healthcare, transit benefits, financial support for professional development, and generous vacation time.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply by visiting our website at Opportunities | The Urban Assembly. No phone calls, please. Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. Due to a non-compete clause, we are unable to hire staff directly out of NYCPS or central offices, but former NYCPS staff (out of the system for more than 1 year) are encouraged to apply. 

OUR INTERVIEW PROCESS

The UA team will review applications on a rolling basis. We use a structured interview process and candidates moving forward in the interview process will be contacted by email regarding a phone screening, interviews and performance tasks. 

The UA makes every effort to ensure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions. The UA is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email our Deputy Chief of Staff at jobs@urbanassembly.org.  If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The UA is an equal-opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The UA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities; protected veterans; and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.