Regional Communications Manager

Regional Communications Manager

About Us

Our nation’s education system is leaving millions of students–including an overwhelming number of students of color and low-income students–unprepared for college, career, and life.  While research shows that classroom teachers are the single most important in-school factor in improving student achievement, their diverse voices are consistently left out of education policy decisions. For far too long, teachers have been treated as subjects of change rather than as agents of change.

Founded by public school teachers, Educators for Excellence is a growing movement of 37,000 educators, united around a common set of values and principles for improving student learning and elevating the teaching profession. We work together to identify issues that impact our schools, create solutions to these challenges, and advocate for policies and programs that give all students access to a quality education.

What We Do

Our Theory of Change is grounded in two long-term goals that are inextricably linked: better outcomes for our students and the elevation of the quality and prestige of the teaching profession.  We achieve these goals by changing policy at the district, state, and federal levels and transforming our teachers’ union to be more student-focused, democratic, diverse, and anti-racist.  United around our Declaration of Teachers’ Principles and Beliefs, we are building a powerful movement to lead this change by:

• Organizing educators who share a common vision of equity and excellence in schools,
• Training and supporting teacher leadership, and
• Advocating for teacher-led recommendations at all levels of government, within teachers’ unions, and in the public conversation around education.

Educators for Excellence envisions an equitable and excellent education system that provides all students the opportunity to succeed and elevates the teaching profession.

The Opportunity

E4E organizes anti-racist, student-focused educators, builds their leadership capabilities and collective power through issue-based advocacy campaigns, and supports them to take on positions of leadership in their schools, districts, and most importantly, in their unions. Over our 15-year history, we have made incredible progress organizing teachers to take action to uplift their students and profession.  Through E4E, tens of thousands of educators have signed on to a common vision for elevating the teaching profession and improving student outcomes; thousands of teacher members have successfully advocated for and won equity and excellence focused policy changes in their local communities; and hundreds have trained for and taken on positions of elected and appointed leadership in their schools, districts, and unions.

E4E is entering the final year of a three-year strategic plan grounded in the lessons of our first fourteen years, with a sharpened focus on building teacher leadership and advancing anti-racist, student-centered policy change. The Vice President of Growth plays a key leadership role in designing and executing a cross-channel growth strategy that elevates E4E’s voice and deepens our impact across our six chapters and nationally. This work includes building systems and capacity for strategic communications, earned media, digital engagement, and campaign-aligned messaging that support teacher-led policy and contract wins. The VP will lead efforts to authentically elevate educator voices, drive narrative change, and ensure our communications and digital strategies are aligned with our Declaration, national policy agenda, and our goals of improving the teaching profession and outcomes for historically marginalized students. As E4E continues to invest in our leadership team, infrastructure, and program model, this role is critical to accelerating our visibility, influence, and impact.

Reporting to the National Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Lead, the Regional Communications Manager will advance national & chapter campaigns through both traditional media and digital communications. This role will regularly engage reporters, write op-eds and other communications materials, and design and execute communication strategies for up to three local chapters. The Regional Communications Manager will create and deploy tactics and strategies to activate and increase E4E membership and deliver on significant policy wins.

Scope: What is the nature of the role?

Media Relations

• In collaboration with the cross-team Regional Communications Manager, systematize media relations strategies and tactics for local chapters and national campaigns, including creating common media lists, templates for talking points, and dashboards for analyzing press coverage.
• Develop and maintain contacts with members of the media;
• Proactively identify opportunities for placing articles, op-ed pieces, and letters to the editor;
• Coordinate media interviews with E4E staff and members;
• Equip senior leaders and members with talking points, training, and other preparation related to earned media opportunities;
• Analyze local press coverage and keep E4E staff apprised of recent media narratives; and 
• Track, analyze, and report on press coverage of local chapters and members.

Communications

• In collaboration with the cross-team Regional Communications Manager, systematize communication strategies and tactics for local chapters and national campaigns by creating and deploying common templates for newsletters, op-eds, press releases, and other communication mediums, and developing and facilitating common communication trainings.
• Develop campaign core messages that other staff members can leverage to produce impactful, consistent, and targeted campaign materials for various audiences.
• Build and manage chapter communications calendars to identify, track, and plan chapter announcements, events, and press plans;
• Write op-eds, press releases, advisories, letters to the editor, and other media pieces from a variety of voices; and
• Ensure the authentic elevation of diverse voices by working directly with organizers and teachers to deliver E4E-member written content.

Policy and Campaigns

• In partnership with the National Policy Associate, make strategic recommendations for communication-oriented advocacy tactics aligned to the local landscape and campaign goals; and
• In partnership with the National Policy Associate, amplify policy-oriented reports, including teacher surveys, toward the end of advancing local campaigns through media outreach, talking points, press releases, op-eds, and other communication tactics 

Digital

• Partner with the National Digital Systems Manager, Lead to develop and implement digital campaigns, leading on the development of messaging that drives digital creative and advocacy tactics that engage key target audiences;
• Partner with the National Digital Systems Manager, Lead, to draft national and local digital advocacy, social media, email, blog, and website content; and
• Work with local staff to identify digital organizing opportunities that the National Digital Systems Manager, Lead, can strategically manage and deploy.

Qualifications & Requirements:

Experience: 

• At least five years of professional experience in the related field
• Successful track record of leveraging data analysis to drive decisions, writing, proofreading, and editing content, and managing digital campaigns
• Passion and commitment to E4E’s mission; experience working on issues relevant to our work; experience working in a policy/advocacy/systems-change organization preferred.

Technical Skills: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, or related field or equivalent experience
• Ability to produce and deliver clear, concise, formal, and informal oral and written communications to a variety of audiences
• Exceptional organizational skills, high level of efficiency, and ability to manage operations and multiple projects at one time with precision
• High-level proficiency, comfort, and fluency with Salesforce, G Suite, Slack, Microsoft Office, Social Media, and presentation formats like PowerPoint are preferred.

Transportation: Often works out of the office (or home office), with ~20% travel 

• Time will be divided between office meetings with staff within the organization and self-directed execution of tasks.
• Must be able to work occasional weekends and evenings for programmatic events and other priorities.
• Must be willing to travel to meet with staff across the country.

Core Values - What beliefs do you embody? How do you approach your work?

• Equity: We look for opportunities to redistribute power in response to inequity.
• High Quality Work: You ensure all deliverables meet our standards of excellence.
• Achieve Ambitious Goals: We strive to have a transformational impact on the staff, teachers, and students we serve.
• Adjust Course: We take a resilient attitude towards roadblocks and adjust strategies to ensure progress toward the goal.
• Communication: We value clear and thoughtful word choice, tone, and body language.
• Ownership: We take part in finding solutions for the problems we identify. 
• Deep Belief in Mission: We believe change is possible, so we equip ourselves to achieve it.

Positional Skills - What can you do well? 

• Organizing, Planning, and Executing - Able to organize, track, and manage workflow and resources; clearly articulates plans to others, develops systems to prioritize tasks; executes according to set timelines.
• Cultivating Relationships & Collaborating - Develops a sense of rapport and trust with staff and seeks opportunities to share expertise and leverage the strengths of others; comfortably communicates with external stakeholders 
• Making Decisions & Demonstrating Judgment - Makes strategic decisions, even in ambiguous situations; weighs factors both within and outside of one’s control to mitigate risk; exercises discernment when involving others in decision-making, leverages data when appropriate 
• Thinking Holistically & Making Connections - Connects the work to the big picture, identifies opportunities to streamline tactics, and integrates streams/functions 
• Conducting Rigorous Analysis - Uses rigorous logic around aggregate data; performs a variety of analyses to inform decisions with broad impact and solve problems requiring diverse perspectives 

Functional Knowledge - What do you know a lot about?

• Demonstrated knowledge of media relations and press releases
• Exceptional communication skills, written, verbal, and platform press releases
• Experience writing effective email campaigns and demonstrated ability to understand digital platforms and tactics to build engagement and attract activists
• Ability to craft compelling narratives that distill complex, “wonky” policy and advocacy priorities into emotionally resonant stories that are accessible via social media
• Comfort working with various stakeholders, including senior leaders, teachers, media, and other partners
• Demonstrated past experience planning and executing integrated, strategic, and innovative communications in support of achieving campaign goals.
• Fluency in education policy and political landscape preferred; alternatively, demonstrated capacity to quickly learn and deploy this nuanced content.

Compensation Policy

Educators for Excellence (E4E) is committed to valuing team members holistically in appreciation of their contribution to the organization’s success and for the good they create for society as part of our mission. While there are many facets of the “Total Rewards” package that come with working at E4E, compensation is a significant factor in a team member’s decision to work here. As such, we strive to attract, retain, and reward top talent by offering competitive salaries and benefits that are administered equitably and transparently. Therefore, we do not engage in salary negotiations - our first offer is always our best offer! 

The salary band for this role is:

• $89,665 - $127,524 for High Urban locations (NYC & San Francisco)
• $83,100 - $118,186 for Mid-High Urban locations (LA & Boston)
• $76,373 - $108,620 for all other geographic locations 

Within this range, our competitive, non-negotiable salary offer will be based on a candidate’s relevant experience and credentials, role-related competencies assessed through our robust hiring process, and geographic location. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

All new employees are required to comply with E4E’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, which requires all staff to be fully vaccinated before the start of employment. An employee will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the requisite number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Employees may request an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a medical reason or a sincerely held religious belief. 

E4E abides by each state’s requirements and acknowledges that they may change over time. If you advance to an interview, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about this job requirement.

Benefits & Applying

Educators for Excellence (E4E) believes in providing employees with benefits to support self-care, wellness, and financial stability. We value the whole person and provide benefits such as paid time off, health insurance plans, competitive salaries that include pre-tax benefits, and cell phone reimbursements. See more information about our benefits here.

Applications should be submitted by our application deadline.

E4E is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. E4E has a zero tolerance for discrimination, racism, xenophobia, or misogyny in any form in our workplace. We strive to create a workplace where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging.

Accommodations: We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible interview experience and will ensure that all candidates are provided with reasonable accommodations that allow them to participate in the interview process. To request an accommodation, please email [email protected]

EEOC questionnaire: We place a particular focus on recruiting staff members who share the backgrounds of the communities we serve. We encourage all applicants to complete our EEOC questionnaire as part of your application process (the form will be included in your initial application). Completing the questionnaire will help ensure our People & Equity team is attracting a diverse pool of qualified candidates for each of our open positions. Please note that this information is not included with your application, and our hiring managers do not have access to race and other identifying information at any point in the interviewing or hiring process, including after a hire is made.

E4E uses E-Verify when completing all new hire paperwork. For more information, visit here