GO Public Schools Oakland - Oakland, CA is hiring: Communications Manager (GOPS)

GO Public Schools Oakland supports a network of families, educators, and community members with a deep moral commitment to the simple idea that every child deserves a chance to thrive, in school and in life. Together, we advocate for a school system that puts student outcomes first, demands that leaders do the same, and holds them accountable for keeping their promises.

GO develops leadership at every level—families, educators, school boards, district leaders and grasstops. These leaders inform and develop community visions for student success, and they shape, demand, and win system changes that improve student learning.

By providing data analysis and information, building leadership skills, and advocating publicly, GO’s network is working toward a day when every student has access to an excellent public school. Alongside policy advocacy, GO Public Schools Oakland Advocates (an independent 501c4 nonprofit organization) supports the GO network to elevate the work of the school board, elect school board leaders committed to advocating for all students, and to pass measures to provide needed funding and resources to schools.

THE OPPORTUNITY AND CHARGE
Communications is one of the most critical ingredients of our work at GO.

Our Communications Manager will be a critical member of our team, responsible for helping us broaden and deepen our network of informed and active education advocates. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Communications Manager will be responsible for our team publishing high-quality content that moves forward policies and practices that support Oakland students.

This person must excel at: crafting, designing, and launching a wide variety of communications (including original advocacy tools and resources, as well as reports and publications) on behalf of our organization, and be very comfortable managing online platforms (email, website, social media) and creating hard-copy communications (e.g brand, event, and outreach collateral).

Our work environment is fast-paced and our local education ecosystem is dynamic, so the ideal candidate must be a natural self-starter who can manage multiple projects and work streams and be nimble to changing priorities. This person thoughtfully customizes content and messaging for different stakeholders, including families, educators, community members, and community-based organization leaders and partners from diverse backgrounds. This person pays extraordinary attention to detail and has a collaborative, values-driven work ethic.

This position is available immediately.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Write, Project Manage, and Publicize Clear and Compelling Communications

– Create and curate resources and tools to share with our network about key issues in Oakland public schools aligned with our policy and political campaigns (1Oakland and Budgeting for Impact). Execute and project manage all communications, including drafting and posting all print, email, and social media content to support GO’s priorities, and to tell the story of the people, role, and impact of GO. Provide editorial and communications support for teammates in the form of ghostwriting and editing.

Expand and Deepen Our Network of Engaged Followers

– Using various communications strategies, and best practices in digital organizing this person will continually grow our network of informed, engaged followers on email, social media, and website. This person will collaborate with the team to develop goals and metrics for measuring progress (e.g number of followers, actions / engagements, conversions).

Strengthen Organizational Brand

– Create and upkeep marketing materials and tools that represent our organization, values, work, and impact. This includes owning the beginning-to-end content and design processes for GO Oakland’s overall brand collateral, as well as our event- and campaign-specific collateral.

Shine on Social Media

– Create social media strategy that is connected to our short- and long-term advocacy strategies. Manage and continually evolving our social media approach, particularly on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to build our base, engage the public in ongoing dialogue, build leadership capacity among Oakland families and educators, and activate community members for campaigns and calls to action. This includes curating value-add actionable content, strategically boosting key messages via paid advertisements, and leveraging opportunities to engage with key community partners on social media.

Manage Media Strategy and Press Relationships

– Keep pulse of local media coverage and placement opportunities. Develop and finalize press releases and media alerts to earn coverage of our work. Strategically cultivate key relationships with press (in a limited media landscape) while also growing GO Oakland’s team’s capacity to align around and articulate our key messages. Draft op-eds for GO staff, Leadership Council, and community members.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
Mindsets and Skills

Driven. You’re driven by a deep belief that all kids deserve a quality education, especially those historically and currently denied opportunities and resources.

Values champion. Motivated by the overall vision and values of the organization, and a champion of diversity, equity and inclusiveness. Committed to executing strategies and systems that live out these values. You believe deeply that all students can reach their full brilliance and potential.

Effective communicator. Able to effectively convey complex and difficult messages/concepts to a variety of audiences, using the appropriate medium and adapting content and style appropriately to the audience. Can bring disparate voices to the forefront, and is particularly focused on elevating the stories of students, parents and families.

Action-oriented, but passionate about the details. Can quickly move from plan to action, following through on commitments with an appropriate sense of urgency. However, also knows that quality and precision in the details can make all the difference in a project’s success, and is a confident copy editor and a compulsive fact-checker.

Effective problem solver. Able to think critically in order to execute at a high level and make excellent decisions through a combination of data analysis, judgment and experience. Exercises initiative and proactively anticipates potential challenges to identify sound and creative solutions, especially when facing ambiguity.

Systems thinker. Enjoys creating, implementing and streamlining processes and systems into a seamless operation. When facing a complex issue, instinct is to break it down into manageable pieces to determine the most efficient and effective solution – and then prioritize against competing project needs to execute effectively.

Influencer. Can use a combination of active listening and questioning to understand motivations and barriers, and engage others to ensure that all voices are heard in the decision-making process. Able to motivate and influence effectively across a wide group of stakeholders.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree required

At least 1-3 years of experience in communications, such as marketing, media relations, and/or journalism

Excellent written and oral communications skills with ability to communicate effectively with internal and external contacts at all levels

Excellent copy editing skills to ensure accurate, grammatically correct public-facing communications

Experience and/or ability to quickly learn web publishing platforms (e.g., WordPress, Facebook, Twitter), and management/design tools such as Sprout and Canva.

Experience and/or ability to quickly learn basic level photo editing and image design, video editing, and HTML coding capability

Experience in the education sector and familiarity with the Oakland education landscape preferred.

LOCATION, COMPENSATION, AND BENEFITS
This position is based in Oakland, CA.

The salary range for this position is $68,384 - $79,667 depending on experience. In addition, we offer an above-market average comprehensive benefits package, including:

Healthcare (medical, dental, and vision) provided at 100% for employees and 75% for dependents

Healthcare plan options - choose between Anthem PPO, HMO or Kaiser HMO

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA)

6-7 Weeks Paid Time Off Annually

2 weeks of observed holidays annually

2-3 weeks of paid time off (grows with years of experience at GO)

2 additional weeks of paid time off during the winter break

40% pay for all new parents to match and supplement State of California Paid Family Leave and/or Disability benefits

Additional Benefits

Simple IRA retirement plan with up to 3% annual salary match

Paid life and long-term-disability policy (no cost to employee)

Up to $75/month in cell phone reimbursement

Support for new parents that are required to travel with partial reimbursement for accompanying caregiver travel expense or reimbursement for nursing mothers to ship breast milk

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY AND COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
GO Public Schools seeks individuals of all backgrounds without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, marital status, genetics, or any other factor that the law protects from employment discrimination to apply for this position. We are committed to ensuring diversity within our organization and network, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort.

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