Director of Advocacy and Workforce Initiatives
Type: Full Time Exempt (40 hrs./week) Posted: August 2, 2021
Salary Range: $65,000-75,000/yr. Application Due by: 10AM ET August 16, 2021
Location: Remote Position Start Date: September 2021
Summary
The National AfterSchool Association (NAA), the professional membership organization for those who work with and on behalf of young people during Out-of-School Time (OST), is hiring a Director of Advocacy and Workforce Initiatives (Director).
NAA's 32,000 members represent a diversity of voices, roles, and experiences but are united in a commitment to quality programs for children, families, and communities. This position will play an essential role in supporting NAA in fostering positive youth outcomes by supporting, developing, and advocating for afterschool professionals and leaders. As a national association, we deploy our mission through people-centered programs, professional development, and partnerships. We work to increase equity, access, and connections to create a strong, valued profession that benefits kids, families, and communities. Ensuring adequate, holistic compensation to carry this invaluable workforce forward is necessary for upholding the field's commitment to equity, access, and quality.
In this newly-created position, the Director will lead NAA's advocacy work and have the opportunity to shape a different future for our field - one which recognizes, rewards, and provides professionals with the job quality commensurate with their contributions and impact. The Director will work collaboratively with field partners, advocates, professionals who do this work, and other stakeholders to cultivate a broader cultural shift that respects and values the significant influence of this essential workforce.
The ideal candidate will be inspired by NAA's mission and passionate about building equity, access, and connections. They will be a systems-level thinker who will use their exceptional communication, organization, coalition-building, and advocacy skills to:
- Increase political and philanthropic will, policies, and funding that supports increased workforce recognition and job quality.
- Gather data and support data collection and communications efforts to understand more about this essential workforce
- Create systems to Recruit, Retain, and Advance the Members of the Profession - from direct service to leadership with a particular focus on building leadership pathways for people of color in the field.
Commitment to Equity
As we grow the NAA team, we strive to create an affirming, welcoming environment that values diversity. We are committed to an inclusive environment that allows all team members to thrive.
Because of our commitment to equity -- and because our work is rooted in positive youth development -- the new Director must be comfortable engaging in these topics, self-reflective, and willing to challenge themselves and others to learn and grow continually.
People of color and members of other historically excluded groups are encouraged to apply.
Major Roles + Responsibilities
- Educate stakeholders about program quality and draw connections to the value and needs of the OST workforce
- Educate and develop relationships with advocacy, policy, and government relations staff at national and state organizations and coalitions
- Collaborate with other organizations and stakeholders that are focused on elevating workforce opportunities for improved job quality and equity
- Convene and facilitate meetings with state and local afterschool intermediaries to assess the current afterschool workforce landscape, systems, and support efforts
- Build a coalition that amplifies policy and funding opportunities to support workforce job quality
- Conduct or oversee data collection and research projects to analyze current workforce trends and develop related policy and funding recommendations
- Collect and analyze data --or support efforts -- to identify career pathways, professional development, and other opportunities
- Create systems to recruit, retain, and advance the profession's members - from direct service to leadership, including focusing on creating leadership opportunities for people of color in the field
More Ideal Candidate Qualifications
We understand that it's unlikely that a candidate will have all of these qualifications but will bring an assortment of the following:
- A minimum of 4 years of advocacy, policy, or workforce development experience, ideally for a mission-driven or non-profit organization
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional development or training in education, public policy, public administration, or related field, preferred but not required
- Experience creating policy agendas and influencing policy outcomes; skilled at advocating policy positions before a wide variety of audiences
- Experience growing and activating grassroots networks
- Experience participating in coalitions and building strategic relationships with diverse groups and interests
- Experience in developing pilots and large-scale initiatives
- Ability to interact effectively in the community and at multiple levels within organizations, especially organizations that serve culturally and economically diverse communities
- Ability to use data to identify insights, priorities, build understanding, and mobilize action
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and collaboration platforms (Google Suite, Dropbox)
- Background in or understanding of issues affecting the afterschool field and afterschool workforce is helpful
This position may be a good fit for you if…
- You believe deeply in NAA's mission and have a fierce commitment to equity and understanding of the workforce’s role in providing high-quality programs for young people.
- You thrive working on innovative projects and balancing multiple projects at once.
- You gain energy through conversation and building deep, trusted relationships.
- You appreciate working in a small, agile team and sharing leadership.
- You are flexible, willing to share ideas, and raise questions.
- You think strategically and can work tactically and creatively with attentiveness to details and deadlines.
- You like to work hard and have fun, often at the same time.
The Director must be able to sit and stand for long periods and use a computer and phone to communicate with others. Reasonable accommodations will be made if needed for candidates who can fulfill the essential functions of the job.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The Director role is a full-time (40 hours per week) exempt remote position and may require occasional travel and evening or weekend meetings. The expected salary range is a minimum of $65,000 to a maximum of $75,000, depending on qualifications and experience.
In addition, NAA offers the following:
- $10K Benefits Stipend
- Short and Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance
- Paid Time Off - including holidays, winter break, days for self and family care
- Flexible Work Schedule
- 401K Option - employer match after one year
- NAA provides, reimburses, or provides stipends for typical items needed to complete required work such as laptop, printer/scanner, cell phone, high-speed internet, office supplies, scheduling software, etc.
APPLICATION PROCESS
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION
In addition to providing basic information, candidates applying should be prepared to answer these questions instead of a cover letter:
- Are you an NAA Member?
- Using the NAA Strategic Framework 2020-24 and the job description as a guide, highlight your top experience, skills, and dispositions that illustrate your ability to be successful as NAA's Director of Advocacy and Workforce Initiatives.
- Why are you interested in joining the NAA team?
You will also need to upload:
- A current resume or CV
- A professional portfolio, relevant work samples, or other items that showcase your related experience.
Applications are only accepted online. Submissions received by 10 AM ET on Monday, August 16, 2021, will be given full consideration. All applications will be acknowledged via an email receipt from Google Forms forms-receipts-noreply@google.com with the subject line National AfterSchool Association Director of Advocacy and Workforce Initiatives. If you complete an application and don't receive this email, check your email's spam folder.
Consideration will be given to applications as they are received. A member of the NAA team will contact candidates selected for interviews. We encourage early applications; zoom interviews will begin the week of August 16.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NATIONAL AFTERSCHOOL ASSOCIATION
NAA Strategic Framework 2020-24
WWW.NAAWEB.ORG
