Job Title: Head of Communications
Organization: Education Resource Strategies
Education Resource Strategies, Inc. is a non-profit organization that works with large urban public school systems to rethink the use of district and school-level resources, supporting strategies for improved instruction and performance. ERS is the only organization in the country with over 10 years of experience collaborating with the largest urban districts in the area of strategic resource allocation including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore City and Philadelphia.
What makes ERS unique?
(1) Our analytical approach: The core of our practice is to provide in-depth strategic and analytic support to leaders of large urban school systems. We do this by combining extensive knowledge of school systems and educational research and practice with intensive, quantitative financial and data analysis. To support this work, we have developed analytic techniques, methodologies for mapping resources, and metrics for gauging performance that provide our partner districts with a unique perspective on how they deploy resources to support their priorities. This unique approach, combined with ERS-developed web and Excel -based decision support tools, provides district and school leaders clear and actionable information to develop solutions to resource allocation issues.
(2) Our collaborative client engagements: ERS’s client engagements are partnerships. We view it as part of our explicit mission to build client capacity to understand and implement effective resource practices. Successful engagements result in clients internalizing our methodology and our approach to the way they do business. To accomplish that goal, our approach is very different from the typical grab data, crunch numbers, deliver a report model. Our client engagements frequently last over extended periods with significant contact, including working sessions where we collaboratively analyze data and develop solutions and customized training.
(3) Our contribution to the national conversation: One of ERS’s primary missions is to influence the national conversation on district and school resource issues. Our working partnerships with school systems form the bridge between research and practice. Our relationship with clients provides us with access to a wealth of information not otherwise publically available and an unrivalled knowledge of the resource issues facing districts. This experience and the extensive comparative database of resource information and metrics for all of the districts in which we have worked form the foundation of our research that supports tool development. Over the next five years ERS will build the communications and research side of our work substantially, which will enable us to Contribute quickly and effectively to the national conversation on strategic resource use and school improvement Respond to growing demand for our findings and lessons learned about how to reallocate resources for student success Build and disseminate tools that will enable leaders across the country to use our findings to inform their own resource strategies Re-vamp our website to make it more user-friendly, including the creation of a public knowledge clearinghouse for resource issues
Our headquarters are in Watertown, MA, along the beautiful Charles River and conveniently located to Harvard Square and the Mass Pike. We have a collegial work environment; we are committed to high quality in our work and committed to achieving that quality through a flexible environment that values work/life balance. More information about ERS is available at our website: www.educationresourcestrategies.org
Job description: Head of Communications
The Communications Manager is a newly created position, responsible for developing and executing our communications and dissemination strategy. Our communication and dissemination goals are to position ERS as the national authority on resource issues in education, raise awareness of and to build and sustain support for ERS and our key messages, and mobilize education leaders to take action. The Communications Manager will help to maximize our impact by identifying key messages and targeting highly-leveraged communication vehicles including trade publications, mainstream press, online media, and conferences.
The Communications manager will work closely with ERS Leadership Team and manage a small team of writers and consultants. ERS is a small organization with a strong professional learning community. As such, we place teamwork, initiative, and a desire to learn and grow at a premium. The Communications Manager will work with teams across all of the ERS practice areas to both capture the findings and best practices from client work as well as suggest ways team members can be more proactive in communicating their work to a broader audience.
The ideal Communications Manager brings experience in the education field and can successfully leverage networks of education leaders to disseminate key messages. This position is a unique opportunity to be part of a growing, collaborative organization that is driving transformational change in public education.
Responsibilities include: Communications Strategy: Work with the ERS Leadership Team to develop a strategic communication plan to expand our impact and enhance our reputation and name recognition in the field. We expect to have funding to work with an external agency to help us with this initial strategy development, and the Communications Manager’s will manage the selection of and the relationship with that agency. Messaging: Craft key messages that convey our often complex, nuanced findings in ways that are powerful to busy district, school, state, and national leaders and helps them USE the findings to improve practice. Ensure that these messages are accurately integrated into all ERS communications.
Content Development: Develop written and electronic content for ERS’ website, publications and external (non-project) presentations. This includes briefs, articles, commentaries, presentations, electronic newsblasts and newsletters. Develop a process and structure to support and leverage consulting resources to convert learning from district partners into effective external communications. Dissemination: Develop and implement a dissemination strategy for ERS’ print and electronic publications and oversee their successful development and distribution. Website Management: Lead the redesign of our site from a marketing-focused site to an educational resource for reformers. Manage ongoing content updates for the site. Capacity Building: Manage, adding where appropriate, resources including writers, web support and knowledge management staff to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. Provide coaching and development to direct reports. Partnerships: Develop and manage communications partnerships with external organizations including joint content development, joint distribution and conference appearances. External Relationships: Develop and maintain relationships with appropriate media contacts. Field press inquiries. Management and Evaluation: Develop metrics for evaluating the success of our communications strategy; regularly evaluate progress vs. these metrics. Manage the communications budget. Support business development efforts to obtain additional communications funding.
Qualifications: At least 5 years experience in communications, marketing and PR, including management and oversight experience in the education or a closely related non-profit field Strong management and leadership skills Excellent written and oral communication skills Strong interpersonal skills Knowledge of networks in education community Knowledge of and experience with existing and emerging online media and communications Ability to work independently and think creatively Knowledge of PowerPoint, Excel a plus
Salary: Competitive with excellent Benefits
Contact: If you are interested in this position, please contact Julie Derderian at jderderian@educationresourcestrategies.org or 617-607-8963.
