Job Description

BACKGROUND
The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) is a nonprofit that supports public schools by investing in the talented educators who lead them. We partner with Chicago Public Schools, the City of Chicago, the local philanthropic community, principals, and aspiring principals to build and sustain a culture of strong leadership. For more than two decades, our supportive program and policy efforts, as well as our willingness to innovate alongside educators, have made a difference. We make a measurable, positive impact on the quality of leadership in schools and help educators improve outcomes for students.

This is an exciting time to join The Fund, as we recently launched our sixth cycle. From now through 2030, Chicago Leadswill enable The Fund team to invest $50 million in Chicago’s strongest aspiring and sitting principals. Our support will foster innovative leadership in more than 600 school communities and contribute to an enduring culture of excellence citywide.

Organizational Values

We are solutions-oriented. We approach our work with a proactive and productive mindset. If we face challenges with the best of intentions, we will come to solutions in a collaborative and thoughtful way.

We are collaborative. We understand that no one is an island and each team member must rely on their team members to achieve their goals. This requires consistent and effective communication and thought-partnership. The organization, as a whole, is greater than the sum of its parts.

We act with integrity. We say what we will do and we do what we say. We are honest about what we know and what we are learning, this helps us achieve the best possible outcomes.

We prioritize equity. In our work, we prioritize leaders who serve and represent communities most directly impacted by structural racism and systematic exclusion. On our team, we actively recruit and hire for diversity in all areas of identity. Our commitmentsare lived out loud.

Associate, Communications

The person in this role serves on our Engagement and Operations team, which is responsible for 1) supporting and communicating with the people who make our work possible, especially our team and our investors, and 2) managing events that engage our diverse and innovative network, including our educators and partners. You might be the right person for this role if you have two or more years of external communications experience, are a detail-oriented project manager, and are a skilled writer and copy editor.

The Communications Associate will report to the Manager, Engagement & Communications, and work closely with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). The Communications Associate is primarily responsible for four key activities:

Ensure organizational communications are timely, effective, and error-free.

? Serve as the primary copy-editor for the organization, ensuring high-quality, error-free organizational communications that adhere to AP Style and internal Style Guide standards.

? Build on and manage existing processes for internal and external communications, including newsletters to key stakeholders and emails to Board members. Processes are in partnership with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Director of Operations and Engagement, Educator Supports, Partnerships, and Data & Policy teams.

? Contribute to the design and production of reports and memos that highlight The Fund’s work and impact with Chicago’s school leaders; this entails creating and copy-editing reports, campaign collateral, strategy memos, and website content.

? Draft contribution acknowledgement letters and emails to investors on behalf of the CEO, ensuring they are processed weekly and reflect current Fund strategies and impact.

? Support special communications requests as they arise, including cross-department requests.

? Develop and execute robust project plans for assigned tasks that ensure deadlines are met and work products meet or exceed expectations.

Support the Senior Leadership team in developing strong engagement materials for the Board of DIrectors and Leadership Council.

? In partnership with the Manager, Engagement & Communications, support the process and development of communications and materials for the quarterly Board of Directors meetings (4 per year), ensuring cohesive, error-free content. This includes creating initial PowerPoint slide decks and other meeting materials, and providing multiple, thorough copy edits for all materials. This also includes frequent interaction with the Senior Leadership team.

? In partnership with the Manager, Engagement & Communications, support the process and development of communications and materials for the quarterly Committee (Investment, Policy, and Governance) meetings (12 per year), ensuring cohesive, error-free content. This includes creating initial PowerPoint slide decks and other meeting materials, and providing multiple, thorough copy edits for all materials. This also includes frequent interaction with the Senior Leadership team.

? In partnership with the Director, Engagement & Operations, support the process and development of communications and materials for the Leadership Council meetings (2 per year), ensuring cohesive, error-free content.

? Craft and edit other Board and stakeholder materials on behalf of the CEO, as assigned.

Amplify The Fund’s role and impact.

? Manage the social media channels, including sourcing content, managing inquiries, and engaging with key audiences while reporting out on key engagement metrics to inform strategy and content.

? Maintain The Fund’s website, developing an annual calendar to ensure content is timely, relevant, and reflects The Fund’s brand and priorities; this includes updating content and writing new content as needed.

? Support the development of fundraising collateral and materials, such as pitch decks, cover letters, prospect research, tax acknowledgement letters, and grant reports and proposals.

? Own the development and implementation of communications strategies for organizational events and campaigns, including The Fund’s annual Principal Appreciation campaign in October.

? Identify and seize opportunities to elevate the stories of school leaders, including pitching and securing earned media opportunities and speaking engagements for program participants, the senior leadership team, and the Chief Executive Officer.

? Draft talking points and prepare Fund team members and stakeholders for speaking engagements.

? Define Key Performance Indicators for The Fund’s communication channels.

Serve as a critical member of the Engagement and Fund team.

? Demonstrate The Fund’s core values of collaboration, equity, excellence, innovation, integrity, and leadership, centering the needs of educators working in our schools and communities.

? Contribute to the organization's overall mission and goals.

? Maintain flexibility in scope as the Engagement team grows and evolves.

? Serve as a thought leader and active participant in organizational activities such as strategic planning, document production, and recruiting.

? Bring an innovative mindset to new tasks and offer potential solutions to persistent challenges.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

We seek early-career candidates with a passion for innovation, equity, and excellence in public education. The successful candidate will have the ability to produce compelling, error-free written communications quickly, manage self and workload effectively, be flexible and adaptive, and execute tasks energetically, with precision, and on time. Candidates with lived or professional experience with Chicago’s public-school systems will be given preference.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATES WILL HAVE:

? Exceptional writing skills, with a demonstrated ability to quickly draft strong communications with limited context; comfort starting a task with a blank page.

? Experience with the Microsoft Office Suite and the Google Suite.

? Strong organizational skills and ability to work on tight timelines.

? Ability to follow instructions and apply critical thinking to projects, while demonstrating self-reflection skills that enable continued improvement.

? Passionate about improving the Chicago public education landscape.

? Ability to manage self and workload effectively, be flexible and adaptive, and follow through on execution.

? Experience with graphic design and communications tools, including experience in Photoshop, Canva, MyEmma, Adobe InDesign, is a plus.

COMPENSATION

The salary band for an associate at The Fund starts at $56,000 and there is room to grow to $70,000 over time based on a strong ability to regularly exceed expectations and market adjustments. The Fund offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package, including healthcare coverage, retirement contribution, generous paid-time-off for all team members, and paid short-term and family leave. Please note that The Fund team is an in-person organization, working in schools and out of our offices in downtown Chicago. We do have a flexible work policy, with at least one work-from-home day per week.

TO APPLY

Please visithttps://thefundchicago.org/who-we-are/careers/and follow the links to navigate to the Communications Associate job description. Once there, use the "Apply" button to submit your resume, cover letter, and a professional writing sample. Finalists for this position will be asked to complete a timed writing assignment that reflects the type of assignments this role is responsible for. Finalists for any role with The Fund must undergo a background check to be considered for employment.

The Chicago Public Education Fund is an equal opportunity employer. The Fund evaluates applicants for employment based on qualifications, merit, and work-related criteria without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, mental or physical disabilities, pregnancy, childbirth, medical condition, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. The Fund employs and values a diverse work environment.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $56,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

*Please mention you saw this ad on PhilanthropyJobs.*

Apply Now