CCSA, Chief Member Advocacy & Engagement Officer

ORGANIZATION

California Charter Schools Association’s (CCSA) vision is to build great public schools of joy and rigor that prepare all California students for success in college, career and life. We accomplish this through our mission of meeting parent and educator needs for great public-school options by supporting and advocating for high quality non-profit charter schools and sharing their success throughout California’s public schools. A 501(c)(3) organization, CCSA embraces its history of being a charter school membership and advocacy organization advancing educational access and opportunity as a social justice and civil rights issue through public charter schools that are free, public and open to all. Our members and the teachers and administrators who serve in their public charter schools value diversity in culture, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, and perspective. While we seek to grow a movement that serves all students, all families, and all communities, we work with a special spirit of urgency to provide our most historically underserved and vulnerable students with the high-quality public education they deserve. We join in common cause with those fighting both inside and outside of public education for greater equity, opportunity, and access for all. CCSA is the largest state-based charter support organization (CSO) in the nation. 

For more information about CCSA, please visit www.ccsa.org. 

OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking a dynamic individual to serve as the Chief Member Advocacy and Engagement Officer. This role plays a pivotal part in advancing our mission by leading efforts to set strategy for and lead regional teams working with member advocates across the state to create healthy authorizer ecosystems where charter schools can thrive.  The Chief oversees impactful strategies for increasing and sustaining effective member engagement across the state, elevating the voice of members and harnessing the press and multimedia platforms to tell the charter story and lead effective regionalized collective action strategies to support fair and collaborative authorizing. 

As the Chief Member Advocacy and Engagement Officer at CCSA, you'll serve as a pivotal member of the Executive Management team, reporting directly to the President and CEO. Your multifaceted role will require a diverse skill set encompassing leadership, change management, strategic vision, and communications savvy. Given CCSA's dual status as a 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization, you'll extend your support to CCSA Advocates, providing assistance with campaign efforts at the local and state level to advance advocacy actions on behalf of the charter movement.

AREAS OF LEADERSHIP & KEY RESPONISBILITIES

Key Responsibilities of the Chief Member Advocacy and Engagement Officer include:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement a forward-thinking statewide strategy for regionalized advocacy campaigns and supports, communications, and membership engagement that align with CCSA’s mission and goals.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to integrate newly configured team to maximize strategic impact and align advocacy initiatives, communications, and membership to the organization's overall strategic plan execution. 
• Partner with membership communications team to shape and implement member engagement and strategic communications campaigns with a DEI lens to ensure full and diverse representation of CCSA’s membership value and the charter public school community.

Team Leadership

• Provide leadership and direction to the Local Advocacy, Communications, and Membership teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.
• Support team members in setting and achieving ambitious goals and provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to enhance their skills and capabilities in reaching membership retention and revenue goals.

Advocacy Leadership Across the State

• Lead CCSA’s efforts to advocate for policies and initiatives that support charter schools and advance educational equity and opportunity for all students and apply those frameworks to each regional environment to advance healthy and effective authorizing environments.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders, including regional policymakers, community leaders, and advocacy organizations, to amplify the voice of charter schools in local communities and statewide.
• Drive local advocacy initiatives to ensure that charter schools have a voice in policy discussions and decisions at the community level and their collective voice is well organized and effective. 
• Lead teams to responsive actions that solve immediate policy or political problems in order to build long term strength and capacity for collective action, reinforcing the force of the collective and the need to stay anchored and unified with CCSA and each other.

Community Engagement

• Ensure that CCSA understands our members and stakeholders’ needs and priorities, and that membership, communications, and advocacy efforts are responsive to their feedback and input and collective needs.
• Lead teams and initiatives to foster a sense of belonging and ownership among members, empowering them to be advocates for charter school issues in their local communities.

Communications Savvy 

• Lead team to develop successful communication strategies, campaigns, and messaging frameworks that attract new members and keep current members. 

Collaborative Leadership

• Collaborate with internal and external partners, including other education organizations, community groups, and advocacy coalitions, to leverage resources and expertise in support of shared goals and objectives.
• Seek opportunities for cross-functional collaboration and partnership to maximize the impact of CCSA’s work and initiatives.

Change Management

• Lead change management efforts related to advocacy, communications, and membership, guiding teams through transitions and ensuring that changes are implemented effectively and with minimal disruption utilizing a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy that drives measurable impact.
• Executive level responsibility for the collective success, alignment, accountability and stewardship of the organization and resources.
• Foster a culture of adaptability and resilience, encouraging team members to embrace innovation and continuous improvement in their work and results-driven performance.

Thought Leadership

• Serve as a thought leader in the field of charter school advocacy and education policy, contributing insights and expertise to public discourse and shaping the narrative around charter schools and educational equity.
• Represent CCSA at conferences, forums, and other public events, sharing best practices and advocating for policies that support the growth and success of charter schools.

Measurement and Evaluation

• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of membership, responsibility for reaching membership market share and revenue goals, communications, and local advocacy efforts, and use data-driven insights to inform decision-making and strategy refinement.
• Regularly assess the impact of CCSA’s initiatives on charter school communities and educational outcomes and use findings to continuously improve and iterate on our approaches.

PASSION FOR THE MISSION

As the Chief Member Advocacy and Engagement Officer, your passion for our mission will be the driving force behind our success. You'll spearhead initiatives to engage and empower our membership, amplify our message through strategic communications, and advocate tirelessly for policies that support charter schools and educational equity. Your success will be measured by the impact of your efforts in increasing membership engagement, enhancing our communications reach and effectiveness, and driving meaningful policy change at the local level.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

In alignment with the organization’s strategic plan, the Chief Membership Advocacy and Engagement Officer will lead the Member Advocacy and Engagement team, develop strategies, and supports to ensure:

• Maintaining or increasing membership market share with a high member satisfaction rate on our annual member survey;
• Leading team’s effectiveness in regional supports increasing member value and securing local strength;
• Effective renewal supports leading to successful renewals for member schools; 
• Vendor membership program produces or exceeds expected revenue targets;
• Increased engagement rates on CCSA’s digital platforms every year; 
• Implementation of systems building a positive and cohesive team culture; and
• Team members are developed, feel valued, and impactfully contribute to the organization’s mission.

Requirements

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Chief Member Advocacy and Engagement Officer candidate will be:

• 12+ years of aligned experience.
• Strong belief in and advocacy for public charter schools’ ability to prepare all students for success.
• Deep understanding of the intersections of policy, race, gender, religion, and other social justice issues.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive environment (i.e. committed to promoting the value of individual differences to create a diverse, respectful, and inclusive workplace).
• Proven track record of leadership in advocacy for policy change and organizing key constituencies, membership advocacy engagement, strategic communications, and education advocacy.  Charter policy familiarity highly preferred.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage with diverse stakeholders and communicate complex ideas to a wide audience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams to achieve strategic communication, mentorship, and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, providing coaching and strategic direction both top down and running side by side.

Benefits

SALARY, BENEFITS & LOCATION

The starting annual salary range for this role is $174,000 to $212,500, based on relevant experience. CCSA offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401k eligibility, and generous paid time off. This is a full-time, exempt position with the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere in the state of California. 

The CCSA team recently moved to a permanent fully remote workplace model (i.e. there is no centralized office). The Chief Member Advocacy and Engagement Officer can be based anywhere in the state of California and is expected to work out of their home office. CCSA provides a laptop, cell phone, and stipends for home office expenses or for coworking/shared workspace membership fees. 

Some travel is expected within the state to coach and support local advocacy team members in key regional actions, for an annual retreat, conference, and other regionally based trainings; required travel is not expected to exceed 40 percent of time. 

TO APPLY

This search is being managed by Edgility Consulting. Interested candidates should submit an application, including a resume and cover letter detailing their qualifications for the position and their interest in California Charter Schools Association’s mission here: https://apply.workable.com/edgility-consulting-4/j/9555D8F273/

Equal Employment Opportunity 

California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions on the basis of merit, qualifications, and abilities. CCSA shall recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job titles, including interns, apprentices, and volunteers, without regard on race, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, national origin (includes language use and possession of a driver's license issued to persons unable to prove their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law), ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity (including transgender identification), gender expression, age for individuals over forty years of age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status of any person, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws (“protected characteristics”). 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

About California Charter Schools Association Advocates 

California Charter Schools Association Advocates (CCSA Advocates) is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to increasing the involvement of the charter school community in the public policy arena, creating a pipeline of candidates who are charter school supporters and activists, electing public officials who support California charter schools and growing the political influence of the California charter school movement. The vision of CCSA Advocates is to increase student learning by growing the number of families choosing high-quality charter schools so that no child is denied the right to a great public education. The mission of Advocates is to increase the number of students attending quality charter schools in California as quickly as possible by creating a political environment that is supportive of charter schools. For more information, please visit www.ccsaadvocates.org.