Marketing and Communications Assistant Director for External Relations (Bard Early Colleges, NYC, NY)
Job Description
Job Title: Assistant Director for External Relations (Bard Early Colleges, NYC, NY)
Position Overview:
The Assistant Director for External Relations is a full-time, exempt position of Bard Early College. The successful candidate will excel at working in a community that is broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation and religion.
The Assistant Director for External Relations is charged with increasing philanthropic support for the BEC Schools and strengthening their visibility. This opportunity comes at a critical and exciting time for Bard Early College: the organization is entering its 20th year, celebrating the successful launch of new schools and initiatives, and helping to lead a national conversation on rethinking college access in the public sphere. The Assistant Director for External Relations will report to the Executive Director of Bard Early College and will supervise two part-time support staff associates.
About the Bard Early Colleges:
The Bard Early Colleges (BEC) are founded on the belief that, for many young people, college can and should start at an earlier age. Bard Early College’s simple idea – to begin serious college study in place of the traditional 11th and 12th grades, at no cost to students or families – has had an extraordinary impact on young people and on education innovation and equity in America.
The Bard Early Colleges offer a truly unique home for young people’s intellectual ambition: as both tuition-free, branch campuses of Bard College and public high schools, they award a high school diploma and a Bard College Associate in Arts degree (and 60 transferable credits) by the end of the 12th grade. Students are taught by college faculty in undergraduate, seminar classes, all deeply rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, in Bard College’s commitment to excellence in teaching, and in Bard’s mission as a private college in the public interest.
Now entering its third decade, the Bard Early College network enrolls over 3,000 young people in campuses in NYC; Newark, New Jersey; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and Hudson, New York. Over 80% have completed bachelors degrees after graduating from the Bard Early College – far above the national average – and more than half are first-generation college students.
Those eight campuses are supported by a central leadership team, which is a division of Bard College. Bard invites applications for a creative, proactive, and mission-driven individual who will join that team as Assistant Director for External Relations.
Roles & Responsibilities:
- To build relationships across the community of BEC parents and supporters, primarily in NYC, leading to greater philanthropic support of and engagement with the organization and its mission. At the end of one year, the successful candidate will have increased the number of gifts and the total amount of financial support from individual donors, primarily from within the BEC parent and alumni/ae parent communities in NYC.
- To strengthen awareness of BEC’s programming and outcomes among education thought-leaders through events, networking, and outreach. The purpose of this aspect of the role is to position BEC for greater influence and a stronger voice in shaping education reform, public policy, and the early college movement.
- With staff support from the BEC Data and Evaluation Associate, Programs Associate, and Finance Assistant, to manage donor database systems, donor research, gift acknowledgment procedures, annual appeals, and other regular systems and processes.
- To communicate the organization’s impact and strategies by writing reports for donors and partners, giving presentations, and keeping our stakeholders informed. The Assistant Director for External Relations will ensure that BEC’s public profile is compelling, consistent, and professional.
- To develop good working relationships with the BEC community, primarily in NYC, including school-based colleagues, PTAs, colleagues in the field of education reform, and more. At the end of one year, the network of stakeholders, partners, and thought-leaders who are engaged with and supportive of BEC will have grown.
Qualifications:
The Assistant Director for External Relations should be, above all, passionate about improving public education for young people and committed to educational opportunity, equity, and excellence. Successful candidates will be able to express themselves with clarity, tact, and conviction and will be comfortable in soliciting donations and support. What happens in the BEC classroom is intellectually inspiring and socially transformative; the Assistant Director for External Relations will be able to express that in an honest and effective way.
The successful candidate for the position will possess the following qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of professional experience preferred
- Excellent writing and communication skills
- Responsive and reliable, with strong project management and time management skills
- Demonstrated ability to work successfully in multi-faceted, team-oriented environment, as well as the ability to work independently
- Proven ability to further an initiative or cause that advances racial and economic justice
- Close attention to detail and accuracy
- Working familiarity with basic data management tools and other digital tools, primarily including Microsoft Excel and Google Suite.
Compensation:
While salary will be commensurate with experience, the expected range is between $90,000 and $110,000.
Location: New York City
Expected start Date: August or September, 2021
Physical Demands:
- Must be able to sit for extended periods of time and work in standard office environment
- Must be able to occasionally lift 20 pounds
- Occasional travel (estimated once per month) to Annandale-on-Hudson, NY and to other BEC sites
To apply:
Please upload a résumé that highlights your skills, what you’ve learned, and what you care about, through the Interfolio job application link provided here: http://apply.interfolio.com/90515
Questions
For questions about the position, please send your inquiries to earlycollege@bec.bard.edu
Bard College is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from those who contribute to our diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental, or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information.
Bard is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for all individuals in employment practices, services, programs, and activities. (AA/EOE)
