Position: Associate

Location: Indiana (Preferred)

Our preferred application deadline is August 14, 2023.  Please note that we do not guarantee review of applications received after this date.

Position Summary

As an Associate at Empower Schools, you will work closely with your teammates to support opportunities to design and launch innovative solutions at the local, regional, and state level that can better meet the needs of students. Your support to cultivate partnerships and to design and implement projects will positively impact students who traditionally have been underserved. As part of this role, you will receive coaching, mentorship, and guidance from experienced leaders inside and outside of our organization. This role will initially support our work in Indiana.

The location for this position is flexible and currently remote, but our preference is Indiana, where we have staff on the ground. If public health conditions make travel possible, applicants must be willing to travel up to 30% of the time.

Who We Are

Empower Schools envisions a country where every student – especially those in underserved communities – has the opportunity to succeed in school and life. As a national non-profit, we catalyze innovative solutions by partnering with educators and communities to reimagine local education systems towards more equitable life outcomes for all students. While the specific work varies in response to local context, all of our projects are grounded in our deep commitment to improving school and life outcomes for predominantly Black, Hispanic, and low-income students. We focus on three key areas:

• Empowerment Zones – We work with communities to design and launch sustainable local partnerships that enable transformative district schools. Empowerment Zone educators have the flexibility to make decisions that are right for their students, community, and staff.
• Rural Collaboratives – We work with communities to create opportunities that lead to postsecondary success for all students. We foster innovative, sustainable, and scalable structures that bridge high school to college and career so students can get the head start and success they need even before they graduate high school. We work with rural communities to forge new partnerships and develop new ways to share resources so that students in rural areas have access to a great education and are equipped for college and career success.
• Early College and Career Pathways – We work with communities to create opportunities that lead to postsecondary success for all students. We foster innovative, sustainable, and scalable structures that bridge high school to college and career so students can get the head start and success they need even before they graduate high school.

To date, we have supported the design and launch of empowering partnerships across over seven states. Empower is working to deepen our direct and systemic impact in Indiana. We are currently supporting multiple school transformation projects in their implementation phase of the work. We are also collaborating with additional communities and state-level leaders to explore and design durable and transformative partnerships between local school districts, civic, industry, and higher education leaders to expand opportunities for students and to advance community development and economic goals.

Who You Are

• You are committed to centering racial and socioeconomic equity in your work. You understand the impact of systemic and implicit racism and challenge yourself and others to support transformational outcomes for students across race and class.
• You are familiar with the challenges facing urban and/or rural K-12 education (and/or excited and willing to learn). You are excited by developing creative solutions to challenges encountered at the school and system levels.
• You enjoy working individually and as part of a team and are able to build strong relationships with others.
• You are passionate about the role that communities play in supporting students and have a working knowledge of public-private partnerships centered on expanding opportunities for students and enhancing community and economic development.
• You are organized and interested in designing and implementing complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and tight deadlines.
• You thrive in a rapidly-evolving environment and recognize that resourcefulness and effective communication skills are key to success.
• You are a self-starter and are able to navigate ambiguity and complexity with grace and focus
• You can take ideas and solutions from brainstorms to fruition while engaging and incorporating the perspectives of others.
• You make time to reflect on your work to improve your effectiveness, you know how to self-advocate to get the support you need, and you can keep it all in perspective with a strong sense of humor.
• In short, you are a generalist interested in learning and growing your skills while working with a dynamic team on a wide range of projects.

How You’ll Help

Work at Empower Schools looks different each day, depending on the projects you support. Your work will vary based on your interests and organizational needs.  Responsibilities may include:

Support the design and execution of partnerships in collaboration with many stakeholders

• Support diverse stakeholders (e.g., district partners, non-profit staff, school-based staff, community members, state policy champions, etc.) throughout the development and implementation of Empowerment Zones, rural collaboratives, early college and career pathways, including the following:
  • Build and maintain external relationships to serve as an expert resource and provide responsive support to our diverse stakeholders
  • Coordinate communication among stakeholders, including facilitation of check-in calls and creation of update messages
  • Conduct research on school, community, organizations, and systems that play a role in expanding the resources and impact within the education system
  • Monitor relevant media coverage for partnerships
  • Plan and support convenings and site visits
• Create compelling written deliverables to advance Empowerment Zone projects, rural collaboratives, and early college and career pathways
  • Develop community-focused presentations and communication materials for school and community stakeholders, engage with stakeholders  as needed
  • Draft and provide input into application documents for district or state authorization
  • Support the creation of concept papers, strategic plans, grant applications, and board presentations to advance our work
• Collaborate with teammates to serve as project manager for specific project workstreams
  • Create and monitor project plans and adjust along the way
  • Communicate project milestones and progress to teammates and partners

Provide support to Empower Schools on other initiatives, as needed

Qualifications

• At least 2-4 years of work experience in a relevant field or role
• Demonstrated interest in education reform and strong alignment with the goals of Empower Schools
• Education or consulting experience preferred, but not required
• Willingness to take initiative to manage complex projects involving multiple components successfully
• Ability to build successful relationships with partners, external organizations, policymakers, and education leaders
• Possession of a flexible, resourceful, and creative mindset and deep motivation to drive toward high-quality outcomes with a consistently positive attitude
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including the ability to translate ideas into clear, compelling documents (e.g., in PowerPoint and Word formats)
• Dedication to  continuous improvement (both personal and organizational) and interest in incorporating feedback from others

Salary and Benefits

The salary for associates is $55,000 per year, with opportunities for meaningful advancement for successful team members every 2-3 years. In addition, Empower Schools offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health and dental insurance, retirement benefits, parental leave, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts.