External Partnerships Manager, Philadelphia School Partnership

Posted by Philadelphia School Partnership on March 5, 2018

The Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) works to give every child in America’s fifth largest city the opportunity to attend a great school. We invest philanthropic funds in high-impact schools so they can serve more low-income students—whether they be in the traditional public, public charter or private sectors. Our aim is to catalyze the creation or transformation of enough schools to ensure better options for 50,000 students, or nearly one in four of all Philadelphia schoolchildren. Since 2011 PSP has invested in more than 50 schools, creating new educational opportunity for 21,000 students. PSP also works to create the conditions that enable great schools to grow and thrive, including a strong pipeline of qualified teachers and principals, resources and initiatives to empower parents and families, and policies that enable entrepreneurial school leadership and create opportunity for high-performing schools to grow. Additionally, PSP invests to catalyze collaboration, facilitating the sharing of best practices among schools and support organizations. Nonpartisan and data-driven, we work with government officials, business leaders, education leaders and practitioners, and community groups to pursue the promise of a great school for every child.

PSP believes that in a city as large as Philadelphia, there is not one best or right kind of school. Two hundred forty thousand children need a wide variety of schools from which to choose. The city has numerous examples of high-performing schools, and they span all three primary sectors: charter schools, district schools and private/Catholic schools. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of quality options in all three sectors. More than 35,000 students sit on waiting lists for the city’s best schools—which include private, charter, district magnet, and district neighborhood schools. Our work centers on leveraging philanthropic capital to attract entrepreneurial leadership and overcome inertia and financial and political barriers so that Philadelphia can have more great schools.

Like all cities, Philadelphia has finite resources for K-12 education. PSP believes the route to effectively educating all of the city’s children lies in fomenting and sustaining an educational ecosystem that steers resources toward effective schools, regardless of sector or type of school, so they can grow; increases equity of access to all school choices for families; and utilizes multiple measures of school performance to hold schools accountable for outcomes, thus ensuring support and—if necessary—intervention for struggling schools.

Position Summary

The Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) believes that helping to empower parents to find, choose, and advocate for higher quality schools of all types (district, charter, and private) is a critical part of our strategy to ensure every child in Philadelphia is enrolled in a great school.  We seek to deepen our relationships with partner organizations including school operators, nonprofits, government agencies, and advocacy groups to empower parents and community members to engage in local education reform efforts. Specifically, we are working to better equip families with information to find and choose great schools for their children.  As part of this work, we have created “GreatPhillySchools,” (GPS) a print and web-based resource giving parents access to data on academics, safety, and more.

The Manager, External Partnerships will be responsible for identifying, establishing, and building strong relationships with strategic partners (i.e., community based organizations, government agencies, schools, etc.) to expand GreatPhillySchools’ market reach throughout the city. This position reports to the Director, GreatPhillySchools. He/she will work closely with the entire team including the GPS Manager, Project Manager, Coordinator, and other staff as needed.

PSP is an equal-opportunity employer with good benefits and an entrepreneurial, results-oriented work culture.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Identify and cultivate relationships with strategic partners that align and support the mission and work of GreatPhillySchools; this will include creation of plans to track partner progress and achievement to milestone goals.
• Create marketing plan in collaboration with Project Manager to meet annual guide distribution goals.
• Represent GreatPhillySchools to external parties; build advanced knowledge of GreatPhillySchools’ resources and services, school ratings, and general enrollment information.
• Lead school selection trainings for organizations.
• Field inquiries from interested third parties and potential partners.
• Manage intern(s) and/or part-time outreach team to plan and execute parent and community engagement events including: school selection trainings, school visits, GPS demos, etc.
• Provide major event support; oversee volunteer recruitment to support major events
• Additional duties as assigned

Qualifications

• A self-starter needing minimal management oversight to perform day-to-day responsibilities
• Demonstrated experience in aligning parties to mutual value creation while staying true to brand and mission. Success background in creating mutually beneficial partnerships between organizations.
• Self-motivated and entrepreneurial approach; confidence in high-pressure tight deadline situations and willingness to work as part of a team.
• Strong presentation and communication skills and the ability to articulate complex concepts to cross-functional audiences.
• Collaborative; values and develops working partnerships across the organization and at all levels.
• Knowledge of and commitment to K-12 education reform, including a willingness to work on behalf of high-quality schools of all types – including District, charter, and private – in the face of organized resistance to reform
• Ability to develop, set, and achieve ambitious goals within the context of relationship building and partnerships;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to lead and motivate others

 Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Minimum of three years’ relevant work experience, five years preferred
• Fluency in Spanish (written and verbal), strongly preferred
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Proficient in Google Drive products (i.e., Google Sheets, Google Docs)
• Experience working in CRM database (i.e., Salesforce), strongly preferred
• Management experience, strongly preferred
• Experience working with stakeholders of diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
• Familiarity with K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia, strongly preferred
• Willingness and ability to work nights and weekends; this role requires nontraditional hours during peak periods

 Physical Requirements

Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required such as:

• Traveling to schools and community events – valid driver’s license and/or access to transportation when necessary
• Functioning in office space – reaching file cabinets, filing, faxing, scanning, coping, typing, mailing, making phone calls
• Must be able to sit for up to two hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard/mouse and typing
• Must be able to lift up to 25lbs on a frequent basis

Application Instructions

Email resume and cover letter to Molly Farley, Human Resources Consultant, at [email protected].

Salary commensurate with experience, along with excellent benefits. A modest relocation package may also be available for out-of-state candidates.