Teach For America seeks to build our National Community Alliances (NCA) team in order to ensure that we partner effectively with all groups working toward our shared vision of educational excellence, equity, and opportunity.
The Senior Managing Director (SMD) of the Asian American & Pacific Islander Community Alliances will build national alliances and partnerships within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community, effectively and compellingly representing Teach For America with those groups, and providing us with insights, perspectives, and opportunities that will strengthen our community (corps members, alumni, and staff) and enable us to further our impact nationally and in the communities where we work.
The SMD will work closely with their colleagues on the Public Partnerships and NCA teams, who will also be focused on building a network of informed and inspired champions and partners among elected and appointed officials, their staff, and the broader education and civil rights communities. As a member of the NCA sub-team, the SMD will be responsible for contributing grassroots and grasstops voices to shaping Teach For America’s civil rights and equity agenda and institutionalizing community voices in our organization. This role will report to the Vice President of NCA.
Responsibilities for this position will include, but are not limited to:
75% of time – External engagement & outreach
- Set an innovative, equitable, and intersectional vision and direction for engaging the diverse AANHPI community, including (but not limited to) AANHPI civil rights groups, grassroots organizations, education focused groups, policy organizations, and AANHPI media outlets.
- Create and execute a strategic plan to accomplish this vision, including:
- Develop mutually beneficial relationships with impactful individuals and organizations to execute the civil rights and equity agenda
- Representing TFA externally (or prep CEO and/or other TFA executive leaders to engage) on panels/conferences/engagements
- Identify/attend/coordinate attendance at all key conferences
- Have frequent visibility at AANHPI events and ensure representation in the broader education space
- Identify speaking opportunities for our CEO and/or other TFA executive leaders
- Develop 5-10 diverse priority organizational relationships (e.g. APIA Scholars, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, EPIC, LEAP, OCA APIA Advocates, SEARAC, WHIAAPI, etc.)
- Conduct visits and creative engagement opportunities with AANHPI influencers to engage them in TFA’s work and support their work within AANHPI communities
- Support CEO and VP in relationship building with key AANHPI stakeholders
- Identify funding & board leadership opportunities with national development team and support all cultivation, stewardship, and engagement efforts
25% of time – Internal engagement & coordination
- Engage with and provide strategic support to Teach For America’s Recruitment, Policy, Government Affairs, Communications, Marketing, Teacher Leadership Development, Alumni Engagement, Human Assets, and Regional teams on their efforts within the AANHPI community:
- Engage deliberately with AANHPI staff (including AAPI Staff Advisory Council and AAPI Resource Group Leadership Team) to gather perspective, share progress, seek partnership, and develop talent
- Lead oversight on execution of deliverables from official national partners & coordinate all relevant internal stakeholders
- Represent AANHPI voice and community in support of internal initiatives e.g. national corps member and alumni events, human assets initiatives, etc.
- Ensure integration and representation of issues facing the AANHPI community in support of internal initiatives, e.g. national corps member and alumni events, human assets initiatives, etc.
- Provide strategic counsel to regions looking to build similar alliances, awareness, and support with the AANHPI community at a local level
- Provide strategic support to corps and staff recruitment efforts, helping to ensure the continued diversity of both
- Partner with Marketing & Communications teams to:
- Help create and support relevant social media and maintain strong social media presence
- Help create and support relevant marketing and communications strategy
- Advise and creates campaigns that engage a wider audience on AANHPI issues
- Provide content/ideas for frequent opportunities to engage the media with the work of Teach For America in AANHPI communities
- Help to build a diverse and exceptional corps through participation in corps members selection
- Minimum of 6-8 years of professional experience required
- Previous demonstrated ability and experience with leading diversity, equity, and inclusion work through intersectional frameworks
- Prior experience engaging in community building, with pre-existing relationship of key players and knowledge of key issues preferred
- Demonstrated commitment to equity work, multicultural and intersectional solidarity, and ability to work across multiple lines of difference
Work Demands
- Frequent travel expected, approximately 35-40%
Skills
- Demonstrated ability to lead across multiple lines of difference with intersectional strategy
- Poise, confidence, and maturity interacting with key stakeholders, with the ability to build strong relationships and work with people at all levels, internally and externally
- Ability to set vision and direction and ensure alignment in execution of strategy across a large organization, demonstrating the ability to manage laterally and through layers
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple responsibilities and to consistently meet ambitious deadlines and goals
- Exceptional strategic and critical thinking skills
- Exceptional and demonstrated commitment to and understanding of issues surrounding diversity, equity and inclusiveness
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
- Strong planning and project management skills
- Operates with a high level of personal responsibility, and can lead through ambiguity and complexity, demonstrating strong judgment Demonstrated success in building strong, mutually beneficial partnerships between organizations
- Ability to thrive in a goal-oriented, fast-paced, and entrepreneurial environment, including the ability to be flexible in project execution
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Approach to Work
- Deep belief in and commitment to TFA’s mission, core values, and our commitment to diversity and inclusiveness
- Highly motivated and excels in an entrepreneurial environment
- Thrives in circumstances involving ambiguity and nuance
- Orientation towards collaboration and action
- Desire to develop into a thought leader for the organization on issues related to the diverse AANHPI community and education
- Excels at managing competing priorities in dynamic external landscape
- Embraces and values diversity as a fundamental component of advancing our mission
- Acts with purpose, urgency, integrity, high standards, and a long-term view