Community Engagement Manager – Colorado

Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging community volunteers in under-resourced schools. Our diverse and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful, happy and confident readers in school and in life. Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that works. Join our stellar team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Watch this video to learn more about Reading Partners.

The high level:

The Community Engagement Manager (CEM) is part of an energetic team of leaders working together to leverage Reading Partners’ mission in the community. The Community Engagement Manager’s main role is to lead, develop, and mobilize a small team of AmeriCorps members to recruit, train, celebrate and retain a diverse portfolio of volunteers to serve as literacy tutors in our reading centers. Reporting directly to the Executive Director (ED), the Community Engagement Manager strategizes and project manages the overall volunteer recruitment strategy for the region including partnership development and management, external relations, volunteer engagement, event planning, and more. The Community Engagement Manager is an expert relationship maximizer, is goal-oriented, and is excited by both strategic and on-the-ground work. 

What you’ll do:

Each year, develop and execute a comprehensive community engagement strategy to meet and exceed volunteer recruitment targets. 

• Achieve at least a 1.2:1 tutor to student ratio by the end of the school year
• Provide excellent customer service to all volunteers to ensure tutor retention and satisfaction
• Regularly audit and maintain records for prospective, new, and existing volunteers.
• Coordinate and oversee the volunteer onboarding processes.
• Continual stewardship of new and existing partnerships 
• Work with committees and regional board to cultivate relationships with corporate partners
• Develop and maintain a consistent calendar for group tutoring events and other opportunities for partnership engagement

Each fiscal year, recruit, hire, coach, manage and train a team of up to 3 Reading Partners AmeriCorps members toward successfully reaching or exceeding volunteer recruitment, retention, and training goals. 

• Organize Reading Partners AmeriCorps Orientation for Volunteer Coordinators (VC)
• Retain at least 50% of VC’s for a second year of service
• Manage performance, provide professional development opportunities, and oversee assignments of AmeriCorps VCs throughout their year of service

Positively impact all aspects of the volunteer experience

• Volunteer retention goal - 50%
• Volunteer satisfaction rating - 90%
• Increase volunteer conversion rating ensuring that at least 60% of tutors who complete tutor orientation become active tutors

Other duties as needed. 

How you’ll do it:

Leadership & Management: 

• Demonstrate a genuine interest in coaching, inspiring, and developing emerging professionals toward goals. Demonstrate an ability to provide clear guidance and goals, to delegate, and to provide growth opportunities while supporting progress along the way. Be able to recruit, hire, onboard, and deliver high-quality training to AmeriCorps members and volunteers. Support our emerging national network of Community Engagement Managers and other community engagement staff.

Relationship Development & Collaboration: 

• Leverage existing relationships and build new transformational relationships in the community. Establish highly collaborative cross-functional relationships, and work effectively with all internal stakeholders for both organizational fundraising and program delivery. Celebrate wins with all stakeholders.

Communication: 

• Externally, demonstrate the ability to genuinely promote Reading Partners and our mission through a variety of strategies. Provide excellent customer service to partners and volunteers. Have a high level of comfort with public speaking and with crafting mass communications. Be able to differentiate communication depending upon your audience. 

• Internally, set up strong systems for communication and messaging, tailor communication to audiences, and contextualize messaging. Demonstrate a strong aptitude for effective communication, remotely and in person, with direct reports, school stakeholders, and other Reading Partners staff.  Be able to conduct difficult conversations with grace and ease.

Project Management: 

• Create innovative solutions in the face of competition for resources, time, etc. with a high degree of adaptability and flexibility.  Anticipate challenges and/or questions, and proactively execute solutions. Understand larger strategic priorities and make measurable progress against these larger goals. Be able to make quick, sound, and on-the-fly decisions that consider all stakeholders. See the bigger picture and also drill down to smaller details to connect the dots.  

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the Colorado education landscape and broader community
• Have 3+ years of progressive experience in customer service, marketing, client management, community organizing or similar field
• Have direct management experience of volunteers, interns and/or emerging professionals
• Have database management experience and high level of comfort with MS Office, Google Apps
• Have access to reliable transportation to travel within a defined geographic region on a daily basis
• Have flexibility and adaptability in work style and work schedule, including some night and weekend time
• Hold a Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent prior experience 
• Can prove eligibility to work in the U.S. legally
• Boast a deep belief in our mission
• Root your work in our core values

Bonus Points if you:

• Have experience working in the launch phase of projects or programs
• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna 

What we offer:

Reading Partners offers the full package – great benefits, a great place to work and the opportunity to have a glowing and growing career. 

• We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience. This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position. Pay starts at $49,000.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and currently a 403(b) match option.
• We offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and we commit to investing in and supporting our amazing people to grow their careers with us.

The other things you need to know:

• Travel: This position travels regularly throughout Colorado. This position may also involve occasional travel to Reading Partners’ National Headquarters in Oakland, CA. 
• Typical Physical & Mental Demands: Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping and stretching, and eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, photocopier, calculator and other office equipment.  Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to communicate with volunteers and staff. Also requires flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role. Please include your salary needs. 
• Resume