Community Engagement Associate, Operations

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 Associate (CEA) is part of an energetic team of relationship builders working together to leverage Reading Partners’ mission in the community. The Community Engagement Associate’s main role is to support all volunteer onboarding, training, retention, and recognition efforts for the region. Reporting directly to the Community Engagement Director, the Community Engagement Associate leads and supports a variety of volunteer engagement initiatives including tutor trainings and orientations, event planning, retention and recognition campaigns and more. The Community Engagement Associate is relationship-focused, goal-oriented, and excited by both higher-level and on-the-ground work. 

What you’ll do:

Each year, work collaboratively with volunteers and internal team members to contribute to the region successfully reaching or exceeding volunteer recruitment goals. 

• Support the Community Engagement Team in retaining as many volunteers as possible year over year (at least 40%)
• Annually support with a Commit to the Next Chapter campaign.
• Serve as primary point of contact for returning volunteers completing their background check and enrollment systems, with 85% of returning volunteers reporting satisfaction with background check system and ease of completion as measured by two-month surveys. 

• Execute a monthly group tutor orientation strategy to seamlessly onboard new volunteers. 
• Serve as regional lead for weekly group tutor orientations, and regularly meet or exceed monthly group tutor orientation attendance benchmarks. 
• Support timely outreach to volunteers who have scheduled or missed tutor orientations, or missed their first session. 
• Through excellent customer service, ensure 90% of new volunteers report satisfaction with background check system and training provided in group tutor orientations as measured in two-month surveys. 
• During high-volume recruitment seasons, support in new contact calls, emails, data entry or any other outreach as assigned by the Community Engagement Director. 
• Other duties as needed.

How you’ll do it:

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. 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 North Texas education landscape and broader community
• Have 2+ 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

• COVID-19 vaccination is required unless a medical or religious accommodation is requested and approved. Please review our Vaccination Policy.

Bonus Points if you:

• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna
• Have experience working in launch or growth phases of organizations

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,  non-exempt, hourly position. The pay for this position is at $20.00 per hour.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, 403(b) option, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP). 
• 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 North Texas. This position may also involve occasional travel to Reading Partners’ National Headquarters in Oakland, CA. 

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