Community Engagement Associate

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 CEA’s main role is to engage our existing volunteer tutor base, while efficiently onboarding a diverse and robust portfolio of volunteers to serve as literacy tutors in our reading centers. Reporting directly to the Community Engagement Director of San Francisco Bay Area, the CEA also supports volunteer recruitment, retention, training, and celebration efforts for the region. The CEA is relationship-focused, and goal-oriented, and is excited by both higher-level and on-the-ground work. 

What you’ll do:

Each school year, execute a comprehensive tutor engagement strategy that provides excellent customer service, appreciation, and creates high retention rates:

• Collaborate with Community Engagement, Program, and Development teams to onboard a minimum of 715 tutors with a goal to increase this number annually.
• Create a comprehensive strategy for engagement and appreciation opportunities for our returning volunteers to maintain a retention rate of 35% or more

Each school year, support the recruitment, hiring, and training for our Reading Partners AmeriCorps members toward successfully reaching or exceeding volunteer recruitment, retention and training goals, with support from the Community Engagement Manager, Community Engagement Director, Program Managers, and Program Director. 

• Participate in interviews and onboarding for new AmeriCorps members.
• Help lead trainings and assist AmeriCorps members throughout the region with volunteer recruitment, orientations, onboarding, and ongoing coaching.

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.
• Serve as an external face for the literacy movement representing the organization at meetings and community events.
• Collaborate internally with our Program Department on creating tutor trainings for our active tutor pool 

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 crafting mass communications.
• Collaborate with CEA of Recruitment to work on regional social media postings and newsletters

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.
• Project manages both events and campaigns for tutor appreciation of our active volunteer tutor base
• Create innovative ways to engage and appreciate our tutors each year

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. 
• In collaboration with regional managers, support the recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and delivery of high-quality training to AmeriCorps members and volunteers. Support our emerging national network of community engagement staff. Demonstrate a strong ability to manage up to supervisor and across teams.

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Have 2+ years of progressive experience in customer service, marketing, client management, community organizing or similar field
• Demonstrate knowledge of the San Francisco Bay Area education landscape and broader community
• Excellent project management and organization skills to manage a high volume of operations projects 
• Have database management experience and high level of comfort with MS Office, Google Apps (especially Google Sheets/Excel)
• Have direct management experience of volunteers, interns and/or emerging professionals
• Have access to reliable transportation to travel within a defined geographic region on a daily basis (when needed)
• Have reliable internet access, to be able to work from home (when needed)
• Have flexibility and adaptability in work style and work schedule, including some night and weekend time
• Demonstrate a deep belief in our mission, commitment to race, equity, diversity and inclusion (REDI), and root your work in our core values.
• Ability to prove eligibility to work legally in the U.S.

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 
• Have experience with public-speaking, presentations, or trainings for diverse audiences
• Hold a Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent experience. 

At Reading Partners we respect and honor the diversity in our workforce, and we are an Equal Opportunity Employer.