Regional Director, Bay Area

Job Description: 

The Regional Director, as part of the Regional Advocacy team, leads member schools’ interests across Santa Clara County and neighboring regions in the areas of charter school policy, school authorization, strengthening relationships with elected and appointed officials, and advocacy support for new and renewing charters.  This position works closely with charter school operators, community organizations, and local elected and appointed officials to maximize the positive impact of charter schools in the region and to ensure that all students and families have access to high quality, public school options. 

Overview of Responsibilities:

The Bay Area Regional Advocacy team supports over 175 charter schools across the Bay Area, including over 50 schools in Santa Clara County. The Regional Director will forge relationships with the individuals leading charter schools in the region and develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges they face as they operate their schools. This position works directly with the Bay Area Managing Regional Director and content experts in facilities, growth, special education, communications, and policy to advocate on behalf of charter schools and students around a variety of issues that schools may face. 

Essential Duties

• Policy Making and Advocacy: Manage charter-related policy matters at the Santa Clara County Board of Education and several other key school districts.
  
• Relationship Building: Cultivate relationships with elected and appointed officials at the county and district level and build and manage relationships with charter leaders in support of the local advocacy agenda through the Charter Community of Silicon Valley (CCSV).
  
• Community Building: Foster the development of a more unified charter community, armed with timely updates and analysis of issues of local and statewide importance, that can collectively identify key issues, priorities, strategies and, when necessary, mobilize to support or defend the charter movement when necessary.
  
• Strategic Planning: Support and actively engage in the development, promotion, and adoption of the team’s strategic priorities to ensure they are aligned with CCSA’s broader priorities and are reflective of the charter community’s needs.
  
• Political Engagement: Engage in non-partisan and partisan electoral work including strategic planning and implementation under the umbrella of CCSA Advocates, our electoral arm.
  
• Cross Team Collaboration: Partner with internal CCSA teams to align resources and maximize advocacy work and outcomes.

What Success Looks Like

To achieve success in this role, qualified candidates will be able to consistently meet and exceed these goals:

• Establish and secure a positive local policy environment to ensure that students enrolled in charter schools have equitable access to resources (e.g. facilities, funding, and technology) and schools receive fair and transparent oversight. 
• Foster the development of an engaged charter community where local leaders are essential drivers of key policy priorities by participating in the decision-making process about local advocacy strategy and inform and engage their communities in collective actions to support positive policy development.  
• Build bridges between elected and appointed officials, community leaders, and charter operators to provide accurate information about charters, facilitate opportunities to visit local charter schools in an effort to challenge misconceptions about charter schools and expand the role of the community in local charter schools.  

Required Capabilities

• Self-starter with exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
• Passion for public education and social justice through an education lens and willingness to challenge the status quo
• Deep appreciation for community and a commitment to bringing diverse people together
• Masterful ability to manage multiple projects and people while providing a high level of service to members
• Receptiveness to working in a remote environment and, at times, non-traditional hours
• Exceptional communication skills
• Reside within Santa Clara County (or willingness to relocate) with access to reliable transportation

Preferred Capabilities

• At least 5 years professional work experience at the school or policy level
• Master’s degree
• Strong command of modern workplace tools such as Salesforce, Excel, and other Office products
• Exceptional organizational skills
• Fluency in Spanish