Chief of Staff, E4E-New York

About Us

Our nation’s education system is leaving millions of students—including an overwhelming number of students of color and low-income students—unprepared for college, career, and life. Research shows that classroom teachers are the single most important in-school factor in improving student achievement, and we believe a truly thriving teaching profession requires educator voice and leadership. We work to build durable teacher power, especially with those who have been historically excluded from decision-making, to shape the systems and policies that define education. 

Founded by public school teachers, Educators for Excellence is a growing movement of nearly 40,000 educators working together to build a high-quality, diverse teaching profession with the resources and conditions necessary to help every student thrive. Together, we research and develop educator-informed solutions, build teacher power, and advocate for policy change at the district, state, and national levels.

What We Do

Our work is grounded in the belief that the teaching profession is one of the most vital forces shaping our shared future - and that educators must be at the center of shaping the policies and systems that define public education. We focus on developing teacher leadership and power to drive issue advocacy campaigns that shape policy, contracts, and the national conversation. 

To achieve our vision for transforming the teaching profession, we advance and support the implementation of a focused set of policy solutions backed by research and educators. Our agenda focuses on achieving a high-quality, diverse workforce through:

• Building strong and sustainable career pathways.
• Creating coherent systems of instructional support.
• Funding public schools fully and equitably.

By building durable teacher power, teachers unite as a collective force to drive lasting change and advance an equitable, sustainable public education system where every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.

The Opportunity

E4E organizes anti-racist, student-focused educators, builds their leadership capabilities and collective power through issue-based advocacy campaigns, and supports them to take on positions of leadership in their schools, districts, and most importantly, in their unions. Over our history, we have made incredible progress organizing teachers to take action to uplift their students and profession.  Through E4E, tens of thousands of educators have signed on to a common vision for elevating the teaching profession and improving student outcomes; thousands of teacher members have successfully advocated for and won equity and excellence-focused policy changes in their local communities; and hundreds have trained for and taken on positions of elected and appointed leadership in their schools, districts, and unions.

E4E’s organizing culture is grounded in our passion for impacting educational systems and revolves around an innovative, roll-up-your-sleeves spirit backed by a shared commitment to continuous professional growth. We know that our work is more urgent and important than ever during this unprecedented moment in our nation's education history.

Educators for Excellence’s Chief of Staff (CoS) creates systems to deliver on the long-term vision, plan, and culture of E4E-NY. The Chief of Staff is a trusted advisor to the Executive Director and a member of the E4E-NY Local Leadership Team, ensuring full integration of each stream of work across the chapter, including development, policy, organizing, and advocacy. The Chief of Staff will lead efforts related to building an inclusive, diverse team culture that embodies E4E’s core values.

Responsibilities: What actions will you leverage day-to-day?
 

Support the Executive Director to maximize effectiveness (50%):

• Provide direct administrative support to the Executive Director, including calendar management and time tracking, expense reporting, travel coordination, budget management, etc.
• Act as the “gatekeeper” and “right arm” of the Executive Director by tightly managing their calendar, liaising with stakeholders, and preparing materials to ensure the ED is prepared and focused on outlined priorities 
• Work alongside the Executive Director to identify and focus on critical weekly and monthly priorities
• Partner with the Executive Director to set and drive the vision for the culture of E4E-NY; operate as a culture leader who models our core values
• Ensure that the local leadership team operates efficiently and effectively, and that the Executive Director’s time is being spent in ways that align with the chapter’s priorities

Drive the planning, communication, and operations of the management team (30%):

• Plan and facilitate local meetings, staff development trainings, and quarterly reflections
• Develop and manage systems to ensure integration and accountability of talent, development, organizing, policy, and advocacy priorities across the chapter
• Ensure timely decision-making and create systems to manage next steps and deadlines
• Consider implications and dependencies on national partners or chapters, solicit input from across the team and partner teams, and facilitate follow-up for any decisions
• Function as Office Manager for all NY-based office needs, including but not limited to ordering supplies, managing technology, and coordinating with office-based vendors

Oversee the local team's strategic planning process and progress reporting (10%):

• Ensure local impact plan adherence and support course correction as deemed necessary
• Build systems to track progress toward annual goals and to build clarity about work across the team
• Organize quarterly reflections to reflect on progress to goals, develop new quarterly milestones, and develop new strategies and tactics to course correct

Lead communication across the team, with an eye toward effectiveness and culture (10%):

• Design communication and forums to establish effective communication to build understanding, foster open communication, and ensure all voices and perspectives are heard
• Make sure our chapter prepares for organization-wide initiatives and executes on them in a way that reflects our culture vision

Cultural leadership: As a member of E4E-NY, the Chief of Staff will be a champion of E4E’s Core Values and Commitment to Anti-Racism. This staff member actively embodies anti-racist practices in all aspects of their work, and pushes the organization and their colleagues to continue to grow and improve within these values by modeling a strong and inclusive culture for their team and the streams of work they manage. The Chief of Staff will support a team culture where all people can thrive, grow, and develop in order to further the mission of E4E. 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Experience: 5-7 years of professional experience, including experience in at least one of the following fields:
  • Project Management 
  • Executive Administrative Support
  • Strategic Planning
• Technical Skills:
  • Familiarity with G-Suite and Slack required
  • Familiarity with K-12 Education preferred
  • Familiarity with grassroots organizing preferred

Core Values: What beliefs do you embody? How do you approach your work?

• Responsiveness - We keep each other in the loop to keep the work moving forward.
• Ownership - We take part in finding solutions for the problems we identify. 
• Initiative - We step up to the plate to ensure no gaps in progress.
• Equity - We look for opportunities to redistribute power in response to inequity.
• Inclusiveness -We make space at the table for all, so everyone feels like they belong.
• Evaluation & Reflection - We look for opportunities to celebrate success & show growth in ourselves and in our work.

Positional Skills - What can you do well? 

• Organizing, Planning & Executing - Able to organize, track, and manage workflow and resources; clearly articulates plans to others, develops systems to prioritize tasks; executes according to set timelines
• Coaching & Developing - Embraces opportunities to further the growth and development of others by building their capacity and skills
• Thinking Holistically & Making Connections - Connects the work to the big picture, identifies opportunities to streamline tactics and integrate streams/functions 
• Allocating and Managing Resources - Strategically manages budget and capacity to move the work forward; manages time strategically; plans meetings purposefully
• Conducting Rigorous Analysis - Uses rigorous logic around aggregate data; performs a variety of analyses to inform decisions with broad impact and solve problems requiring diverse perspectives 

Functional Knowledge - What do you know a lot about?

• Project management - Impeccable execution skills and experience navigating complex processes and building out, creating, implementing, and improving upon organizational systems 
• Communications - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Lateral management - Demonstrated and proven ability to manage people in different positions
• Meeting facilitation - planning and executing high-stakes meetings, retreats, and step-backs

Benefits & Applying

Educators for Excellence (E4E) believes in providing employees with benefits to support self-care, wellness, and financial stability. We value the whole person and provide benefits such as paid time off, health insurance plans, competitive salaries that include pre-tax benefits, and cell phone reimbursements. See more information about our benefits here.

E4E is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. E4E has a zero tolerance for discrimination, racism, xenophobia, or misogyny in any form in our workplace. We strive to create a workplace where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging.

Compensation Policy: Educators for Excellence (E4E) is committed to valuing team members holistically. We do not engage in salary negotiations; our first offer is always our best offer.

Salary band (based on geographic location): $89,000 - $127,000 

Within this range, our competitive, non-negotiable salary offer will be based on a candidate’s relevant experience and credentials, role-related competencies assessed through our robust hiring process, and geographic location. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy: All new employees are required to comply with E4E’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, which requires all staff to be fully vaccinated before the start of employment. An employee will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the requisite number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Employees may request an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a medical reason or a sincerely held religious belief.

E4E abides by each state’s requirements and acknowledges that they may change over time. If you advance to an interview, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about this job requirement.

Accommodations: We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible interview experience and will ensure that all candidates are provided with reasonable accommodations that allow them to participate in the interview process. To request an accommodation, please email [email protected]

EEOC questionnaire: We place a particular focus on recruiting staff members who share the backgrounds of the communities we serve. We encourage all applicants to complete our EEOC questionnaire as part of your application process (these questions will be included in your initial application). Completing the questionnaire will help ensure our People & Equity team is attracting a diverse pool of qualified candidates for each of our open positions. Please note this information is not included with your application, and our hiring managers do not have access to race and other identifying information at any point in the interviewing or hiring process, including after a hire is made.

E4E uses E-Verify when completing all new hire paperwork. For more information, visit here.