Program Specialist: Partnerships & Community Engagement - Village Academy

Title

Program Specialist:
Partnerships & Community Engagement

Plans, oversees, implements, and evaluates school partnerships with local and national organizations, families, and individual community stakeholders, including donors, grantors, providers of curriculum experiences and wraparound services. Addresses three interrelated areas:
Strategic Partnerships & Real‑World Learning—secures long‑term partnerships that infuse Community Action Projects (CAPs), pathways, and school‑wide learning experiences with authentic community purpose and professional expertise;
Community Engagement & Family Partnerships—strengthens trust, visibility, and belonging among the families and communities NVA serves;
Development & Grants—builds a foundation of philanthropic, donor, business, and grant support to ensure NVA's sustainability and growth. Cultivates the web of relationships—with businesses, civic and cultural institutions, nonprofits, higher education partners, government agencies, health and wraparound service providers, and philanthropic supporters—that makes NVA's real‑world, community‑embedded learning model possible. Amplifies NVA's commitment to equity, student agency, and community‑rooted learning and tells a compelling story of NVA's work to our community stakeholders.

• Flexible schedules
• Evenings/Nights
• Extended hours
• Outside of normal business hours
• Summer hours
• Weekends

• Cultivates, secures, and stewards strategic relationships with businesses, nonprofits, civic and cultural institutions, workforce development organizations, higher education partners, and Annapolis-based community organizations.
• Develops real‑world curriculum partnerships that bring professional expertise, authentic community‑based problems, and wraparound supports into Community Action Projects and interdisciplinary learning.
• Collaborates with instructional leaders and teachers to identify programmatic needs and leverage community assets to expand opportunities for students and families.
• Develops, executes, and maintains MOUs, partnership agreements, and structured plans for ongoing partner engagement and accountability.
• Serves as a key external ambassador and communicator for New Village Academy with partners, funders, media, and civic leaders, in collaboration with school leadership.
• Leads culturally responsive, trust‑centered community engagement with families, neighborhood groups, faith‑based organizations, and youth‑serving partners.
• Represents the school at public events, civic meetings, community celebrations, and outreach activities across Annapolis, supporting enrollment visibility and community presence.
• Designs and coordinates family‑ and community‑facing events, including info sessions, Celebrations of Learning, partnership events, and Gateway and Graduation ceremonies.
• Helps design and implement the school’s development strategy; cultivate donors and sponsors; create donor‑ and grantor‑facing materials; and coordinate donor engagement and stewardship activities.
• Identifies, writes, and manages grants; maintains development and partnership tracking systems; and provides regular reports on partnerships, community engagement, fundraising, and grant outcomes to school leadership and the Board.
• Performs other related duties as assigned within the same classification or lower.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field of education from a regionally accredited college or university.
• Master’s degree in a related field of education preferred.
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities deemed sufficient.

• Two (2) years professional program/project management experience in partnership development, community engagement, development/fundraising, nonprofit leadership, education, or related field.
• Successful track record in cultivating partnerships, building community trust, and/or securing philanthropic support preferred.
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities deemed sufficient.