Managing Director of External Affairs, CT

Overview

Achievement First (AF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supporting 39 public charter schools across New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. For more than 25 years, AF has been recognized as one of the top tuition-free public charter school networks in the country. We are committed to creating schools of academic excellence within nurturing environments — schools that prepare students to be college-ready and to pursue and succeed in whatever paths they choose in life.

The majority of AF students are Black and Latinx children from low-income families, many of whom will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Across our network, we employ more than 2,200 staff members — 64% of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color — who collectively educate nearly 15,000 students in Brooklyn and Queens, NY;
New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, CT; and Providence and Cranston, RI.

Our mission is to prepare every student to excel in college, career, and life; deepen their understanding of self and community; and lead lives of purpose. We believe in the limitless potential within our students and their power to shape a more just society. That belief drives our deep commitment to student achievement: we aim to set a high bar for learning and create warm, demanding classrooms where rigorous instruction is paired with the care, encouragement, and consistency every student deserves.

We are looking for a strategic and dynamic MD of External Affairs to join our Team CT Leadership
.

The Managing Director of External Affairs is a trusted partner and thought leader to the Regional Executive Director in setting the strategy, engaging and managing external stakeholders and constituents, and supporting the brand and relationships in the region. The MD of Regional Affairs will be a key partner in building and sustaining AF’s impact and ensuring the network becomes a visible, responsive, and values-driven partner in the communities that it serves.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, CT your responsibilities will include:

External and Community Affairs (50%)

• Develop the strategic vision for external and community affairs for the region in alignment with AF’s organizational vision
• Work closely with schools, families, and AF’s communications team to strategically share the impact that Achievement First has within the region and to narrate fuel the school’s successes and opportunities to external audiences
• Collaborate with the communications team and regional leaders to surface moments that tell the story of the region and build the brand for both internal and external audiences through various communication channels including newsletters, social media and external news coverage.
• Establish, maintain, strengthen and leverage key political alliances to support and advance AF’s mission
• Establish, maintain, and leverage partnerships with Connecticut Department of Education, local Community Based Organizations (CBOs), nonprofits, and other community partners to better support the regions’ schools and promote a better environment overall for students and families
• Collaborate with schools to thoughtfully engage families in key network, regional, and school-based initiatives

Board Governance (25%)

• Lead and manage the full lifecycle of four boards in Connecticut, including planning, sequencing, agendas, strategy-setting, drafting materials, and coordinating stakeholder alignment.
• Design a long-term governance vision that clarifies roles and positions boards as high-impact, informed thought partners.
• Collaborate with the CEO, Regional ED, Board Governance network team, Regional Superintendents, and Principals to ensure pre-read materials, discussion questions, and meeting design elevate meaningful strategic dialogue.
• Proactively identify opportunities to evolve board engagement, including optional primers, onboarding structures, pre-meeting alignment processes, and redesigned meeting arcs that focus on discussion—not presentation.
• Build and manage a cultivation strategy for current and prospective board members—tracking composition needs, sequencing prospects, nurturing…