Deputy Director II External Affairs

The client seeks its first Deputy Director II of External Affairs for its Oakland office. This role is focused on closing the educational opportunity gap that affects students of color and low-income backgrounds. The Deputy Director will work closely with the Executive Director to establish the clients advocacy agenda to secure meaningful policy successes at both state and local levels. As a member of the Executive Group, the Deputy Director will oversee four critical teams:
Communications, Partnerships and Engagement, Greater Los Angeles, and Educator Engagement. Their responsibilities will include driving initiatives from conception to implementation, ensuring coordination and collaboration across teams, managing people and projects, coaching team leaders, and supporting continuous improvement and results. The client is dedicated to advancing policies to dismantle racial and economic barriers within the education system in the United States.

The role entails leveraging research and advocacy to improve equity in education from early childhood through college. The Deputy Director will engage diverse communities committed to equity and justice, increasing political and public support to create an education system where all students thrive. The position, based in the Oakland office, offers flexibility for telework up to three days a week. The Deputy Director reports to the Executive Director and manages a moderately sized, multi-layered team.

Key responsibilities include partnering with the Executive Director on strategic and operational projects, aligning organizational goals with the annual work plan and budget, and coordinating team development efforts by establishing metrics to assess mission impact.

Additionally, the Deputy Director will be tasked with aligning external affairs strategy and messaging across the client. They will ensure that external affairs engagements build new and maintain existing partnerships while integrating partner feedback into strategic planning and advocacy efforts. Key duties include facilitating cross-functional meetings related to external affairs and advocacy, aligning with organizational leaders, and coaching both direct and indirect reports.

By centering the clients strategic plan as the guiding framework, the Deputy Director will develop systems for measuring and evaluating advocacy impact and progress, collaborating with organizational leaders to guide communications, partnerships, and engagement strategies.