Communications Manager; GOPS

GO Public Schools Oakland supports a network of families, educators, and community members with a deep moral commitment to the simple idea that every child deserves a chance to thrive, in school and in life. Together, we advocate for a school system that puts student outcomes first, demands that leaders do the same, and holds them accountable for keeping their promises.

GO develops leadership at every level—families, educators, school boards, district leaders and grasstops. These leaders inform and develop community visions for student success, and they shape, demand, and win system changes that improve student learning.

By providing data analysis and information, building leadership skills, and advocating publicly, GO’s network is working toward a day when every student has access to an excellent public school. Alongside policy advocacy, GO Public Schools Oakland Advocates (an independent 501c4 nonprofit organization) supports the GO network to elevate the work of the school board, elect school board leaders committed to advocating for all students, and to pass measures to provide needed funding and resources to schools.

THE OPPORTUNITY AND CHARGE

Communications is one of the most critical ingredients of our work at GO.

Our Communications Manager will be a critical member of our team, responsible for helping us broaden and deepen our network of informed and active education advocates. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Communications Manager will be responsible for our team publishing high-quality content that moves forward policies and practices that support Oakland students.

This person must excel at: crafting, designing, and launching a wide variety of communications (including original advocacy tools and resources, as well as reports and publications) on behalf of our organization, and be very comfortable managing online platforms (email, website, social media) and creating hard-copy communications (e.g brand, event, and outreach collateral).

Our work environment is fast-paced and our local education ecosystem is dynamic, so the ideal candidate must be a natural self-starter who can manage multiple projects and work streams and be nimble to changing priorities. This person thoughtfully customizes content and messaging for different stakeholders, including families, educators, community members, and community-based organization leaders and partners from diverse backgrounds. This person pays extraordinary attention to detail and has a collaborative, values-driven work ethic.

This position is available immediately.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Write, Project Manage, and Publicize Clear and Compelling Communications – Create and curate resources and tools to share with our network about key issues in Oakland public schools aligned with our policy and political campaigns (our current multi-year campaigns are 1

Oakland and Budgeting for Impact ). Execute and project manage all communications, including drafting and posting all print, email, and social media content to support GO’s priorities, and to tell the story of the people, role, and impact of GO. Provide editorial and communications support for teammates in the form of ghostwriting and editing.

Expand and Deepen Our Network of Engaged Followers – Using various communications strategies, and best practices in digital organizing this person will continually grow our network of informed, engaged followers on email, social media, and website. This person will collaborate with the team to develop goals and metrics for measuring progress (e.g. number of followers, actions / engagements, conversions).

Strengthen Organizational Brand – Create and upkeep marketing materials and tools that represent our organization, values, work, and impact. This includes owning the beginning-to-end content and design processes for GO Oakland’s overall brand collateral, as well as our event- and campaign-specific collateral.

Shine on Social Media – Create social media strategy that is connected to our short- and long-term advocacy strategies. Manage and continually evolving our social media approach, particularly on Facebook, Twitter, and…