Director of Communications and Advancement, Alma del Mar Charter School

Director of Communications and Advancement

About Alma
Alma del Mar is a K–8 charter school whose mission is to put every one of our scholars on the path to college and to challenge them to be service-minded leaders. We do this by immersing our scholars in a highly demanding, highly supportive environment where they receive a content-rich education. As an Expeditionary Learning school, Alma brings to life a three dimensional vision of student achievement that includes mastery of knowledge and skills, character, and high-quality student work.

We're located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a beautiful coastal city known for its history as the heart of the whaling industry and as a central hub of the abolitionist movement.

Alma gets results for kids. Alma scholars not only outperform their district peers on MCAS, they often outperform their peers in the surrounding suburbs. In some areas, our scholar achievement now matches some of the highest performing schools in the Commonwealth. We have been nationally recognized for our work with English Language Learners.

Director of Communications and Advancement
Alma del Mar's Director of Communications and Advancement amplifies the compelling story of our schools while building relationships that help advance the critical work of putting New Bedford kids on a college trajectory. This includes maintaining strong relationships with donors, local organizations and public officials. The Director oversees all internal and external messaging.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Family Engagement

• Oversee the Family Communications Team to ensure all communications are aligned across the network and accessible to all families
• Manage Family Engagement Team members and represent family interests to the network leadership team
• Lead Family Survey promotion and analyze Family Survey data for leadership teams
• Lead on setting and executing Scholar Recruitment strategy
• Coordinate with campus leaders, network leaders, and the Family Engagement Team on scheduling and creating agendas for parent group meetings

2. Advocacy, Community Relations & External Communications

• Craft and share Alma's story to a wide audience including potential donors, families, municipal and state partners and potential staff
• Manage Alma's social media presence
• Engage political, community, and business leaders
• Develop and implement communications strategy to include the diverse community we serve linguistically and culturally
• Identify opportunities for Alma to engage meaningfully with community groups

3. Internal Organizational Engagement and Communications

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to craft internal communications to staff
• Lead special projects for staff engagement such as planning annual staff parties, annual staff gift, annual staff retreat and staff appreciation week

4. Fundraising

• Craft annual appeal and annual report theme and content
• Fundraise approximately $500k–$1 million annually through a variety of initiatives including major planned giving and annual gifts, institutional, corporate, and government grants
• Manage donor relationships
• Identify and pursue grant opportunities in line with Alma's priorities and budgetary needs
• Ensure Alma fulfills guidelines of grant-funded programs (such as nonprofit, state and federal grants)
• Work with the Board of Directors Development Committee

Who We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in communications, nonprofit management, public administration, or a related field is a plus
• Minimum 5 years of experience in communications or development in a school setting with at least 2 years in a leadership or management role
• Experience in an urban charter school is a plus
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives for a variety of audiences
• Demonstrated track record of successful fundraising, including managing a portfolio of individual donors, grants, and/or corporate partnerships
• Experience managing social media platforms and digital communications, including content creation and analytics
• Strong relationship-building skills and experience engaging donors, community leaders, and elected officials
• Authorization to work in the United States is required
• Deep commitment to educational equity and closing the opportunity gap for underserved students
• English proficiency is required
• Multilingual candidates are highly encouraged to apply, especially those with proficiency in Spanish. Fluency in Portuguese or Cape Verdean Creole will also be an asset to this role

What You Can Expect

• A comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision insurance and retirement
• A salary based on years of experience in the range of $90,000-$100,000
• This is an on-site position; candidates should be available to commute to New Bedford, MA daily
• Weekly meetings with a manager who supports you
• Friendly, supportive, #almazing colleagues

Compensation: Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package.

EOO: Alma del Mar is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds and identities are strongly encouraged to apply. Spanish language proficiency is a plus.