Chief Community Engagement & Partnership Officer About Newark, NJ Located 11 miles away from mid- town Manhattan, Newark is a vibrant city in its own right. Newark is the financial, commercial, and transportation nucleus of the Garden State. It also is a thriving cultural hub, with residents from all over the world. Newark is filled with events and attractions, such as the Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. There is something for everyone to explore and enjoy in the City of Newark, from festivals and parades, to museums and musical venues, Newark is the New York City metropolitan area s best kept secret. About the Paulo Freire School The Paulo Freire Charter School is conveniently located across the street from Newark Broad Street Station, which provides a 15 minute direct line of service to New York Penn Station. The Paulo Freire Charter School (aka The Freire School) opened in September of 2012, and was chartered by the New Jersey State Department of Education to serve students in grades 9-12 within the city of Newark. At capacity, the Freire School will serve 320 students. Mission of the Paulo Freire Charter School The mission of the Paulo Freire Charter School (aka The Freire School) is to service those who strive to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding for the betterment of our society. We seek to improve the quality of life by putting scholarship into practice for the purpose of addressing social inequities and injustices. Through a cyclical process of inquiry and social engagement, our scholars take key concepts and apply them to service learning projects that promote social justice and democracy. Our goal is to develop a self- actualized scholar, who possesses a knowledgeable and discerning mind, thrives in service to others, and is prepared for higher education.
Our teachers must firmly believe in the mission of the school, its goals, and its core value: as teachers one of our most important roles is to foster the active use of knowledge. The Freire School is committed to: 1. Placing a premium on inquiry based instruction and social engagement. 2. Maintaining a commitment to a cognitive apprenticeship methodology. 3. Hiring and retaining high- quality, mission aligned teachers. 4. Using a data- driven approach to plan and implement lessons. 5. Employing a variety of customized daily student supports. About the Position: The Chief Community Engagement & Partnership Officer (CEPO) directs the development of a systemic outreach strategy for engagement with traditionally underrepresented and emergent communities. He, or she, develops strategies to support and enable parent leadership and empowerment, and brings vital expertise, and the experience of community engagement and volunteer mobilization, to help us maximize our impact on, and involvement with, our community at large. Working with the school leadership team, the CEPO establishes a comprehensive vision for family, community, and business engagement with the school. They serve as the chief family engagement leader for the school, and creates strong academic support systems and school- family- community partnerships that foster success for all students by building relationships based on mutual trust and two- way communication. The CEPO also plans and manages strategic partnerships between the Paulo Freire Charter School and businesses, government agencies, higher education institutions, and community organizations to provide families and students with the supports needed to be college and career ready. This position reports to the Executive Director of Academics. The Chief Community Engagement & Partnership Officer oversees the development, design, and implementation of short and long term family, community, and business engagement strategies, including the following duties and resposibilities: Family Engagement Responsible for developing school- based family engagement educational and learning activities (i.e. classes, courses, and workshops) that create strong supports for teaching, learning, and student achievement and improve the family s quality of life. Support families, teachers, and the community in their efforts to assist students in achieving educational excellence. Create a collaborative environment in which increases the level of family and community engagement, and ensures that parents, families, and all student communities are invited and encouraged to be involved stakeholders in the school community
Ensure that the school develops a professional development program on the family and community engagement policy, as well as effective family and community engagement strategies. Oversee all major parenting events and activities, school- wide student mentor programs, and any marketing of outreach programs for students. Work with the school social worker and deans to establish a family resource center at the school to connect families to resources that will help them support their child s learning and improve their quality of life. Assure parents, families, and community members the opportunity to effectively work together, and participate in making decisions at all levels in support of improved academic performance for all students. Community Engagement Support the development of the local area strategy, in particular with regards to community engagement and partnerships with businesses, higher education institutions, and community organizations. Work to develop and cultivate positive relationships with core community stakeholders (community leaders, politicians, philanthropic community, etc.) in order to drive impactful community engagement Ensure that the school will become an integral hub of community life, and provide open space and access to resources by creating partnerships that will open school facilities during the evening, weekends, and holidays. Empower and equip the Paulo Freire Charter School team to carry out community engagement within their roles Work closely with school leaders to ensure that the school is a catalyst for community engagement and that our students are at the heart of our movement for social change Facilitate community- led networks and online engagement Work with the Service Learning Coordinator to share best practice, assist with leading service projects and deliver training and support as needed. Communication and Content Serve as a chief contact point, and on the ground support, to existing and emerging local partnerships Assure parents, families, and community members the opportunity to effectively work together, and participate in making decisions at all levels in support of improved academic performance for all students. Commit to building engagement capacity in: communication, parenting across the grades, volunteering, at- home learning, decision- making, collaborating with the community, and advocacy. Regularly provide opportunities for parents, families, and community members to participate in the dialogue related to school- based issues. Understand the interests and motivations of the community at large share this knowledge with colleagues to inspire and facilitate community engagement and voluntary activity Provide on the ground intelligence on the priorities of the local community to executive leadership and the Board of Trustees.
Research, Evaluation, and Impact Share stories and case studies of effective community impact and engagement Support the delivery of information relating to our community engagement efforts at the local, state, and national level Work with the school leadership team to set, deliver, and monitor goals for community and family engagement and impact Gather and analyze data to create insights and recommendations, and guide the direction of the school and its initiatives Monitor local area knowledge and data to stimulate new connections within the community and inform the development of community- led networks and partnerships Work with the Service Learning Coordinator to ensure data relating to community engagement is consistently and effectively collected, recorded and managed Performs Other Related Work as Required. Commitment Championing the Paulo Freire Charter School Believe deeply in and show an affinity for the mission, vision, and core values of the Paulo Freire Charter School. Talks confidently about the work of the Paulo Freire Charter School, specifically in relation to college preparatory focus, the service learning program, the school community and our external relations Positive and proactive in spreading the brand messages in order to engage others in Paul Freire s work Experienced working effectively with, building strong relationships with and prioritizing the needs of educationally disadvantaged students. Achieving results Integrity Analyses situations and recommends action Meets the key dates, project milestones and progress reports as per the project plan Managing and developing self Proactive at keeping up to date in the sector and their area of specialism by reading, attending trainings, and analyzing current data Takes full accountability for responsibilities delegated to them Regularly evaluates own performance to build on strengths and identify areas to improve Seeking, accepting, and giving feedback Proactively and regularly seeks feedback from a variety of colleagues Uses feedback to evaluate own performance and draws conclusions on how to make the best of strengths and manage weaknesses
Collaboration Communicating and influencing Communicates effectively across the organization collaborating and building relationships Communicates in a clear, articulate, and engaging way Contributes effectively in discussions and meetings and begins to lead them Developing relationships and team- building Constructively challenges others to bring out the best solutions, deliver excellence and continuously improve Shares best practice with other team members and encourages others to work to the best of their ability Develops greater empathy and understanding of others in the team Excellence Prioritizing, planning and organizing Manages a varied workload balancing different priorities and short and long term goals Creates realistic plans to work to in order to achieve goals Innovating, adapting to and managing Proactive in critically assessing working practices and suggesting ideas and opportunities for improvement Makes recommendations for change within the team Leadership Managing, empowering and developing others Understands the components of projects and responsibilities and what is appropriate to delegate Delegates tasks and supports their delivery to ensure work is successfully completed Uses coaching techniques to help others improve performance Providing strategic direction and vision Understands and can interpret the principles of Paulo Freire Charter School mission and vision Understands what makes schools succeed/fail, able to build strong school environment and positive contribution to school culture, drive classroom and school change, build strong relationships, and influence/develop others. The Ideal Candidate Will 1) Possess a Bachelor s Degree from a competitive college or university; Master's Degree preferred but not required. 2) Have a minimum of 2-3 year of successful relevant experience, highly preferred. 3) Demonstrate experience developing goal- oriented, comprehensive programs of family and community engagement.
4) Have extensive knowledge of best practices and current research regarding family and community engagement programs, partnership development, and community advocacy and organizing that supports the academic achievement of all students. 5) Demonstrate experience leading and working with school improvement initiatives that close student achievement gaps between racial, ethnic, and economic groups by working with all of the diverse communities. 6) Have the ability to develop and maintain relationships with key community leaders and stakeholders. 7) Posses the ability to assess program needs and conceptualize new programs particularly for diverse communities; 8) Have a passion for achieving equity for low- income student populations, with prior experience working with high school students (especially first- generation) and their families. 9) Must be able to develop short and long term strategic plans, and have excellent time and project management skills. 10) Must have a desire to be part of a team- oriented, mission- driven school. 11) Must have a strong work ethic, and a sense of humor. 12) Must be creative and detail oriented, with well- developed organization skills. 13) Must possess an entrepreneurial spirit, and be willing to build an organization from the ground up. 14) Have a demonstrated capacity for being a catalyst for change. To Apply, please visit http://www.thefreireschool.org/employment- application.html. You may also visit our website at www.thefreireschool.org for additional details. Salary will be commensurate with experience and past results. Employee benefits include comprehensive health benefits, and participation in state pension program. The Paulo Freire Charter School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, national origin, alienage or citizenship or disability status.