State Campaign Director, Rhode Island
 
Contact:
Marc Porter Magee, Ph.D.
Chief Operating Officer
marc.magee@conncan.org
 
Those who insist that we cannot solve America’s education problems without first solving poverty have it exactly backwards: we will never solve poverty until we guarantee a great education for all our children. This belief inspires the work of the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (www.conncan.org), which has emerged in the past five years as the pacesetting model of effective state-level education reform.
 
Our breakthrough success in Connecticut showed us what’s possible and is the inspiration for a new initiative to expand ConnCAN’s model of advancing the principles of choice, accountability and flexibility to other states. We are now hiring for our first state campaign outside of Connecticut and seek an exceptional individual to be the founding state campaign director of RhodeIslandCAN: The Rhode Island Campaign for Achievement Now.
 
Position
ConnCAN has distinguished itself with its energetic “we won’t fail” culture, a national-caliber team working on state-level problems, and a focused and committed board. As the state campaign director, this person will bring this winning formula to a new set of state challenges in Rhode Island. This is an extraordinary job and we are looking for an extraordinary candidate.
 
The director will serve as the “advocate-in-chief” in advancing policy changes, the spokesperson for the campaign, and the head of local fundraising. Backed up by extensive support from the ConnCAN team, the director will drive a statewide campaign to raise awareness about the need for education reform grounded in Rhode Island-specific research. During the first six months of 2010, the director will work in Connecticut alongside ConnCAN CEO Alex Johnston and COO Marc Porter Magee to learn the ins and outs of running an effective issue campaign. In the second six months, the director will help recruit two additional Rhode Island team members, a government relations manager and a community relations manager, to complete the three-person RhodeIslandCAN campaign team. The director will report to the CEO and COO.
 
The ideal candidate will possess boundless energy, be extraordinarily entrepreneurial, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and be absolutely dedicated to fixing poverty by reforming public education.
 
Responsibilities

• Advocate-in-Chief: The director will lead the effort to change state policy through legislative and administrative action.
• Spokesperson: The director will be the voice of the campaign in speeches, meetings, media outreach, and written communication—raising awareness and inspiring support among a growing network of Rhode Island education reformers.
• Local Fundraising: The director will be the primary driver of the effort to secure local funding to ensure the long-term sustainability of the campaign and build upon the existing national funding secured to date.
• Manager and Mentor: The director will be the leader of the Rhode Island team and serve as both a strong manager and mentor of the two other Rhode Island team members.

 
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. ConnCAN offers a comprehensive benefits package.
 
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to marc.magee@conncan.org.
 
ConnCAN is an equal opportunity employer.
 
Download a PDF of the job description.
 
Internships
We offer internships throughout the year on an ad hoc basis. If you'd like to apply for an internship, please send a cover letter and resume to sarah.ganley@conncan.org.