The Commit Partnership seeks a detail-oriented and self-starting individual to join the Policy & State Coalition team, focusing primarily on postsecondary and workforce policy issues.  Commit’s Policy & State Coalition team works to build knowledge and support across Texas for the policies that improve student outcomes for our Texas public school students, from early childhood through postsecondary and into living wage jobs.  In the 2019 Texas legislative session, the Policy & State Coalition team was instrumental in passing an $11.5B+ school finance and property tax reform package that included full-day pre-K, pay raises for teachers, and more.

Within the Policy & State Coalition team, the POSTSECONDARY POLICY ASSOCIATE will report to the Director of Postsecondary Policy. The Associate will assist the team in supporting Commit’s CEO Todd Williams as he serves on the Texas Commission on Community College Finance. The associate will also work with policy coalitions, stakeholders and advocates to advance policies that help all Texans achieve postsecondary credentials that put them on a path toward a self-sustaining wage.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Associate will support the team in two primary areas:  1. Supporting the creation, passage, and defense of our legislative and agency policy priorities, and 2. Utilizing data to measure success and inform stakeholders.

• Supporting creation, passage, and defense of our legislative and agency priorities, including:

  • Support team on policy issues and opportunities for the Community College Finance Commission
  • Assist team in building and cultivating relationships with organizations and legislators across Texas to advance policy objectives
  • Partner with Communications team to support development of engagement collateral including one-pagers, testimony, and blog/website content
  • Assist team with stakeholder and legislator convenings through planning and supporting facilitation of calls, webinars and in-person events
  • Monitoring relevant committee hearings, external meetings, and bill filling; identifying highlights and themes, and sharing back notes to inform strategy
  • Research state and national policies, especially those related to postsecondary attainment and workforce development, to inform future policy priorities

• Using data to measure success and inform stakeholders

  • Manage and Track Engagement Pipeline
    • Track the interest, participation, and success of House Bill 3 initiatives and the associated data points to enable analysis and data visualization.
  • Manage online mobilization tools (ex: Phone2Action, Salesforce, Eventbrite) to support advocacy efforts and track successful engagement with tools

• Coalition-building and meeting support

  • Support the planning and coordination of regular coalition meetings with external partners and stakeholders, including communications, logistical support, and on-site management.

Prepare meeting registration, notifications, and event-related materials.

• Manage relationships with partners and stakeholders.
• Occasionally represent Commit at external events, including conferences and local-level meetings.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 3+ years experience in a related field
• Essential Skills
  • Proven record of organization and professional success, preferred Associate degree or higher with a strong academic record, BA/BS degree a plus
  • A well-rounded team player who will think critically and pivot quickly to complete fast-moving work with a high degree of quality
  • A self-starter who manages multiple deadlines and communicates up, down, and across the team to ensure goals stay on track
  • Innovative mindset that seeks to meet stakeholders where they are and engage them in the policymaking process in an authentic way 
  • Strong interpersonal communication skills, both written and oral, with strong proof-reading and editing skills
  • Alignment with Commit Core Values and a dedication to educational equity
• Advocacy & Policy
  • Relevant experience or strong interest in public policy, governmental affairs, and/or the legislative process
• Data
  • Ability to organize, track, analyze and articulate data, especially to support policies
  • Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, PowerPoint, with Intermediate proficiency in Excel preferred
• Occasional ability to work beyond standard work hours, especially during the legislative session.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• SALARY: Competitive and commensurate with education and experience
• BENEFITS: Competitive package including healthcare coverage, available vision & dental, and 401(k) match
• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives

LOCATION: Dallas, Texas

If a direct apply link is not included, please visit www.commitpartnership.org/careers to apply in our applicant tracking system. For questions, please email careers@commitpartnership.org.

The Commit Partnership and the Dallas Regional Chamber are Equal Opportunity Employers that both seek to hire individuals with backgrounds similar to that of the stakeholders they serve. As organizations that embraces equity and inclusion, all employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Commit does not sponsor visas of any kind.

ABOUT THE COMMIT PARTNERSHIP:

The Commit Partnership (“Commit” or “The Partnership”) is focused on the powerful idea that every child in Dallas County should receive an excellent and equitable education, preparing them to flourish in their careers. To reach this vision, the Partnership serves as a community navigator and connector, analyzing data to elevate strategic initiatives, improve practices and policies, and ultimately growing community capacity, capabilities, and resources to serve students more effectively.

Founded in 2012, the Partnership is the nation’s largest educational collective impact organization: a coalition of over 200 partners (public and private schools, colleges, foundations, businesses, and nonprofits), all working collaboratively to solve our region’s biggest systemic educational challenges. Our flagship effort, Early Matters Dallas, focuses on improving early childhood outcomes, while our second initiative, Best in Class, aims in partnership with the Communities Foundation of Texas to increase the number of effective and diverse campus educators serving DFW’s 1.2 million students. Our third initiative, Dallas County Promise, seeks to align our local higher education institutions to maximize the number of students who can access and complete a quality postsecondary education. Day-to-day work is supported by more than 40 full-time staff members who combine data, deep educational experience, and strategic thinking to collectively support Partnership efforts while advocating for Dallas County students at the state and local level and convening community conversations around the latest research and best practices. The net result is a shared roadmap for the future that civic leaders and local stakeholders own and hold themselves mutually accountable for its execution. In 2019, Commit helped secure the Texas Legislature’s passage of House Bill 3, a historic $6.5 billion investment in public schools, geared toward strategies that have improved student outcomes in North Texas and across the state.

OUR CORE VALUES:

The Partnership centers its work around five core values that inform how we approach improving outcomes for students in Dallas County.

• INTEGRITY: To best serve students, families, and the community we will act honestly and ethically in how we make both internal and external decisions, present data, and communicate with partners
• EQUITY & INCLUSION: We seek to help transform systems in ways that ensure every student has access to the resources they need. We do this by actively and explicitly working with others to create more equitable outcomes and processes.
• STUDENTS FIRST: Our decisions are guided by multiple stakeholders, but ultimately rest upon one question: What is in the best interest of students?
• SYSTEMIC IMPACT: We are patient and persistent as we identify the most effective approaches to help create lasting systems change. Once identified, we prioritize and relentlessly attack systemic challenges with efficiency and excellence.
• HUMILITY: We embrace the fact that our community’s success depends on our ability to work cohesively with each other and to constantly learn.
• JOY: It is important we bring a constant sense of optimism and have fun while taking on this difficult work.