Communications and Operations Intern

PAVE Overview

PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect, inform, and empower parent leaders to give families in DC a voice and choice in the vision for education in our city. In PAVE’s vision, parents are partners and leaders with schools and policymakers in developing a diversity of safe, nurturing, and great schools for every child in every ward and community.

PAVE Parent Leaders fight for an environment where the vision for education in DC is not created for families but rather with families, shifting and changing the dynamics of power so that communities and parents are partners in developing great schools. PAVE intentionally and constructively asks parents to engage in education policy in DC, opens opportunities for parents to lead and advocate, helps parents to understand the system, builds relationships between parents and those who are making and influencing education policy, and advocates on behalf of great school options and equitable supports for all children, regardless of sector.

In just nine years, PAVE Parent Leaders have significantly impacted the education system and policymaking in our city that should be a state. PAVE is a fast-paced, high-performing organization driven by a passionate team made up of nearly 8,000 parent leaders, 4 full-time staff, and school, citywide, and national partners in educational equity. The standard at PAVE is excellence – in all that we do, all that we give, and all the spaces that we open for family and community voice.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Communications & Operations Intern to support our team in amplifying our voice, streamlining projects, and ensuring effective organizational operations. This role is ideal for someone who is eager to grow their writing, communications, and project management skills while contributing to meaningful work at PAVE.

Responsibilities

• Content Creation and Writing
  • Draft communications, matching the tone and voice of our organization, coalition, and key system leaders.
  • Draft communications and content for a variety of audiences, including parents, schools, policymakers and system leaders, and coalition partners.
  • Draft blog posts, newsletters, talking points, slide decks, and other written materials.
• Design and Digital Engagement
  • Develop and schedule social media content, including posts and graphics.
  • Support creation of visual content and printed collateral for social media, events, etc.
  • Assist in monitoring engagement metrics and suggesting improvements based on analytics
• Project Coordination and Event Support
  • Assist with project planning and event coordination across teams.
  • Provide logistical support for small-scale events and meetings such as supply inventory, materials prep and clean up.
• Operations Support
  • Help maintain calendars, contact lists, shared files, etc…
  • Support with general administrative and operational tasks as assigned.
• Assist the PAVE team in other matters as identified and assigned.

Qualifications

The Communications and Operations Intern role is ideally suited for an undergraduate or graduate student looking to support a local non-profit organization in Washington D.C.

Concrete demonstrable experience and other qualifications include:

• High school diploma or GED required;
• Current enrollment in a bachelor’s or master’s program in education, policy, business, communications, writing, or non-profit management, highly preferred;
• Strong writing and editing skills with an ability to adapt to different voices and audiences;
• Basic design skills (Canva or similar tools) preferred but not required;
• Excellent organizational skills and detail oriented;
• Resourceful, flexible individual with strong time and project management skills and an ability to work independently and collaboratively on tight deadlines with working on multiple tasks;
• Experience with Microsoft and Google Suite;
• Willingness to learn new systems including Salesforce;
• Availability to attend occasional evening and weekend events;
• Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed;
• Willingness to work in fast-paced environments and do whatever it takes to reach outcomes
• Belief in addressing issues of equity and inequity in DC and nationally in education, and in other related policy areas (incl. housing, economic and workforce development, criminal justice, health care)

Compensation

This is a contractor position. Compensation is $25 per hour for approximately 10 hours a week.

The Intern must provide a W-9 prior to employment and will receive a 1099 at the end of the calendar year.

Location

This position requires an availability for in-person support in Washington D.C. The role is mainly in-person at the PAVE offices near Dupont Circle.