Associate Director of External Affairs, Advocacy and Campaigns

Position Summary

The Associate Director of External Affairs, Advocacy and Campaigns serves as a leader across READY, a 501(c)(3), and READY Action Fund, a 501(c)(4), two affiliated Rochester, NY organizations advancing education equity, quality public schools, and community power. This role leads the organizations’ political and advocacy strategy, including monitoring and influencing education legislation, developing and executing advocacy campaigns, organizing get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts, and supporting aligned candidates at the local and state levels. Half of this position’s time is dedicated to issue-based education and community engagement efforts under READY (the c3), and the other half is focused on political advocacy through READY Action Fund (the c4). The Associate Director ensures both entities work in concert to build long-term political and community power for education equity in Rochester.

In addition to leading legislative and electoral strategy, the Associate Director is responsible for building and managing strategic external coalitions that expand the tent of grasstops education champions and deliver meaningful policy wins. This role also designs and drives READY’s grassroots community engagement strategy to ensure that the voices of parents, families, students, and supporters are central to the work — year-round, across both election cycles and legislative sessions. The Associate Director collaborates with communications staff to shape public narratives and generate compelling, data-driven insights that guide campaigns in support of high-quality public schools of all types, district and charter alike.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities

Policy and Advocacy Leadership

• Develop and lead a comprehensive READY Action Fund policy agenda that advances education equity and expands access to high-quality public schools in Rochester.
• Monitor and influence local and state legislation that impacts public education and education reform, including advocacy at City Hall, the Rochester City School District, and in Albany.
• Achieve collective policy wins by aligning grassroots and grasstops efforts behind strategic priorities.

Coalition Building and Grasstops Engagement

• Expand the network of grasstops supporters, including business leaders, faith leaders, higher education stakeholders, policymakers, and local community leaders.
• Build and maintain strategic coalitions around aligned education policy issues to amplify collective impact and broaden support for education equity.

Electoral Strategy and Political Engagement

• Identify, formally endorse, and support candidates whose priorities align with the organizations’ vision, mission, and values for school board, city council, and the state legislature.
• Lead all GOTV strategies, voter outreach, and political campaign planning in compliance with 501(c)(4) rules and New York State election law.

Candidate Recruitment and Development

• Design and lead a candidate pipeline program to identify, recruit, and train education equity champions for elected office.
• Select participants and facilitate or identify expert facilitators to deliver curriculum.
• Regularly evaluate program impact and iterate curriculum to strengthen candidate preparedness.

Grassroots Community Engagement

• Design and implement READY’s grassroots strategy to activate parents, families, and communities as advocates for education equity and public education reform.
• Build year-round parent political power, creating meaningful opportunities for community members to engage with education issues, support campaigns, and participate in advocacy efforts during both election cycles and legislative sessions.

Secondary Responsibilities

• In partnership with communications staff, shape advocacy messaging and narrative strategy across both organizations.
• Support the organizations’ research function to generate data-driven insights that inform strategic decisions and advocacy campaigns.
• Lead or contribute to special projects and organizational initiatives as assigned.

Required Key Skills and Qualifications

Knowledge

• Deep understanding of political and electoral strategy, campaign planning, and implementation.
• Knowledge of the Rochester and New York State political landscape and education policy environment.
• Familiarity with legal and compliance guidelines for 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) activities, including lobbying registration and reporting requirements in New York State.

Technical Skills

• Strong grasp of public policy, the legislative process, and advocacy tools.
• Demonstrated experience in power mapping, political analysis, and political strategy development.
• Ability to design and facilitate high-quality adult learning programs.
• Proficiency with campaign-focused CRM tools and digital organizing platforms.
• Track record of successful coalition building and alignment across diverse stakeholders.

Core Competencies

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated, with the ability to work independently and in collaboration with internal and external partners.
• Strong relationship-building skills across community, education, faith, business, and political sectors.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• Work Environment: In the office and in-field engagement (e.g., events, community meetings, and legislative visits).
• Physical Demands: Must be able to work at a computer for extended periods and travel locally within the Rochester area for meetings and events.
• Travel: Regular travel within the Rochester area and occasional travel to Albany or regionally for legislative visits, conferences, events, or coalition-building.
• Schedule Expectations: Standard work hours with flexibility required for evening and weekend events, especially during election cycles and legislative sessions.

Additional Information

This job description is not intended to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice, in response to organizational needs. Candidates should bring a spirit of adaptability, collaboration, and innovation to this dynamic and mission-driven role.

Health and Dental

Retirement Savings

Vacation and Holiday time off