Description |
First Book is an award-winning, nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books and educational materials to children in need throughout the United States and Canada. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 100 million books to schools and programs serving children from low-income families from birth through age 18. A recognized leader in social enterprise, First Book has pioneered groundbreaking channels to provide educators serving children in need with permanent access to high-quality books and educational resources for free and at deeply reduced prices. By harnessing the power of the private sector to advance social change, First Book is helping transform the quality of education for children in need. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Fast Company, Forbes Magazine, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and the World Economic Forum have all highlighted First Book and its unique model. First Book is also the subject of case studies at Columbia Business School, the Yale School of Management, and the London School of Economics.
About the position: First Book is seeking an energetic, highly motivated, business-minded, entrepreneurial Director with experience in Hispanic marketing and Hispanic-centered partnership development to join the National Engagement Team. First Book's National Engagement Team resides at the forefront of First Book's growth trajectory and is responsible for dramatically increasing the number of programs/schools First Book serves, as well as for encouraging use of First Book resources among these programs/schools. A larger network with a higher volume of usage drives down the cost of the books for the programs/schools we serve, and as a result, expands the number of books and educational resources that reach low-income children worldwide.
Hispanic individuals represent one of the fastest growing population segments in the country. There are now approximately 10 million Hispanic students in the nation's public kindergartens, elementary and high schools. Despite the impact on increased enrollment, Hispanic students are facing significant academic challenges. Less than half of all Hispanic students currently graduate from high school and Hispanic students born in the U.S. have a higher dropout rate than African-American or white students (U.S. Census Bureau). In our experience, programs/schools serving this population cite limited access to funds for book purchases (even at deeply discounted rates) as being the key barrier to providing access to this critical resource.
The Director, Hispanic Engagement will be responsible for designing and executing a strategic plan to increase Hispanic engagement with First Book nationwide. 'Engagement' is defined by:
Increasing First Book awareness among non-profit programs that primarily serve a Hispanic audience,
Enticing those programs to register with First Book, and
Stimulating usage of our resources among those networks to get more books out to Hispanic students nationwide through the programs that serve them.
This position will include cultivating, managing and leveraging partnerships within the Hispanic nonprofit sector. It will also include determining the strategy for use of, and messaging around, various direct marketing tactics targeted at programs serving Hispanic children in need (not targeting Hispanic families directly).
Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Partnership Development Maintain a level of knowledge regarding the landscape of partners primarily serving Hispanic children in need. Become educated on prospective partners. Work with the Vice President, National Engagement to identify, cultivate and manage key partner relationships, with a primary focus on large-scale organizations in the Hispanic partner landscape. Determine action steps for moving new partnerships forward. Be entrepreneurial in this space.
Relationship Management Develop a deep understanding of partner needs and obstacles to maximizing use of First Book's resources; translate insight into partner strategy. Be 'in the know' and aware of internal and external issues facing specific partners. Develop a comprehensive understanding of how First Book can support the mission and goal of each partner; utilize that knowledge to create mutually beneficial partnership strategies. Be creative about ways to proactively support your partners. Approach each existing partnership with a strategic outlook and build action plans accordingly. Design and implement partner marketing strategies and communication plans. Foster direct and open lines of communication with partners. Provide exceptional customer service, responsiveness, project management and extraordinary attention to detail on behalf of the partners. Act as the 'voice of the partner' internally, understanding and representing the partner's needs within First Book and advocating on behalf of the partners. Create quarterly and annual wrap-up reports by partner.
Engagement Stimulation Look within partner accounts and identify measurable opportunities for registration and usage stimulation. Prioritize partner accounts accordingly. Work with partners to develop high-impact proposals that define and implement relevant strategies to stimulate usage of the First Book Marketplace and the First Book National Book Bank in large-scale ways. Identify new funding opportunities, and package them in a way that can be presented to potential funders. Impact the development of the First Book Marketplace (FBMP) inventory by collecting relevant partner input and providing it to internal stakeholders. Help develop new engagement opportunities based on partner objectives/goals. Develop a deep knowledge of internal capacity, and leverage this knowledge to match internal abilities with out-of-the-box partner opportunities and big ideas. Make recommendations to the Vice President, National Engagement around strategies/action plans for connecting with assigned partner networks/affiliates/sub-organizations, and execute resulting initiatives.
Marketing Strategy Design and help execute on a plan to reach non-partner affiliated programs serving Hispanic children in need. Determine optimal tactics and messaging to generate registrations and maximize usage of the First Book Marketplace and First Book National Book Bank.
Project Management -- Lead execution of Hispanic-related initiatives. Draft strategic briefs, lead cross-functional planning meetings, create project plans, execute flawlessly, and measure and report on results. Understand how to navigate and coordinate internally among cross-functional teams. This position will require an intense amount of cross-team coordination within Engagement, as this position will reside at the nexus of two aspects of Engagement and will require leveraging existing resources in integrated ways.
First Book Representation Represent First Book at partner meetings, conferences, panels, receptions and speaking engagements. Draft presentations and partner facing collateral accordingly. Host webinars.
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Requirements |
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Hispanic-Specific Marketing Skills
o Must be fluent in oral and written Spanish.
o Must have an in-depth understanding of Hispanic culture.
o Hispanic marketing experience preferred. Must have experience in marketing.
o Understanding of non-profit landscape within Hispanic-targeted sector is a plus.
Communication Skills
o Must have exceptional oral and written communication skills.
o Must have proven ability to successfully manage and clearly communicate in a cross-functional environment.
Relationship Management Skills
o Experience building and fostering relationships in either the private or nonprofit sector required.
o Must have demonstrated ability to be extremely responsive to external partners and advocate internally on behalf of partners.
o Experience in tracking and reporting on client activity/progress preferred.
Project Management Skills
o Must be highly organized and have the ability to manage for results. Must be able to meet and/or exceed project goals and deadlines. Must possess a strong attention to detail.
o A minimum of 5 years project management experience required.
o Event management experiences a plus.
o Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs required.
Cultural Fit
o Must have an innate entrepreneurial spirit, proven track record for showing initiative, and a solutions-oriented approach to opportunities and challenges.
o Must possess a private sector head and a public sector heart. Ability to leverage private sector experience in public sector preferred.
o Must have a creative approach to problem solving, can-do attitude, and ability to multi-task and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
o Must be able to work both independently and collaboratively within a team environment.
o Experience working successfully with cross-functional teams preferred.
o Must be flexible and adaptable. Must be extremely comfortable with and motivated by change.
o Interest in working in a fun and creative professional environment a must.
o Experience in the nonprofit sector preferred.
Education
o Bachelor's degree required.
Ability to travel to conferences, First Book National Book Bank distributions, partner meetings, networking events, etc. (20% travel)
TO APPLY: Candidates are invited to submit a resume and a cover letter.
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