Director of External Affairs

LEAP Innovations bridges the gap between education and innovation for teachers and students from pre-K through college.

• Lead all communication initiatives, including direct communication with stakeholders, event management, public relations, social media and other programs to create and sustain excitement and interest in the brand
• Oversee the strategic and programmatic expansion of the LEAP Collaboratory, a destination space to promote best-practice-sharing and drive the education innovation ecosystem in Chicago
• Leverage programmatic milestones (such as events, grants, research findings, new programs/products, etc.) into an effective communications plan to showcase success and inoculate against potential threats
• Supervise and own relationship with the public relations agency and other vendors
• Create and lead a new campaign to develop and adopt a national lexicon for personalized learning and edtech innovation
• Provide communications counsel and support to CEO and LEAP staff, as well as other constituents to build communications capacity among partner organizations
• Work with the CEO and development team to create and implement a successful campaign strategy to generate $20M in philanthropic revenue to ensure sustainability
• Develop organization’s advocacy strategy including determining legislative priorities, cultivate relationships with elected officials at the district, city and state levels and manage the lobbying firm
• Represent LEAP within the education innovation ecosystem locally and nationally
• Mentor and supervise a cross-functional team of three professional staff involved in external affairs

The ideal candidate should enjoy working in a dynamic, results-oriented environment in which expectations are high for both the quality and speed of work. They should have energy, passion and ideas to enhance the culture of the entire organization, and enthusiasm to promote and communicate our mission and values to stakeholders.

• 10+ years of work experience in public relations, development, marketing and communications, or advocacy ideally in a mission- and data-driven organization such as education, healthcare, or a similar field
• Proven experience in public relations and promotion in traditional and new media, including cross platform promotion, print, on-line and social media
• Experience selecting, managing and supervising agency relationships and budgets
• Success in achieving a multi-million dollar development campaign goal including securing individual gifts in excess of $500K or similar experience in sales and marketing
• Understanding of government advocacy and managing legislative priorities
• Ability to multitask, establish and rearrange priorities, and maintain focus in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of constituents
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and with a team
• Public relations agency experience a plus
• A bachelor’s degree or higher
• A sense of humor and commitment to working hard for a great cause.