Job Title: Bilingual Community Engagement and Recruitment Specialist

Philosophy

Phoenix Charter Academy's mission is to challenge young people in our area with an academically rigorous and individually tailored curriculum. Phoenix scholars who have not succeeded in other schools will have the support, resources and training needed to succeed academically in high school and college, and become economically secure in their future. Phoenix Charter Academy is named after a mythological figure of strength, healing and renewal.

Phoenix schools challenge resilient, disconnected young people with rigorous academics and relentless supports, so they take ownership of their futures and succeed in high school, college, and as self-sufficient adults.

Role Summary

The Community Engagement and Recruitment Specialist plays a vital role in supporting the mission and growth of the Phoenix Charter Academy Network through engaging with community members in order to inform and motivate prospective scholars and families to join the Phoenix community.

This position requires an entrepreneurial and outgoing personality, as well and the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, manage the school recruitment and enrollment process, and communicate efficiently and effectively to a variety of different audiences (including school staff, families, and community partners).

Commitments

All staff acknowledge that we each seek – through formal and informal feedback – to dramatically improve our own progress and that of our scholars.

Qualities of a Phoenix staff member:

• Unwavering Belief in Phoenix Scholars - Phoenix staff operate with the deeply held belief that all young people want to and can succeed even in the face of what can seem like insurmountable barriers and societal constraints.

• Ability to Put Scholars First - Phoenix staff go above and beyond to ensure mastery of the skills and development of positive self-identity that will ensure success for college, careers and beyond.  Phoenix staff find every opportunity to engage in teaching and learning with scholars, using conflict to build supportive relationships with scholars and never taking things personally. 

• Eager to Learn Under Pressure - Phoenix staff must be able to learn as they go in a fast paced, ever evolving, urgent environment. They have the desire to receive direct feedback and the ability to implement the feedback into practice quickly.

• Humility - Phoenix staff approach problem solving with curiosity and desire to understand the perspectives of others.  They carry an internalized sense of “I can always learn more”  from others, and know that adults at Phoenix must model the qualities of being open-minded and willing to make mistakes and learn from them.

• Experience with Low Income Communities -  Staff have the proven ability to work across cultures and experience serving low-income communities and/or academically-disconnected adolescents.  

• Ability to Find Inspiration In the Small Things - In the face of challenge and hard work,  Phoenix staff must have the ability to find humor, inspiration, success and joy in the day to day interactions with scholars and the larger Phoenix Community.

• Personal Commitment to Cultural Proficiency and Ongoing Development - Phoenix staff are ongoing learners about diversity, equity and inclusion and seek to understand the ways that their self-identity and experiences impacts and interacts with their daily work, colleagues and scholars.

Specific Responsibilities

Student Pipeline Development

• Manage annual ambitious enrollment targets, ensuring new scholar enrollment at all 5 Phoenix entry dates and a dynamic pipeline of scholars, including an active wait list
• Conduct daily outreach to potential scholars, including street and community outreach to places where potential Phoenix scholars can be found
• Project manage recruitment efforts of all staff at high intensity times such as summer to ensure Phoenix is available to as many disengaged youth as possible
• Refine and lead all aspects of scholar orientation, ensuring excellent early relationship building and education of potential scholars and their adult supporters
• Manage process so new scholars transition from recruitment to first week of school seamlessly, ensuring information exchange with academic and scholar support teams
• Identify high risk new enrollees and coordinate extra support transition plans

• Oversee the completion of all student enrollment documentation and paperwork

Community Engagement

• Cultivate and maintain a network of community relationships through regular meetings and communication: Existing community partners include: sending districts, DYS, CBJ, DCF, and others.
• Host a minimum of two community engagement activities a year, bringing community partners to Phoenix through tours, observations, resources exchange
• Create clear messaging for partners about qualities of a successful Phoenix scholar
• Ensure Phoenix attendance at key community events and service network collaborations
• Manage community partnerships spreadsheet and key staff accountabilities to ensure strong representation across school function
• Leverage all community partners to identify and recruit mission scholars and ensure Phoenix visibility as an educational option.

Adult Supporter Engagement

• Design and coordinate quarterly adult supporter events, ensuring that Phoenix’s mission and commitment to scholar academic progress and college prep is central
• Recruit and support parent advisory council with a clear goal of regular meetings and structures for engagement and feedback
• Coach and support all staff in building communication and approach to outreaching and partnering with adult supporters

General

• Internalize mission and make this central to all decisions and actions inside and outside of the school.
• Take part in all staff-wide PD.
• Commit to growing professionally through consistent and constant feedback and reflection; remain humble and relentless. Be committed to professionally developing through feedback, tackling challenging tasks, and professional development meetings/trainings.

Successful candidates will have the following skills:

• Bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Bachelor's Degree
• Existing partnerships within the community
• Ability to manage self and to work on a team
• Comfort in cold calling and initiating new relationships
• Strong background in related field

**It is understood that this Job Description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the position. It is not intended to be a complete and total description of each and every duty and responsibility. As such, this job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. He or she will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his or her supervisor.

It is also understood that the Network retains the right to modify this Job Description at any time, for any reason, at the Network’s sole discretion**

We seek a diverse workforce. Phoenix Charter Academy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Phoenix Charter Academy is committed to providing equal opportunity to staff and applicants in all areas of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other area protected by federal, state or local law. Phoenix Charter Academy is committed to making any reasonable accommodation necessary to support an individual's employment.